Chapter 9: Saint Appearance!

The work that had started early in the morning was finally wrapping up around sunset.

It seemed like all the golden jasmine petals from the 2nd Empress’s palace had been harvested — enough to fill eight large baskets. 

As they made their way back to the 3rd Prince’s palace, each of them — the prince walking ahead, his attendants Yuria and Latia, and Frennila herself — carried a basket in both hands.

Before visiting the 2nd Empress’s palace, Frennila had ordered Latia to investigate the 3rd Prince, Kenneth — despite the gratitude she felt for his kindness toward her since their very first meeting.

It was a contradictory action, but the reason behind it was simple:

“I just don’t know enough about him.”

A pure curiosity — the desire to know more about him.

The trigger for this was the contrast she had seen in him: the same man who had stood so confidently and fearlessly in front of the emperor looked so lonely and fragile in the Empress’s palace.

“Lady Frennila, I’ve gathered some information on Prince Kenneth.”

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Unexpectedly, there wasn’t much information available.

Kenneth was a half-blooded royal, born to a commoner consort. 

After his mother’s assassination, he had become isolated within the imperial palace. 

It was said that after the consort’s death, Kenneth had secluded himself in the 3rd Prince’s palace — most likely to avoid assassination attempts.

“How much pain must he have endured?”

The fact that Kenneth had begun stepping out despite the risk of assassination — and that Frennila herself was the reason — made her face flush with emotion.

At the same time, she worried. What if her presence brought danger to him?

But despite those risks, Kenneth never wavered. 

He roamed the capital, gathering supplies to aid her people, and even visited the 2nd Empress’s palace — his late mother’s only remaining legacy — which had been left neglected due to the ever-present threat of assassination.

All to obtain golden jasmine petals.

In his actions, Frennila saw reflections of the male leads from the romance fantasy novels she had read — those who risked everything for love, challenging the world itself for the sake of their beloved.

“What do I do? I think I’ve fallen for him even more.”

The investigation she had ordered only served to deepen her feelings.

As her feelings grew stronger, so did her questions.

“But Kenneth… why are you trembling?”

An ordinary person might not have noticed it, but Frennila’s sharp, almost animalistic instincts didn’t miss the slight tremor in his muscles.

He probably thought he was hiding it well — but to her, it was obvious. 

And if he was like this even when his love interest was looking at him, how must he feel the rest of the time?

“What’s making you tremble like this?”

She still couldn’t forget how he had stood so boldly before the emperor — and yet now, she saw him struggling to hide his unease.

But Frennila still didn’t know enough about him. 

There was still so little she could do for him.

She didn’t consider herself particularly eloquent, and her Imperial language skills were still lacking.

So she thought about what she could do.

“I can stand by his side, support him quietly, and protect him.”

If there was one thing she was confident in, it was her strength. 

At the very least, she would ensure that no one harmed him while he was by her side.

With that thought, she resolved to spend more time with him.

And she made a decision:

Once the current situation with her tribe was resolved, she would take this man — who had been so devoted to her — back to her homeland.

As for those who had tormented him… if she ever got the chance, she would make them pay.

 *

The amount of supplies needed for the Great Plains was far from small, so under Kyle’s leadership, they decided to deliver the goods in three stages.

The first batch included the most urgently needed resources — starting with the crucial golden jasmine petals, as well as emergency medicine, bandages, high-quality Empire-made weapons, and the invaluable holy water.

“The first shipment will depart in five days.”

Once their tasks were set, everything moved like clockwork.

From harvesting the petals at the Empress’s palace to gathering and transporting the necessary supplies, they had been busy every day — and before they knew it, only one day remained until the first shipment’s departure.

What had started as mere suspicion now felt almost like confirmed fact. 

The sabotage at the golden jasmine farm pointed to a clear culprit — and it was becoming evident that both Kenneth and Frennila were victims of the same unseen hand.

Though she felt she had suffered more from the situation, she still hoped to set aside the past and build a good relationship with him.

But trauma wasn’t so easily forgotten — and she knew it would take time.

And yet…

“Your Highness, Lady Frennila has come to visit you.”

“Your Highness, Lady Frennila requests an audience…”

“Lady Frennila…”

Please, no more! She’s going to kill me at this rate!

Kenneth popped another calming pill into his mouth — the number he had taken was already worrying enough to make him fear building a tolerance.

But even then, his heart wouldn’t stop pounding. 

He worried that if this kept up, he really would develop arrhythmia.

He just wanted to take things slowly — but ever since their visit to the Empress’s palace, Frennila had been visiting him almost every day.

And when she visited, she hardly spoke. 

Even when he tried to start a conversation, she’d only respond with short, simple answers — then sit quietly and stare at him for hours before finally leaving.

What did I do? 

This is driving me crazy!

At this point, he was beginning to suspect that she was doing this on purpose — that she knew how much she intimidated him and was deliberately keeping him on edge.

But today, to his immense relief, there had been no word from Frennila.

“It’s been days since I’ve had any peace!”

Finally free, Kenneth began to wonder how to spend his newfound time. 

