I Sought Out the Tragedy’s Scheming Mastermind - Chapter 33
“If she’s a real saintess, she should come to the capital. Who shall accompany her?”
As Verkley spoke, Marquis Forte continued with a sly smirk.
“I believe it is only right to have a suitable person accompany a saintess.”
The nobleman next to him also helped him secure his case.
“Grand Duke Crombell is guarding Gaudi, so why can’t he accompany her?”
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I last saw my uncle.”
As Verkley favored their suggestions, Hera stepped forward.
“Gaudi is now at the peak of its magic. If the grand duke is away, the public will turn to chaos.”
“I heard that there have been no dangerous entities since Marquis Demeter wiped out the demons.”
“That is a matter of waiting and seeing.”
“Even if a demonic beast appears, I don’t think it’ll be a problem since Grand Duke Crombell’s private army will be there.”
Marquis Forte immediately dismissed her, saying it was a useless concern.
Hera glanced at him, but Marquis Forte only smiled deftly.
He had already noticed the change in Verkley and tried to adjust things to suit his taste.
She could not refute it because Rube returned to the capital after unexpectedly completing his first sweep.
Moreover, it was Hera who told Rube to hurry back into the capital.
She never imagined that these negative effects would overlap this way.
Hera wriggled her fingers as she was anxious.
It was safe to hold a revelation ceremony quickly before Grand Duke Crombell arrived.
The grand duke will make a fuss when he finds out that Mary is incapable.
“Mother, what do you propose I should do?”
Hera reluctantly nodded at Verkley’s question.
Seeing how he confronted her boldly earlier, it was spiteful to suddenly ask for her opinion.
Hera had gone into a sensitive state as nothing went her way.
“Then, order the grand duke to bring the saintess safely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Marquis Forte gladly responded and withdrew.
* * *
Her blue hair reflected in the sun, as blue as the clear sky.
Her steps were gentle, and her white skin looked brighter under the sun.
The saintess, who shielded her face with a white veil, gently covered the blind man’s eyes with her hands.
At that moment, a bright light flickered around the woman’s hand.
“T-Thank you, Saintess!”
The blind man who had found the light cheered with a strong sense of gratitude.
Everyone who followed was sick in some way.
Some limped, some had no arms, and some couldn’t speak.
The Saintess was better than mankind who could cure any disease.
She was an apostle given by God himself that performed miracles.
Even though she might be tired, not once did she treat people with annoyance.
No one has been born with such strong divine power in hundreds of years.
Of course, Gaudi was enthusiastic about the appearance of the saintess.
“Saintess.”
A man in a white priest’s uniform approached the saintess and whispered something.
The Saintess, who nodded quietly, rose from her seat with a graceful smile.
“That’ll be all for today.”
The priests next to her were about to send the people back, but someone ran through the crowd.
She pleaded with the saintess in an urgent voice.
“Saintess! Please save my child!”
A red-faced child breathed roughly in the woman’s arms.
She felt so sorry to see him wheezing and having difficulty breathing.
But if she accepts this, she’ll get caught.
A priest stood in the way of the woman and firmly said, “Come back next time.”
“No! I’ve waited in line for several days for nothing! This will kill my child!”
She was stubborn even as the priests denied her.
The line was so long that it seemed to cut off every time it was her turn.
The woman slipped through the gap between the priests and fell to her knees, grabbing the saintess’s skirt.
The Saintess looked down at the woman with pity.
Then, when the priest called for a guard, she raised her hand, not allowing him to come forward.
The Saintess spoke softly to the crying woman on the floor.
“Your desperation has saved your child. Return. His fever will drop by the time you get home.”
“T-Thank you, Saintess!”
“Saintess, me too…!”
When the woman expressed her gratitude with emotion, the people flocked around again.
The temple was filled with shouts of help from everyone.
The Saintess sighed deeply and looked back at the priest who called her.
“Please wait for a moment.”
“But…”
The priest was reluctant, but the saintess immediately turned away and focused on treatment again.
She was allowed to leave, but in the end, the saintess couldn’t turn away from people and had to use up her powers for another three hours.
Saintess Gabriel wiped the sweat from her forehead and headed to a private room.
He must be very angry because he had to wait for three hours.
