I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 90

“I am truly pleased to meet you. I was very curious about what kind of person you were.”

Count Roberto looked every bit the man known as the Lion of the South. He had hair that was a mix of brown and gold and sharp golden eyes. His sturdy build and booming voice naturally made anyone in his presence feel tense. However, despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, Count Roberto showed Odette an incredibly favorable attitude. He seemed especially surprised when he saw her greet him.

“You use a Southern-style greeting?”

The Dowager Marchioness had said the exact same thing.

“It is the etiquette I learned from my mother.”

“Your mother must have been a native Southerner, then.”

Odette glossed over the answer with a smile. Her mother had never spoken about her origins or her hometown, so Odette knew nothing. She had simply greeted him as her mother had taught her. Caesar, however, answered as naturally as if he were reciting a known fact.

“Odette’s mother was from Salvatore in the South.”

“Oh, really? No wonder she is such a beauty.”

“She was considered one of the most beautiful women in Salvatore.”

A conversation followed that Odette alone could not fully follow. It was a discussion about her mother’s hometown.

“It is a shame that after Salvatore was swept by the Great Fire, it became a land where no one lives anymore.”

“I find it very regrettable as well,” Caesar added.

In this moment, Odette gained even more information about her mother. Mother was born and raised on an island famous for its beauties. She must have been so happy when she manifested the power of the Great Saintess.

Yet, how did Caesar know about her mother’s hometown? Was it through his biological father, Count Dmitri Maes? Or had Caesar conducted his own investigation? Perhaps because of the fact that he knew so much about her mother, she felt a sense of closeness to him in this instant.

I want to ask him about it later.

Odette looked back and forth between Caesar and Count Roberto, listening intently to the stories about her mother. Suddenly, the flow of the air began to change.

What is this?

It felt as if someone was pushing the air out and filling it with something else. Odette looked around. Sensing the shift in the air coming from the entrance, Odette grew tense and pulled on Caesar’s arm.

“Lord Caesar.”

“I know,” Caesar whispered in her ear. He pulled her shoulder closer as if to reassure her. “It will be fine. Even if things turn for the worse, do not worry. I will protect you.”

Before Caesar could even finish speaking, a man wearing a white robe strode through the entrance of the banquet hall.

Is that the High Priest?

She could tell at a glance. She felt a faint divine power from him, different from the other saintesses or priests. It was slightly stronger than Saintess Jaina’s, and it felt like a divine power meant for detection.

How strange. It feels like he is shooting invisible needles into the air.

The nobles filling the hall pulled away from each other like shattering glass, leaving the center of the hall empty. The High Priest who stepped inside was much younger than she had expected. She had heard he ascended to the position recently after the High Priest who worked with her mother died. He looked to be around Caesar’s age or perhaps a year or two older.

With pale gray hair and dark gray eyes, his appearance was reminiscent of a gray wolf. He looked more like a knight than a priest. Had the High Priest once held more authority than the Emperor? Even when the land was divided between the Empire and the Belmonte Principality, there had only ever been one High Priest.

It was possible because they shared one religion.

Because he was respected by everyone on the continent and called the Father of Priests, the High Priest’s authority was immense. However, after her mother disappeared, the temple had shrunk rapidly. Following the death of the previous High Priest, the temple had been in such chaos that it took a long time to appoint a successor. Though the infighting among the priests subsided once the new High Priest was appointed, the glory of the past had vanished.

Still, to the devout, the High Priest is worshipped like a god.

The string music stopped just then, and a heavy silence descended upon the wide banquet hall. The High Priest scanned the attendees with a solemn expression before walking straight toward Caesar and Odette. The hem of his white robe brushed against the marble floor. In a hall so quiet the sound was audible, the High Priest walked with somewhat slow steps and stopped in front of Caesar.

“To think I would see you here, Count.”

Caesar greeted him with a simple nod. He did not even bother with hollow pleasantries. Instead, Caesar looked at the High Priest with a somewhat defiant gaze.

“I have come south in search of my fiancée, but you have made a difficult journey yourself, leaving the Great Temple for such a long time.”

He was essentially asking why the High Priest was out wandering instead of doing his job. Despite the aggressive remark, the High Priest replied with a calm demeanor.

“It is my duty to spread the will of the Gods to every corner of the Empire.”

Having smoothly parried Caesar’s attack, the High Priest shifted his gaze to Odette. In that instant, Odette felt a tingling in her fingertips and a sudden, overwhelming urge to attack him.

What is wrong with me? Is it because he is a bad person?

She didn’t know if it was resentment toward the temple for using and abandoning her mother, or if there was an inherent problem with the man standing before her. Regardless, if she unleashed her divine power here, everything would be over.

Odette curled her fingers and gripped Caesar’s arm tightly. Caesar turned to look at her and then lowered his arm. Just as his large palm seemed to swallow hers, his fingers slid between hers. With their palms touching and their fingers intertwined, a surprising sense of calm washed over her. The divine power that had been seething inside her body stopped its eruption and grew tranquil.

Hah, that was close.

Odette regulated her ragged breathing and stole a glance at Caesar. He spoke while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

“It seems my fiancée is nervous, as this is her first time attending such a banquet. Her hands are even sweating.”

“Is that so?”

The High Priest offered a benevolent smile, yet he could not take his eyes off Odette. His dark gray eyes flickered behind his stray hair, appearing as if he were searching her.

Did he detect my divine power?

Odette broke into a cold sweat. “I am Odette Anderson. May the Gods bless you.”

Odette released Caesar’s hand and gave the High Priest a formal greeting. In doing so, the physical contact with Caesar was broken. Will he notice my power now?

But in that moment, she felt Caesar’s hand on her back. His wide palm touched her bare skin where the dress did not cover. Through that touch, she could feel him controlling and regulating her divine power.

“May the Gods bless you.”

The High Priest reached out and placed his hand on the crown of Odette’s head. Odette was so startled her heart felt like it might jump out of her throat. At the same time, the urge to attack surged again, and she gritted her teeth to endure it. Sensing the change occurring within her, she felt Caesar’s grip on her back tighten. His pressure against her skin silenced her racing heart.

The High Priest pulled his hand away, looking slightly disappointed.

We fooled him. Perfectly.

Odette looked up at Caesar and gave him a bright smile. Caesar took a step forward, staring down the High Priest. He did not hide his displeasure that the High Priest had touched Odette under the guise of a blessing.

“To offer a blessing in a place that is not a temple, the other guests here will grow jealous of my fiancée.”

“I shall take that as a thank you.”

“You must have spent too much time in the temple. Our conversation seems to be missing each other.”

As the atmosphere grew awkward due to the tension between Caesar and the High Priest, Count Roberto stepped in. “Count Caesar Maes is currently very sensitive, as he has only just reunited with his fiancée after being separated.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“It was a close call. Count Anderson apparently tried to kidnap and imprison the young lady the day before the engagement, so she had to flee the estate in a hurry. Fortunately, she sought refuge in the South, and I have been protecting her.”

“I see that was the situation,” the High Priest said, looking at Odette as if trying to peer through her. “You have been through much. May the Gods bless you.”

He doesn’t believe it, Odette realized. Is he a bit slow, or just persistent?

Under the pretext of another blessing, the High Priest tried to place his hand on her head again. Caesar moved first, pulling her away.

“I believe I mentioned that repeatedly blessing only my fiancée would be unfair to the others.”

Sparks flew between Caesar’s eyes and the High Priest’s.

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