Chapter 2

Before dawn, the High Priest who rushed to the prison saw Iris Taranturan, who straightened her back and shimmered with her crimson ruby eyes, the proof of a Holy Maiden.

"Your Eminence, I have been waiting for you."

"I-Iris... those eyes, that overflowing holy power..."

Iris smiled at the flustered High Priest. Her crimson ruby eyes, which emitted a red glow, twisted into a crescent shape.

"I received a divine message in my dream. When I woke up, I was like this."

"…Did you receive the will of the gods directly?"

The High Priest, wide-eyed, was trembling with shock.

"It seems so. I was skeptical, but since Your Eminence has come to such a place, you must have received the divine message as well, right? What did the gods say?"

"The gods… said to depose the false Holy Maiden who committed a sin and to bestow their blessing on the innocent true Holy Maiden."

"Then, has Mina lost the power of the Holy Maiden?"

"Yes, that is the case. Iris, no… Lady Iris! Please, as you see."

The High Priest, kneeling, bowed his head to Iris.

"Please forgive my mistake on that day. If the gods have bestowed their blessing on you, then you are truly the rightful one."

"…I will never forget that day. You called me a traitor when I pleaded my innocence."

"!"

"But I will forgive you. If you believe my words, I ask for nothing more."

As Iris smiled, the High Priest's face, drenched in sweat, lit up.

"Oh! What a merciful Holy Maiden you are! To show such mercy to me, who made a mistake and revered a false one…! I promise. The divine message is the ultimate proof. From now on, I will fully believe in Lady Iris and support her with the entire temple."

"Is that so? Then, when can I leave this prison?"

"I am urgently seeking the emperor's permission. If you could wait a little longer…"

"Your Eminence. I have endured more than enough. Look. This prison has no sunlight, is damp and humid, infested with insects, and I am not even given enough water. How long do you intend to keep the innocent Holy Maiden in such a place?"

"Just a little longer! Just a little more, please! I will go directly to the emperor and seek his permission."

Iris nodded, and the High Priest ran off as if he were flying. As she watched him go, Iris thought about the future.

How to take revenge on those who had belittled her.

Iris's life had gone off the rails when Mina appeared. To reclaim it, Iris decided to play the part of a cat. Normally, she would not have shown any mercy to that High Priest.

In truth, she wanted to kick his fat belly right away and avenge the humiliation she had suffered.

However, Iris sighed, knowing that the time was not yet right. The fear, anger, sorrow, despair, loneliness, and regret she had experienced—all of it, she wanted to return to those who had tried to destroy her, multiplied many times over.

The gods had also given her the strength to take revenge. If so, she would use her position as the Holy Maiden to the fullest to exact her revenge.

With that resolve, Iris narrowed her ruby eyes, mimicking the smile of the "Holy Maiden" that Mina had played.

---

"High Priest, how did it go?"

The emperor, who had been waiting for the High Priest, asked quickly. The High Priest, wiping his sweat, replied.

"…Without a doubt, Lady Iris is the Holy Maiden."

"…Then, we have condemned the Holy Maiden!?"

"That is correct. If the divine message is true, then Lady Iris was innocent. Your Majesty, this is a serious situation. We must urgently devise a plan, or the country will be doomed."

The High Priest's face had lost all color, and his hands were still trembling. The emperor, realizing the gravity of the situation, pressed his forehead.

"Your Majesty! Please, remain calm!"

Interrupting, the palace chamberlain raised his voice.

"If Mina is no longer the Holy Maiden and the condemned Iris is the true Holy Maiden, the royal family's prestige will be ruined! We have protected a false one and oppressed the true Holy Maiden, Iris!"

The emperor waved his hand irritably at the chamberlain, who was spitting as he spoke.

"I understand! That's why my head is aching. How did this happen? Was Mina really a false one?"

When the emperor asked the High Priest, the High Priest immediately nodded.

"I tested her, but Mina's power is completely gone. On the other hand, Lady Iris's power is visibly strong, far surpassing Mina's. We cannot deny that Lady Iris is the true one."

A desperate silence fell over the emperor's office.

"…But, if we make this public, it will expose my mistake to the entire country! To have revered the lying Mina as the Holy Maiden and to have cut off and condemned the true Holy Maiden, Iris… and now, to exclude Mina and make Iris the crown princess after Edgar and Mina's marriage…!?"

While throwing vases and shouting, the emperor was in a frenzy. The chamberlain, dodging the objects, argued with the High Priest.

"The royal family's dignity must come first! Are you suggesting we expose the emperor's mistake, an unprecedented scandal in the history of the empire!?"

"Then, do you want us to continue venerating the false Holy Maiden? A mere woman who lacks both holy power and ruby eyes? The proof of the Holy Maiden is the ruby eyes, which are immediately recognizable. It's impossible to forge them, and hiding them would be a blasphemy against the gods. Once Lady Iris appears in public, it will be clear who the Holy Maiden is. There is no escape. We must admit our sins and apologize sincerely!"

The High Priest's words left the chamberlain speechless, and the emperor groaned and slammed his fist on the table.

"Who killed the empress if Iris is innocent!?"

"…Your Majesty. The divine message mentioned a false Holy Maiden who committed a sin. The answer should be clear."

The High Priest answered calmly to the hateful emperor. The emperor, shocked, trembled.

"Could it be Mina? Are you saying that Mina, not Iris, poisoned the empress!?"

"The possibility is high. On that day, Iris was identified as the culprit based on Mina's testimony. However, if Mina's testimony was false…"

The emperor, kicking the table, turned to the chamberlain.

"Chamberlain. You testified that Iris made tea for the empress that day. Only the empress, Iris, Mina, and you were present. Speak the truth. Did Iris really make the tea for the empress?"

The chamberlain, pale, fell to his knees and pressed his head to the ground.

"I apologize! I was threatened by the Holy Maiden… by Mina, and gave false testimony! On that day, it was definitely Mina who made tea for the empress!"

"…! Then, it was indeed the false Holy Maiden, Mina, who killed the empress! Chamberlain, I will hold you accountable for this. But for now, we need to deal with Iris! I never thought she was truly innocent… damn it! Is there any way out!?"

"…The people who believe Iris is a villain are eagerly waiting for her execution at dawn. If we don't announce the truth soon, the calls for her execution as the Holy Maiden will grow louder."

The emperor looked up at the High Priest's words.

"…How is Iris? Does she harbor resentment towards us?"

"Based on our conversation, I cannot say for sure… but if we do not neglect Lady Iris in the future, it might be possible to win her over. She looked as if a curse had been lifted. Awakening as the Holy Maiden seems to have made her more merciful."

"I see. Then, there is ample room for Iris to forgive us and serve the country as the Holy Maiden?"

"Yes."

Seeing the High Priest nod, the emperor made up his mind.

"We will release the true Holy Maiden, Iris, and send the false Holy Maiden, Mina, to prison."

"Your Majesty! But Lady Iris is the daughter of a traitor!"

The emperor glanced at the chamberlain, who cried out in anguish, and spat out bitterly.

"When Duke Taranturan rebelled, Iris was spared execution because she informed the royal family of her father's plot. At that point, the Taranturan family's rebellion and Iris were unrelated. On the other hand, Mina is just a bastard from a rural baron's family. We have valued her only because she had the power of the Holy Maiden, but now that she has no power, she is just a useless country girl!"

Pushing the chamberlain aside, the emperor gave orders.

"Announce the truth and welcome the true Holy Maiden into the royal family as the crown princess! Hurry and proceed with the annulment of Edgar and Mina's marriage!"

As the emperor raised his hand forcefully, dawn began to break.