Only a tense atmosphere remained at the wedding venue where Hero Haru had left.
Seraphine’s pure white wings trembled with anger. A holy light flashed in her purple eyes.
“Why did you interfere?” Iris calmly smiled while adjusting the hem of her wedding dress.
“Interfere? I merely respected Haru’s will.”
“His will…?”
“Haru wanted to run away. So, I just… opened the way for him.”
Seraphine’s eyes twisted. As if responding to her anger, the holy knights drew their weapons.
“Hm… Is this what they call a wise wife? Someone who understands her husband’s desires before he even says them?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! There’s no way the Hero would want to run away from me!”
“Hehe, it seems I know Haru better than you do. More than you, the saintess who has been by his side.”
“Are you trying to test my heart?”
“There’s no need for a test. The answer is already clear.”
“You’re lying. The Hero and I are destined for each other. It’s what the goddess has ordained… The Hero ran away because of your pressure and coercion!”
Seraphine’s voice trembled. Eight wings spread out menacingly.
A victorious smile appeared in Iris’s scarlet eyes.
“How dare you…!”
“So? Do you really want to fight?”
A cold voice rang out, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
“Now, with the Demon King still alive, you want to spill blood among humans?”
The Church and the Empire could not afford to clash while the Demon King was still alive.
“Besides… you are the goddess’s saint, aren’t you?”
At Iris’s words, Seraphine froze. The holy energy began to dissipate.
“A saint shedding blood while fighting the princess of the Empire? I don’t think the goddess would want that.”
Seraphine’s wings slowly folded. The will to fight faded from her eyes. The holy knights moved toward the corner of the ceremony hall. Their target was the trembling Archbishop of the Empire’s diocese, who was cowering in the corner.
“Archbishop, please come with us.”
The Archbishop’s face turned pale. He trembled as he knelt down.
“Saint, this is a misunderstanding. I…”
Seraphine’s gaze turned to him. A cold light flashed in her purple eyes.
“Did you try to change the goddess’s will with gold?”
The Archbishop trembled and collapsed to the floor.
“How could I… I was just considering the relationship with the royal family…!”
“So, did you interfere with the Hero and my destiny?”
“Saintess, please!”
“Arrest him. The investigation will be done directly by the Holy See.”
At Seraphine’s command, the holy knights moved. The sound of dragging the Archbishop away echoed.
The commander of the holy knights approached Seraphine and whispered in her ear.
“Saintess, it’s better for you to retreat for now. You’ve already lost the Hero, and captured the Archbishop, who was the excuse for the Empire’s intervention. Knowing when to retreat is wisdom.”
Seraphine clenched her fist.
“…Alright.”
Seraphine turned toward Iris. A cold resolve appeared in her purple eyes.
“I’ll leave for now. But… the Hero will surely return to my side. That is the will of the goddess.”
“Hehe… It’s free to be deluded.”
Iris waved her hand gracefully. Seraphine and the holy knights left the Empire.
When the last sound of the apostles’ footsteps faded away, Iris let out a sigh. Her cold mask momentarily slipped off.
“Your Majesty, is it alright to let her go like this?”
The head maid, Eva, asked cautiously.
“It’s fine. This is not a good time for anyone.”
Iris gazed at the sky through the broken window.
“I never expected the space Haru left behind to feel so empty.”
A silence followed. The head maid silently stood by her side.
“Eva.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The restoration of the wedding venue can wait. Just leave it like this… I want to keep it this way for a little longer.”
Her scarlet eyes looked into the distance. A small smile appeared on her lips.
“One day, Haru will definitely be mine.”
A dangerous desire flashed behind her cold smile. The hem of her wedding dress shone brightly in the sunlight.
Moonlight flowed through the window. In the heart of the Empire, in the imperial palace’s office, Iris set down her teacup.
“Don’t be too disheartened, Princess.”
Eva spoke carefully. Despite her flawless posture, there was genuine concern in her voice.
“Disheartened, you say…”
A smile spread across Iris’s lips. Her scarlet eyes glowed coldly like moonlight.
“I never thought I could have him all at once from the start.”
“But the wedding…”
“Even if the saint hadn’t come, Haru would have run away anyway.”
She walked to the window, and the moonlight subtly illuminated her silhouette.
“If you want to possess something perfectly, you have to wait for the right time.”
Under the moonlight, her smile deepened.
“Although they call it the Empire of a Thousand Years… true glory has yet to come.”
Iris stood beneath the moonlight, her scarlet eyes crossing the night sky.
Iris slowly opened her mouth. Ambition flickered in her scarlet eyes.
