Chapter 24

24. Kneel the Saintess

"Thank you. You're quick on the uptake."

"I was merely watching to see when you would return."

The body heat we shared was intense.

Grasping his wrist, I felt a powerful Yang energy pouring into me.

'Ah, I feel alive.'

I greedily absorbed Meriem's Yang energy, converting it into lifespan. The increased lifespan directly added to my vitality, clearing my head once more.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Some members of the Quan delegation have started vomiting for some reason. The common factor is that they were dining near that table."

He's using formal speech, which doesn't suit him.

I was more used to him telling me to get lost informally.

Thinking that, I followed Meriem's gaze and spotted something that 'shouldn't be there,' which caught my attention.

It definitely wasn't there when I last oversaw the banquet hall.

It was a sprig of holly.

"I command the royal guard."

Everyone was already somewhat drunk and more excitable.

If someone wasn't held responsible and a quick resolution wasn't found, the situation could escalate to the extreme… With that excuse, there was no reason for me not to act.

"Immediately kneel the Saintess!"

Stepping into the center of the banquet hall and shouting loudly, familiar members of the royal guard moved quickly. It was Lord Çedef and Lord Giovanni.

They seized Helene's arms and forced her to kneel.

"What are you doing, Empress!"

"What am I doing? I'm holding her accountable for daring to harm our guests. Don't be emotional."

Enrique immediately became angry. His reddened eyes seemed to reveal his rage.

I, too, approached Helene with a hardened expression, glaring at him.

"Were you so upset that you couldn't host the banquet?"

"W-What are you talking about? There's a misunderstanding…!"

"Still not admitting your mistake!"

"!"

Suddenly, Helene started hiccuping.

Amidst the silence, only Helene's tearful hiccups echoed loudly. It made it seem as if I had said something I shouldn't have.

Enrique approached me, grinding his teeth with a very angry voice.

"Apologize to the Saintess immediately. Even as Empress, you have no right to do this."

"Isn't the obvious evidence right there? Get a grip, Your Majesty. Aren't you ashamed in front of the guests?"

"What grounds do you have for doing this? There had better be a proper answer."

I wasn't sure if I doubted Cassandra's words that Enrique was only looking at me, but his intentions were probably very different from her interpretation.

Enrique was probably trying to find fault with me.

What other reason would he have to look at me, a thorn in his side?

I chuckled dryly and gestured with my chin.

Towards the table that Meriem had keenly observed earlier.

"Holly berries cause acute abdominal pain and vomiting. And the Saintess came to me and said she would decorate the banquet hall with holly."

"Does that mean Helene put it here?"

"I didn't put it there, Your Majesty. Because I know the banquet culture of Quan. So who put it there?"

"That's…"

Of course, Helene wouldn't have brought it herself.

But it couldn't be denied that it was Helene's idea to use holly.

All the maids in this palace knew that.

'I don't think you're going to punish Helene severely, and I don't expect you to. Continue your love for a thousand years.'

But it would damage Helene's image.

Helene's position would definitely diminish after this banquet.

I summoned the maids who were in charge of the table where the problem occurred.

The pale-faced maids trembled, unable to even lift their heads.

"Holly is not originally used in this banquet. That is a fact that is revealed in the banquet plan I wrote. It specifies that edible fruits should be used, and it lists the range of edible fruits. So why is that here?"

"W-We don't know anything about it…!"

"Then did you see who put it there?"

The maids looked as if they were about to faint.

Not only were the Emperor and Empress fighting, but foreign dignitaries were vomiting.

No maid wanted to be in this situation.

"I, I dare to speak."

Then, one maid answered my question hesitantly.

"I… I saw it. Two maids wearing Lily Palace uniforms brought it. U-Um, when they changed the food once…! I just thought it was a new decoration."

"Hoh. What is your name?"

"Sophia Evans. I am the eldest daughter of the Evans Viscount family."

"You are not affiliated with the Empress Palace."

Even the gardeners working in the palace wore badges showing their affiliation.

The badge on Sophia Evans' chest was definitely from this place, the Emperor's Palace.

