The Saintess and the Paladin.
If there were no need for them to be together…
Then maybe the war between the Necromancer family and the Holy Nation… could be avoided, too.
A brilliant idea struck her, and she clasped her hands together, letting out a small exclamation.
Even after chewing it over again, it was absolutely perfect.
“From what I can see, you’re even prettier than Saintess Pavella. What do you think? Why don’t you become my empress instead?”
Just as Rocinel had said, the current emperor was betrothed to the Holy Nation’s Saintess.
The pro-emperor faction within the empire emphasized the goal of strengthening ties with the Holy Nation by making the Saintess empress and securing the support of the faithful to achieve political stability.
On the other hand, the Holy Nation’s goal was different.
Based on speculative posts that circulated in communities poring over the original story, the Holy Nation’s goal was clear—to solidify their power.
How would they do that?
If the saintess became empress, the empire’s Chancery would fall into her hands and the priests under her influence.
The Chancery was an institution that managed and oversaw parts of the state bureaucracy.
If Saintess Pavella became head of the Chancery, it was obvious that Holy Nation priests would take positions within it.
They would be responsible for budgeting, public works, and foreign policy, which would increase the Holy Nation’s ability to influence the emperor’s authority.
But in the original story, Rocinel and Pavella never get together. The imperial palace collapses along with the necromancer family’s defeat.
However…
What if the emperor and the saintess could somehow be married without trouble?
Then, if the two of them could be wed before any suspicious movements arise between the Necromancer family and the Holy Nation!
Then Theodore could no longer possibly end up with Saintess Pavella.
“Unless Theodore has a thing for married women.”
And in that case, the Kinzell family wouldn’t need to go to war with the Holy Nation at all, right?
“Hah!”
A satisfied smile spread across Ivyn’s lips.
“Ah, wait a minute.”
…only to vanish like a candle flame.
But how do I… get Rocinel and Saintess Pavella to marry “quickly”?
Ivyn felt as if darkness had fallen before her eyes.
Rocinel was fine; he seemed like the type who only cared if the girl was pretty…
The problem was the saintess.
No matter how soft-hearted Saintess Pavella might be, there was no way she’d be comfortable taking a jerk like him as her husband.
“Ha… I’m doomed. Even if I were Saintess Pavella, I’d hate that kind of guy!”
Ivyn shook her throbbing head, feeling exasperated.
She felt as if she’d been sailing smoothly and suddenly plunged into a labyrinth.
Unless… somehow, the two of them get involved before the scheduled political marriage…
Hmm…
…
…
…Wait.
Involved.
“This… might actually work?!”
Isn’t that how you enter a fandom—I mean, how you fall in love? It always starts with, “Who is this jerk?”
Then it turns into, “Oh, look at that…”
And in the end, it slowly changes into…
“Huh, you’re so cocky, but somehow, even acting like that, I can’t help but like you. Why is that?”
Like underwear gradually getting damp in a drizzle, the feeling seeps in bit by bit.
There must be at least one charm point that could make the saintess fall for him!
Appearance-wise, the emperor’s fine. Personality-wise, well… he’s lacking in so many ways…
But the emperor has that unique side of being a plant and animal lover(?)
In addition, the timing was perfect.
The Holy Nation’s monthly charity auction, Tea with the Saintess, was right around the corner.
The auction was extremely popular among the believers because it allowed one-on-one time with the saintess.
The slots were distributed randomly, so the odds of winning weren’t particularly high.
If you were lucky, buying just one ticket could get you selected.
If you were unlucky, even buying a hundred could leave you going home without so much as a glance at her hair.
Of course, the more tickets you buy, the higher your chances—basically like any idol’s meet-and-greet event. The more albums you buy, the better the odds of getting a ticket to see your bias. It was the same concept.
“Alright. Let’s start: Make Saintess Pavella Fall for the Emperor project!”
TL Note:
Hello~ Elle here. I took my sweet time doing updates, I know.
Piaf, my baby princess kitten and soulmate, urgently needs surgery. The cost is far beyond what I can handle alone, so I’ve prepared some special challenges to turn every bit of support into hope for her.
💬 Challenge #1: Every 5 unique comments = 1 extra chapter
💖 Challenge #2: Every 10 NU votes = 2 extra chapters
☕ Challenge #3: Every $15 on my Ko-fi goal = 3 extra chapters
Every comment, vote, and donation brings us one step closer to her surgery.