“The invasion of the demon race took many things away. Countless lives were lost, and cities turned to ashes… But in blood, we became stronger. Pain has advanced humanity.”
“The Empire’s military strength is stronger than ever.”
Eva nodded.
“The Demon King is holed up in the castle, and only two of the Four Heavenly Kings remain.”
“Yes, this is an opportunity.”
Iris’s voice gained strength.
“A chance to build an eternal and indestructible Empire.”
She slowly rose from her chair. The moonlight dyed her hair silver.
“Moreover, the situation is on our side.”
“The Hero’s party…”
“Yes. What if they have already defeated the Demon King? The world would have fallen into chaos again.”
A victorious smile spread across Iris’s lips.
“But now it’s different. We can use this situation to our advantage.”
She looked out the window. The capital of the Empire, bathed in moonlight, spread out before her.
“When we conquer the world… at the pinnacle of that glory, Haru will naturally fall into my grasp.”
“Shall I organize a special forces unit?”
Eva immediately asked, showing quick judgment, fitting of a head maid.
“Yes. We’ll track Haru’s whereabouts.”
Iris nodded. A dangerous gleam appeared in her scarlet eyes.
“But be careful. Never show hostility… Just watch.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Eva bowed gracefully. Her movements were flawless.
“Hehe… The longer the wait, the greater the joy of possession.”
Iris’s voice softly echoed under the moonlight. But the obsession hidden in her tone seemed deeper than ever before.
“I will create a perfect Empire with my own hands. And…”
Her scarlet eyes glowed coldly, like the moonlight.
“In the heart of that Empire, I will possess him forever.”
The moonlight illuminated her smile. Beautiful but dangerous, like the thorn of a rose.
The great cathedral of the Holy Kingdom Luminous. The moonlight shining through the golden stained glass bathed the holy space in its glow.
The saintess’s return, in opposition to the Empire’s princess.
Seraphine sat alone in her chambers. The lights of the city visible from the window sparkled like stars.
‘My authority comes from the Hero’s party. Alone… I cannot…’
Her purple eyes trembled. The Pope, cardinals, and archbishops of the various dioceses. Their power controlled the church. No matter how much of a saint she was, it was a reality that she could not move without others’ consent.
But now, things had to change.
Seraphine quietly stood in front of the altar. Her purple eyes were fixed on the statue of the goddess.
“Hero…”
Her whisper echoed in the darkness. Haru’s figure came to mind. His face, always avoiding prayer meetings and complaining about rituals.
“I understand. All of that… must have interrupted our time together.”
She gripped her chest tightly. A sharp pain tugged at a corner of her heart.
“The rituals, the doctrines… Was it because I… was too saintly?”
Her pure white saint’s robe was dyed by the moonlight. But beneath that pure attire, Seraphine’s heart was filled with confusion.
“Prayer meetings, rituals… none of that matters now.”
A resolve glimmered in her eyes.
“What matters most is the time I can love the Hero. To do that…”
Seraphine stretched out her hand. The sacred sound of bells calling the apostles rang out.
The apostles gathered. They were those blessed by the goddess. A gentle holy light radiated from their bodies. The intensity of that light varied depending on the size of their blessings. Some shone faintly, like moonlight, while others glimmered brightly, like morning stars.
“Pure white saintess…”
But before Seraphine, they were no more than fireflies at midday. The holy energy emanating from her wings was like the sun itself.
The apostles knelt. Reverence filled their eyes. The absolute worship of the saint, called the incarnation of the goddess. The hierarchy of the apostles was determined solely by the goddess’s blessing.
“I must take control of the church.”
Seraphine stood before the altar, her hands clasped towards the goddess statue.
In that moment, the holy energy swirled. The entire cathedral began to glow with light.
“I’ll make the cardinals, the archbishops… all kneel before me.”
Her steps now held a different resolve than before.
No longer was she the obedient saint; she walked like a girl in love.
“Everything in the church must change. For the Hero, I will do anything.”
It was in that moment.
A holy light erupted explosively. A dazzling brilliance filled the cathedral.
Ssshhk!
The sound of new wings growing. Now, ten wings spread out from her back.
“Ah…!”
Seraphine’s eyes filled with emotion.
“Goddess. Is this your will?”
Tears ran down her cheeks. The emotion in those tears was joy.
“I understand now. My choice… my love was right. You are blessing me, aren’t you, Goddess?”
The moonlight shone on her ten wings. The pure white feathers gleamed sharply, like swords.
“Thank you, Goddess.”
A smile spread across Seraphine’s lips. That pure smile now held a dangerous glimmer.
It was like an obsession wrapped in the name of fate.