A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 128

She slammed the car wheel almost directly into Santa Karina's face. Both were unmarried, and even though Santa Karina was popular with women, it was obvious what might happen in their quiet private room.

Upon entering the palace, amidst the welcoming presence of guards lining the streets, their carriage finally stopped in front of the ballroom where the banquet was being held.

After getting off the bus, I noticed that the decorations and furnishings here were very exquisite. The carved beams and painted pillars supported the entire hall, and a red carpet was laid on the floor. The carpet was so expensive that it was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

If you step on the carpet and look closely, you'll find that it's clean and tidy, looking like it's regularly cleaned and maintained, with no signs of aging.

In fact, not only commoners, but even invited nobles would be full of praise. There are many antiques and cultural relics inside, and the design was done by a master. After all, there are nobility and nobility. Nobility is wealthy, while nobility is not. Most of them are only qualified to come here because they are attached to nobility.

Brenda was wearing a magnificent gown that only emperors could wear today. The gown was a long dress that reached all the way to her heels. It was adorned with tiny, sparkling gold stars, which were made of gold thread.

When Brenda walked into the venue, she instantly became the focus of the banquet.

Actually, the nature of this banquet was quite subtle. It was probably meant to reward some nobles, win over more ministers to become royalists, punish the old nobles, make an example of them, and support some minor nobles or capable commoners as new nobles and as a new force.

But for Saint Karina, it was actually quite simple. She didn't need to do anything; she just needed to stay by His Majesty the Emperor's side and listen to him.

It began with the award ceremony, followed by elaborate formalities. Before Ernest XV entered, as invitations were handed to the guards, courteous gentlemen and elegant ladies entered the luxurious hall to attend the social gathering that evening at the Emperor's invitation.

The banquet officially began only after all the relevant details had been read out.

The music had begun, and the nobles finally raised their wine glasses, revealing their most radiant smiles of the evening, and began their conversation among themselves.

They dared not approach His Majesty the Emperor, as Brenda was, after all, the most esteemed figure in the empire. However, they were eager to interact with the Holy Maiden, appearing quite keen to communicate with Saint Karina.

Saint Karina knew what those people were thinking, so she deliberately didn't stray too far from Brenda. Even if someone had a reason to approach her by getting close to Brenda, she could put on a lukewarm attitude and avoid those with ulterior motives.

Neither men nor women. Saint Karina had absolutely no interest in either of them.

Santa Karina didn't stop thinking about it until a beautiful silver color came into view.

Alessia Osvid, the only daughter of the former Grand Duke Osvid, was a prominent figure in the old nobility. Saint Karina was also her father's killer, yet their relationship was not one of hostility or enmity. Instead, due to the Holy Sword Pact, they were not distant.

She is now the new Grand Duchess, and the only Grand Duchess this young is Alessia.

The reason things went so smoothly was mainly because Alessia was the legitimate heir, designated by the previous Grand Duke Osvid as the sole successor. She also had the support of His Majesty the Emperor and the Saint, simplifying the cumbersome succession process. She became the new Grand Duke and Brenda's right-hand woman.

Brenda acquiesced to it all. She trusted Saint Karina and knew that the woman was a bad one, but not the ambitious type.

The Papal States, or the Holy Kingdom, are not entirely absent from human history as depicted in textbooks. This typically occurs when an emperor's power is weak, allowing other forces to erode his authority, and the higher-ups of the Church, dissatisfied with remaining behind the scenes, directly overthrow the emperor.

Saint Karina would not do that; she had no interest in power struggles and believed that women were what she should pursue.

The "lsp" refers to Saint Karina.

"Your Highness~"

The sweet, coquettish voice belonged to the woman harassing Alessia, relentlessly pestering her.

Ironically, Alessia, who was known to outsiders as a womanizer and a "womanizer" for frequenting brothels, has recently changed her ways after inheriting the position of Grand Duke and is no longer obsessed with beautiful women.

For this reason, there are rumors that the current Archduke of Oswald, also known as Alessia, is pretending to be weak while actually being strong, and that her seemingly decadent lifestyle is all an act.

The purpose was simply to lull certain people into a false sense of security, to make them see Alessia as an heir who needed patient guidance and could eventually take up the mantle, rather than a prodigy who was superior to her parents and elders.

These rumors probably don't mention the murderer who killed her own father.

As the plot unfolds, there must be a real murderer behind it all. It wasn't Alessia who killed Archduke Osvid; she was merely an accomplice, or even just a link in the chain of events.

