A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke
chapter-141

Esther, who had been sleeping lightly, instinctively felt that her surroundings had darkened via a movement.

‘What?’

She slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. Her cloudy eyes were unfocused.

When she checked the person in front of her, she was startled, and regained her focus faster than ever by rubbing her eyes.

“Sorry. Did you wake up because of me? I was trying to cover it because I thought it would be blinding.”

After hearing the familiar voice, it became clear that it was not a dream, so Esther jumped up.

“Noah? Why are you here?”

Esther’s eyes became teary.

She did not want to show Noah her dirty state; her clothes were stained with grime and sweat.

“I came to pick up the holy flowers, then I heard you are in the greenhouse.”

“You came to pick up the holy flowers yourself? It’s not your job.”

“With that excuse, I want to see you one more time. It’s been a long time since I have seen you.”

“It’s not that long…”

Noah smiled beautifully and raised his hand over Esther’s head. She was embarrassed.

The sunlight reflecting off Noah’s back looked exceptionally bright, perhaps because his palms cast a shadow on her vision.

‘It’s dazzling.’

Without realizing it, Esther was staring blankly at Noah’s face. Once she caught herself, she turned her head away in surprise.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“Your clothes will get dirty.”

“I’ll get a new one later.”

Noah, who was in a squatting position, sat down next to Esther.

Even though it was the dirt floor, he didn’t seem to mind at all.

Esther took a glance at the figure and calmed her pounding heart.

“It was so amazing to see you in front of me when I woke up. Did you feel the same way when you first saw me?”

“Well. Esther, you can never imagine how I felt then.”

Noah replied with a smile.

‘A person I could only meet in my dreams.’

The thrill and excitement of finally meeting the person he had been seeing alone every day could never be explained in words.

“What?”

Unaware of this, Esther tilted her head and pursed her lips.

“But did you use so much divine power that you fell asleep here? It seems like an overkill.”

“Oh, I’m going to leave Tersia for a few days. I want to go to the central temple.”

At that moment, Noah, who was looking at Esther with his chin resting on his hand that was propped up on his knee, lost his balance and leaned forward.

Noah and Esther’s shoulders lightly touched.

With a surprised expression, Noah quickly regained stability and asked back.

“Really? Why are you going there?”

Esther explained the visit from the elder and the tea time invitation from Rabienne.

“I’d like to see that old lady again. If she is a reliable person, I’ll ask her to adjust the date of the qualification test.”

“Will the qualification test really be administered?”

“She said it will be. She also said that she would drive out the current saint, and let me sit there.”

“Hmm, then I’ll go too.”

Startled by Noah’s words, Esther opened her eyes wide.

“You want to go with me? There must be many people in the temple who will recognize you…”

“It’s better that they know. Then at least they won’t think of doing anything to you.”

Deheen, who loved Esther dearly, would attach escorts to her, but…

…Noah did not want to send Esther alone to the temple.

He didn’t know what Rabienne would do to get her blood, so she wanted to stay by her side as much as possible.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes. Let’s go together.”

Noah’s serious expression showed he didn’t wish to be stopped.

Esther pondered for a while before finally nodding, saying that she understood.

“Great. Maybe we can stay together a little longer this time.”

The slightly heavy atmosphere was relieved by Noah’s joke.

Esther’s eyes became distant as she exchanged casual words with Noah.

Since her regression, she had only been to the central temple twice.

The first was to meet Cespia, and the second was to send Cespia away.

Other than that, she didn’t even think about going to the temple, but it was definitely her own will to go to Rabienne’s test.

In the past, she thought she wouldn’t have done it no matter how much she had the chance to watch Rabienne fall.

Esther herself was most aware of the difference.

“You know… I feel that things that I thought would never be possible before are getting closer.”

Esther looked at Noah, her long eyelashes fluttering.

Rabienne, who seemed like she would never be able to reach no matter what, now seemed as if she was right in front of her.

“People who used to be so scary that I wanted to avoid them are no longer threatening. So, did I become a bit stronger?”

Esther was no longer afraid of Rabienne.

It was for this reason that she made up her mind that she should go to the temple herself.

Noah smiled and raised Esther’s right hand instead of answering.

He placed it on the soil as it was and pressed it gently with his hand.

Then, as they waited, amazingly, a small green sprout appeared from under the palms.

Next, Noah let go of Esther’s hand and touched one of the holy flowers that had already grown.

Even though his hand touched it for a very short time, the color of the holy flower, which had been white, immediately began to darken.

“Look at this.”

Noah’s voice was carried by the wind and sat softly in Esther’s ear.

“I can’t even touch the holy flower. But you create and nurture holy flowers endlessly. It’s really great.”

