chapter 5
Damn this awful sense of direction.
After countless major and minor incidents, Leonard had proven himself capable in nearly every field. Yet perhaps because the gods were fair, he could never escape one fatal flaw: he was hopelessly directionally challenged.
Of course, the princess who knew nothing about it wasn’t at fault.
“No matter how bad your sense of direction is…”
Every innocent word she spoke pierced him like a dagger, but if she had known just how terrible his navigation skills truly were, she probably would never have said such things.
“N-not that way. Th-this way.”
As the attendant guided him along, Leonard’s expression gradually twisted in irritation, leaving the poor servant trembling while leading the way.
With a sigh, Leonard removed his coat and draped it over a chair.
William noticed how rough the movement was and spoke with equal parts curiosity and concern.
“Did something happen? You took quite a long time getting back.”
“…I met the princess. She was heading to the Altar of Holy Blood with the Saintess.”
“The Altar of Holy Blood?”
At those words, which could not be overlooked, William straightened in his seat.
“So changing dresses was merely an excuse to go to the altar. Just as we suspected, the princess seems deeply connected to the holy relics.”
William continued speaking seriously, but no response came.
Turning his head, he found Leonard sprawled across the sofa.
Seeing the prince collapsed there without even changing clothes, William slowly realized what must have happened.
“…William. Am I really that hopelessly bad with directions?”
“….”
“Isn’t it just that my sense of direction is only slightly worse than average?”
So that’s what happened.
Pretending not to notice, William picked up a letter from the table.
“Your Highness, we’ve learned that the First Prince has sent Princess Charlotte a marriage proposal.”
“Are you changing the subject right now?”
“I believe this matter is more urgent.”
Leonard frowned at the remark, but it was undeniably true.
“So he intends to marry the princess and strengthen ties with Sincaster, is that it?”
“It’s probably just a gesture to curry favor. Unless they’re insane, Sincaster would never agree to marry into Blake.”
“……”
“Perhaps Your Highness should try using your looks as well? In Blake, people say you’re far superior to the First Prince in appearance.”
At William’s words, Leonard slowly lowered the hands that had been rubbing his face dryly.
His eyes, once blazing like fire beneath the sun, were now soaked with exhaustion.
“I’d be better off practicing how to find my way.”
In The Sacred Saints’ Breath, there existed five continents and six oceans.
Each continent housed one Holy Kingdom, and throughout history, none of those kingdoms had ever allowed foreign invasion.
It was all thanks to the three Royal Relics bestowed by the gods.
For that reason, the kingdoms built heavily protected sanctuaries called the Altars of Holy Blood, where the relics were stored and guarded for generations.
Aside from the Pope, only I—the relics’ caretaker—the Saintess Aurora, and two high priests were permitted to enter the altar.
After parting ways with the prince, Aurora and I stepped through the barrier surrounding the Altar of Holy Blood.
Inside the barrier, Erdan’s holy power filled the air so densely that the place felt soft and warm, almost like a greenhouse.
“His Majesty’s barrier is still incredibly impressive.”
“There are ten layers to it. No matter how skilled a priest or mage might be, they’d never break through.”
The altar was solemn and silent.
Feeling the weight of the atmosphere, we quietly walked along the pure white stone path until we reached the shrine.
Upon the altar, covered in golden wool, rested the three holy relics in perfect order.
A crown woven from laurel leaves.
A massive ivory trumpet.
A mirror made entirely of pure gold.
At first glance, they looked ordinary, yet they were relics gifted by Elysia, the chief deity of the Elysium Continent.
Aurora carefully inspected each one while murmuring,
“Nothing seems wrong. With so many foreigners entering the palace lately, I was worried about possible intruders, but I suppose there’s nothing to fear.”
“Right. If anything were about to happen, the relics would’ve warned us first.”
If anyone with ill intentions existed, one of the three relics would have sounded a warning. After that, Cedric would have led the powerful Holy Knights and eliminated them before they could even set foot in the capital.
That was how Sincaster’s history of invincibility had been built.
“I’m telling you, that prince must really have just gotten lost. This kingdom has stood undefeated for five thousand years.”
I patted Aurora’s shoulder as she let out a relieved sigh.
“Our kingdom was strong in the past, it’s strong now, and it’ll remain strong in the future.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
Aurora smiled faintly and linked arms with me again.
“I don’t trust you. I trust the relics.”
“……”
Good grief. Just how low was Aurora’s trust in me?
Sure, I had swindled a few people just a tiny little bit, but I swore it was all for the noble cause of changing the original story.
I might have caused a few minor incidents, but nothing serious enough to count as a disaster.
After briefly reflecting on my past and deciding it would only make me feel uneasy, I forced a bright smile.
“Well then! Shall we head back now?”
After leaving the altar with Aurora, I immediately returned to the princess’s palace library.
On one side of the desk sat a bracelet adorned with a blue orb inside an expensive-looking box.
It was a magical communication device.
Since I possessed no holy power, I couldn’t use relics that only functioned through holy energy, so magical items were my only option.
Among magical tools existed something called mana stones, which already contained magical energy and could therefore be used even by ordinary people.
Honestly, life was unfair for powerless villainesses.
Authors really ought to give supporting characters some special abilities too.
Otherwise, how are they supposed to create harsh trials for the heroine and strengthen the romance with the male lead?
Grumbling to myself, I dutifully slipped on the bracelet, placed my hand over the crystal orb, and recited the name of the White Owl along with the spell.
“Sir Aaron, I have a favor to ask. I’ll be waiting in the library.”
The White Owls.
That was the title given to the shadow knights of the Sincaster royal family.
Though called knights, they specialized in information gathering, communication, infiltration, and other tasks carried out in darkness, which was probably why the author named them “Owls.”
Not long after I contacted him, a man silently slipped through the window.
“Princess, you called for me?”
As I rose from the desk, Aaron immediately knelt before me on one knee.
Despite being a knight who operated in the shadows, the brunet man possessed a solid, dependable build.
“Sir Aaron, I’d like you to investigate the Sixth Prince of Blake who came for this banquet.”
“You mean Leonard Blake?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly would you like me to investigate?”
“The same as before with Nox Glaston. Learn everything you possibly can. Even the color of the pen nib he uses to wr—”
I nearly said “the color of the panties he wears.”
Nox Glaston was the bastard in the original Sacred Saints’ Breath who nearly drove Sincaster to ruin.
I had ordered the White Owls to investigate him so thoroughly they even discovered that he hated fried eggplant.
And then I killed him.
Not with fried eggplant, of course.
“Yes. I’ll gather all possible information as quickly as I can.”
Aaron nodded immediately, then disappeared through the window as silently as he had arrived.
“He really is good at his job.”
I stared at the still-open window for a while before sighing at the pile of documents scattered across the desk.
They contained information on the distinguished guests attending tomorrow’s ball and descriptions of their characteristics.
As for the twenty men I would be dancing with tomorrow, Abigail’s enthusiasm had produced three entire pages packed front and back with writing.
“Marriage, huh…”
To be honest, after the banquet, I planned to leave the kingdom and travel across the continent.
I’d worked like a dog trying to change the original story. Wasn’t it about time I lived comfortably like nobility?
If I married, at minimum I’d become a noblewoman, and at worst, a queen or empress.
In novels, noble ladies might live without lifting a finger, but this was reality.
Memorizing Sincaster’s royal genealogy had already been hard enough—why would I want to start a second life memorizing my in-laws’ family tree too?
Farewell, dear protagonists, supporting cast, and extras of Sacred Saints’ Breath~~
I shall cast aside all the shackles and restraints of the original story and set off in search of my own happiness.