To get close to the Grand Duke's daughter, Saint Karina used her beauty to her advantage. At that time, Saint Karina's opportunities to use the Unsealing Stone were very rare; she could only use it when absolutely necessary. Therefore, she chose a compromise: to use someone else to do her dirty work.

Alessia was like a sharp blade in her hand, ready to pierce the heart of her enemy at any moment. However, this blade was somewhat dull; it proved useless when she killed her own father, ultimately requiring Saint Karina to intervene.

Knowing that all those schemes and tricks were useless, Saint Karina regretted not pushing straight through with a simple A-rank attack.

But then I thought, if we really launched a frontal assault, Archduke Osvid might very well run away.

Moreover, he also has a private armed force and is colluding with the demons. If we can't capture him, even if we forcibly take over the territory, there will be too many variables afterward.

The stability of the Lorian Empire is what the young emperor wants to see, and it is also something Saint Karina is happy to facilitate.

226. Roller Coaster

The way she stood alone in the center of the encirclement, drinking by herself, exuded a unique sense of despondency.

"Good evening, Miss Alessia."

So, Saint Karina stepped forward, her demeanor completely different from the other women around her.

A wicked smile played on her lips, and her voice was as melodious as a lark's.

The familiar voice immediately woke Alessia up.

"Miss Gin?"

Having signed the Holy Sword Contract, even her mental state would be altered, so Alessia harbored no hatred whatsoever.

She watched as Saint Karina gave her a noble salute, just like a true noblewoman.

In fact, aristocratic etiquette, though seemingly simple, is actually quite complex. It requires etiquette teachers to instruct children from a young age so that they can grow up with proper aristocratic manners and avoid being ridiculed by others.

"You still prefer this code name to my real name?"

Saint Karina winked playfully at her.

"So, aren't you going to buy me a drink?"

At the banquet, you can freely take any alcoholic beverages, desserts, or edible items.

However, the common aristocracy would not actually eat or drink; they would only symbolically raise their glasses and then wander into various social circles, occasionally taking a few sips to put on a show.

This resulted in the food on the tables remaining largely untouched after the banquet. It was quite wasteful…

"Of course I will, Miss Gin. Please sit next to me."

Seeing that Alessia had nodded and spoken, the female companions she had brought to make a show of things exchanged glances, knowing that Alessia was telling them to leave and not to get in the way.

Sitting next to the Grand Duchess was a saint from the church, who possessed beauty, temperament, strength, wealth, and power—a complete and utterly superior figure, making it impossible for her companions to even consider a challenge.

They slunk away, looking as if they were startled by birds or beasts.

"Alright, now that the extra people have left, those nobles won't rashly get involved. After all, there are only two of us here, and it's just a matter of communication. Anyone with manners knows that disturbing the other party at this time would be very inappropriate."

Actually, the main reason lies in their respective statuses. One is the new Archduke, a favorite of Ernest XV. The other is the new Saint, a beloved saint of His Holiness the Pope.

The lesser nobles knew their own limitations. They longed to curry favor with a truly powerful figure at the banquet, but these two were simply beyond their reach.

Rushing to disturb important figures, or presumably interrupting the conversations of those in high positions of power, will not be met with welcome by a minor nobleman, but rather with expulsion. They will never again be entitled to an invitation to a royal banquet. Even worse, they could face the destruction of their family and the theft of all their wealth.

The nobles all have their own circles, and if Alessia's attitude is one of refusing to communicate, these perceptive individuals will certainly not make any rash contact. Their biggest fear is that they will end up losing more than they gain, offending the rising new Grand Duke and thus making enemies.

The aristocratic circle may seem harmonious, but in reality, it's all about interests. The pie is only so big, so they can't be friends, nor do they want to be enemies.

"Speaking of which, I've been busy taking over the inheritance and handling the matters His Majesty the Emperor has entrusted to me lately. I'm already overwhelmed with work."

She raised her glass, which was for Saint Karina. Then, Alessia picked up her own glass and clinked it against Saint Karina's, her aristocratic bearing perfectly natural.

Just over a month ago, she was a social butterfly who frequented various nightclubs and massage parlors. Now, she exudes an air of nobility and looks no different from a real grand duke.

After settling down, Alessia proved to be very talented in both politics and business, Brenda praised her to Saint Karina in this way.

It should be said that she truly deserves to have inherited the bloodline of the Oswald family; she has the skill and courage to safeguard this family business.

“And you, Miss Gin, I heard that you never went back to that shop after that, and you were busy with the saint's affairs at the church.”

"More or less, I even went on a long trip recently."

Santa Karina did not deny it.

"The pay at that shop is very generous, but what I have plenty of right now is money, just like you."