Esther’s cheeks turned red, startled by Noah’s sudden praise.

“This is all your strength. You are stronger than anyone. You can do anything.”

The words ‘You can do anything’ was like a spell, and it felt like an unknown solid power welling up from within her chest.

“Thank you.”

Feeling the warm heart that Noah wanted to convey, Esther’s lips drew a soft line.

“Perhaps… if Rabienne doesn’t pass the qualifying test this time, her position will be greatly weakened.”

Noah told her that there were already many people suspicious of the saint inside the temple.

“Then it would be more effective if the qualification test was taken openly so that everyone inside the temple could see it.”

“Yes. The high priests would never try to do that, but… Since an elder named Sharon is favorable to you, it’s good to meet and discuss it.”

In a greenhouse full of holy flowers, Esther and Noah exchanged glances and smiled brightly.

★★★

“Then, I will go back to the Imperial Palace with the holy flowers first and meet Esther near the temple.”

Noah smiled widely, having just received permission from Deheen.

“…Please take good care of me.”

“Don’t worry, Grand Duke. Then, I will come again.”

“You don’t have to come in person again, Your Highness.”

“No. I’m coming because I like it.”

Noah, who never lost his smile even when Deheen stared at him expressionlessly, said goodbye gracefully and left the room.

“You come and go too often.”

Not particularly liking Noah’s last words, Deheen frowned deeply, creating a valley between his brows.

“His Highness seems to like the lady very much.”

“Isn’t it natural since our Esther is pretty?”

Deheen replied sullenly. He already knew that Noah liked Esther.

“Still, I’m relieved that he is going with her.”

Noah’s swordsmanship skills were thought to be insignificant, but the escorts protecting the crown prince were trustworthy.

He said he was going to go in disguise anyway, so Deheen decided to leave it for Esther’s sake.

“Ben, what’s the status with Gordon?”

“I got a call that the brainwashing would end within two days. I think we can send Lucifer soon.”

Gordon was one of the few sorcerers in the empire, and he was a sorcerer who went to war with Deheen.

Deheen asked him to cast a very powerful spell on Lucifer’s mind.

—Do not reveal that Deheen knows all this and about the diamond necklace.

“Good. If he doesn’t want to die, he won’t say anything useless.”

The reason why he wanted to send Lucifer to Duke Brions (as such, needing to do such a troublesome thing) was simple.

It was to find out what question Duke Brions would ask him.

“When you hand over Lucifer, be sure to tell him that I want him back. That way he won’t kill him.”

“All right.”

Deheen was very curious about what Duke Brions wanted to ask Lucifer, and the hidden story between Catherine and him.

“If it was really Duke Brions who made Catherine run away… That guy is Esther’s biological father.”

Deheen gritted his teeth and muttered.

“Could there be such a coincidence?”

“Look at the lady and us.”

Indeed, Deheen had no idea that Esther, whom he had brought along on a whim, would become so dear.

Besides, it was a really unbelievable coincidence that Esther was the child of Catherine, Irene’s younger sister.

“There’s no way that coincidence won’t happen again.”

It was more like a bad relationship than a coincidence.

No matter what, if he found a justification, Deheen would not hesitate to destroy the Brions family.

★★★

Rabienne, who returned to the office after purifying the holy flowers, had a very dark expression.

“Everyone looks suspicious.”

She sent the holy flowers to various places to stop the plague, and now there were very few left.

Since she could not rekindle the holy flowers, she used the seeds that had been stored in the temple’s vault until now.

But there wasn’t enough, and even that was coming to an end.

Although no one said it, she could sense that everyone thought it was strange that there weren’t enough holy flowers blooming.

“I need a quick fix.”

She was nervously biting her nails when a maid opened the door after a knock and came inside.

“Saint, a letter has come from the Tersia family. It’s a reply to your invitation…”

“Give it to me.”

Hastily, Rabienne got up and ran to the maid.

Actually, even before she finished speaking, she had already snatched up the letter.

It was the news that she had been waiting for the most these days.

Rabienne’s face filled with joy as she opened the letter with a trembling heart.

“Yes, it is. It’s done now.”

The letter said ‘Thank you for the invitation’ and ‘I would definitely attend the tea party.’

Rabienne couldn’t hide her joy and twirled the invitation with a smile.

She had worried about what else she could do if the invitation was declined, but it turned out to be a pointless worry for she was still as stupid as she used to be.

“You’re a very easy kid to deal with. Haha, you don’t know how grateful I am to have you come on your own.”

Recalling how Esther looked when she was Daina, Rabienne sneered blatantly, the corners of her lips curling up.

Credits goes to Kushi for raw providing and Ame for translating.