In other words, she was someone with whom I had no contact at all.

'At least on the surface.'

Mrs. Bertolt is doing a good job.

I smiled victoriously inwardly and turned to Enrique.

"Testimony has been given. I must know what a maid from Lily Palace was doing at this banquet. I'm sure the guests would want to know as well."

"…I have no choice."

While Enrique reluctantly approved and waited for the Lily Palace maids to be summoned, even the music in the banquet hall stopped, and only a cold silence lingered.

In the meantime, a doctor came in and reported on the condition of the patients.

It wasn't serious, but he said they would be sick for about a day.

"Th-Then, I'll heal you with holy power."

But that was exactly when it happened.

Helene, who had been watching the situation closely, carefully raised her hand.

It was pathetic that she was showing off her holy power, thinking this was her chance.

'But.'

It would have been better not to say that?

Enrique also noticed Helene's mistake and his face darkened.

"My power will heal you in an instant. I didn't bring that here… but how can I ignore the sick?"

Helene didn't seem to realize it yet.

She was about to heal them right away, and even got up.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

As soon as she said that, Cassandra shouted with a thunderous voice and an angry face.

"Don't touch the Quan warriors!"

"Ah…!"

I told you.

I didn't know what confidence Helene had to host this banquet.

Helene, with her eyes wide open, had a look that she couldn't understand why she was being rejected.

It was obvious that the diplomatic event would be ruined if left like this, so I approached the angry Cassandra and gently soothed her.

"The Saintess is good at listening to the words of God, but she is ignorant of the culture of the desert. I hope you will generously forgive her as she did not intend to insult you on purpose."

"Humph. Since the Empress says so, I will bear with it… but it is unpleasant. I don't want to see that face twice during this banquet!"

Helene opened her mouth slightly, not knowing what to do as Cassandra shouted coldly.

Her face, which genuinely didn't know why she was being treated like this, now had even a hint of injustice.

"…Stay still, Helene."

"Your Majesty! What, what did I do wrong? Did I do something very wrong?"

"Stay still."

Even Enrique couldn't defend Helene this time.

It would have been fine if she had stopped there, but because she said one more word, Enrique couldn't cover it up.

I opened my mouth clearly so that everyone who was confused could hear.

"Why are you trying to just go in? Whether it was a mistake or not, that statement was an act of defiling the pride of the desert warriors. So it is right to apologize."

"Pride…? Me? I, I didn't mean to! I just wanted the pain to go away quickly, so I did that…"

Of course not.

But in this kind of diplomatic setting, not knowing is a sin.

"Desert warriors must not accept the power of other religions from birth to death."

Enrique reluctantly explained quietly.

He wanted to quietly cover it up because the more he explained, the more damage Helene would take, but he had no choice but to tell her because Helene couldn't understand.

"If they receive blessings or healing from other religions, they lose their qualifications as warriors and become apostates. They will not be able to enter Paradise, which is their pride."

"Ah… but I didn't know."

Helene insisted on her innocence again as if she was frustrated.

Then, the ministers who were watching this situation became really frustrated.

"Oh my god, was the Saintess… originally like that?"

"Of course, it was too much for Her Majesty the Empress to kneel her… but still, the Saintess should step down in this situation."

"What stubbornness… In the future, the Saintess should not come forward for diplomatic events. Her Majesty the Empress is trying to fix it somehow, but she keeps pouring cold water on it."

"She used to give good advice on domestic matters……."

Enrique knew that the longer he dragged it out, the more unfavorable the situation would be for Helene.

The Empress had already won the fight.

He didn't know how far the Empress had planned it, but Helene was caught in it.

'She's changed. Like a completely different person.'

Was the Empress always capable of this?

Enrique asked himself.

He had deliberately defended Helene more to provoke her in order to see the Empress's reaction.

'She used to try not to show it even if she didn't like something.'

Enrique wanted to know.

Was the Empress the same person as before, but her reaction changed simply because she no longer loved him?

'Or.'

Was she possessed by a demon……?