The Saintess Returned to the Emperor’s Arms Chapter 138

Sneaking Out Without a Care

 

Even after Priest Amelia returned to her quarters in the barracks, Riella couldn’t bring herself to leave her side.

 

The two sat close together, facing each other the entire time.

 

Even when Herhan occasionally warned her to keep some distance since Amelia’s suspicions hadn’t been completely cleared yet, it only lasted for a moment.

 

Of course, Herhan himself didn’t truly suspect Amelia anymore either.

 

“Why didn’t I recognize it sooner? Now that I look, you resemble her so much.”

 

“Really? Do I really look that much like her?”

 

“Yes. Especially your eyes. Priest Yvonne also used to look at me with those same deep, red eyes.”

 

“I see… so I resemble her eyes…”

 

Between the two, hands clasped together, flowed a mix of joy, sorrow, relief, longing, and wonder.

 

‘How could anyone suspect her like this?’

 

Herhan let out a quiet chuckle.

 

A priest was immune to the power of descendants. The same applied to Riella.

 

But there was no need to regret that.

 

Even without using any ability, their hearts were plainly visible to everyone present.

 

Riella returned the necklace to Amelia.

 

“Is it really okay for me to take this back?”

 

“Of course. It belongs to you, Priest Amelia.”

 

“But it was originally given by Priest Yvonne…”

 

“She gave it to you, so it’s yours. As for mine, His Majesty said he would find it, so don’t worry.”

 

Even after talking at length and returning the necklace, Riella still seemed unable to leave.

 

“Um… I’d like to hear more about ‘her’…”

 

She couldn’t yet say for certain that Priest Yvonne was her mother.

 

But just hearing her name, just hearing that her eyes resembled hers, made her chest tighten.

 

That person—who might be her mother—kept weighing on Riella’s mind.

 

Amelia answered her warmly.

 

“Priest Yvonne was so beautiful that everyone in the temple admired her.”

 

At that, Herhan nodded as if it were only natural.

 

If she was Riella’s mother, of course she would be like that.

 

“And she had a strong sense of righteousness to match. The last thing she told me was to walk the right path. She said if I did, we would meet again someday.”

 

“……”

 

“Perhaps… she meant today.”

 

“So that’s why you decided to report the temple from the inside.”

 

At Jes’s words, Amelia nodded firmly.

 

“After that, did you ever hear anything about her?”

 

Riella asked another question.

 

In truth, this was what she most wanted to confirm.

 

But at that question, Amelia—who had been smiling and crying as if in a dream—grew visibly darker.

 

“Ah, well… about Priest Yvonne… after that…”

 

Before she could trail off any further, Herhan pulled Riella gently.

 

“Riella. Let’s stop here for today. It’s late.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, when Herhan opened his eyes, the spot beside him in bed was empty.

 

“Riella?”

 

It was rare for Riella to wake up before him.

 

Especially these days—Herhan would usually wake first and spend a long time quietly watching her sleep.

 

Like admiring a delicate doll made of feathers, afraid she might fly away if touched.

 

When he watched long enough, Riella would frown slightly in her sleep.

 

That was his cue to kiss her.

 

Her reactions always differed.

 

Sometimes she smiled like a child, sometimes she brushed him away half-asleep, and sometimes she responded even more passionately than he did.

 

In any case, it always ended in a deep kiss—

 

and sometimes led to them continuing their love all over again.

 

But today, she wasn’t there.

 

Herhan’s entire morning routine had vanished.

 

Rising alone in the quiet, he frowned.

 

Without Riella, it felt like his day couldn’t properly begin.

 

“Where is Riella?”

 

As soon as he stepped outside, he asked before the head attendant could even greet him.

 

“She woke up at dawn and went out.”

 

“Where to?”

 

“She said she was going to the barracks.”

 

The barracks?

 

At first, Herhan tilted his head in confusion, but then quickly realized.

 

Ah. Priest Amelia.

 

“…Seriously.”

 

She couldn’t even wait and already ran off. She couldn’t leave yesterday, and now she went at dawn.

 

Herhan laughed, finding Riella both ridiculous and adorable.

 

The head attendant smiled along and added,

 

“She brought quite a lot with her.”

