Ch.942Lacy’s Visit

Lacy came to visit my palace two days later.

I had just returned to my room after soaking in hot spring water, wearing a robe and releasing mana herb smoke through the window while organizing tomorrow’s tasks.

“Your Majesty. I apologize for the late hour, but Archbishop Elmaine has requested an audience with you… I humbly ask for your guidance on this matter.”

Hearing the maid’s careful voice as she gently knocked on my chamber door, I tapped my cigarette into the ashtray and turned toward the door.

“…Lacy?”

Lacy coming to see me was somewhat unexpected.

As the head of the Imperial Diocese, I thought she would arrive with a grand entourage and send an official request for an audience, but instead she came quietly alone at this late hour.

Is this meant to be an unofficial discussion? It seemed Lacy also had no intention of making a big deal out of this matter.

That’s good. Neither do I.

“Yes, how would you like me to proceed?”

The maid asked respectfully.

How would I like to proceed? That’s a funny way of putting it. It almost sounds like she’s asking if I want to kill Lacy or not.

Of course, the maid was merely suggesting that since Lacy had committed the rudeness of visiting without notice at such a late hour, it would be perfectly acceptable to send her away and ask her to return tomorrow.

Not particularly useful advice, but I was already well aware of that option.

Anyway, people here, regardless of their status, seem to think I’m completely ignorant of proper etiquette.

It’s not that I don’t know etiquette; I know it well but find it cumbersome and bothersome to follow.

…That makes it worse? Whatever. If it bothers you, become someone of higher status than me.

I speak very respectfully to Leopold when necessary, don’t I? Even if it’s just verbal courtesy.

“In about… five minutes, tell her she can come. Prepare some simple tea and refreshments.”

“Yes. I will convey your orders.”

“Good, thank you.”

After dismissing the maid, I removed my robe, hung it on the back of a chair, and put on fresh underwear and casual clothes.

No matter how close we are, I should at least dress properly. Meeting someone while naked under a robe wouldn’t be appropriate.

This robe doesn’t even close properly in the front since my chest grew larger, so I have to leave it open like a coat.

Exposing my chest and groin to someone else would be a bit… no, extremely embarrassing.

“Is Archbishop Elmaine here? Should I leave to give you privacy, sister?”

“Well… we should ask Lacy about that.”

Lena was the exception, of course.

She’s practically my sworn sister who eats, bathes, and sleeps in my room, so what is there to be embarrassed about?

Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed at first… but after Lena repeatedly used the same logic I just mentioned to convince me, I’ve become completely used to it now.

That’s why, on normal days when no one is visiting, I find it too bothersome to wear underwear and just wear a robe or thin nightgown over my naked body.

Hersella had a fit about me at least wearing underwear, but her reaction was so amusing that it actually made me less inclined to wear any.

She told me I’d regret it, which made me wary for a few days in case she tried something while I was sleeping, but it seemed to be just talk as she didn’t do anything.

Perhaps she’s waiting for the perfect opportunity to make me regret it.

Well, she wouldn’t be able to do much anyway.

Since she shares my name, Hersella cares more about my reputation than I do, so she wouldn’t humiliate me in front of others.

A year ago, I would have lost sleep worrying she might kill people while I was sleeping, but I no longer needed to worry about such things.

I could trust her now.

Trust that Hersella wouldn’t do such things.

The current Hersella had long since become nothing more than a toothless wolf.

Her madness and bloodlust had died down completely.

Whether it was from spending so much time with me and being influenced by my “saintliness,” or because she had accomplished the revenge she desired, the current Hersella was completely different from when we first spoke.

She still displays her aggressive nature in battle, and when teasing me, she uses an even more vicious sarcasm and mockery from who knows where she learned it, but outside of those times, she’s practically a sage.

Do you know what phrase this woman uses most often these days? “Please maintain some dignity.” It’s truly laughable.

The pot calling the kettle black.

Half of what used to come out of her mouth was excessively pretentious nonsense, and the other half was just elaborate ways of saying she would tear someone apart and kill them.

It’s too late to start caring about dignity now, isn’t it?

