“Miss, are you really sure that the new Saintess at the Oracle Hall is the one you’re looking for?”
“Exactly.”
Outside the Oracle Hall, Duchess Nola gazed up at the majestic building ahead, a mixture of joy and worry flickering in her eyes.
After learning that the Oracle Hall had two Saintesses, she had guessed that the girl she was searching for was the new Saintess—Selis.
And this Saintess’s appearance had been confirmed by Uncle William; she looked exactly like the girl Nola sought.
However… as she found Selis, she also heard many rumors circulating in the Imperial Capital.
They said that because
Selis was the new Saintess, the former Saintess Isavel treated her very poorly, constantly trying to suppress her and looking for opportunities to embarrass her…
At first, Nola was reluctant to believe such things. After all, how bad could someone be if they were chosen as a Saintess?
But then she heard that a noble had been placed under house arrest at the Oracle Hall by Isavel.
Could it be that Isavel was really as malicious as the rumors suggested?
With this thought in mind, many questions that had long puzzled her suddenly became clear!
Why had Selis only briefly appeared at the Noble Banquet?
Why, at the Hundred Flowers Ritual, was a foreign noble escorting the Bouquet of the Hundred Flowers, only to have it stolen?
Wasn’t this all to keep her from seeing the real Selis?!
Isavel had known from the start that she was looking for Selis, so she did everything she could to keep her away!
How vicious!
Having pieced it all together, Nola naturally believed the rumors of Isavel mistreating Selis were true.
Today, she had come to the Oracle Hall not only to find Selis but also to bring her out of that misery.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the gates of the Oracle Hall and said to the guarding maid, “Duchess Nola is here to visit. Please notify inside.”
The maid glanced at her and shook her head. “If you’re here to see the Saintess, please leave. The Saintess is not at the Oracle Hall right now.”
“Not here? Or just hiding from me?”
Nola snorted coldly, stepping forward. “And you have two Saintesses, don’t you? Are neither of them at the Oracle Hall?”
“…Yes, neither of them are here.”
The maid looked helpless.
Perhaps others wouldn’t understand, but the maids did—they knew better than anyone.
Compared to Isavel, Saintess Selis was truly elusive.
At the entire Oracle Hall, apart from maid Renia and Lady Viel herself, no one knew when Selis would be there.
She was too mysterious.
Lady Viel’s movements had once been simple: nine days out of ten she stayed at the Oracle Hall, and one day she accompanied Queen Flandre at the Royal Palace.
But since she began training the Rose Knights, she rarely appeared at the Oracle Hall. Most of the time, no one knew where she had gone.
“Even if she’s not here, as a Duchess, I should still be able to enter and take a look, right?”
“Ah, Duchess Nola!”
Nola didn’t believe that Isavel and Selis were both absent.
She bypassed the maid and walked straight into the Oracle Hall, with maid Jenny closely following behind and blocking the maid’s way.
The result? After wandering through the Oracle Hall, she found the two Saintesses truly were not there.
But unexpectedly, she bumped into Fili in the garden at the back of the hall—the very noble girl who was said to be under Isavel’s house arrest.
“Duchess Nola?”
Nola was well-known among the great families, so Fili naturally recognized her.
“Fili? You’re the one Isavel has under house arrest, right?”
Duchess Nola stepped forward and grabbed Fili’s wrist. “Come with me. I’m taking you away from here.”
But just as she turned, maid Renia appeared before her, blocking the way.
“Duchess Nola, it’s quite rude to arrive uninvited.”
“Is imprisoning her polite, then?”
“No matter what you say, you can’t leave the Oracle Hall with her today.”
Maid Renia stood firm, her expression cold and indifferent, as if Nola didn’t even exist. Nola sneered and released Fili’s wrist, immediately channeling her magical power.
“Is that so? I’d love to see what a mere maid can do to stop me.”
Narrowing her eyes, Nola didn’t strike immediately but instead pressed her magical power against Renia.
To her surprise, the maid didn’t collapse under the pressure.
In fact, judging by her expression, she seemed completely unaffected.
How was this possible?!
She was just a maid serving the Saintess! How could she possess such strength?!
Though outwardly calm, questions raced through Nola’s mind. Then, she suddenly remembered the flower thief from a few days ago.
The pressure this maid exerted was exactly the same!
So it really was all part of Isavel’s plan!
That vicious Saintess!
As Nola confronted Renia, Fili quietly slipped past her and approached Renia from behind, a look of apology in her eyes.
“Fili?”
“Sorry, Duchess Nola. Without Lady Viel’s permission, I won’t leave the Oracle Hall.” Fili shook her head.
“Fili, don’t worry about that Saintess taking revenge. Once you’re out, I’ll protect you.”
“…Duchess Nola, you misunderstand. I’m not afraid of Lady Viel’s revenge. She wouldn’t do that. This is my own choice.”
Nola frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I no longer want to be a puppet of the Guerrero Family. Lady Viel has given me a new choice. Duchess Nola, you should understand what I mean.”
No longer want to be a family puppet?
Nola clearly understood Fili’s meaning.
She knew well the difficulties of this young lady from the Guerrero Family, deeply controlled by the elders, a true puppet.
Under such circumstances, even her life wasn’t her own.
As someone who longed for freedom, Nola naturally felt pity upon learning of her situation. But no matter how capable she was, she couldn’t rescue Fili from this hell.
Not to mention saving Fili—she couldn’t even completely break free from her own family’s chains.
Yet now, this young lady entangled in puppet strings spoke of a new choice?
“Fili, do you realize what you’re saying?”
One hand resting on her chest, Fili’s face showed a hint of happiness and fervor.
“I know exactly what I’m saying, Duchess Nola. It’s Lady Viel who gave me choice and courage. I no longer want to be a family puppet.”