 

From what he heard, she had taken along many attendants and guards, carrying all sorts of things.

 

Clothes, food, even items Amelia wouldn’t immediately need—tea sets, candlesticks, fountain pens, and more.

 

Basically, anything she could carry and give.

 

“Ah, Your Majesty, you’ve arrived?”

 

Herhan went directly to the barracks residence.

 

As expected, Riella hadn’t even noticed his arrival, completely absorbed in conversation with Amelia inside the room.

 

“Nothing unusual happened? No suspicious or dangerous signs?”

 

When he asked Ashion, the man answered immediately, as if he had been waiting.

 

“Yes. The situation remains dangerous.”

 

“…What?”

 

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Her Majesty talk this much. She’s been talking nonstop since dawn. I’m worried her throat might give out at this rate.”

 

Herhan deliberately cleared his throat toward the inside of the room.

 

Even though the Emperor himself had come to bring her back, Riella reluctantly got up—but still couldn’t bring herself to leave easily.

 

“Your Majesty! Did you know?”

 

Even after being practically dragged out by Herhan, Riella couldn’t calm her excitement.

 

“Priest Yvonne could speak three languages. She even knew the southern language and ancient language. I still make mistakes in the imperial script sometimes… Maybe I didn’t inherit her intelligence.”

 

“……”

 

“And apparently, besides Priest Amelia, she took in many other children too. Priest Amelia is convinced she was the most loved, but who knows? Anyway, Priest Yvonne must have been such a kind person.”

 

“……”

 

“Oh! Did you know Priest Amelia has a portrait of Priest Yvonne? She said she’d bring it next time she visits the temple. I’m so curious what she looks like…”

 

Watching her, Herhan finally burst into laughter, completely disarmed by her charm.

 

When was the last time Riella had chattered this nonstop?

 

“You’re that happy?”

 

“Huh? Ah…”

 

Riella shrank her shoulders, suddenly embarrassed.

 

Now that she thought about it, she had made the Emperor personally come to fetch her from the barracks.

 

And all the way back, she had talked about nothing but Priest Yvonne.

 

“You only learned her name. Is that enough to make you this happy?”

 

“It’s not just her name. I heard memories about her—what kind of scenery she liked, what she often said, what kind of expression she made when she was happy.”

 

Though shy, Riella continued firmly.

 

Herhan tilted his head slightly and looked at her.

 

His earlier laughter faded, replaced with a softened gaze.

 

She was so lovely that it made him happy—but at the same time, that very loveliness made his heart ache.

 

“I’ll do my best to trace Priest Yvonne’s whereabouts, but… it may still be difficult to meet her.”

 

It was said very carefully.

 

Only then did Riella understand why he had been looking at her with such pain, and she gently closed her eyes.

 

“You don’t have to put it that way. I know too. Priest Yvonne… probably passed away a long time ago.”

 

Amelia, and Herhan too—none had said it outright, but everyone likely knew.

 

Priest Yvonne was probably dead.

 

Most likely while protecting Riella from someone who was hunting the descendants of Antu.

 

That must have been why she had to flee the temple, and why young Riella had been left alone wearing her necklace.

 

“I don’t remember as much as Priest Amelia, but there is one thing I do remember.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Her voice.”

 

“……You must survive. You have to survive. Okay, Riella?”

 

“The voice that called my name. The voice that told me to survive. Just remembering that is enough to make me happy. Just like you said before… I now know I wasn’t abandoned—I was protected.”

 

The lingering scent of flowers in the air felt the same.

 

It seemed like it was simply drifting through the autumn air, but in truth, it must have come from flowers blooming somewhere unseen.

 

Just like that, knowing she too had roots somewhere—

 

“That alone makes me so happy.”

 

Riella smiled brightly, like a blooming flower.

 

Then, glancing at Herhan, she asked playfully,

 

“Should I try to be a little less happy?”

 

Herhan lightly tapped the tip of her nose, then gently cupped her cheek.

 

“No. I want you to always be like this in front of me—happy as much as you can.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Riella stepped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

 

“Thanks to you, I get to feel a happiness that’s almost overwhelming.”

