A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke
chapter-144

“Noah, did your hair color change?”

“Ah. Is it strange?”

Noah, whose hair was dyed gold for disguise, scratched the back of his head as if it was awkward.

“It’s strange. In that it suits you.”

“Really? If you like it more, I will keep it in this color.”

“Well, I don’t think there will be a need for that.”

When Esther tilted her head, Noah immediately became discouraged and tried to leave, saying that he would wash the dye and come back.

The joking Esther grabbed Noah’s arm and looked around the villa with a chuckle.

“I’ll just unpack and leave right away. We have to move quickly if we want the qualification test to be held in three days.”

“Right. Let’s get ready.”

The two nodded and hurriedly moved.

After a while…

Esther and Noah left the villa together and went to the place Sharon stated.

“By the way, the one in the basket earlier is Shur, right? The snake you raised.”

“Yes. I brought him because they say he doesn’t eat well without me these days.”

It was complicated to explain that Shur could turn into a sword, so she explained it roughly for now.

“Since he came together, it would be fun to secretly take him to the temple.”

Noah joked with a bright smile, but Esther really planned to do so.

While talking and walking, they quickly arrived at the location written on the paper.

It was a remote alley with few people as it was a little far from the main street.

“Is this really the right place?”

Even at a quick glance, it was a simple house for a member of the Council of Elders to stay. It led straight to the door without a garden.

Esther looked around for some time, perturbed by the eerie feeling, and checked the nameplate.

“Ah. It’s the right name.”

Seeing that the name ‘Sharon’ was clearly written on it, it seemed like a good place to find it.

“You didn’t come with an appointment, did you?”

“If she isn’t in, then I’ll wait.”

After the cool response, Esther rang the bell next to the door.

While waiting for someone to come out, Noah advised, just in case.

“Don’t go into details. You might get involved in it for no reason, so just tell her the requirements concisely and come out.”

“Don’t worry.”

Esther was fully aware of the fact that dealing with Sharon, who spent so many years in the temple, would not be easy.

Soon there was a sound from inside, and the large door opened slowly.

She expected a servant, but unexpectedly, it was Sharon who came to greet her.

“Uh, how…”

She couldn’t hide her surprised expression, as if she hadn’t imagined that Esther would be standing in front of her.

“Did I come too suddenly?”

“No. I’ve been waiting for you to come any time.”

Sharon led Esther inside, unable to contain her joy.

“Thank you for coming. It’s shabby, but please come in.”

In her house, there were only necessary items, as if to show Sharon’s tidy personality.

Esther sat down at a table in the living room that Sharon had guided her to.

“It’s rooibos tea.”

Sharon put down a luxurious cup of tea leaves in front of Esther and poured hot water in it.

As the red water brewed and a faint fragrance spread in the air, Esther relaxed a little.

“May I say that you came to see me because you made up your mind?”

Sitting across from Esther, Sharon asked with a kind smile that made the wrinkles around her eyes crease deeply.

Noah, who had been standing behind Esther pretending to be her escort, narrowed his eyes in wariness.

“No. I came because I have been invited by the saint.”

“Perhaps, the tea party…”

“Do you know?”

When Esther mentioned the tea party, Sharon’s face quickly darkened.

“Yes. I heard that there is a tea party. But wouldn’t it be better not to attend?”

Esther sensed that Sharon was worried about something, but she had no intention of attending the tea party anyway.

Holding up a cup of moderately brewed tea and drinking it lightly, Esther said,

“Thank you for your concern, but I will take care of my own affairs.”

“Then why did you come to see me?”

“There is something I want to check.”

“Please feel free to speak.”

Esther noticed with a quick glance that Sharon’s grip on the teacup was strong.

She was just as nervous as herself.

“Do you really have the power to bring the elders together?”

“Yes, I persuaded everyone. They already agree with me.”

The influence of the saint and the Brions family was limited to the high priests.

The elders, who had never imagined changing the saint, feared what would happen if the crystal ball broke.

Recently, they lamented that it was wrong for them to believe and entrust everything to the high priests.

Esther looked into Sharon’s confident eyes and put the cup she was holding back on the saucer.

Tak.

It was quite loud, and it broke the silence. At the same time, a strange tension was relieved.

“Then can you move up the test date by a few days?”

“…When, do you mean…?”

“Three days from today. It’s the day the saint hosts the tea party.”

“Why on that day?”

Sharon asked in surprise.

“I want the time to be almost the same as the tea party. It’ll be fine if it’s an hour or so later.”

Anyway, it was Rabienne’s unofficial tea party, so overlapping wasn’t a problem.

However, Sharon was curious about Esther’s true intentions in planning this.

“Is that all you want?”

“No. There’s one more.”

Esther spoke quickly.

“I want the qualification test to be done publicly. So that everyone inside the temple can see it.”

“…That’s hard. You know that, don’t you?”

