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The crisp sound of the slaps echoed repeatedly, and I could see Axel gritting his teeth, trying hard not to burst into laughter. His face was a picture of barely suppressed amusement.

‘Axel suffered through this jerk’s traps with me, after all.’

Even if he couldn’t say it out loud, I was sure he found this satisfying.

Duke Kreutz, who finally seemed to come to his senses, trembled with anger as he glared at me fiercely. I simply smiled brightly and raised both of my hands in the air, not forgetting to speak in an overly childish tone.

“Yay! The bad energy is gone! Duke is all lively now! It’s the Saintess’s blessing!”

If one could call having a reddened forehead and a flushed face from anger being lively, then it wasn’t entirely a lie. Now, Duke Kreutz’s face was full of life—though that life was fueled by rage.

“What is the meaning of this…!” Duke Kreutz began, raising his voice.

But before he could continue, I widened my eyes, letting them glisten with tears from the strain.

“Is the Duke mad at me?” I whimpered, trembling slightly as I clung tightly to Axel’s trousers. A chorus of sighs and murmurs of sympathy came from all around us. The weakness of a child always drew pity from others.

Duke Kreutz ground his teeth, seemingly aware that he had fallen into my trap. No matter how much he raged, he would only come off as petty for losing his temper over the actions of a frail child.

‘Besides, I was just doing what the Duke asked—giving him a Saintess’s blessing. I didn’t specify it would be a physical one.’

Duke Kreutz stiffened and forced a strained smile.

“Angry? Of course not. It was a blessing from the Saintess. I’m grateful.”

“Really? Then maybe one more blessing…” I raised my hand again, and Duke Kreutz flinched, stepping back. The slaps had apparently hurt quite a bit.

But my target wasn’t Duke Kreutz this time.

With swift movements, I darted past the circle of priests gathered around.

“Ah!”

The startled priests reached out too late to stop me as I slipped through them like a nimble squirrel.

‘Got him!’

I grabbed the hand of the black-haired boy who had been crouching on the floor. He flinched and looked up, his green eyes—so much like Duke Kreutz’s—meeting mine.

‘Wow.’

I couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

‘He’s really beautiful…’

It wasn’t the most appropriate thought given the situation, but the boy’s face was stunningly beautiful, enough to make me wonder if he might be a girl despite the clearly masculine bone structure. His green eyes, now locked with mine, were wide and trembling with anxiety.

‘Tsk. Of course, he’s Kreutz’s son,’ I thought, looking at the boy who resembled a white rabbit with his excessively pale skin, just like his father.

“No!” 

Duke Kreutz, who had been dazed when he was being slapped, quickly stepped forward this time.

“Come out here!”

Pushing past the priests, the Duke grabbed me somewhat roughly. But even then, I refused to let go of the boy’s hand.

“Eugene is a sick child,” the Duke said, emphasizing the boy’s condition.

Eugene. So that was his name.

“He must continue with the blessing ceremony. You mustn’t interfere, Saintess.”

Duke Kreutz emphasized the word “Saintess” as he looked me straight in the eye.

“If you truly are a Saintess, you must understand how important this ceremony is for a sick child.”

Understand? Of course, I didn’t. 

‘I’m not even a proper Saintess in the first place.’

Even if I were, I’m only four years old. What could I possibly know? I inwardly scoffed at the Duke’s words, then shook off his hand and looked at the boy trembling like a small, frightened animal. His hand, which I held, was cold—far too cold. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were on the verge of death.

‘What kind of blessing ceremony is this?’ 

It felt more like a curse ritual meant to kill someone.

I recalled the High Priest’s groveling, sycophantic face.

‘He definitely didn’t seem like a proper priest.’

I often called Bael a quack, but at least he had a certain holy aura that left no doubt about his status as a priest. This High Priest, however, had nothing of the sort. He seemed more treacherous than holy.

And now, this treacherous man was conducting a blessing ceremony with Duke Kreutz. There was no way this ceremony could be beneficial.

‘I have to stop this ritual!’

My instincts reached a swift conclusion.

“No blessing ceremony!” I declared firmly.

But things were never going to go that smoothly.

“It’s not for the Saintess to decide. As his father, it’s up to me,” Duke Kreutz said, prying my hand off the boy’s and handing me over to Axel.

“I’ve been patient with you because you’re just a child, but if you continue to interfere with the ceremony for my sick son, I won’t be able to remain silent, Sir Axel.”

Duke Kreutz looked at Axel with the same lethargic expression he had when we first met, though now he seemed completely composed.

“You said the young Saintess is part of the Elpinard family, didn’t you? Then you should keep her under control. It’s problematic for her to meddle in another family’s affairs like this.”

I glanced at Axel, but he gave me a small shake of his head, indicating that it would be difficult to take a strong stance against the Duke.

It was clear that Axel wanted to retreat for now.

‘But…’ 

I looked at the boy surrounded by priests. His green eyes, which had lost all light, stared vacantly, filled with resignation. It was a different kind of lethargy compared to Duke Kreutz—a complete lack of will.

“Eugene, the Saintess seems concerned for you. You should ask her yourself to let the blessing ceremony proceed,” Duke Kreutz said, lightly tapping the boy’s shoulder.

The boy flinched, then lowered his head towards me.

“Please allow the blessing ceremony,” he murmured in a lifeless voice devoid of any will.

‘How can the priests hear such a voice and feel nothing?’ 

They had all shown pity when I pretended to be a frail child, yet no one reacted to this boy’s pitiful plea. It was as if they had all cut off their emotions entirely, as though…

‘As though they’ve been brainwashed.’

Axel and I exchanged glances, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. Something was very wrong with both Eugene Kreutz and this so-called blessing ceremony.

***

Axel and I climbed into the carriage, empty-handed. We had noticed something was amiss, but it wasn’t a situation where we could just drag the boy away. As Duke Kreutz had said, Eugene was his son, and if the Duke insisted on the ceremony, it was difficult for outsiders to intervene. Especially since Eugene himself had asked for the ceremony.

“Still, it’s incredibly suspicious!” I shouted in frustration, and Axel nodded in agreement.

“It was definitely strange.”

“That boy shouldn’t stay with Duke Kreutz. My instincts tell me so.”

“Your instincts?” Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah! My instincts have gotten super sharp lately. It’s like a reward for all the good deeds I’ve done!” I said, proudly tilting my chin up.

Axel narrowed his eyes skeptically, then pulled out a coin from his pocket, flipping it in the air and catching it on the back of his hand, covering it with the other. The coin’s face was hidden.

“Head or tail?” Axel asked, clearly wanting to test my intuition.

I stared at his hand, feeling my instincts guiding me, and answered confidently.

“Heads.”

Axel lifted his hand, revealing the coin’s heads side.