Part 1: Saintess Candidate Arc

16. The Beginning of Baroness Poppy's Love

Translated by: S3

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*****

She meticulously brushed her hair, a rare color that shifted from gold to peach. Poppy's hair was always lustrous, and she never neglected her nails or skin, making her a sight that captivated onlookers like a piece of fine art.

To maintain such beauty, her dresser in the Baron's house was lined with mountains of toners and creams.

The beauty Poppy cultivated to steal people’s gaze was purely the result of her daily efforts. Nothing more.

—「Cute can be created.」

That was Poppy's personal conviction, and the cuteness she had diligently built up day by day was now one of her most important weapons.

「Hehe~. Daily routine finished. I’ll be perfect tomorrow too!」

After her grooming routine, she went to bed early to get quality sleep.

Tomorrow was her day to work as a Saintess Candidate at the church.

「Lady Olivia is coming tomorrow, too. I’m looking forward to it.」

The specific circumstances were kept secret, but a large amount of the medicinal herbs needed for the Magic Affliction Disease had become available, and the Queen’s treatment was reportedly switching to a full course of medication toward recovery.

Poppy, who performed healing magic at the church, was also scheduled to start distributing the herbs tomorrow. She had heard that Olivia would be joining them there.

「Well, if all the remaining work is just purification of curses, distributing medicinal herbs at the church is better, right?」

It was easy to imagine that Olivia, who was extremely concerned with appearances, would want a highly visible service task in front of people.

「Lady Olivia is truly so aristocratic.」

Poppy, who was originally a commoner, developed light magic and was adopted by Baron Calcos, often felt the difference between nobles and commoners.

For instance, the education designed to prevent the other party from sensing one's emotions was something a commoner could not imagine.

Manners in speech, etiquette, and deportment.

Each detailed rule was a restriction on behavior that veiled one's true feelings, and for some, it was like a poison that slowly weakened the spirit.

「(But I was happy that becoming a noble allowed me to refine myself to my heart's content!)」

Since beauty was also considered a form of education, Poppy had been allowed to lavishly refine herself from head to toe using the Baron's family assets.

Honestly, as a commoner, she had to work and do chores just to live, making it difficult even to carve out time for self-care.

Every time she looked in the mirror, she sincerely thought how lucky she was to become a noble. Light magic had brought Poppy good fortune.

「(Being a commoner wasn't all bad, either.)」

If she used her experience as a commoner just a little in noble society, she could stand out.

She was often met with surprise and revulsion, but if she maintained the same attitude, people would eventually get used to it. Once they got used to it, the easygoing atmosphere would turn into familiarity. Eventually, they would open their hearts, talk to Poppy about their worries and anxieties, and let down their guard.

Poppy heard many worries that high-born people carried. The pressure of inheriting the family, comparing themselves to others and feeling inferior. Even commonplace worries were overly magnified due to the education that prevented them from exposing their weaknesses to those around them.

(Everyone is so tightly restricting their hearts because they were born noble. Poor things.)

It was a conclusion Poppy could reach precisely because she transitioned from commoner to noble.

That said, she didn't think they should just act like commoners.

All Poppy did was teach them that these were human emotions, acknowledge their suffocation, and gently reach out a hand to comfort and heal them.

If the burden they carried lessened just a bit, people could try hard again. If so, it would be happier for both the person and those around them.

And the number of classmates who sought out Poppy increased, proving her way of thinking was correct.

Sometimes, the fiancée of a man she counseled would complain to Poppy, but she could only think, (Then you should support him properly.)

(If you’re his fiancée and can’t notice your loved one is suffering, you’re a completely disqualified partner.)

Besides, Poppy had absolutely no intention of advancing her relationship with the men she interacted with. She properly turned down the men who propositioned her. Yet, those women would lash out at Poppy, torment her, and vent their frustrations.

(They are just driving each other into a corner by venting their anger at the men, restricting each other's hearts, and losing the ability to care for one another. They brought it on themselves, and their idea of solving the problem by blaming me is naive.)

She wished they wouldn't blame Poppy for everything that went wrong. She was extremely annoyed by this matter.

—「People who can’t care for others won’t be loved.」

Poppy was loved because she put in the effort to be loved.

The events happening before her were a mirror reflecting herself, and if a fiancée became cold, it was the result of having acted coldly first.

She paid no mind to the delusions of the ladies who complained. She would live her life true to herself.

Poppy expelled the poison that had accumulated in her heart and fell asleep feeling refreshed.

The next day, the area in front of the church was overflowing with people eagerly awaiting the distribution of the medicinal herbs.

「Thank you. Now my wife can get better.」

「Thank you, Lady Poppy. Thanks to your healing magic, things didn't get worse.」

Poppy was deeply moved by the words of gratitude from everyone who had been coming to the church. She truly enjoyed being helpful to people.

「I’m so glad the medicine became available!」

As she handed over the herbs from the basket in her hand, people cried and squeezed her hand.

「Lady Poppy is a Saintess. She used Light Magic for commoners like us and even delivered the medicinal herbs.」

Poppy was not the one who acquired the herbs, but to them, Poppy was the one who delivered them.

「Hehe. Please get well soon.」

She rubbed their backs and encouraged them before sending them off, and the next person stepped forward. When the herbs in the basket ran out, Poppy spoke to Olivia, who was waiting in the back.

「Lady Olivia, excuse me, but could I have the basket with the medicinal herbs?」

「Please do that much yourself.」

A curt reply came back.

Since coming to the church, Olivia had only been in the back organizing the supplies.

