Chapter 89

89.

***

The representative of the organization holds immense authority.

However, with that authority comes an equally monumental responsibility, ranging from managing small party venues to handling matters befitting the ruler of a nation.

Even the Holy Maiden of the Bright Sect, which boasted the greatest influence on the Western Continent, was no exception.

“Ah… I want to be a martyr.”

Myna lay sprawled on the gray floor, muttering weakly.

The Holy Maiden’s Audience Chamber was filled with elegant decorations, furniture made from fine timber, and countless documents.

Paperwork here, paperwork there.

Myna frowned as she scanned the room, her gaze landing on an ever-growing mountain of documents.

There were far too many.

Even after being filtered and refined by the bishops and cardinals, the amount of work that reached her was staggering. As the supreme decision-maker, shouldn’t this be a little less overwhelming?

An endless tide of papers!

If paperwork had been her primary responsibility, Myna wouldn’t have been too dissatisfied.

But as the Holy Maiden, administrative affairs were just the beginning. Her main duties revolved around diplomatic tasks.

The Holy Maiden, the proxy of the Goddess who worked miracles.

The symbolism of this role was the Bright Sect’s most potent power.

Simply by gracing her position, Myna caused many to weep in admiration, and the blessing of the Holy Maiden solidified the status of any who sought it.

Many supported the sect, and even more wished to benefit from its influence. Naturally, Myna, standing at the peak of the organization, bore the brunt of these external duties.

The problem was that the constant diplomatic tasks frequently pushed her administrative responsibilities aside. Delayed tasks were then prioritized based on urgency.

Lower-priority work steadily accumulated, growing into an overwhelming mountain of duties.

Nothing was truly unimportant, inside or outside the office.

All of it needed resolution.

Myna had compromised her life by cutting back on sleep and personal time. Years passed this way.

“Ugh…”

Recalling the past, Myna’s vision blurred.

A choking sensation rose from her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. If she let her guard down, her emotions would likely explode.

She vigorously rubbed her eyes and clenched them shut.

‘Compose yourself, Myna. Calm down. What good does sorrow do?’

She chided herself and took deep, measured breaths.

While she could pass some administrative duties to the cardinals or other priests, she had no intention of entertaining such poor-minded thoughts.

Everyone else was equally burdened by their responsibilities.

Some even lived the life of rising at dawn and retiring late into the night, working tirelessly.

She, at least, had the luxury of rising with the sun— a better situation than many. There was no room for complaints, and her nature didn’t even entertain such thoughts.

Still, the occasional small grumble escaped her.

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I want to travel too! I want to join the pilgrimage group!”

Bang!

With Myna’s outburst, the neatly stacked documents collapsed uselessly.

Her pink locks, disheveled and fluttering, added to the chaos. The ceremonial garments intended for indoor wear were now crumpled and disarrayed.

Even as the hem of her robe rose slightly, revealing glimpses of her white legs and stomach, she paid no attention, rolling around on the floor.

Any other priest or ordinary worshipper would have gasped in shock and drawn a holy sign upon seeing this spectacle. Luckily, the Audience Chamber belonged solely to Myna, and few knew her true nature.

‘Those days as a trainee were so much better!’

Before becoming the Holy Maiden, as a simple trainee priestess, Myna led an anxiety-free life.

Prayer, singing, study—a simple and peaceful existence.

The memory prompted her to roll even faster across the floor.

As papers scattered chaotically through the air, turning the room into a mess, someone knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock.

“Miss Holy Maiden. It’s Soren.”

“Eep.”

The calm voice from outside the door conjured an image of a meticulous and stern personality. Myna’s face wrinkled in distress.

“Aunt Soren is visiting today.”

Frantically cleaning up at this point would be too late.

Myna, slightly embarrassed with the state of the mess, spoke cautiously.

“Come, come in.”

Click.

Soren calmly entered and closed the door. Seeing the chaotic piles of scattered papers and Myna’s awkward smile amidst them, she raised an eyebrow.

“Miss Holy Maiden…”

Her tone seemed to suggest a suppressed storm of emotion.

Myna quickly covered her ears.

“What kind of behavior is this! As a holy servant and proxy of the divine, you should maintain purity of heart and attitude, as I’ve repeatedly advised you… .”

Ignoring the verbal barrage from Soren, Myna remained silent.

Soren, who had helped her from the time she was an orphan wandering the streets to the moment she ascended as the Holy Maiden, was like a mother to her. Myna knew all too well that the constant nagging stemmed from care and concern.

Though this time, it seemed less concern and more bewilderment.

Soren’s nagging session ended around the time they shared a cup of tea.

Adjusting her slightly labored breathing, Soren spoke again.

“Miss Holy Maiden… When will you be able to form good connections if you behave like this? If the priests or worshippers see this, they’ll be shocked. I’m always worried that whenever you go outside, your true nature will reveal itself, causing anxiety.”

“Pfft. I know how to separate work. It’s been years already.”

Myna’s nonchalant response earned her a disapproving shake of Soren’s head.

“To think you grew up like this.”

“And whose influence was I raised under? Pretty good, isn’t it?”

With an impish gleam in her eye, Myna quickly went to work.

Together with Soren, she rapidly tidied the scattered papers. By the time the previously chaotic Audience Chamber regained its pristine order, a carefree Myna asked:

“What brings you here at this hour? There’s still plenty of time before the morning report.”

