AS Luke escorted Amelia to the Fifth Palace, she voiced the question that had been swirling in her mind. “Luke… Did you know that stone was an orison stone and that I was a Saint from the start?”
The first half of Luke’s speech had consisted of information that even Amelia was aware of, but he’d then evidently brought up things that weren’t common knowledge, such as the fact that each Saint produced a different kind of stone. His actions wouldn’t add up unless he’d already known that Amelia’s strawberry quartz was an orison stone, but if that was true, when in the world had he realized?
As he watched Amelia raise her questions solemnly, Luke smiled, exasperated. “Think about it. The fact that you can manifest strawberries already makes you rather special. As if that wasn’t enough, you aren’t just able to create strawberries—you can even make strawberry dishes. Part of it is probably because you’re royalty and the daughter of a Saint, but anyone would catch on immediately that you’re gifted with incredible magical powers.”
“R-Really?”
Amelia had been able to summon strawberries since she was a child, and the fourth consort had casually manifested watermelons as if it wasn’t anything worthy of attention. Helt and the servants hadn’t displayed any particular surprise either, so she hadn’t perceived her abilities as all that rare. After she’d regained her memories of her life in Japan, she had thought that being able to create strawberries out of thin air was rather surreal, but it still hadn’t crossed her mind that she might be special in some way.
“When I received the first strawberry quartz, I looked into it right away,” Luke explained. “At that point, I knew that there was a high chance that it might be an orison stone, but for confirmation, I needed a high-ranking priest in the church to examine it. The problem is, I didn’t have any guarantee that the people affiliated with the church would stay neutral and properly appraise it, so I felt stuck about how to move forward.”
She could understand where he was coming from—Amelia had reported to Luke that in some of the previous timelines, Prisca had been hailed as a Saint. In fact, the son of the high priest had even asked for her hand in marriage at one point. Though this timeline followed Luke’s route, she couldn’t fully rule out the possibility that Prisca might have some influence on the church’s affiliates.
Luke continued, “If it were possible to reliably certify that the fifth princess’s orison stone belongs to the previous Saint and that she isn’t a Saint, I could have avoided showing them the strawberry quartz, but sadly, that was wishful thinking. I know I didn’t have any other choice since there was a chance you might be snatched away from me, but you must have been startled after hearing that news without any warning. I’m so sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand.”
Amelia shook her head. “I-I don’t mind that part at all. You were taking action for my sake, Luke. For us.”
More than that, she was astonished to learn that her strawberry quartzes were orison stones. Though reality was diverging from the original plot, Amelia should have been assigned the role of a villainess in Luke’s route—she couldn’t comprehend why she’d gain the title of Saint. Was Prisca going to gain an even more astounding title to make up for it? The thought of her evolving into something like a Super Saint sent chills down Amelia’s spine.
Brushing those thoughts away, Amelia spoke up. “That aside, you looked like you didn’t really want to bring up the topic to the king, though.”
“If I could have avoided it, I would have.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have confirmation that it’s an orison stone, and carelessly announcing that you’re a Saint might needlessly provoke the fourth consort and the fifth princess. That’s why originally, I wanted to report it slightly later.”
Amelia was thoroughly convinced by his remark about provoking the pair. Considering their scorn for her, learning that Amelia was a Saint must be a most upsetting piece of news. They’d obviously start to harass her in even worse ways.
She nodded gratefully. “Got it. Thank you.”
“I ended up making use of your Saint status to preserve our betrothal, but whether you’re a Saint or not, Amelia, you are the only girl I want to ever cherish and love.”
“…Thanks.” As joy overtook her heart, Amelia beamed.
Luke tenderly stroked her hair. “I doubt they’d do anything foolish within the premises of the royal court, but they’re thoughtless fools. Honestly, I want to sweep you away with me right now. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to bring you out with me as I please since you’re a Saint and a princess.”
“Helt’s with me, too. I’ll be fine.”
Luke’s hand glided down from her head before reaching to pick up her hand. He leaned over and pressed his lips against the back of her hand. It had been one fluid motion, and Amelia could only watch him in a daze. It was far from the first time he kissed her hand, but she couldn’t get used to it, no matter how many times he did it—in fact, her heart only pounded even more as time passed. It was rather mystifying.
“You must be tired,” he said gently. “Take a good rest today.”
With a dust of pink on her cheeks, Amelia replied, “I-I will. Good night.”
Smiling at her, Luke stood in place and watched over his princess until she disappeared into the Fifth Palace.
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