Part 1: Saintess Candidate Arc

17. The Saintess's Reputation (1)

Translated by: S3

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—「(Why did it turn out like this?)」

The unfamiliar, gorgeous meal spread before her was dazzling, and Lily squinted.

「Would a slightly lighter course have been easier to eat?」

The equally beautiful Crown Prince asked Lily if she disliked the meal.

「No. I was simply deeply moved by how extravagant it looks—I’ve never seen anything like it.」

—「(Why did it turn out like this?)」

There was no point in asking herself the same question again. The reality was this: Since the day after the Flower Festival, Lily had been eating lunch with Arthur in his private chambers.

After that incident, she was made to promise to share all information regarding the procurement of medicinal herbs with Arthur and Noah.

In particular, Noah scolded her relentlessly, demanding that she tell them before she ever tried to do anything again. She felt her heart stop when he told her that the Tinam Count family could have been condemned based solely on Arthur's answer.

「I heard the distribution of the herbs Lily purchased is finished. That means the Saintess Candidate's work is quite settled now.」

「That’s good. The purification work will also be finished by the end of this week.」

「I see. That’s excellent news.」

Noah wasn't here. He had refused to sit at the same table, citing his position as a subordinate. In other words, he had fled.

「Um, Your Highness. What would you like me to discuss today?」

Lily spoke every day about the content Arthur requested.

Last week, starting with how she began visiting the Black Market, she was asked about her meeting with Gin and how she found the market's entrance.

Now, what would she be talking about this week?

「Tell me what precautions you take when interacting with the races you've encountered.」

「Yes. I try not to pry unnecessarily, and I always ask them if I can learn their rules. I maintain a posture of adapting to them and convey through both words and body language that I intend no harm. Oh, when I met Gin, he mistook me for a herb thief on his farm, so I performed a dogeza.」

「A dogeza...?」

「Um. It’s an apology pose where a husband who did something bad kneels down at the entryway to his house, sits on his knees, and bows his head to the floor to beg his wife's forgiveness.」

「...」

「Is that method of apology not present in the Holy Aurum Kingdom's culture? The person I was talking to had moved from a western country, so perhaps it’s a foreign culture.」

It certainly wasn't a method of apology in the Holy Aurum Kingdom, but that wasn't why he was surprised.

He was surprised because it wasn't the gesture of a thirteen-year-old girl.

「Was there no other way to apologize?」

「I could tell he was incredibly angry. But once I performed the dogeza and sincerely apologized, he asked me how I got there and what I was doing. When I answered honestly and told him someone important was sick and I was looking for herbs, he sold them to me. I think that if you can properly communicate, you can have a conversation.」

Lily thought that Gin, in her fond memory, had been a thorough businessman right from their first encounter.

「That might also be because it was Lily.」

「Ah, that might be true. He did say he would trade with me because I had good compensation.」

That was right. After that, Gin started welcoming Lily as a preferred customer every festival.

「Also, the people I interacted with were very generous with their thanks.」

「Thanks?」

「I helped the merfolk and the fairies I met besides Gin because they were all in trouble, but they always want to take me to their countries to thank me profusely. The one time I went to the Fairy Country, they welcomed me with a huge amount of food and sweets.」

「So you feel they are not dangerous and are reasonable people.」

「Hmm. I wonder. I often feel differences in common sense and ways of thinking, so I think things would go badly if our opinions clashed. I make sure to be clear about my purpose when meeting them, and once I accept a thank-you gift, I firmly state that nothing more is needed. They become stubborn if they can't show their gratitude, so I think it's important to show that I am satisfied with what I've received. I absolutely never engage in bargaining. It's too scary.」

「I see. I have a rough understanding of them now.」

「Is that so? I'm glad I could be of help. By the way, Your Highness—」

「Yes?」

「How long will this luncheon last?」

Honestly, Lily wanted to return to the days when she could easily eat in the dining hall and get dessert from Noah.

