Grant me Your Grace Chapter 51

“Is that really true? If we do that, then…”  

 

“Shh.”  

 

As Dahlia’s voice rose in excitement, Hovan gently pressed a finger to his lips. Quickly pressing her own lips together, Dahlia suppressed her heightened anticipation and asked quietly,  

 

“If we use that method… can we really get inside the underground prison?”  

 

“I can accompany you until a certain point, but from there, you’ll have to find the High Priest yourself.”  

 

“Then let’s do it. Please make it happen.”  

 

Dahlia nodded firmly. It might have been dangerous, but it was the only way for her to meet Aaron now.  

 

Even after explaining the plan, Hovan still seemed reluctant, his face filled with concern as he tried to dissuade her.  

 

“It’s far too dangerous, Your Highness. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the High Priest is either released or transferred to a regular prison?”  

 

But Dahlia shook her head resolutely.  

 

“We don’t have much time, Priest Hovan. We don’t know when my brother will start his rebellion—I can’t just wait until then. I need to meet the High Priest as soon as possible and hear whatever he has to say.”  

 

Yet Hovan still hesitated, so Dahlia pleaded with him earnestly.  

 

“Priest Hovan, please. Take me to the High Priest. This is the only way left for me.”  

 

Desperation pooled in the corners of her eyes.  

 

“I don’t want to be reduced to nothing more than a tool to secure my brother’s throne…”  

 

Even now, she didn’t consider her life particularly fulfilling, but one thing was certain—the moment the throne fell into Saltar’s hands, her life would be completely ruined.  

 

Saltar was ambitious and bold, but at the same time, he was impatient and violent, obsessed with controlling everything within his grasp.  

 

Would someone like him simply leave Dahlia, with her divine power, untouched?  

 

No, never. Even if she married Miftah and went to Hayad, there was no telling when he might drag her back to Baran. His fear that she might escape beyond his reach would eventually strangle her.  

 

She didn’t even have a grand desire to save Baran’s future. She just wanted to live—like a human being, like everyone else, an ordinary life.  

 

“…Very well. Then I will make the preparations within a few days and escort you.”  

 

“Thank you, Priest Hovan. Thank you.”  

 

Dahlia clasped his hands between hers in gratitude. Hovan gazed at her silently for a moment before gently comforting her.  

 

A strange glimmer flickered briefly in his amber eyes, but it vanished without a trace, unnoticed by anyone.

 

✨

 

A few days later.  

 

On a cloudy night, Hovan secretly entered the imperial princess’s palace. Bertha, who had been informed in advance, quietly guided him in while the other maids were asleep.  

 

“Her Highness, the Princess?”  

 

“She’s in her bedchamber.”  

 

The two muffled their footsteps as they ascended to the second-floor bedroom. Bertha, who had been unwittingly roped into this covert operation, swallowed her suspicions while stealing glances at Hovan.  

 

When they finally reached the bedchamber, Bertha knocked lightly and whispered in a hushed voice.  

 

“Your Highness, I’ve brought Priest Hovan.”  

 

A faint rustling came from inside before Dahlia herself opened the door.  

 

“Thank you, Bertha. You may leave now.”  

 

“Is there nothing else I can assist you with?”  

 

“It’s fine. Don’t worry, and go rest.”  

 

Bertha gave them one last puzzled look before reluctantly withdrawing.  

 

Click—

 

After firmly locking the door, Dahlia turned to Hovan with tense eyes.  

 

“Did you bring everything we need?”  

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”  

 

Hovan unpacked his bag. Inside was a loose, ankle-length dress, a long cloth, and semicircular cushions of varying sizes.  

 

“I shall step out for a moment.”  

 

“No, it’s fine. What if you run into the other maids while loitering outside? I’ll change quickly, so just turn around for a moment, Priest Hovan.”  

 

“Your Highness, even so—”  

 

Hovan seemed at a loss for words before sighing softly and closing his eyes. Not understanding his reaction, Dahlia watched as he wiped his face with his hand, then moved to stand facing the farthest corner of the room.  

 

He began murmuring a prayer under his breath—a desperate effort to ignore even the sound of rustling fabric.  

 

But to Dahlia, who had trusted and followed Hovan as her mentor since before her coming-of-age ceremony, his prayers simply seemed like a devout plea to the goddess Nuit for protection on tonight’s journey.  

 

Without much thought, Dahlia hurriedly removed her nightgown. The thin silk slipped down, revealing her bare, pale skin. 

 

Between her slender, well-proportioned limbs, her narrow waist and full chest were visible.  

 

She pressed the semicircular cushions against her flat stomach, wrapping the cloth tightly around them. 

