𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬
News of Charlene’s death reached the crown prince and Lulumia, who were at the royal palace.
The Saint’s Guardian Knight Commander and four others arrived at the pavilion where they were spending time after breakfast.
ㅤ
“The room is a bloody mess, and the smell of gore is horrific.”
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As the knight said this, he pulled out the blood-stained attire of the saint from his bag.
This was the attire that Charlene had been wearing when she last appeared before the crown prince and Lulumia.
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Next to the speechless crown prince, Lulumia contorted her face at the smell.
Mechanically, the Knight Commander continued his report.
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“The saint’s dormitory will be closed until the cleaning and purification are completed. All saints will have to move to the church’s training grounds.”
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At his words, Lulumia’s charming eyes turned stern.
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“I hate the idea of staying in a cold training ground without any magical tools. I’m not a stray cat. As the leading saint, I’m not yet accustomed to my duties, so I demand another room.”
“Of course, we have prepared another room for Lulumia-sama. Please stay at the royal family’s guest house.”
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After they left, the maids began ventilating in a flurry to get rid of the lingering scent of blood and flesh.
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“We’ve seen something unpleasant this morning.”
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Next to the shrugging Lulumia, the crown prince had a pale face.
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“Crown Prince?”
“. . . . . .Charlene. . . . . .is dead.”
“Yes. But in a way, it might have been a blessing for her. . . . . .It would have been cruel to return to being a prostitute of the lowest class after getting used to the luxurious life of a sacred maiden.”
“. . . . . .”
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The crown prince stared at the direction where the knights had disappeared for a while.
Lulumia, with her mask-like cold face, was watching his side profile.
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“Your Highness, are you perhaps feeling guilty?”
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Smoothly, Lulumia’s hand overlapped with the crown prince’s hand.
The crown prince, unaccustomed to contact with women, widened his eyes just at that.
Looking into his peach-colored eyes, as if showing sympathy, Lulumia intertwined her hand with the crown prince’s white hand while smiling.
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“Your Highness, you seem to be feeling guilty. You’re kind.”
“I. . . . . .”
“It’s not because you broke off the engagement that Charlene died. Your actions and Charlene’s death are not related at all.”
“. . . . . .”
“As the leading saint Lulumia Horsewood, let me heal your heart, Your Highness. . . . . .”
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ㅤ
The Saint’s Guardian Knights did not tell the royal crown prince and the Prime Minister’s daughter Lulumia everything.
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Charlene was not murdered.
She disappeared without a trace, leaving only her bloody clothes.
And in her room, there were also the clothes and armor of several knights.
It seemed that they were crushed by some large object, armor and all.
The Saint’s Guardian Knights are, of course, affiliated with the church.
The church is concealing the near-death disappearances of Charlene and the Knights.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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After parting ways with Lulumia.
Prince–––Lewis, after making his excuses to his bodyguards, strolled alone through the garden designated for the Crown Prince.
The glasshouse, built by magic, was always filled with a sultry humidity and the scent of flowers. He remembered walking through this garden a few times with Charlene.
Her long blonde hair, slim and beautiful hands, and the shimmer of white silk enveloping her delicate body still seem to hover in his eyes.
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–––Charlene.
When she was introduced as the saint summoned from another world, Lewis was astounded by how ragged she looked.
Untamed blonde hair, thin limbs revealing her bones, and large eyes with pupils darting around.
Above all, he was scared by the intensity of her sunset-like eye color.
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“She seems to have been abused in her other world. She lacks education and manners, but we’ll teach her. Please be patient.”
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When he heard this, Lewis was taken aback.
Could such a grimy, creepy child become a holy maiden?
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However, day by day, she transformed into a beautiful saint.
Like a sponge, she absorbed manners and academia, and in a year she was unrecognizable. She devoted more time to her work in the poorhouse and infirmary than any other saint.
Everyone, including those who had criticized her, had no choice but to admit that she was the ideal saint.
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She is beautiful, Lewis thought.
Still, he could not find her attractive.
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Her image, being exactly what the people wanted in a leading saint, seemed artificial and eerie. It was because he saw in her a reflection of himself, nothing more than a puppet prince.
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So when she was chosen as his fiancee, he felt disillusioned. Oh, am I to live only within expectations for my whole life, he thought, feeling hollow.
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Suddenly, he felt a gaze from the flower bed and turned around.
He noticed a marigold of the same color as Charlene’s eyes.
The marigold.
It was the flower she once stopped to gaze at unusually.
Lewis recalled one of the few conversations he had with Charlene.
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[Do you like that flower?]
[. . . . . .Yes. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?]
[This garden always has beautiful flowers. It’s like paradise.]
[Paradise. . . . . .Yes, for people, it’s a paradise where you can admire beautiful flowers.]
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At that time, Charlene gave a puzzled response. He thought it was a strange reaction.
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[For people. . . . . .Then who wouldn’t find it a paradise?]
[The flowers. . . . . .You can’t measure what flowers think from the outside.]
[But it would be a paradise for the flowers, too. Freed from the harshness of the pounding rain, the fear of scattering in the wind and withering in the cold. Being managed and admired properly is a good thing, isn’t it?]
[. . . . . .You’re right. I was mistaken.]
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Charlene smiled with her orange eyes narrowed.
At that time, the prince was slightly disappointed in his fiancée.
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–––You became beautiful in this paradise too.
–––Even though you couldn’t survive if you lost everything.
–––Do you want to go back to the ragged state you were in when you were first summoned from another world?
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Stopping his reminiscence, Lewis murmured as he looked down at the marigold.
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[The language of flowers for marigold is. . . . . . disappointment, loneliness, grief. . . . . .’sorrow of parting’.]
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Back then, Charlene was lost in her thoughts. She was thinking of her real place, the world outside.
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The king has the second prince Keizen, currently studying abroad, in mind as the original successor.
He’s only 17 years old, but he’s already taller than the queen and timid Lewis. He’s the second son who gets along well with his father and is adored by him.
The crown prince himself was merely a placeholder until Keizen could establish overseas connections and gain experience and achievements.
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He was a puppet, but she was not.
At the scene of the broken engagement, when she lost everything, she did not despair or cry, but narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Leaving behind a wink that seemed even refreshing, she disappeared from my sight.
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[See you, Your Highness.]
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Her real smile and voice are etched into his eyes and won’t leave.
Thinking that he will never see her again, he feels a strange lump in his chest.
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He wants to ask Charlene. What was she thinking about when she looked at the marigold?
While wearing the smile of a puppet saint, what sorrow of parting, loneliness, disappointment, was she holding in her heart?
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But it’s all too late now.
It’s hard to believe that the woman with those intense eyes is no longer in this world.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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Then, at the meeting held by the king, the Prime Minister, and the High Priest, with Charlene’s death as the starting point, each person’s intentions clashed.
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