A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke

“Be happy, what kind of greeting is that?”

“Just. I want you to smile.”

Esther shifted her head embarrassedly as she witnessed Noah affectionately gazing at her.

“You’re weird, really. I’m going!”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Palen rubbed his eyes several times as he observed the children exchanging greetings so familiarly. He even pinched his hand, thinking it might have been a dream.

‘Is this a miracle?’

Palen’s reaction to the scene was perfectly normal, as everyone thought Noah would never stand up again so naturally.

Noah stood in perfect health and waved until Esther left the sanctuary.

** ━━━━━━━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━━━━━**

“Hah, hah… that kid…!”

Cespia breathed heavily as she woke up from her deep slumber. Drops of sweat formed on her forehead.

She earnestly raised her body. She seemed blank as if the sudden shock still lingered in her remembrance.

“I’ve definitely seen it.”

It was a mystery how it was deemed possible, but the child bestowed with the powers of the saint appeared in Cespia’s dream countless times.

The pink-eyed female Cespia had last witnessed was flourishing in an unknown sanctuary.

The child’s incredible divine power, which Cespia felt through her dreams, was far surpassing her own.

“It isn’t Rabienne…”

Cespia shivered.

She had hoped that what appeared in her visions was simply a coincidence, however, it was now clear.

The next saint was not Rabienne.

‘How heartbroken that kind child will become. How could I possibly say this to her.’

As she knew just how much Rabienne was looking forward to becoming the next saint, Cespia was overly anxious the news would wound her heart.

“God could only be indifferent. I’m regretful to hear that there is a child more brilliant than Rabienne who will serve God… It is quite unfortunate.”

Above all, Rabienne was the only one who had resided next to Cespia all this time. Her head overflowed with the thoughts of what would happen if ever lost Rabienne because of this.

Cespia stumbled out of bed. She wished for some water to freshen her sore throat.

The door was not completely closed. As soon as Cespia held on the door handle to push it open, a conversation could be heard through the very crack.

Cespia ceased pushing the door and held her breath.

“Lady Rabienne! I heard you’ve become a saint candidate. Congratulations.”

“It is all thanks to you. Thank you very much.”

“What have I done? Haha.”

It wasn’t difficult to distinguish the voices of those who were speaking.

Rabienne and Verdo. When she made out the words ‘saint candidate’ in their conversation, Cespia frowned.

‘What’s going on here?’

Cespia held her ears close to the door and listened intently to the ongoing conversation.

“So, why don’t we increase the amount of drugs we give to the Saint?”

“That’d be great. I’m getting tired of this now… And that must also be true for knight Verdo? You’re tied up just taking care of the Saint.”

“Well, I don’t care if it’s for you.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Phew, I’m glad we don’t have to wait another year.”

Rabienne smiled and added a few words.

“I’ll double the amount starting today.”

After fully understanding the situation, Cespia’s face distorted from shock.

She was betrayed by the person she trusted the most. The thought shook Cespia’s eyes without mercy.

‘It doesn’t make sense. Rabienne has… been feeding me poison all this time.’

Only then did she recall her body condition gradually worsening.

No matter how much mana was used, they couldn’t ascertain the cause of the disease. This only left her to give up hope after the treatment caused her to be in worse condition.

Cespia shakily attempted to hold the wall to support herself, however, she instead slammed the frame attached to the wall with her hand.

At that moment, the frame fell to the floor and produced a loud noise. Cespia felt goosebumps on her back.

‘They shouldn’t know I’m awake.’

Her instincts were shouting that she couldn’t be caught now.

Cespia tip-toed to reduce as much sound as possible and ran desperately towards the bed.

“Did you hear that sound just now?”

“Yes, I’ll leave.”

Bu-bump bu-bump.

Cespia’s heart beat rapidly as she listened to Rabienne’s footsteps moving in her direction. Her ankles twisted, but she managed to muster all her strength and reached the bed.

Cespia shut her eyes tightly and pretended to be unconscious. Not much later, she could feel Rabienne’s gaze as she entered the room.

“…Why did it fall?”

Rabienne’s eyes hardened as she perceived something was amiss. She stood next to the bed, suspiciously observing Cespia, who was trying her best to remain asleep.

“Saint, are you awake?”

She spoke in her sweet and friendly tone like she usually would.

Cespia flinched for a moment, however, she didn’t respond.

“It wasn’t her.”

