CH 89

The man didn’t even think to pull up his half-removed clothes, just staring down at the corpse with its head blown off.

Oddly enough, there was no trace of anger or shame or fear or anxiety on his face.

No, it would be accurate to say that there was no feeling.

The expression of his sister, who was adjusting his clothes, was also so blank that it was bizarre.

Soon after tidying up their clothes, the siblings faced each other and put their foreheads together.

The brother spoke first.

A low, but excited voice with strange heat flowed from between his lips.

“…Please forgive us our sins…”

The two prayed for a while and sang in chorus, linking their hands together as if they were making a promise.

“As always as you wish.”

The figure that came to their mind was not an insubstantial god.

The only one who saved them.

The center of the village and the center of their world.

They faithfully fulfilled the mission entrusted to them.

The younger sister, who did not even glance at the sprawled corpse of the woman she had killed with her own hands, nodded as if she had done what had to be done.

“It’s about time.”

“Yes.”

Her brother also did not deny it. He nodded obediently.

“Remember. That if you complete your mission, or even if you don’t, you shouldn’t leave a trace behind.”

Hearing the voice ringing in their ears, her brother and sister willingly volunteered without hesitation.

When the intermittent breathing of the two stopped, only cold bodies remained in the place where even the moonlight did not shine.

At first glance, it was not talked about much because the heads of the baronies and viscounties who died had nothing in common.

In addition, most of them were found in a bad state, obviously while touching servants, or they died in what looked like an accident.

And when it came to the servants who died along with them, no one even cared about who died.

While the capital was buzzing about the saint, blood was flowing steadily.

The blood originating from the village that Raisa Neir created through her infinite regressions, to ruin the marquisate and for her to seize the throne.

.

At the time when a body was found somewhere and someone’s scream ripped through the dawn air.

The sound of a messenger’s quick footsteps resounded in the silent palace.

It was early in the morning, but the emperor’s office was like broad daylight.

Therefore, the messengers of other countries were able to see the emperor along with all kinds of gold and silver treasures that came with them.

He opened his mouth, moistening his dry lips, with a deep bow.

“I see Your Majesty. The infinite glory of the Empire and the infinite glory of His Majesty…….”

“It’s enough. What is it?”

When the tired-looking emperor gave the order to put aside the greetings and get down to the main topic, the imperial messenger vomited out the true purpose with a calm face still wet with sweat.

“At the news that a candidate for the crown princess seat will soon enter the palace…”

The main thing was in his next words.

—She says she is going to take the crown princess’ seat? We will send candidates there too!

Words without feet could go a thousand miles.

(TL/N: ‘발’ can mean both ‘horse’ and ‘words.)

The story of the saint’s wild rampage in the temple, to be precise, ‘going to the imperial palace with the mission of becoming the crown princess’, spread like wildfire across all continents in no time.

It was a rumor that anyone would have heard and dismissed as nonsense.

However, when word had it that the Imperial Palace was bringing in the saint flowed out, it could no longer be dismissed as nonsense.

Not only the kingdoms around the empire, but also distant kingdoms and principalities scrambled to select candidates who could become the crown princess.

—The Crown Princess of the Empire! Isn’t she the hostess of the next empire!

—We can’t just stare. Hurry up and select!

—Finally, this day has come. I’ve wondered for so long if there will ever be a crown princess!

However, it was through a messenger that the emperor first heard the news that his son was bringing in a crown princess candidate.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t flustered at all, nor did he show that he was hearing it for the first time.

He just nodded the same way he did when the messenger first entered.

“Right.”

He kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to reveal it, but it had been a long time since he had entrusted everything related to the crown prince to the crown prince a few years ago.

Even so, it was absurd that the matter was proceeding without the emperor’s approval.

However, since the crown prince was Richard, the emperor did not care.

If it was Richard’s words, the emperor would stand at the forefront of those who would believe him if he said red bean paste was fermented. 

Starting with the imperial messenger, messengers from each country arrived at the palace one after another as if they had arranged.

They all conveyed the same matter with urgent faces.

The emperor mechanically nodded from the throne.