Aside from revealing the saint’s incompetence to everyone…

…They wouldn’t be able to avoid the public backlash that the wrong person had been put in the saint’s seat.

“Yes. It will be difficult. But you have to show that much sincerity so that I can trust you and work together, right?”

Sharon’s eyes widened.

“Can I take it that you share the same wish as us?”

Esther didn’t answer.

She neither affirmed nor denied, creating an illusion for Sharon to believe.

“If you can fulfill both, I will attend the test.”

“I don’t know about the first, but the second will certainly receive opposition even from within the elders. It won’t be easy.”

Sharon felt the inside of her mouth and lips drying out, so she picked up her cup and took a sip of tea.

Esther waited in silence, knowing that she was not done speaking.

“But I will persuade the elders to do so. Definitely.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Yes. Instead, you must attend the test and show everyone the difference in your divine power from the current saint.”

Sharon was trying to do anything to hold on to Esther.

Even when she came to the point where she would have to go up against the authority of the temple, she could not let go of Esther.

“Okay.”

At Esther’s answer, Sharon was thrilled and clasped her hands together as if praying to heaven.

Esther, however, watched her without much change in expression.

‘I will never go back to the temple.’

As the temple had done in the past, Esther was only using Sharon and the temple.

“To have the test in three days… I will be very busy.”

“I am staying at a villa, so if you need to contact me, please come here.”

Esther gave Sharon the location of her villa.

Sharon wanted to talk more and get to know Esther, but Esther stood up.

“Then I’ll see you at the temple.”

“Yes. See you soon.”

After being sent off, Esther walked quickly through the alley where Sharon’s mansion was located.

“Ha. Is it okay?”

Then she let out the breath she had been holding in and bent her body forward.

“It’s all right. You did very well. Were you nervous?”

“Yes. I was so nervous. I guess it didn’t show? That’s a relief.”

“I had no idea.”

Noah looked at Esther with a very wide smile that was filled with pride, then went to Esther and crouched down in front of her.

“If it’s hard to move, I can carry you on my back.”

“What? It’s okay.”

“You suffered. You can hang on for a while.”

Noah’s back, which was wider than before, caught Esther’s eyes. Her eyes widened and her gaze shifted to the side.

“Ugh. No.”

However, she hit Noah on the back and recollected herself.

As embarrassment rose, she hurried ahead of Noah.

Noah, who really wanted to carry Esther, sadly gazed at her back.

‘So much has changed.’

Esther, who gave up everything, now moved and spoke out on her own to change her destiny.

The back of Esther, brighter than the midday sun, blinded Noah.

“Let’s go together!”

Noah ran after Esther.

And the moment Noah came right next to Esther, there was a growl. The loud noise came from Esther’s stomach.

“Hungry?”

“Ah… yes. I couldn’t eat.”

“Then let’s fill our stomachs first.”

Noah brought Esther to the market, saying he had seen it on the way.

★★★

Esther and Noah went around and bought a lot of delicious food.

It was the first time the two of them walked around the market together, so they were very excited.

“I really can’t see a gap.”

“How are we going to break through when they are on such a high alert?”

Members of the assassination guild hired by Duke Brions were watching the two kids closely.

At first, they tried to get closer, but Albert, the person in charge, stopped them, so everyone had to stay away.

“But I think it’s time. Shouldn’t we attack?”

“How stupid. That’s why you guys will never make it.”

Albert commented in a mocking tone and hit his men on the head.

Among the guild members, Albert was the only one who felt the presence of the shadow unit hidden around Esther.

If he didn’t notice them and drew back in advance, all the guild members could have already been captured by the shadow unit.

He tried again, but there was no way to get close to Esther because the range of the shadow unit’s vigilance was wider than expected.

“Anyway, we can’t do it outside where it’s open.”

Intending to wait anyway, Albert left a few of his men behind and moved on alone by another road.

Then he went into a store.

There was a person Duke Brions had sent.

“I confirmed that the target has entered the territory. She was walking around the market.”

“What? Then you should have taken her right away.”

The man frowned, asking if he had missed her.

“The boundaries are very severe. The skills of the hidden escorts, not the overt escorts, are so great that if we approach hastily, we will be caught in reverse.”

“We paid a lot of money to hire your guild to pierce it. You know that, don’t you? If this fails, His Excellency will be greatly disappointed.”

“What do you see me as? I’ve never failed once so far. Anyway, let His Excellency know.”

Albert looked down at the man with contempt, took the balance payment, and quickly left the store.

★★★

Three days passed quickly.

“The weather is great.”

After returning from her morning schedule, Rabienne smiled brightly as she looked up at the bright sky before entering the saint’s palace.

Her face was like a flower in full bloom, not knowing in her wildest dreams that she would have to take the qualifying test today.

Ame:I just caught up with the manhwa and realised there are some differences in scenes. And I’m finally able to put faces to the names…