In the private room sat grumpy-faced Grand Duke Crombell, with his black hair neatly styled.
Crombell was dozing off with a great deal of snoring.
On the table sat a teapot.
Click.
Crombell awoke to the sound of the door closing and looked at his surroundings.
His gaze soon found the saintess and yawned.
“You are extremely late.”
There was no sign of anger in his words, surprisingly.
“There are a lot of sick people.”
Gabriel sat across from him, replying with a gentle tone.
Gabriel and Crombell were already on good terms.
Crombell examined Gabriel’s complexion.
Even though she’d used her divine powers for a long time, the saintess did not show any signs of difficulty.
She looked as lively as a spring that never dried up.
The servant next to her poured freshly brewed Rooibos into Gabriel’s teacup.
Soon after, he tried to pour some into Crombell’s teacup, but he stopped him.
“I’ve already had enough.”
“Please enjoy.”
When the servant bowed and left the private room after completing his job, Crombell’s gaze turned to Gabriel, who was savoring the scent of the tea.
“I received a call from the capital.”
Gabriel made eye contact at Crombell’s words.
She slurped her tea and then replied.
“I was just wondering about the news. What did they say?”
“They want me to take you to the capital.”
Gabriel smiled softly.
She was looking forward to going up to the capital, so the corners of her mouth lifted.
She answered in a clear voice.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
7. Caught by the Scheming Mastermind
Eliana began to search every nook and cranny of the room with a bewildered expression.
She searched everywhere. From the back of the drawer to under the bed, but she couldn’t find it.
“Where the hell is it?”
In the midst of the ceremony frenzy, the note containing the novel’s information disappeared.
Eliana furrowed her brows, eager to find it.
The paper couldn’t have just sprouted legs, yet she couldn’t find it no matter how hard she looked.
Eliana chewed on her fingernails out of anxiety. It was over the day someone found that note.
‘Is it because I often moved the note every time the maids came in to clean?’
Since it was such a small room, she didn’t have a place to hide it, so she grew more nervous as time passed and the note didn’t show up.
It was when Eliana was shaking her blanket, looking for the note…
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked.
“Eliana, are you there?”
“Ah, just a second!”
It was the voice of Sophia, the lady-in-waiting.
Eliana hurriedly dusted off her clothes, and Sophia stood there expressionless.
Verkley was away for a bath.
“The Empress Dowager is requesting you.”
“Ah…”
Eliana let out a low exclamation as if it was what she expected.
* * *
Eliana followed Sophia to the usual place.
Hera looked very uncomfortable.
Before Eliana could even sit, she spoke.
“I heard a strange rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“That Verkley thinks of you as the empress. Did you know that?”
Hera’s gaze was sharp, and Eliana explained with a silent nod.
“I heard at the ceremony, but as you know, I couldn’t tell you because I was in a hurry.”
“Is that so?”
“I apologize.”
“It’s alright. I didn’t call you here to blame you.” Hera snapped at Eliana’s apology.
She seemed to be still upset over the previous meeting.
As Eliana looked into Hera’s eyes, she suddenly asked, “Do you want to be the empress?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t make me ask you twice.”
Eliana lowered her gaze at Hera’s colder response than normal.
“The Empress Dowager’s will is my will.”
Hera replied as if she’d been waiting for Eliana to submit.
“Then refuse the position of the empress. The timing is terrible.”
“So the order you gave me before…”
“You don’t have to fulfill it anymore. Keep your distance. Let’s not see the blood together.”
Hera demanded coolly and swirled her teacup.
It was an unexpected command.
Eliana thought she’d ask her to quickly uncover his secret, but she could not keep her distance.
In addition, the phrase “let’s not see the blood” meant that she intended to eliminate Verkley altogether.
‘Is she trying to kill Verkley even though he hasn’t been caught, unlike the novel?’
Hera became nervous after Mary’s incapability was discovered and acted rashly, attempting to poison him.
Eliana was the one who ended up taking the poison.
Eliana was killed by Verkley because she got caught with it.
Of course, she had no intention of being used by Hera.
If Hera gave her the poison, Eliana refused to feed it to Verkley.
Then, her betrayal will naturally be revealed.
This was a moment where she had to be more careful than ever, and it made her nervous.
But the words that came out of Hera’s mouth were unexpected.