“Crown princess candidates from all over the world are allowed to stay in the palace.”

Since the crown prince would take care of the rest, the emperor went back to his office.

On the fourth day, he was still working except for about two or three hours of sleep, but there was no sign of the end of the piled up work due to the restoration of damage caused by the locust swarm.

Then, the Imperial Palace began to become busy with unexpected guests.

By the time the messengers, who had rushed without a break to the empire, relayed the words and barely put their butts down and rested for a while.

Across the empire, noble families that came relatively late were agitated.

—Bang!

“What! Crown Princess? Wasn’t that just a rumor!”

“His Highness the Crown Prince told me to bring the saint into the palace.”

“This is not the time. Hurry up and get ready!”

It was only natural for all the young ladies who had reached marriageable age as well as those who were still young to start preparing for it.

In addition, even the young ladies who had already been secretly arranged to be engaged to a young lord of another family pushed their feet into the group of crown princess candidates, citing the reason that they had not yet been officially engaged.

Commoners were blessed with the appearance of the saint.

Nobles were frantic over the crown princess selection.

It was for different reasons, but the entire empire was getting noisy.

And here, Crown Prince Richard, the man who made the entire empire and the continent bustle, was clearing out the paperwork that came up one after another with an indifferent face.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness?”

Unable to hide their frustration, Iris and Cooper called for Richard. Ophelia called him too, thinking that since the two of them did, she ought to do so.

At Ophelia’s call, Richard’s eyebrows twitched faintly.

Your… Highness. The title was definitely used because they were in front of Iris and Cooper, but he didn’t like it.

He looked away from the papers and met Ophelia’s eyes.

Then Ophelia mouthed out his name and signaled that he should do something about Iris and Cooper’s distressed faces.

That was cute, so Richard smiled and said,

“Yes, what’s wrong?”

“It’s everything.”

“Everything! Everything!”

“Everything?”

“I’m talking about everything related to the documents here.”

Iris tried to speak calmly, but the hand that slapped the papers was not at all calm.

Ophelia stretched out her neck. She hadn’t seen what was in the documents yet. 

Because, earlier…

Before she could even greet Cooper, who had been in the aide’s office for the first time in a long time, he handed over a bunch of documents to Iris.

After a while, Iris, who had been going through the documents at breakneck speed, jumped up with an ashen face and left the aide’s office, and then, with an uncharacteristic hardened face, disappeared with her.

Dazed because it happened in the blink of an eye, Ophelia followed them belatedly, gasping for breath. This was how they all ended in Richard’s office.

However, no matter how much she tilted her head, she could not find out the contents of the document because it was covered by Iris’ hand.

There must be a reason why both Iris and Cooper jumped up like this.

‘Problem, everything is a problem.’

‘Hmm… I have no idea.’

Ophelia impatiently raised her hand.

Richard immediately nodded, allowing the question.

“Could you please let me know what the problem is!”

“Ah.”

“Ah!”

Both Iris and Cooper let out a short shout. In their hurry, they didn’t even share what the matter was with Ophelia and just ran off.

This time too, Richard readily nodded.

“Check it out.”

With the papers in her hands, Ophelia, who had been so curious that her neck seemed to be getting longer and was about to fall out, skimmed through all the words with as much speed as Iris.

Before long, she was reading the last page. She took a deep breath, and the next second…

“What nonsense is this!”

A loud voice close to the lion’s roar burst out.

Iris and Cooper flinched in surprise, then nodded fervently.

And Richard.

He erased his nonchalant expression, and with a faint smile on his lips, he asked,

“What makes no sense?”

“The crown princess, the crown princess! It’s not a matter to be decided hastily, like roasting beans over lightning!”

“Beans in lightning?”

Iris and Cooper tilted their heads at the unfamiliar analogy, but Richard nodded without saying anything; he was extremely used to such odd situations.

“Yes, it’s not something that should be dealt with so quickly.”

“Your Highness! You understand!”

“Your Highness, finally!”

The faces of Iris and Cooper were bright and beaming, but Ophelia did not let go of her tension as she stared at Richard.