Chapter 8

#008 Her News (2)

Lady Elizabeth's eyes widened at my reaction.

“Don’t you know? Well, the schedule was only released yesterday, so you probably haven’t heard yet.”

Ganael also seemed flustered, she muttered.

“The Spring Ball at the Rieste Palace is the largest social event of the first half of the year. Many noble ladies and gentlemen make their debut here. There was a brief talk about postponing it due to the recent assassination attempt... But with the Prince falling ill, a major piece of good news came, and it will proceed as planned.”

Lady Elizabeth paused briefly and took a sip of her pumpkin tea.

I felt a strange sense of foreboding in the silence.

“The Duchess of Sarnez’s only daughter, Princess Cristel de Sarnez, has finally risen from her sickbed.”

“...”

I couldn’t maintain my composure. I tried to appear calm and buried my face in my teacup.

Cristel de Sarnez. The protagonist of *I Quit My Job and Became a Foreign Princess*.

The person I must avoid at all costs.

My heart pounded with a very negative feeling.

“Have you heard of Princess Sarnez, Prince?”

“No, not at all.”

Was my voice okay just now?

“It wouldn’t hurt to know. In the Rieste Empire, especially in the social circles, there’s no one who doesn’t know her. I heard you have a keen interest in that field, Prince.”

I quietly started eating the guzel in front of me.

I felt I needed something in my mouth to calm down.

“The princess fell into a long sleep due to an unknown illness right after her coming-of-age ceremony three years ago. For the first year, she occasionally regained consciousness, but from the second year, she lay like a doll, without any movement.”

“...That’s really unfortunate.”

“Yes. At the time, His Majesty the Emperor was so concerned that he even dispatched a grand physician to the Duchy of Sarnez for a long period. The Duke of Sarnez was one of His Majesty’s few trusted confidants. Of course, he still is.”

A flood of original settings for the ‘retired duke’ that Yoonseo never told me about poured out.

It was a story I couldn’t find even in the back issues of *Biweekly Rieste* that I read sporadically.

“The princess opened her eyes three days ago, the night the Prince fell ill.”

The eerie coincidence sent shivers down my spine. Did I do something wrong?

Did I wake her up?

No, it must have nothing to do with me. It’s just the beginning of the protagonist’s narrative.

I shook my head slightly and recited a sentence Yoonseo often hummed to herself.

Prevent excessive self-awareness and regain a healthy life.

“According to rumors, the princess is in such good health that it’s hard to believe she was asleep for three years. And she has a strong craving for spicy food. It seems that a long illness can change one’s taste.”

Ah... At the mention of ‘spicy food,’ I was certain.

A Korean office worker had possessed her body after three years.

“Anyway, just four days after she left her sickbed, there’s a strong prediction that the princess will make her social debut at this spring ball. His Majesty seems to want to make the event as grand as possible to celebrate.”

As the head of the influential Mute family, Lady Elizabeth is not in a position to spread or relay rumors. Most of what she just said must be true.

“That’s really good news.”

“Yes, but the noble ladies and gentlemen who were planning to debut this time might think differently. They are calling in all the tailors in the capital to adjust their formal wear.”

I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant.

Lady Elizabeth made a deflating sound.

“To avoid being overshadowed by Princess Sarnez and not getting enough attention, they are preparing more elaborate outfits.”

No matter what they do, they won’t be able to draw attention away from the protagonist.

I was surprised to hear about Cristel’s recent condition without any warning, but I quickly regained my composure while eating something delicious.

After all, she’s just a person I have no connection with. I decided to make it that way.

“Of course, there’s a real person to be wary of.”

Lady Elizabeth pushed her olive-colored hair behind her ear and smiled secretly.

“Prince Yeseo.”

“Me?”

I was startled and dropped my fifth guzel. Why is my name mentioned?

“You were involved in an assassination attempt just a week after arriving at the palace, and you survived it on your own. The nobles and even the common people on the streets are only talking about you.”

“Are you joking?”

“I’m not joking. Who Prince Yeseo will bring as a partner to the ball, what clothes he will wear, and what dance he will perform. All of these are the hottest topics of interest.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. A cheese-flavored bread went down my throat.

What do you want me to do with all this attention?

“I, I don’t have any plans to attend the ball. I can only go for a walk in the garden with the Emperor’s permission.”

“There are rumors that His Majesty will formally invite you to the ball.”

No... Why is it like this?

“My guess is that the royal family has also been hit by the recent assassination attempt. They probably want to publicly announce your well-being to restore their prestige.”

I felt dizzy. A ball at the palace where the protagonist is making her social debut.

I’ve never read a light novel, but I instinctively knew.

This is an event I must avoid at all costs.

It might be more dangerous to me than the assassination attempt by the twin brothers.

I can now create a circle to defend against a one-time attack, but if I get involved in the protagonist’s story, there’s no way out.

“I’ll be busy that day, so I can’t make it.”

“Huh? I haven’t even told you the date yet.”

“I came here to serve as a confessor. I need to hear the confessions of those in the palace.”

I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, but it sounded like a plausible excuse even to me.

I’m a hostage, but nominally a ‘confessor’ who entered the palace. I just need to fulfill my duty.

The ‘sub-lead’ is not my concern.

