Honestly speaking, the role I had to play was simple.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I dealt with demons and stayed by Alois’s side.
Supporting his work and performing the duties of the Saintess was my role in the Kingdom of Eseah.
“What do we do with the corpses?”
My body was covered in green and blue from the remains of the demons.
The stench of blood swarmed around me, irritating my senses.
I spoke irritably and unconsciously raked a hand roughly through my hair.
Naturally, my pink hair was stained with demon blood.
I was already so drenched in it that my vision was tinged blue, so I didn’t really care about it.
“The corpses will be burned in the incinerator His Highness Alois prepared.”
“Incinerator?”
“To burn the demons’ bodies—”
A priest began explaining there was a way to recycle demon corpses.
Looking over the dozens of demon corpses, I turned around.
A paladin gently removed the white shawl from my shoulders.
I looked at him and also took off my gloves.
“Shall we head to the temple?”
“By all means.”
The waft of demon blood clung to my nose.
The priest brightened as he opened the carriage door, and I dragged my heavy body up into it.
“Thirty-four cases today alone.”
I had been traveling all over the Kingdom of Eseah all day.
Alois had been working me ruthlessly.
He even found the demons hiding in corners and asked me to take care of them.
“Maybe it’s time to stop.”
It was unlike Alois to say that, but I understood.
After all, for him, showing my face to the people even once and building up merit was the top priority.
To the people of Eseah, ‘the Saintess from the Empire’ meant less than ‘the Saintess who sacrificed herself for us’.
“Honestly.”
Thanks to that, my body had been exhausted lately, but it wasn’t that bad of a thing.
The priests of the temple couldn’t handle too many demons because of the limits of their divine power.
But with me there, that wasn’t an issue at all.
I heard the number of casualties had decreased significantly thanks to that.
“I’m working myself so hard.”
Still, that was that, and this was this.
I was thinking of reducing my workload, as I was starting to feel the fatigue.
Of course, Alois was working even harder than me, pushing forward every day.
He was gradually stripping power away from the king.
More nobles were aligning themselves with Alois, since he had both the support of the Saintess and excellent abilities.
Because of that, Alois had to work while constantly being checked by the king.
‘With me around, the king can’t kill him or slander him. So the best he could come up with is overloading him with so much work he can’t even sleep.’
The king must be very frustrated.
My body was limp with exhaustion, but thinking of the king’s situation brought a smile to my lips.
The King of Eseah was a capable man.
But the problem was that he used that capability for himself alone.
At the very least, neither I nor the temple wanted a king like that.
“Shall I visit our hardworking prince today?”
It had been quite some time since Alois declared war on the king and revealed his true self.
But things had remained peaceful.
All because I was by his side.
That was the best outcome Alois could have hoped for. To take everything from the king without causing chaos or injury.
“Not that I can go like this.”
I raised my arm and looked at my hand.
Though I had taken off my gloves and my hands were clean, the rest of me wasn’t.
All of it bore stained traces of hard labor.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
I wasn’t someone who could hide away in a sweet, comfortable fortress.
I was someone who defended that fortress.
And the fortress I was now trying to protect was the Kingdom of Eseah, just as Alois had wished.
***
Considering the time, I figured Alois was buried in so much work that even sleep was a luxury.
I came out of the bath with my hair not yet dry.
The attendants had been waiting on standby, but I dismissed them all.
It had been years since I became a Saintess, but I was still uncomfortable with this kind of pampering.
“Shall I head to the royal palace?”
Droplets fell from the hem of my robe.
I opened the window to let in the cool breeze to help dry my hair.
From the temple, I could see the palace.
I had asked for a room that faced it.
I just wanted to see when Alois’s light would turn off.
Eventually, I rang the bell.
As if waiting for it, a priest entered with sparkling eyes.
I smiled and spoke.
“Please call for Reneben. And prepare a carriage to go to the palace.”
The priest’s face, filled with anticipation, turned gloomy.
Still, without a single complaint, she replied that she understood.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll stay at the palace just for tonight and come back tomorrow.”
“Then…will you sleep over there?”
I kept smiling as I glanced out the window.
Then I had to trail off with a ‘Well…’
“My lovely companion probably won’t be able to fall asleep, so how can I fall asleep?”
