‘Am I dreaming right now?’

Those sweet words, my pounding heart, his beautiful face. All of this seems so unreal…

Lucian’s face slowly went closer to mine. As I gazed at his face, I belatedly came to my senses before I shouted.

“We are not in that kind of relationship…”

‘Though, I think it’ll be okay if we kiss.’

I couldn’t let out that nonsense because Lucian’s face fell on my shoulder

Hearing the loud beating of my heart, I then slowly lowered my head.

“Lord Kardien?”

“……”

“Hey, Sir fiancée?”

There was no answer and the only sound I could hear was the sound of his shrill breathing.

I was stunned, and I sighed while muttering.

“Ah yes, he was drinking all night long at the banquet with a gloomy face.”

I was careless because he didn’t look intoxicated at all.

Right now, he wasn’t the yandere second male lead, nor the best knight in the empire, nor was he the fiancée who suddenly had whispered the most romantic words in the world.

He was plainly just a drunk.

Most of what a drunk person says is nothing but nonsense. So….

I hugged his broad back and murmured.

“Would it be alright for me not to put too much meaning into what you have just said?”

However, contrary to the words I let out, my pounding heart still didn’t calm down.

────── 〔✿〕─────

 Side Story

I’m the Beloved Female Lead

The first word her mother uttered toward the baby wrapped in bright light was, “Ah, saintess!”

Estelle was a ‘saintess’ from the moment she was born.

And a few years later, her frail mother passed away leaving these words to the young Estelle.

“Estelle, you are the saintess chosen by God. Be a beautiful and lovely person who is loved by everyone.”

Little Estelle wept and nodded her head.

From then on, Estelle followed her deceased mother’s advice faithfully.

She would always make people smile and healed those in pain with the power blessed upon her by God.

She listened to the stories of those suffering from hard times and gave them a lot of encouragement.

Whenever they saw Estelle like that, the surrounding people would smile happily.

“You are truly beautiful both on the outside and the inside.”

“Of course. Because you are the one chosen by God.”

Estelle would then smile gracefully like an angel whenever she heard those words.

Their praise always felt delightful to hear.

‘I’ll keep working hard in the future.’

But Estelle didn’t know.

Their praises were, in reality, harsh chains to the young Estelle than any other words could ever be.

Estelle was 14 when she first realized the true meaning of those seemingly good compliments.

────── 〔✿〕─────

“Do I have to go to the banquet?”

At Estelle’s words, the priest, who had been looking after her all this time, nodded his head.

“Our sect leader has told you this many times. Of course, helping the poor and those in need is the most important thing. However, it is also important to build friendly relations with those from the royal family as well as people from the aristocracy.”

“But….”

Estelle bowed her head with a sullen face. The priest then continued to speak softly, as if he knew what was on her mind.

“It creates an uncomfortable feeling going to a fancy banquet when someone else might be starving because they don’t even have a slice of bread. But the aristocrats are also people who wished to be protected by Miss Estelle. Please don’t be too prejudiced and treat them as well.”

“……”

Estelle couldn’t tell the priest the real reason why she didn’t want to attend the banquet.

Fundamentally, priests do not involve themselves in the social world and therefore, do not attend any banquets hosted by the nobles.

Thus, the only person needed to attend the banquet was Estelle, who had divine powers and at the same time was not a priestess.

That’s why they don’t know.

How she was actually being treated at those banquets.

The very moment Estelle appeared in a shabby dress, a lot of people would begin to whisper behind their fans.

“She’s here with that getup again.”

“Obviously, that outfit can only be prepared by those who think of flashy things as sinful.”

It doesn’t matter that she is the saintess, a young commoner girl who has no parents makes the perfect target for nobles to disdain.

‘Keep a straight face and smile as if you didn’t hear anything.’

Estelle desperately hid her broken heart.

Of course, it was not easy for a 14-year-old girl to stand firmly in front of those who continuously ridiculed her.

Nevertheless, she was able to endure it because there were a lot more people who welcomed her brightly instead.

“Welcome, Saintess.”

“Thank you for attending the banquet despite your busy schedule.”

Today’s banquet’s hosts, the Count and his wife, welcomed Estelle with bright faces. They were devout believers who had donated huge amounts of money to the Church every year.

And at the same time, they were also huge followers of Estelle.

“Thank you for inviting me to this precious event.”

Estelle greeted back shyly and turned to the girl standing between the Count and his wife.

Natalie.

She was the daughter of the Count and Countess that was two years younger than Estelle.