 

Instead of answering, Herhan held her waist firmly.

 

‘Because of me?’

 

That didn’t seem like something she should be saying—to the one who gave him a reason to live.

 

* * *

 

Because of that, Herhan became even more determined.

 

If Riella said she was this overwhelmingly happy because of him, then he had no reason not to fight harder.

 

“As you ordered, we checked, but there are no records about Priest Yvonne available here. It’s exactly as Priest Amelia said.”

 

In the meeting room, Ashion began his report.

 

That morning, Amelia had carefully passed along some information through Ashion.

 

“I’ve been investigating Priest Yvonne myself, but… I couldn’t find anything. Even if someone leaves the temple, records of priests are always kept. But there’s nothing about Priest Yvonne anywhere. It’s as if someone deliberately erased them.”

 

*As if someone deliberately erased them.*

 

Hearing that, Herhan was reminded of how his own mother’s name had been erased from imperial history.

 

*One tragedy like that is enough for me.*

 

As Herhan sank into thought, Ashion continued.

 

This time, it wasn’t a report—but a suspicion.

 

“About six years after Priest Yvonne left the temple, Archbishop Romano died suddenly. After that, Bishop Ludovico rose to become the new archbishop. The timing is… suspicious.”

 

The year the head of the central temple changed.

 

The same time the Alliance began to infiltrate the temple.

 

The same time Riella lost her mother and wandered before meeting the mercenary group.

 

Ashion was right.

 

And all these strangely tangled clues pointed to one person.

 

“It seems it’s time to strike Archbishop Ludovico. Can we summon him to the imperial palace?”

 

To summon the archbishop of the central temple—by what means, and under what justification?

 

It was a question that should have raised concern, yet no one in the meeting room voiced any objection.

 

“We will prepare.”

 

If it was the path their lord chose, they would simply follow.

 

No matter what it took.

 

* * *

 

After finishing the meeting, Herhan returned early to the main palace.

 

Just a couple of days ago, he had secretly investigated the necklace and gotten scolded by Riella for it.

 

So today, he planned to tell her everything from the meeting honestly—but she wasn’t there again.

 

*‘Don’t tell me she already went back to Priest Amelia again?’*

 

Of course, that’s exactly what happened.

 

No—she had gone even further.

 

“She says she’ll be staying the night at the barracks residence with her guest.”

 

“What?”

 

Herhan couldn’t believe what Count Delcur told him. After asking several times to confirm, he let out a hollow laugh.

 

Throwing on his cloak like someone heading to battle, Herhan immediately made his way to the barracks.

 

“I thought she’d be happy if we helped her find her family, but I didn’t think it would be *this* much. Priest Amelia isn’t even her real sister.”

 

“To Her Majesty, she’s more special than a real sister. She’s the only one who can tell her about her mother.”

 

“So that makes my Empress staying out overnight acceptable?”

 

“I don’t know about acceptable, but… right now, Priest Amelia is giving Her Majesty something even you can’t give—”

 

Ashion couldn’t finish his sentence.

 

Because of the icy glare his lord shot at him.

 

“Y-Your Majesty!”

 

Bursting into the barracks residence without warning, Herhan ran into Priest Amelia just as she was coming out.

 

“Y-Your Majesty. I was just about to send for someone. Her Majesty insists on sleeping in my room, but I didn’t think that would be appropriate…”

 

With an awkward expression, Amelia opened the door and continued,

 

“…She fell asleep while we were talking. She must have been very tired all day.”

 

Herhan let out a sigh of disbelief.

 

Riella had fallen asleep sitting on the carpet, leaning her head against the side of the bed.

 

“I’ll call a maid, Your Majesty.”

 

“Forget it.”

 

Ashion didn’t ask twice.

 

He hadn’t really intended to call one anyway—he already knew his lord would handle it himself.

 

Herhan removed his own cloak and wrapped it warmly around Riella, then supported her waist and lifted her into his arms.

 

“Riella. I told you to be as happy as you want in front of me—not to recklessly sleep out like this.”

 

His scolding was far too gentle to wake her.

 

Riella only shivered slightly at the cool air brushing her nose, then burrowed deeper into his warm embrace.

 

* * *