Whether she took my words seriously or not, she puffed her cheeks and replied.
“Companion is too much. He hasn’t visited the temple even once…”
It was a pouty kind of complaint.
Only the people of the temple could treat me this way.
Only those who weren’t afraid of me and could joke with me.
“Don’t be too harsh. Alois doesn’t even have time to sleep right now.”
“But…but…His Highness always asks so much of you, Lady Saintess.”
“If I truly hated it, I would’ve refused. Alois asked, and I simply accepted.”
The young priest’s face gradually turned into a frown.
From her perspective, Alois probably looked like a villain who only used me.
“And even if I’m working this hard…my companion is working even harder than I am right now.”
The priest stood hesitantly by the door, listening to me.
I walked up to her and leaned in slightly, narrowing my eyes.
I brushed her pale cheek and spoke.
“So don’t be too harsh on my companion.”
Her fair face turned a shade of pink.
She seemed to hesitate for a long moment before carefully asking,
“Your Holiness…why did you choose His Highness the Prince as your companion?”
Hm?
The unexpected question made me blink slowly.
Why did I chose Alois as my companion? Well…he aligned with my interests and was helpful to me.
Being with him was enjoyable too, but if Alois took the throne, I had much to gain.
That was the biggest reason.
“Well…”
But I couldn’t say that to the priest in front of me.
“Because I love Alois.”
I decided that from now on, I’d say it like this.
Many people would ask.
Why did I choose Alois as my companion?
And each time, I’d repeat this line.
It was the most convincing answer for everyone.
With just the words ‘I love him’, everything from my sacrifices to my devotion would be understood.
“I knew it…!”
The priest’s brightened and she began to chatter on excitedly.
I felt a little guilty, but…Alois and I weren’t really like that.
It was a thoroughly mutual-interest relationship.
But with just those words, ‘I love him’, she was already letting her imagination run wild.
She was turning Alois and me into the greatest romance of the century.
I decided not to shatter her dream.
After all, in front of others, we were a couple in love.
***
I called for Reneben and told him I’d be going to the palace for the night.
Though he didn’t like it, he eventually had no choice but to nod.
I left the temple in Reneben’s care and climbed into the carriage.
My nerves churned as the carriage bumped along the road.
“The word love really is convenient.”
It simplified the complicated relationship between Alois and me in one stroke.
I should remind Alois again not to forget that outwardly, we were supposed to be in love.
Though I didn’t think he’d make that kind of mistake, still…
“I’m so tired.”
The carriage soon arrived at the palace.
The knights guarding the gates saw the white temple carriage and my face through the window and let me through without question.
Perhaps word had spread that I’d arrived, because manservants and maids were already waiting in front of Alois’s residence.
“Did Alois send you?”
I asked as I stepped down from the carriage with the help of an attendant.
The eldest-looking servant replied with a bright face.
“I greet to God’s blessing. Yes, Your Holiness. His Highness ordered us to be ready so that you wouldn’t experience any inconvenience.”
“Is that so…? Hm.”
The servant’s eyes sparkled.
Though their posture was polite, their expression clearly said they were dying of curiosity about why I had come to see the prince at this late hour.
They were very interested in the relationship between Alois and me.
I didn’t think that interest was a bad thing.
“I don’t need a separate room. I’ll go to Alois.”
“…Right this way.”
The servant led me straight to Alois’s office without hesitation.
Several people were busily moving around outside.
With arms full of documents, they looked so busy that walking in now would clearly be disruptive.
“You may all leave.”
“But…”
“It’s fine.”
To avoid getting in the way, I thought I’d help with the work.
I dismissed the attendants and signaled to the guards at the door.
They opened it.
The windows had been shut tight inside, there was only the faint scent of tea and paper.
“Alois.”
The man with brown hair looked up.
Those around him also turned to look at me.
I walked up to him.
The clicking sound of my shoes echoed across the marble floor.
Stopping right in front of him, I glanced between him and the documents.
“Perfect.”
“What exactly are you referring to?”
Everything was perfect. Alois’s unflawed appearance, the neat paperwork.
I smiled silently and sat down in front of him.
Alois frowned and stopped the pen that had been moving nonstop.
“What brings you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I came to help.”
“You should be resting.”
Early Access available on Patreon~
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