When no response sounded from Cespia, Rabienne waved her palm over Cespia’s face.

Then, she turned and walked back to the area where the frame fell. Cespia released the small breath that she held until now.

“Why did this fall?”

“It must have been wrongly placed. I’ll order them to clean it up right away.”

“Yes, please.”

Rabienne was suspicious, however, she did not doubt Cespia.

It was because she believed that the effect of the drug was so strong that Cespia could not have awakened before Rabienne came in.

After confirming that the priest had left, Rabienne brought out a small bottle.

It was the poison that Cespia took every day. After putting in twice the amount, she grinned.

“Saint, I’m here. It’s time for you to take your medicine.”

Naturally, Rabienne took a seat next to the bed and shook Cespia gently to wake her up.

Cespia worked to raise her eyelids as heavily as she could to seem as usual.

“Is it time already?”

“Yes, you must take the medicine on time to recover quickly.”

Rabienne smiled innocently as she handed Cespia the medicine bowl. It was a bowl filled with poison.

Cespia’s mouth trembled with betrayal as she imagined Rabienne tricking her every time with that face of hers.

“Saint?”

When Cespia did not receive the medicine, Rabienne’s voice rose slightly.

“Alright, I’ll drink it.”

Cespia took the medicine in fear that Rabienne would notice anything.

She had no choice but to drink it if she didn’t wish to be suspected.

“By any chance, did you happen to hear anything?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

Cespia’s hand flinched.

“A frame fell a while ago and there was an unpleasant bang, so I was wondering if it woke you up.”

Rabienne rolled her clear eyes with an innocent expression.

However, she placed some pressure and gazed at Cespia. Her gaze doubted the old lady.

Cespia, on the other hand, answered calmly.

Even if her mind was blurred by poison, her dignity as a saint remained.

“I don’t understand what you are saying. I just awakened.”

“Is that right? Then, it’s nothing.”

Rabienne laughed with relief.

“How are you today, Saint?”

“My condition is becoming worse.”

“But you can’t give up. For me, at least. I’ll always take care of you.”

“Yes, I won’t.”

Cespia closed her eyes tightly and gulped the medicine Rabienne gave her.

The more she drank, the more pathetic she felt that she was being manipulated by such a child.

Of course, she didn’t think Rabienne, the Duke’s daughter, would have no ambition. However, she did not know that those who obeyed God’s will could be this evil.

‘What do I do now?’

Cespia grew lost in thought as she responded to Rabienne’s useless comments.

There was only one thing she could do in her unbearably seething vengeance.

‘The child who will be the next Saint.’

There was no one in the temple Cespia could trust. She didn’t expect anything from the rotten temple.

Instead, the child she witnessed in her dreams. Cespia decided to locate the pink-eyed child who would be the next saint and assist her.

“Saint, haven’t you seen anything about the chosen one yet?”

“No, the goddess may still be thinking.”

Cespia was not going to let Rabienne know anything about the next saint.

She didn’t have much time left anyway. After Rabienne left the room, she examined her body condition. She had already been thoroughly poisoned.

Since she couldn’t save herself, Cespia wished to buy as much time as possible to discover the next saint before the temple could.

‘Oh, I can’t believe I’m like this.’

She had devoted her whole life to be a saint, yet how could they abandon her like this. The deep sense of betrayal pierced Cespia’s heart.

She was the one who stood at the peak of all power. It was devastating how her end was being played by an evil child.

A stream of tears flowed through Cespia’s eyes as she smiled helplessly.

** ━━━━━━━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━━━━━**

“Wow, this is perfect. It’s beautiful.”

Dorothy smiled as she observed Esther in her new dress.

BamBam also blinked as she circled the small girl to show she approved of it.

“Yes, it’s really pretty.”

Esther glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She thought the ribbons were very cute.

It was a dress that Darwin chose and presented himself. He gifted Esther a pretty new dress as a gift, in addition to stating that they would be heading out today.

“Where are we going?”

Esther’s mind was filled with expectation and anxiety. It was even more so since it was the first time she was going out with Darwin.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it must be a good place.”

“Yes!”

Esther nodded vigorously in tune to Dorothy’s bright energy. She then left the room, determined.

As Esther left the stairs, she witnessed Darwin waiting on the first floor.

She could perceive a well-built figure in his neat clothes. He seemed more like a portrait the more Esther observed him.