「(Can’t be helped),」 Poppy thought, and she walked over to retrieve the basket and spoke to the ill-tempered Olivia.

「Lady Olivia, let's distribute the medicinal herbs together.」

「It seems no one is lining up for me, so I’ll organize the luggage here.」

Poppy shrugged, wondering if she was sulking about that. Olivia was displeased that Poppy, who had been treating people at the church all along, was more popular than she was.

(Lady Olivia is truly a sore loser.)

「Lady Olivia, this is also a job for a Saintess Candidate. Please do it properly.」

Those words wounded Olivia's pride, and she involuntarily glared at Poppy.

「Begging your pardon, but do you listen to absolutely everyone who comes here? I was extremely bewildered when I was consulted with a bunch of nonsensical worries because of you.」

「To the person concerned, those are important worries. I don't think it's right to belittle them based on your personal values.」

Nobles have noble worries, and commoners have commoner worries. What is important differs for each person. It is essential to listen and sympathize with them regardless of their position.

「I believe the job of a Saintess Candidate is to help those in need. I apologize for the rudeness, but I think your current attitude, Lady Olivia, lacks that spirit of service.」

「Wha! What do you know?」

She was talked back to by a Baroness's daughter whom she considered beneath her, and she accidentally raised her voice, but immediately felt ashamed of her blunder.

However, exposing her disgraceful behavior in front of so many commoners who had come for treatment made her feel so embarrassed that she stood up, wanting to leave the area as quickly as possible.

「I’m not feeling well, so excuse me.」

The people in the church heard the exchange between the two and were acutely aware that Olivia was looking down upon them unjustly.

They whispered amongst themselves, and upon realizing they all shared the same feeling, they freely started to complain at the back of Olivia, who was quickly leaving the church.

「Those nobles, they don’t understand people like us anyway.」

「She's so stuck-up. Worlds apart from Lady Poppy, even if they're both nobles.」

「Ah, and they’re both Saintess Candidates.」

「Eh, I prefer big sister Poppy to be the Saintess!」

Those comments reached Olivia’s ears clearly.

(What is it, what is it, what is it! She’s saying a Baroness’s daughter, who can only behave so ungracefully, is more fitting to be the Saintess? Why?!)

The Saintess Candidate position was a topic of national interest. And Poppy was the only one who stood before the common people to work.

Many people visited the royal capital's church just to catch a glimpse of the Saintess Candidate, and Poppy treated each person with care.

By now, her name recognition had grown so much that people in the royal capital would say the Saintess Candidate meant Poppy.

「Lady Poppy, don't lose to stuck-up noble daughters like her.」

「That’s right. The Saintess is like the hope of this country. We don’t want it to be someone who can't care for the people.」

Everyone encouraged Poppy and said she should become the Saintess.

「Thank you, everyone. But you shouldn't say such things out loud. Besides, the one who decides is Prince Arthur.」

To quell the commotion, Poppy spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

She tilted her head slightly and clasped her hands over her chest. A pose that her peers called manipulative.

However, it was surprisingly effective on the opposite sex and the elderly.

「Now, I’ll be distributing the medicine, so please line up in order, everyone!」

The gesture of waving her hand grandly so people far away could see was far from that of a noble daughter, but it was appealing to the people before her.

「She's just like a real Saintess.」

The words someone muttered quietly permeated the hearts of the people present, and spreading through the mouths of those who left the church, they instantly spread far and wide.

***

The Saintess Candidate's work was over, and Poppy stretched alone in the empty church.

「Haa— I worked hard.」

She had worried about what would happen when Olivia left, but she had managed to calm the situation and finish the work by herself.

(Maybe I’m quite suited for the Saintess's job?)

The reactions from those around her were good. The work was going smoothly. She was convinced that she was suited for it.

「Besides, I'm against someone who dismisses everyone's worries, like Lady Olivia, becoming the Saintess.」

She had been treated as though her worries were insignificant by Noah as well, so perhaps most nobles thought that way. She believed it was wrong.

「It’s the people who support the country. We should properly consider their needs. And—」

Poppy looked up at the statue of the Saintess displayed in the church. The First Saintess supported the Holy King and protected the country as Queen, making her an idol for everyone.

「I think Prince Arthur must have the same worries peculiar to the high-born, just like the other noble sons.」

She hadn't met Arthur at the recent Flower Festival after all. He wasn't at the castle, nor did he show his face at the noble Flower Festival tea party.

—(He must have skipped the bothersome tea party and gone somewhere in disguise to relax.)

Poppy’s intuition was surprisingly correct. Arthur, who found everything tiresome, was indeed passing the time by guarding the Flower Festival in his Royal Guard uniform.

(My intuition is right! The fact that he disappeared to relax means he has worries!)

As a royal, a rank higher than a noble, he must feel even more suffocated.

She couldn't imagine the content of his worries at all, but his actions spoke for themselves.

Poppy might not be able to help with her power, but she could listen.

There were countless worries that would feel lighter just by talking about them. In fact, most of the worries Poppy usually listened to were of that kind.

「People can move forward from where they are just by sharing their worries and feeling a little lighter.」

And if they felt a little better than before, they could start walking on their own power.

「I’ve decided! I’m going to become the Saintess and stand by the people. I want to listen to Prince Arthur's worries and lighten his heart.」

She declared loudly to the Saintess statue before her. Thus, Baroness Poppy decided to aim for the position of Saintess.

*****

TL note: Poppy is actual nice person, she does genuinely try to be nice. Olivia too, is not inherently evil, she's just like that because she's a noble. That's the only life she knows.

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