It was early morning, when priests finish their dawn prayers and begin preparing for the day.

Cardinals typically visited around 10 for official duties, so Soren’s arrival was rather early.

Curious, Myna questioned.

“Aren’t you the one who asked to move the schedule up? You’re expecting a visitor today.”

“Visitor…?”

Perplexed, Myna repeated the word, prompting Soren to sigh in exasperation.

“You requested an audience with the Duke of Macbilian, remember?”

Myna’s eyes widened in realization.

She recalled the face of a young man with dark hair and quickly glanced down at herself. After her recent tumble on the floor, she was quite disheveled.

Her pink eyes wavered nervously.

“When—when were you supposed to arrive?”

“They departed from the Imperial Palace a while ago, so they should arrive soon.”

“Ugh!”

There was no time to spare.

Myna swiftly left the Audience Chamber and hurried toward her quarters, failing to even acknowledge the respectful greetings from passing priests. Rushing inside, she quickly spruced herself up and returned to the chamber.

It had been how many times in her life she’d moved so fast?

Myna took deep breaths to calm her racing heart and adjusted her posture, sitting upright in her chair.

Sunlight streamed through a small window behind her chair.

The white ceremonial robes adorned with the insignia of the sun and her flowing pink hair sparkled in the radiant light.

“If you could be like this all the time, it would be ideal.”

With hands neatly folded and eyes closed, she truly resembled a Holy Maiden blessed by the divine. Though a few strands of hair protruded unruly.

Her current demeanor was a world apart from her earlier sprawl on the floor. It exuded such sincerity that a sense of sanctity even rose within her heart.

Shaking her head, Soren prepared to leave.

“I’ll guide the Duke to the Audience Chamber. Don’t worry, I’ll move carefully.”

Click.

As Soren exited and closed the door, the Audience Chamber fell silent.

“…”

Myna sat, composing herself and reflecting.

The single instance of hearing the Goddess’s voice during her active years as a Holy Maiden still remained vivid in her mind.

“Someday, one blessed by grace will appear and shine alongside you.”

Though vague, the meaning became clear immediately.

The phrase about shining together was typically used in the sect’s blessings for couples and spouses.

Even during the time she received the revelation, Myna had been envious upon seeing others vowing their undying love to one another and had prayed in frustration every day.

It was a sign that better connections would come her way, if only she would remain patient.

Since then, she had stored her excitement away and focused entirely on leading the sect.

“He’s arrived. The one bearing grace.”

Myna sighed unknowingly.

Cain Macbilian.

He bore the grace.

Rather, it was newly awakened in him.

While enjoying a casual conversation in the grand plaza, he suddenly lost consciousness. When he awoke in a daze, she found herself in his arms.

Waking up in the arms of a stranger was shocking enough, but what left her even more flustered was the faint glowing mark on his neck.

The same mark on her own right thigh—a symbol proving that she was a proxy of the divine favored by the Goddess.

The warmth, comfort, and familiarity she felt when she saw it were undeniable.

This marked the unmistakable blessing of Sora, the Goddess of the Sun followed by the Bright Sect.

Thus, Cain Macbilian was the figure foretold by the revelation. The intended lover, or perhaps husband, with whom she would spend her future.

“Ah… why must it be him?”

In a world where men could have multiple wives and women more than one husband, Myna wished for a deep and lasting love.

Moreover, he was no ordinary noble or commoner but the Empress’s husband.

Someone of such stature could not enter into marriage lightly.

Marriage was one of the strongest alliances. To the powerful, it was a potent means of political influence and a strategic weapon. Additionally, being part of the imperial family meant receiving the qualifications for succession.

This wasn’t a matter to be taken lightly, and though Myna was once an orphan, she understood its gravity well.

It was enough to give her a headache just pondering it.

“But isn’t the role of the Holy Maiden also quite prestigious?”

She was the Holy Maiden of the Bright Sect after all—an extraordinary case. Combining the imperial family’s alliance with the sect would be an unprecedented event. Even those who heard of such a marriage would find it a monumental affair.

Despite the inevitable turmoil, Myna’s position would not falter due to her status.

“I heard the two of them are also very compatible.”

Even during the wedding, when she witnessed it closely, Cain’s eyes held deep affection for the Empress. There was no mistaking the Empress’s sparkling gaze either.

A perfect match of beauty and gallantry.

“Ugh.”

It was hard, knowing how deeply tied she was by a divine revelation.

Yet, living separately from others felt strange.

“Was the revelation accurate… or was it just matchmaking?”

Shaking her head, Myna dismissed the irreverent thought. There must be a meaningful intention behind it.

“Still, what could his purpose be?”

It was the first time anyone had requested a direct audience with her.

Without going through the rank of cardinal indicated that this was likely a matter of great importance. For a Duke to visit the sect personally, the situation must be significant.

Perhaps it was related to the recent updates from the Pilgrimage Group concerning the Altains?

She had heard that the state of the beast-like creatures had become strange.

“Could it be…”

Myna’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“Is the Duke also aware of the revelation?”

The unplanned nature of this audience during such times gave her pause.

It wasn’t impossible.

Calming her racing heart, Myna focused on the faint sounds of approaching footsteps.