Read a book? 

Enjoy some tea and snacks? 

The possibilities made his spirits soar.

But his hopes were short-lived.

“Hey, hey!”

 “…”

The cheerful voice brought his mood crashing back down.

Ugh… my head.

 *

Saintess Rii had arrived from the Holy Theocracy to the capital.

I first met her in my second regression, and like Kyle, we’ve grown close in every timeline since. 

She’s got quite a few screws loose, but her sheer skill makes up for all of it, so we’ve continued our connection in this round as well.

Still, considering the distance between the capital and the Theocracy, she must have used teleportation to get here. 

That’s an expensive spell—so why would she spend that much just to personally show up at the imperial palace?

…No need to think too hard. 

It’s obvious. 

She’s just here to slack off under the excuse of an official trip. 

And she’s probably come to the palace specifically to mess with me.

Case in point: instead of the dignified and traditional priestly robes of the Theocracy, she was dressed like a full-blown tourist, wearing a brightly patterned sundress from the southern region and a pair of sunglasses.

Meanwhile, here I am—dealing with so much stress and PTSD that I haven’t been able to sleep properly, with dark circles under my eyes, and this morning, I even started losing hair from all the stress.

Yet here she is, living without a care in the world. 

Just looking at her made me feel like my life was truly miserable.

“Let’s get this straight before we go any further. Are you here for work or for fun?”

“Obviously, both! You have to be flexible in life. Otherwise, things get boring, you know? In any case, I’m here as a diplomat, so I expect you to treat me with the proper respect and speak formally. Oh, by the way, what’s a must-see attraction in the capital? I want to go sightseeing for a bit.”

Oh.

Snap.

Just pick one thing and stick with it!

She wants to have all the fun she wants while still keeping up appearances and enjoying the privileges of her status?

Absolutely not.

It’s definitely not because I can’t stand watching her have fun while I’m suffering. 

I’m just outraged by the sheer lack of professionalism!

“Did you, by any chance, cause a drunken scene at an inn outside the capital before entering the palace?”

“Gasp!”

“Did you secretly glue back the broken tip of a holy relic after playing around with it?”

“Ugh, how the hell did you find out…?”

“I heard a certain esteemed member of the clergy recently visited a host club.”

“Argh! Fine, I give up! Please, just spare me!”

If you were going to surrender so quickly, why do you always try to act tough?

Well, I suppose even she must be rattled. 

No matter how much of a troublemaker she is, she’s meticulous about covering her tracks, so her reputation remains solid. 

But I have my hands on classified information about her.

She must have spent quite some time interrogating her aides, turning things upside down, trying to figure out who leaked her secrets.

Too bad for her—my source is my knowledge from my past life.

Sorry, dear aides of the saint. You just chose the wrong superior to serve.

After squeezing her just a little, she shriveled up and scurried off to a corner of the palace. 

Leaving her behind, I turned to inspect the supplies sent from the Theocracy.

Since these were being sent to pay off the debt she owed me, I had to check thoroughly.

Let’s see… so this is the holy water. 

The quality seems decent enough. 

…Hmm, but wait a second.

“Hey, the amount seems a bit off compared to what I lent you.”

“A-Ahaha! That can’t be, right? Who would dare pocket such a precious thing? You know how market prices fluctuate. Maybe you just, uh, got a little confused…?”

“…”

Snap.

Did she really think that would work on me? 

I swallowed back the words rising to my throat.

Well, I suppose I would’ve been more disappointed if she had actually brought everything properly.

This isn’t the first time she’s pulled something like this, so I didn’t bother getting angry.

I’m an adult, after all. 

If you count the years from my regression, I’ve lived way longer than this kid. 

How could I possibly take her seriously enough to get mad?

Instead, my hands moved swiftly. 

I pulled out my emergency secret weapon, the Grand Saint’s Messenger Dove, from its cage and released it into the sky.

“Uh, what are you suddenly sending off in such a hurry?”

Maybe sensing something ominous, the saint immediately questioned me. But I didn’t bother answering.

The destination? 

The Pope of the Holy Theocracy.

The message?

– [URGENT] High-ranking church official L has been gambling at the night market, using church assets as collateral to take out a significant high-interest loan. 

Immediate action needed before the situation worsens.

Since the truth would eventually come to light, I was just making sure she got her punishment sooner rather than later. 

Isn’t my kindness truly admirable?

Unaware of the storm brewing over her head, the carefree saint simply mumbled something about me making a big deal out of nothing and went back to happily munching on skewers and a lollipop she’d picked up from a street vendor.

Having finished her business here, she cheerfully declared, “I have things to do in the capital~!” and vanished without a care in the world.

Fine. 

Enjoy yourself while you can. 

Your life is about to get a lot more difficult.

For today, I’ll allow it.

Feeling satisfied after unloading my own grievances onto her—grievances I’d once suffered at the hands of Frenilla—I allowed myself a smug smile.

In the distance, a dove soared high above the horizon.

Fly swiftly to the Pope, my little messenger.

It was summer.