 

Once the padding was firmly secured, she slipped into the roomy dress, now convincingly resembling a pregnant woman.  

 

“Will this do?”

 

At Dahlia’s words, Hovan cautiously glanced behind him. After staring at her briefly with an unreadable expression, Hovan stepped closer.  

 

“Excuse me for a moment.”  

 

Hovan gathered Dahlia’s waist-length hair and twisted it upward, tying it into a round bun with a red cloth. 

 

In an instant, Dahlia looked every bit like a humble commoner’s wife.  

 

Seeing Hovan’s darkened eyes filled with worry, Dahlia deliberately stretched her lips into a long smile.  

 

“Don’t worry, Priest Hovan. The Goddess Nuait will be with us.”  

 

To meet Aaron, imprisoned in the underground dungeon, Dahlia had disguised herself as a commoner’s wife—and even faked a pregnancy to complete the deception.  

 

In the Kingdom of Baran, if a woman became pregnant by a man outside her marriage, she had to take her own life to cleanse the shame and protect her family’s honor.  

 

However, if the woman requested it, she could receive prayers from the High Priest to seek the Goddess Nuait’s forgiveness. Though unprecedented, Dahlia planned to use this very rule to meet the imprisoned High Priest in the underground dungeon.  

 

After all, it was a life she would soon abandon. No matter how secure the underground dungeon was, how could mere humans block a plea for the Goddess’s mercy? 

 

Moreover, if the woman was vouched for by Hovan, the next High Priest, even the guards wouldn’t dare stand in their way.  

 

Of course, if caught, the repercussions would be severe beyond measure.  

 

“Are you ready, Your Highness?”  

 

“Yes. I’m ready.”  

 

Dahlia and Hovan pulled up their hoods and headed toward the palace’s back gate. 

 

On cloudy nights, the soldiers deliberately did not guard the rear gate, as it was known that the princess would leave for prayers. Thus, they were able to slip out of the palace unnoticed.  

 

The two immediately made their way to the northern gate, where the underground dungeon was located. The entire way, Dahlia had to soothe her anxiously pounding heart, fearing someone might stop them.  

 

Fortunately, they reached the underground dungeon without incident. After exchanging glances with Hovan, Dahlia pulled her hood lower and followed behind him.  

 

“Who goes there?”  

 

The dungeon guards blocked their path at the sight of unfamiliar outsiders. Hovan removed his hood and revealed his face to them.  

 

“We’ve come to see the High Priest.”  

 

The guards only tightened their grip on their spears and shook their heads.  

 

“Even if you are Priest Hovan, you cannot see the High Priest now. He is imprisoned for the crime of blaspheming the divine and deceiving the Empire.”  

 

“This poor woman must soon lie on the Night of the Goddess Nuit.”

 

Hovan pointed at Dahlia, who stood behind him with her face covered. The black robe she wore bore the markings of the summoned ship and the temple. 

 

At a glance, it was clear she was a woman who had committed sin and was now going to pay the price.  

 

“No matter what sin she has committed, should we not show mercy and allow her to seek the goddess’s forgiveness?”  

 

“But—”  

 

“Please grant this woman a moment of prayer. If not, her soul will be trapped in the goddess’s night tonight and disappear forever.”  

 

The guards exchanged uneasy glances.  

 

A soul denied the goddess’s forgiveness would shatter into pieces, scattered without even a chance at rebirth. 

 

Not only would the life given to that person vanish, but all universes connected to it would disappear as well.  

 

“The temple will take responsibility for any consequences.”  

 

Hovan pleaded once more with urgency. With no high priest currently present, how could mere guards refuse the request of Hovan, the highest authority in the temple now?  

 

In the end, the guards had no choice but to relent.  

 

“We cannot allow you much time. Say your prayers and come out immediately.”  

 

“Thank you. The goddess will not forget this day.”  

 

The guard reluctantly handed over a torch, then selected one of the many ropes connected to the entrance and passed it to Dahlia.  

 

“You must hold onto this rope. If you stray onto the wrong path, no one will be able to save you.”  

 

Dahlia grasped the rope and bowed slightly in gratitude. With a disapproving tsk behind her, she stepped into the pitch-black darkness.  

 

Creak—

 

As the dungeon door closed behind her, even the faint moonlight vanished completely.  

 

Pulling her hood up slightly, Dahlia glanced nervously at the torch. This was the first time she had entered this place of her own will—she had always been dragged here roughly by Saltar before. 

 

The fear of the flame extinguishing at any moment gnawed at her.  

 

‘No. There’s no time to be afraid. I must meet the high priest and return quickly.’  

 

Dahlia swallowed her trembling breath. Gripping the rope tighter, as if to steady her fear, she slowly moved forward into the darkness.