—-

As I had ordered, Lacy knocked on my chamber door exactly five minutes later.

“Your Majesty, Archbishop Elmaine has arrived.”

Actually, was it the maid who knocked? Well, it doesn’t matter.

“Come in.”

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the corner of my chamber, I instructed the maid and Lacy to enter.

“Excuse me.”

The maid opened the bedroom door quietly with a respectful greeting.

Even while holding a tray with tea and refreshments in one hand, she opened the door without making a single creaking sound—truly the mark of a professional.

“Have you been waiting, Lady Astika?”

Lacy followed her in.

“I’ve committed the rudeness of visiting at such a late hour. I’m so ashamed I don’t know what to say. I sincerely apologize.”

She bowed her head in apology as soon as she entered.

She must have felt guilty about coming unannounced in the middle of the night without prior notice of her arrival in Hestella.

“There’s no need to apologize for something like that. Don’t worry about it.”

I waved my hand casually from where it had been resting on the back of the sofa.

Visiting at night wasn’t particularly unpleasant or annoying enough to warrant an apology. It’s not like I was sleeping anyway. As long as it wasn’t dawn, it was fine.

“If you say so, I can only express my gratitude.”

Lacy nodded with a gentle smile and walked to the sofa across from me, gracefully taking a seat while lowering the hood she had been wearing pulled down to half-cover her face, likely for traveling incognito.

The maid who had followed her carefully placed the tea set and refreshments on the table between the sofas, then carefully poured hot tea into the pre-warmed cups before bowing deeply and withdrawing.

Her attitude indicated she knew she had no place in this secret meeting between two saints, a queen and an archbishop, so she would wait outside until our conversation was finished.

“It’s been a while, Lady Elmaine!”

While I was moistening my lips with tea and savoring its aroma, Lena, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up with a bright smile and greeted Lacy.

“Yes, it has been a while, Priestess Lena. Or should I say Princess Lena now?”

A kind smile like one looking at an adorable rabbit.

She must have heard from somewhere that I had adopted Lena as my sister, as she seemed to know exactly that Lena’s current status was both a priestess of Saulite and a princess of Hestella.

“Hehehe… princess, you say…”

Lena laughed sheepishly as if embarrassed. She probably laughed the same way when she was officially recognized as a princess.

She wasn’t happy about the dramatic rise in status from an orphaned priestess to royalty, but rather about becoming my official sister.

Well, the title of princess was essentially honorary anyway.

She was receiving treatment befitting royalty as my sworn sister, but she didn’t actually wield any power nor did she have any right to succession.

That was only natural.

To be honest, our Lena doesn’t have the capacity to handle the position of a national leader like I do.

Whether in terms of political acumen or administrative ability. She doesn’t even have any particular martial prowess, so how could I possibly pass the throne to her? I’d have to be insane.

As much as I adore Lena, facts are facts.

It’s not that Lena is completely incompetent or hasn’t developed at all—her healing powers have continuously improved to the point where she can rival Lacy despite not being a saint…

But that’s just a virtue as a priestess. It has nothing to do with the qualities a ruler needs to possess.

Passing the throne to Lena, who lacks the capacity to bear the crown and seems to have no desire for it, would be destroying both Lena’s life and the kingdom’s future simultaneously.

Therefore, Hestella currently had no viable heir to the throne.

Imara might share my paternal lineage, but there were too many issues with that lineage to easily hand over the country to her.

And I couldn’t just toss the crown to someone with no blood relation to me. Nor was there any possibility of me having children of my own.

In any other country, petitions would be pouring in by now suggesting I take a husband and produce an heir.

It’s only because I’m still young and a saint of a religious order that such talk hasn’t emerged.

Why?

Isn’t it obvious?

Anyone who submitted a petition suggesting a saint should take a husband and bear children might find themselves hanging from the top of a cathedral, burning for a hundred days.

While saints in this world aren’t required to maintain their virginity, demanding that a saint quickly lose her virginity would naturally constitute blasphemy.

Therefore, the officials of this country were anxious about this abnormal situation with no successor, but were too busy watching my reactions and the church’s attitude to dare mention it.

And they would continue to do so.