「That's a good question. I need to figure out how to procure the supplies whose imports from the Eastern Country have stopped. The Beastmen are an extremely good candidate for that. But I don't know much, so I want to learn from Lily, who does.」

「I'm not exactly an expert, though.」

「But it's impossible to find new people with direct connections.」

No one would come forward since contacting other races is against the law. Furthermore, the shortage caused by the import halt from the Eastern Country hasn't been resolved, which is as good as saying no one in the nation has an alternative route.

In short, Lily could be definitively stated to be the person with the most contact with other races right now.

And this matter was becoming increasingly urgent and needed immediate attention. If the scarcity in the royal capital continued, product prices would soar, and there would be anxiety-driven hoarding throughout the country.

「The West has low self-sufficiency and low export volume, probably due to the country's instability. They also rely on imports from the East, so if we don't manage something in our country, things will become severe.」

And so, Arthur started gathering information from Lily.

Since the content was sensitive and couldn't be leaked outside, they decided to do it over lunch in Arthur's private chambers.

Meanwhile, Lily was struggling to keep up with the diplomatic issues Arthur was handling, which were far removed from her daily life.

Distracted by the difficult topics, she chewed the terrine she had brought to her mouth.

「This is delicious.」

「Which one? That's the liver and foie gras terrine. The taste changes when you eat it with pickles or mustard.」

Her internal thoughts had accidentally slipped out. Lily broke into a cold sweat, relieved Noah wasn't there.

She was getting too used to making blunders in front of Arthur and was letting down her guard more often. If Noah were here now, he would be nagging her about her complacent attitude.

「Ah. ...It is good.」

If Arthur, who was used to it, said it was good, it must be an amazing dish.

Lily lacked confidence in her palate due to her previously simple diet. She had an idea: she would ask Arthur to explain the dishes to her.

「I don't mind explaining the dishes. But what kind of things do you like?」

「As long as it's not spicy. Also, I’m not used to eating fish or meat, so I want to learn about various things.」

If she didn't concentrate on the meal, she felt she might commit some breach of manners that would anger Arthur.

Besides, if they were going to continue having lunch together for a while, she wanted him to provide some topics that would make her heart flutter a little.

「Understood. But you must also answer my questions. Otherwise, I won't learn anything.」

「Yes. Ask me anything!」

As a result, a scene unfolded where the usually reserved Arthur enjoyed talking while eating. When this continued day after day, it inevitably became the subject of gossip among the palace maids.

These maids, known as the Court Sparrows, imagined that since Arthur was having friendly lunches with one of the Saintess Candidates daily, he must have chosen the Saintess, and by extension, the Crown Princess.

「Because the person isn't a high-born Duchess's daughter (Lady Olivia) or the rumored flirtatious Little Devil (Lady Poppy), but a country girl (Lady Lily) from the provinces! That actually makes it more believable!」

This rumor was quite popular, as the selection of the simple-looking Lily gave people hope. Although the physical difference between the seventeen-year-old and the small thirteen-year-old was like that of an adult and a child, the four-year age gap—considered within an acceptable range—took precedence.

After all, the Court Sparrows loved stories that gave people hope.

Meanwhile, Arthur, Noah, and Daniel dismissed the rumor, assuming no one would take it seriously.

To them, Lily was a vital colleague (business partner), and it was only natural for them to work together when necessary. They couldn't let rumors bother them and still get their work done.

But for the other Saintess Candidates, the rumor was unforgivable.

Especially Olivia, who had been exploiting rumors to fabricate her status as the most suitable Saintess and future Crown Princess, was furious.

「What is going on? Why is Arthur having meals with another candidate when he made me submit my reports in writing!」

In the public eye, Poppy was said to be the most promising Saintess, while Lily was being favored in the castle.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of 'treating the Queen' suddenly ended.

Now, her work was limited to helping repair the Protect Wall.

「Why did it turn out this way?」

Things were supposed to be going well, so where did the gears begin to grind?

「I can't just let things drift. I have to use everything at my disposal and somehow return things to how they were.」

Results. She would produce results that would make everyone say Olivia was the only one fit to be the Saintess.

To that end, she first decided to consult her dearest elder brother (Dylan) and headed toward him.

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