𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐.2: 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡
High Priest Mauricio is one of the few individuals privy to the origins of Charlene.
Attempting to establish the authority of the church by venerating a ‘young saint’ from a different world, who belonged neither to the nobility, the commoners, nor the royal family.
ㅤ
Charlene, a denizen of the pleasure district with potent holy powers, was the perfect candidate.
Despite her youth, her quick wit and shrewd maneuvering, combined with her striking beauty that captivated all who beheld her, were a clear testament to her inheriting the best traits of her parents who were a courtesan and an apothecary.
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The Duke Horsewood family uncovered her true identity a month ago.
For Lulumia Horsewood, the deputy saint, this information was perfect for banishing Charlene.
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The true identity of Charlene Hiraes has been minimally disseminated.
After the dismissal of the leading saint, a gag order was issued, and it was officially declared that Charlene had ‘fulfilled her role and returned to the different world’. Her death occurred shortly thereafter.
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However, High Priest Mauricio had no intention of killing Charlene yet.
Who attacked Charlene?
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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The morning after Charlene’s attack, the three most powerful factions of the kingdom had gathered in the church’s secret conference room.
Prime Minister Duke Horsewood, with hair the same milk tea color as his daughter, made his plea.
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“We have no involvement in the murder of Charlene Hiraes. We would appreciate it if you did not try to shift your problems onto us, high priest.”
“We too are shocked by the death of Charlene Hiraes. We were preparing a monastery to accommodate her after her dismissal. We have lost four of our holy knights protecting her. She is not worth killing in exchange for our own.”
“Heh. Didn’t you need Charlene to do something you had to silence? According to the rumors, an illicit affair. . . . . .It would be an easy story to understand if you had punished the holy knights who were a little too playful with the daughter of a prostitute, right?”
“Do not ridicule the church, Lord Horsewood. . . . . .!”
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The high priest stood up but was forced to sit down, clutching his chest.
As the high priest tried to catch his breath, an assistant brought him water and stroked his back.
Looking down on the glaring high priest, Duke Horsewood stood up.
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“We will also investigate Charlene’s murder. We hope that no inconvenient truths for you are revealed. . . . . .Farewell.”
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Duke Horsewood left the room with dignity, followed by his daughter, the deputy saint Lulumia.
Half of the remaining priests in the room stood up and followed the father and daughter.
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” . . . . . .Splitting the church into the high priest’s faction and Lulumia’s faction, Prime Minister. . .!”
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In the empty conference room, the high priest slammed the table.
A heavy silence spread among the remaining priests.
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“All of this. . . . . .it’s all seeds sown by that Charlene. That superficial saint. . . . . .!”
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Deflecting the responsibility of dressing a commoner girl in the facade of a saint, the high priest groaned.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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“Well done, Lulumia.”
“Fufu. It was easy, Otou-sama.”
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Horsewood father and daughter, leading a group of Lulumia’s followers, stroll down the corridor laughing.
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“With this, half of the church will become my pawn. If Lulumia continues to charm the crown prince in this manner, our proposition for military expansion will smoothly pass. Haha, the inept royal family and the church are too conservative. We cannot sit idly by when the neighboring country is bolstering its military.”
“You’re right, Otou-sama.”
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Lulumia bows her head.
Lord Horsewood has far-right forces within his organization and is actively trying to strengthen the kingdom militarily. The House of Lords has suppressed the proponents, but the problem was the support of the royal family and the church.
Without the church’s approval, military expansion is impossible.
If the royal family does not officially declare their support, they cannot gain the support of the people.
And that’s why Lulumia, a child of his concubine, was sent in.
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Lulumia bows her head while grinning.
Despite her soft and charming appearance, Lulumia’s ambition was stronger than anyone else’s.
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(I won’t lose. I’ll rise above my half-brothers and sisters. I won’t hesitate to do anything for that. . . . . .Sleeping with the church people, turning the knights into pawns, it’s all easy.)
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There is a term called ‘church sickness’. Knights and priests are weak to women and are easily infatuated with saints, so they should be careful―a warning of sorts.
The beautiful Lulumia, taken around to social events by her father since she was a child, has continuously honed her skills in charming older men. To Lulumia, winning over men suffering from church sickness was child’s play.
Lulumia won their hearts, charmed them, and impressively climbed to the position of deputy saint.
And standing at the top amongst the fellow saints, she treated them as her pawns from the top of the hierarchy. Lulumia, skilled at manipulating men, simultaneously possessed the ability to control a society of women.
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The only one Lulumia couldn’t charm to the end was Charlene Hiraes.
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(If you had become my pawn, you could have survived. You were the superficial saint who didn’t know her place.)
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Lulumia never intended to banish the leading saint, Charlene, from the start.
After grasping the secret, she first tried to negotiate. She offered not to reveal the secret if Charlene would follow her.
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But Charlene did not nod in agreement. Far from it, she ignored Lulumia, standing in her way in the corridor, and walked away.
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(Unforgivable. To be ignored by a street cat like her. . . . . .)
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Even when her past was exposed, leading to her expulsion, she continued to boldly ignore Lulumia, as reflected in her orange eyes.
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(. . . . . .It’s the first time a woman has continued to ignore me, Charlene.)
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She can’t forget the smile when Charlene raked her hair and squinted, smiling.
It’s frustrating. Despite having twisted everything to my advantage, that woman alone escaped victorious and died.
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“Fine. I will erase the achievements of the leading saint built by that stray cat. I’ll make them forget about her. . . That’s my duty as the leading saint.”
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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After the meeting, Crown Prince Lewis had been summoned by the King.
From the throne high above the kneeling Lewis, the King spoke in a hoarse voice.
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“As planned, I command you to become engaged to the future leading saint, Lulumia. It will tie you to the Prime Minister’s power and extract information from that vixen.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
“His warmongering nature will eventually turn against the royal family. He claims it’s for defense against neighboring countries, but he’s also connected with our royal relative, the Margrave. . . . . .”
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The King, who has been slowly losing his royal authority to the public since Duke Horsewood became Prime Minister, talks bitterly, stroking his beard.
For the King, the marriage of his son Lewis was a means to infiltrate a spy.
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“Lulumia, unlike the former leading saint, seems to be moving freely out of the saint’s dormitory. The former leading saint was hard to win over, but there are ways to get the little girl to cooperate, even with pre-marital negotiations.”
“. . . . . .”
“Take advantage of that face you got from your mother and pull Lulumia in at all costs.”
“I understand.”
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Lewis’s heart is heavy as he leaves the audience chamber.
After walking a long distance alone down the cleared hallway and finally retreating to his room, Lewis throws himself on the bed in anguish.
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“I. . . . . . who labeled Charlene as promiscuous. . . . . .am now told to use my body. . . . . .”
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The taste of his own contempt is enough to make him nauseous.
Especially if Charlene was innocent.
Despite his dislike of being treated like a puppet by his father, he had swallowed all the information given to him without question and thought her dirty.
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She was indeed the daughter of a low-born.
But the moment she revealed that—her eyes shone, and she proudly puffed out her chest.
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“. . . . . .Charlene. . . . . .”
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Lewis raked his fingers through his hair.
What kind of person were you?
Even if he felt like he made a terrible mistake, spilled water can’t be collected back.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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Faced with Charlene’s death, the three major forces were making different moves.
But nobody noticed.
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The real force that killed Charlene.
In fact, Charlene wasn’t dead at all.
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