“Everyone will be at the ball that day...”

“I doubt there are more people who can attend the ball than those who can’t.”

I thought of Kanael, who asked me to hear his confession on my first day of possession.

The faces of the gardeners, servants, and kitchen staff who always treat me kindly flashed before my eyes.

“I will stay as a priest for them.”

I smiled broadly. It seemed like an excellent excuse even after a second thought.

*

“Your Majesty, Cardinal Aurelia Butier has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The Emperor of the Empire, Frederick Rieste, straightened his posture, which had been sprawled out on the sofa.

The cardinal would surely scold her for her poor posture and remind her of her age when she saw her sitting like this.

She was straightening her wrinkled cravat when the cardinal appeared.

Unlike when she visited Prince Yeseo, the cardinal was now in formal attire, wearing a mitre on her head.

“Cardinal Aurelia Butier greets the sun that has descended upon the earth.”

“Lora, could you step aside for a moment?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The head servant quietly answered and stepped back.

Soon, only the Emperor and the cardinal remained in the spacious office.

Aurelia took her usual seat on the opposite sofa and sipped the coffee prepared for her.

“Why are you so late?”

“I came as soon as you called. The Julliet Palace is far from the Emperor’s Palace.”

Frederick asked with a hint of displeasure, and the cardinal answered with a gentle smile.

When the voice of the contractor echoed in her mind, Aurelia Butier immediately left Prince Yeseo’s room.

The young man’s indigo eyes, which were still vivid, had been wide with surprise.

“So, how is he?”

“Prince Yeseo is very healthy. He has no injuries, and he seems to be recovering from the mental shock quickly.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Annoyance flashed in the Emperor’s cherry-colored eyes.

Aurelia sighed softly at her childhood friend’s short temper.

“He went into a frenzy, yet it only took three days for his ether flow to stabilize. The total amount of ether is at a level even I can’t gauge.”

“What...”

The Emperor, rarely at a loss for words, was taken aback by the answer that defied imagination.

The cardinal continued calmly.

“It’s natural that the surrounding servants had good dreams. With that much ether swirling around, it would be strange if they felt bad. Sadi’s improved condition is probably due to him as well.”

“...I’m having trouble following you.”

“Haven’t you been swinging your sword too much lately? You should read some books too.”

It was a light joke, but the Emperor didn’t chuckle as she usually would.

The topic was too heavy and serious to brush off.

“You mean the amount of ether is at a level you can’t gauge. Does that mean he could be a pope?”

“I don’t know.”

Aurelia answered as if singing.

“I mean the total amount of ether contained in his vessel. His current divine power is at the bishop level.”

“Still, the information that he’s just a nominal bishop is false.”

“That’s right. He easily defeated a priest-level priest and a holy knight on his own.”

There was a brief silence.

The Emperor brushed back her silver hair, which she had cut short recently because it bothered her.

“Then, did the Prince really steal the ‘Chalice of Wishes’?”

She glanced at the documents on the table in front of the sofa.

The report summarized the news that the imperial army had received a few days ago at the border.

The ‘Temple of the Border’ was the largest temple on the continent, located at the border between the Rieste Empire and the Penetian Theocracy.

The temple, where the pope resided, also housed one of the few divine artifacts on the continent. Legend had it that anyone who made a wish with their blood on the artifact would have it granted by the deity.

This is why the artifact was called the ‘Chalice of Wishes.’

Prince Yeseo was suspected of touching the chalice on his way to the empire.

Of course, the timing seemed impossible, and nothing was found in the prince’s luggage.

Even if the prince’s party was the only one to pass through the thoroughly searched border area on the day of the incident, he had no reason to attempt such a reckless theft.

If the divine artifact, which had disappeared without a trace, never resurfaced, the prince would be completely free from the vague suspicion.

“I still don’t understand. Should we consider it stolen?”

“Answer the question.”

The cardinal dodged the question, and the Emperor pressed her by calling her middle name.

However, the Emperor wasn’t truly unable to understand the cardinal’s attitude.

The Chalice of Wishes was intact.

It still stood in its place in the temple, radiating a holy light.

This was because the chalice was a divine artifact that only the pope could handle.

No one could move the chalice, let alone touch it, unless they were elected as the pope, and the current pope’s seat was vacant.

The problem was... the contents of the chalice were not intact.

“The chalice may be intact, but the holy water disappearing is a serious issue.”

“I know, Eve.”

The cardinal quietly responded.

The holy water in the chalice had completely vanished, not a single drop remaining.

According to legend, the holy water was not something humans had artificially filled but a divine substance that had been in the chalice since ancient times.

The chalice and the holy water had long been considered inseparable.

The depletion of the holy water meant the loss of the chalice.

“Let me ask again. Did the Prince absorb the holy water to gain such power?”

“The child is innocent. I verified it myself.”

Aurelia’s calm gaze met the Emperor’s.

Frederick knew what it meant for the cardinal to ‘verify it herself.’

“The last record of a human touching the holy water was 600 years ago. A nobleman drank the holy water to gain the pope’s power and died with his body burning up.”

“The deity is merciful.”

The Emperor sneered. She was a believer, but it had been a long time since she loved the deity.

Frederick Rieste perhaps felt a premonition that this case would never be solved.