A few years ago, Natalie was weak and had nearly died from severe pneumonia, and managed to overcome the hurdle of death with the help of Estelle’s power.

After that, Natalie followed Estelle like a younger sister.

“I’m so happy that the Saintess is able to come to my birthday party! You don’t know how much I bragged to my friends about how you are coming today.”

Estelle’s heart fluttered at Natalie’s words.

Being a commoner and the saintess made her relationship with other noble ladies very awkward.

Most found it difficult to deal with Estelle, and some ignored her, moving to places where she would be out of sight.

But Natalie had always treated Estelle without any prejudice.

Natalie walked closer to Estelle.

“Have you seen the new pond in the garden?”

“I haven’t seen it yet.”

“Then I will guide you. My father made it for my birthday, and the white stones adorning the pond are so beautiful when they sparkle under the sunlight.”

Estelle’s face heated up a little when Natalie nonchalantly connected their arms.

‘This feels nice.’

Even though she only had Natalie babbling nonstop by her side, Estelle thought that today’s banquet was a lot of fun, unlike the other banquets.

“This dress was a gift from my mother. It was tailored at Louis Vuirong, which is the most popular boutique these days. It has as many as 300 ribbons. What do you think about it?” (An’s note: Louis Vuitton lol.)

“It’s really pretty.”

“Which boutique did you get your dress from?”

Her shoulders flinched slightly when she was suddenly asked about her dress, but Estelle managed to answer calmly.

Nonetheless, she was already old enough to feel ashamed by her usual shabby dress.

“It’s not a custom-made dress, it’s a dress given to me as a gift from the priest.”

“Oh, I see.”

Natalia nodded as if she knew about something Estelle didn’t know.

Then in the next moment, she started babbling like a sparrow again.

“Oh, my grandmother and grandfather sent me the most famous sweets in the Toranto region as a gift. It’s a type of cookie that is filled with honey. My close friends and I were going to eat them together in my room. Would you like to eat with us, Saintess?”

Estelle hesitated for a moment.

Although she was not an official priest, she was a faithful follower of the Church’s doctrine that forbids any luxury foods including sweets that contain a lot of sugar.

So it has been a long time since she ate any sweets.

‘Cookies filled with honey……’

Her mouth was watering unknowingly.

Plus, seeing Natalie’s face full of anticipation made her want to break free from the strict doctrine just for today.

She can feel how fun it would be just from imagining how they would be chatting and eating sweets under the warm sun.

Thus, after contemplating, Estelle nodded.

“Sounds good.”

Natalie smiled brightly at Estelle’s answer.

“I’m sure my friends will love it if I come with the Saintess.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course. Everyone loves the Saintess.”

At those words, Estelle’s face turned red.

Natalie’s twinkling eyes didn’t seem like they were lying.

‘Yes. Because unlike adults, most of the young ladies have a more favorable attitude towards me instead.’

However, while walking excitedly, Estelle was quickly stopped.

It was because of a crowd that had flocked here just to see her.

“So you were here, Saintess.”

“I heard that you were coming, but I didn’t see you so I was looking for you all this time.”

Among the aristocrats, those with profound faith always make an effort to have a word with Estelle whenever they see her.

Normally, she would have greeted them calmly, but now their timing was not good.

Natalie whispered to Estelle with a troubled expression on her face.

“Take your time and chat with them. Meanwhile, I’ll go to my room and get ready. I want to tell my friends that the Saintess is coming.”

She was grateful for Natalie’s quick wit and consideration.

Estelle nodded her head without hiding her joy.

After Natalie disappeared, Estelle greeted those around her one by one.

“Saintess, may I have your blessing?”

Most of the cases were like that.

Estelle, clasping her hands together, offered words of blessing to those who closed their eyes.

Normally she would have given her utmost focus on them, but today she kept getting distracted.

‘I want to go to Miss Natalie as soon as possible.’

Estelle glanced several times to the direction where Natalie had gone earlier.

She was finally able to escape the crowd after a long while.

“My apologies. There is someone waiting for me, so please excuse me.”

She was able to easily finish much faster than before, but it still caused quite a delay.

Estelle’s steps toward Natalie’s room became anxious.

‘What if I offended her by making her wait for so long?’

Perhaps too much time had passed, Natalie and her friends might’ve finished eating their sweets and had already left.

She thought that it would be a little upsetting if that happened.

Estelle quickly found Natalie’s room.

Estelle’s face brightened as soon as she heard the laughter of the ladies, squealing through the slightly opened door.

‘Everyone is still there.’