That night when Stella ran out of the campsite, Olivia had come forward herself and cleaned up inside Stella’s tent.
However, there were very few personal belongings, only the white clothes that had been left to dry and the bedding of the cot were discarded.
Finally, she rolled the bottle with the poisonous insects.
“Haha, that was quick.”
Olivia arched her beautiful mouth.
Initially, I had the Sears family guards assassinate Stella and leave her in the woods to be fed to demons or wild animals.
She wanted everyone to think that she had gone into the forest because she was pessimistic about being stripped of her title as a Saint.
However, I had heard that Stella was an unusual Saint who ventured into dangerous battlefields on her own. She might have a knack for combat.
I had prepared poisonous insects just in case the assassination failed, and I was right.
What I didn’t expect was for Stella to tell me that she was going to feed herself to the forest.
The maximum punishment was given to Stella, the sinner who targeted Saint Olivia—and I didn’t have to go to the trouble of asking my father, the Marquis of Sears, to handle this case.
Even if she is the victim, the image of Saint Olivia will be bad if there is a death of a person because of her.
Thanks to Stella’s begging for her life, I was able to avoid the taint to a minimum.
“I’m the only saint here.”
Olivia threw away Stella’s remaining white military uniform into a burlap sack specially designed for waste. Her smile was blackened.
“Olivia, are you okay?”
“Dear Lyle, I knew this was in Stella’s tent…”
She pointed to the bottle of poisonous insects she had just rolled out and leaned against Lyle’s chest as if she were in shock.
She didn’t have the black smile she had earlier, and looked like a frail, mere young lady.
“I didn’t notice Stella’s heartbreak. She must have been working for five years, even under false pretenses.”
“I know it’s your first day on the job, but I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”
One of Lyle’s hands went around Olivia’s back, and Olivia was entranced.
But soon their bodies were separated.
“The Commander of the Order of Adram is returning from the front lines. You’d better greet him while you still can. Come to the tent at headquarters.”
“All right.”
Without feeling even a moment’s warmth, Lyle left first in a curt manner.
Olivia followed behind him.
(From the looks of things, it looks like Stella Hayes was just a political tool and won’t be making any special progress with Lyle-sama. It’s a good thing her status was low.)
The second prince, Lyle, had an ambition to take the first place in the line of succession to the throne from the first prince by achieving success in defeating the demons—and Olivia knew it.
This dungeon had a lot of miasma, and the scale of the miasma was much larger than in the past hundred years.
Lyle would become a new hero if he went through such a dungeon. The Saint would be revered as the Maiden of Salvation.
If the hero Lyle married such a Saint, the public opinion will be greatly affected and the throne will be closer.
Now all we need is one ugly story about the First Prince and we’ll be done.
Originally, Lyle was in a position to marry the Saint in order to keep the Saint, the owner of valuable power, in the country.
However, Stella’s status was too low for Lyle to aspire to be king, and the power of the Hayes family behind him was too weak.
That’s why Lyle didn’t make a formal engagement with Stella until he had tangible results, and was probably moving cautiously, keeping his hands to himself and only letting her have that feeling.
He would have waited patiently, hoping that a daughter like Olivia, from the historic and venerable Sears family, would appear.
(Right? Lyle-sama, isn’t that right? That’s why I even risked my life to use secret techniques. Lyle-sama will get the throne, and I get all of Lyle-sama.)
Olivia sent a heated look to Lyle’s back.
Ever since she was a child, she had been in love with the beautiful and strong Lyle. She could not allow him to be united with any other woman just because she was a Saint.
I hated Stella, who was next to Lyle all the time just because of her title.
This jealousy was Olivia’s bread and butter, and she succeeded in her mysticism even through nauseating means.
But it was over. Stella would no longer be in Lyle’s sight.
Olivia’s face relaxed at the smooth start.
When I entered the headquarters tent, I saw a man who was taller than Lyle—the Knight Commander, Darryl Adram, was waiting for me.
His hair was trimmed short to a silvery gray, his eyes were a cold ice blue, and he was a powerful man who had just turned 40 this year.
He had a Duke for a brother and a Queen for his sister.
Although not as large as this dungeon, he was the current hero who had conquered two dungeons in the past.
Despite the fact that Prince Lyle and Saint Olivia had come to visit, Commander Adram did not stand up and bow.
Olivia put on a smile and greeted him, but Commander Adram gave her a questioning look.
“I don’t mind fitting her as my nephew Lyle’s fiancée, but how can a boxed-in girl who knows nothing of the battlefield be a Saint?”
The Knight Commander of Adram said without introducing himself.
“What do you mean? I’m here because of my abilities.”
“This is not a gentle ballroom from the capital. You’re not dancing with a smiling raccoon or fox, you’re dancing with something bloody.”
If the bloody opponent is not a demon, but a wounded human being, it is still better—and Commander Adram snickered at Olivia.
(What a rude man… But Lyle-sama is the one he trusts the most. We need to get them on our side to make our long-cherished wish come true. And it’s been five years since the dungeon appeared.
The miasma should be over soon, and we should be close to breaking through. We’ll just have to be patient until then.)
Olivia strived to keep a generous smile on her face.
“I’ve come prepared to fight for my life with you. I am proud to say that my abilities are superior to Stella’s. I will do my best to earn your trust.”
“Of course. You have to take responsibility for expelling Stella Hayes. Those youngsters made a hasty decision. What a loss.”
The Knight Commander Adram sighed deeply and drank from his jug as if it were alcohol.
“Lyle, whether true or false, pretend that Stella Hayes never attacked the Sears’ Saint. It’s bad for morale on the battlefield.”
“Yes, Uncle. Stella Hayes was shocked to find out that she wasn’t a saint, and due to the exhaustion she had been experiencing, she decided to have a mental breakdown. And after that she disappeared on her own.”
“That’s fair.”
Olivia was the one who hated those words. That would leave Stella in everyone’s memory as a pure former Saint. The name of the Saint belonged only to Olivia.
“Are you covering up Stella-san’s crimes?”
“Olivia, it’s for your protection, too. Swallow your frustration.”
“What do you mean, Lyle-sama?”
“If she was a Saint, she would have been forgiven, understood, admonished, and stopped. Even if it is a pretext. As it is, Olivia’s decision will be seen as an approval of Stella Hayes’ ‘suicidal act’ even if she is not aware of it.
Olivia is a Saint in title, but she will never get true credit… I was also reminded of this by my uncle.”
Olivia’s mouth clenched at Lyle’s point.
But I don’t regret my decision to banish her. If I had stopped her, there would have been a greater chance of revealing my subterfuge.
But for now, I have to show some remorse.
“I apologize for my lack of awareness as a Saint. I appreciate Commander Adram’s concern.”
“Don’t make a fuss again over a poisonous insect that won’t do you any harm, just kill it with an ignorant face. I’m going back to the front. Lyle, don’t ever lose sight of your duty.”
“Yes, Uncle. Thank you very much.”
Knight Commander Adram left the headquarters tent. Lyle and the other officers also went outside to see him off.
Olivia, the only one left in the place, stared at the exit.
(Watch now. All of you here will eventually bow down in gratitude for my power. You too, Commander Adram.)
I clutched my long red necklace tightly as if I were trying to make up my mind.
Thus, Olivia’s destiny as a Saint was set in motion.
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