“I’m not like you, Miss Gin. For example, at this banquet, I also have to pay attention to aristocratic etiquette, pomp, and honor. Actually, I would like to kiss you right now, but I have to be careful because there are so many people here.”

When a girl told her she wanted to kiss her forcefully, Santa Karina's lips curled up slightly; she had no doubt about her charm.

"Speaking of which, Miss Gin, would you like to join me for a dance?"

In the distance, as the music progressed, the nobles began to dance. The dance was both intense and elegant, and this contradiction drew countless rounds of applause.

"With great pleasure."

Saint Karina had been trained in this skill since childhood. Although she hadn't danced among nobles for hundreds of years, she felt she could do it after just a few glances.

With her excellent athletic ability and the dance skills of the nobles, which hadn't changed much over the centuries except for some minor variations, this wasn't difficult for Saint Karina.

"Alessia, do you want to dance the male steps or the female steps?"

"I'll dance the women's steps."

Alessia never learned the male walk; she only learned the female walk.

She usually doesn't attend these banquets; nothing beats women at banquets, which her elderly father usually goes to. If she can't avoid them, she won't dance, but prefers to flirt with her female companions.

As long as the actions aren't too excessive, just some intimate physical contact, her father won't interfere.

"Please, miss."

So, Saint Karina bowed and kissed his hand.

Today she was dressed in a more equestrian style, a change of style. When the melodious music ended and there was a break before the next piece, Santa Karina, in a gentlemanly manner, invited Alessia to share a dance under the moonlight.

Both of them jumped very well, without any mistakes or foot-stepping. Their movements were incredibly smooth.

Santa Karina wrapped her arms around Alessia's waist, like embracing a slender water snake. Alessia's waist appeared delicate, yet it possessed great strength when she danced. This allowed each dance movement to be precise, preventing the dance from feeling soft and boneless.

"Miss Gin, please take me away from this venue, I want to..."

As they danced, their bodies pressed together in passionate embrace, and Alessia began to have some wicked thoughts.

The desires hidden deep within her heart had been completely aroused.

Both bodies were sweating profusely, even though the entire venue was under a cooling spell, functioning as a central air conditioning system.

"As for the Toran Empire... Her Majesty the Emperor told me that she is sending several envoys there for friendly exchanges. Your name is on the list of those envoys."

Finally, the mystery that Brenda had been keeping secret is about to be revealed.

The answer to the mystery wasn't revealed by her, but by someone else.

"Did she tell you to say that to me?"

"No, Her Majesty the Emperor said that if you come to me, I will speak for you; if you don't come to me, she will speak for you personally after the banquet."

Establishing friendly relations... is indeed necessary given that the demons are entrenched in the north.

Previously, the Lorian Empire had also sent envoys, but after the young emperor became a puppet emperor, these related matters were handed over to the ministers.

"Well, her guess was pretty accurate..."

Saint Karina wasn't annoyed that her thoughts about women had been guessed; she just twitched her lips, feeling like she'd been outmaneuvered.

Is it any wonder they're from the Ernest family? When it comes to winning people's hearts, once they abandon morality and integrity, they become invincible.

The more he schemed and plotted with the Ernest family, the more he felt his intelligence was insufficient.

Brenda knew about Saint Karina and Alessia's private affairs. Saint Karina needed the young emperor to know so that the woman would give Alessia more power.

This resulted in the young emperor having a good reputation due to the information gap. For example, even nobles who had made mistakes in the past would not be punished as a result, and their offspring would still have a way out, and might even be given important positions.

Of course, there are also rumors that Ernest XV and Alessia, who wanted to rise to power, joined forces to bring down the representative of the old nobility, which was a win-win situation.

"Come with me."

Saint Karina grabbed Alessia's hand and used teleportation magic to travel from the venue to the sky.

They did not fall, but floated in the air, propelled by some force to fly freely.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa——”

The flight was quite fast, which startled Alessia.

Her only support was their intertwined hands. Alessia had never experienced such stimulation before, and she kept her eyes tightly shut, afraid to open them.

“Don’t worry, Miss Alessia. This is my magic. You can open your eyes and see Partington at night.”

The capital city at night is dazzling. After such a busy day, it's nice to see the lights of thousands of homes and the prosperity of the city.

Despite the strong air currents, Alessia opened her eyes after being soothed by Santa Karina.

"She seems...to be quite pretty."

Her pupils contracted. She must have been shocked.

However, she gripped Saint Karina's hand tightly, and Saint Karina felt that Alessia's knuckles had turned white.

“Alessia...look at me.”