I Once Thought I Had No Place, Being Married Off to An Enemy Nation as A Token of Apology but That Was Only for One Night - Chapter 22

The following day, it was decided that a victory party would be held starting in the afternoon. However, slightly before the event, while I was still preparing, Ludwig came to visit. Since I was in the middle of changing, Frieda handled the reception.

“Her Imperial Highness Noel is still preparing,” Frieda stated, her voice carrying a tone through the half-open door that suggested he should come back later.

Nevertheless, the visitor was the master of this castle. Realizing it would be improper to turn away the Lord, I hurried to pull on the sleeves of my dress.

“I have no intention of rushing her if she is tired. I simply wish to have a moment of her time before the party begins,” Ludwig said in a remarkably humble voice.

“Frieda, tell him I will be ready shortly,” I called out.

“Understood,” Frieda replied. “Ludwig, Her Imperial Highness says she will be ready in a moment.”

“I see. Then, if you will excuse me, I shall wait here.”

It seemed this was urgent. I quickly finished grooming myself and stepped out of the room. I immediately understood why he had come, for standing beside him was Irma, currently under restraint.

“I have heard what she did. It was a failure of my supervision,” Ludwig said, bowing his head deeply.

“Um, Ludwig, you knew she was the sister of the Saint who was harmed, did you not?”

“Yes. I knew she harbored hostility toward you. However, I never imagined she would attempt to harm you under such circumstances. I am truly sorry.”

He was saying that if he had known, he never would have assigned her as my guide. It was likely the truth. At the very least, Ludwig had chosen the national interest over his private feelings, and he had likely believed his subordinate would do the same.

“I accept your apology. Please do not dwell on it further.”

“I am grateful for your leniency,” Ludwig said, raising his head before turning his gaze to Irma. “So, how shall we handle her disposition?”

He was asking for my decision.

“She attempted to kill a person under escort during a mission. It is a crime worthy of immediate execution. However, I heard that you were opposed to that,” Ludwig explained.

“I see.”

This meant her fate rested on my response. The restrained Irma looked haggard, yet she did not appear defiant. She seemed to have accepted her destiny. Looking at her, I reached a single conclusion.

“In that case, please spare her life.”

Ludwig looked somewhat surprised. Frieda, standing behind me, offered a sharp word of advice. “That is too soft, Imperial Highness Noel. She committed a grave crime.”

“I suppose so. But I wonder, did she truly intend to kill me?”

I recalled the moment on the stairs. Irma had drawn her sword, but she had not even tried to strike me. I felt her hatred, but I did not feel a true intent to kill.

“Did you not simply threaten me to make me realize the weight of my brother’s sins?”

“Even so,” Ludwig countered, “the fact remains that she disobeyed orders and attempted to cause you harm.”

The eyes Irma turned toward me were beautiful. Yet, she remained silent regarding the presence or absence of killing intent. That silence was an answer in itself. I would definitely not allow her to be killed.

“To be honest, I would find it distasteful. The origin of all of this was my brother, was it not? Since that brother has not faced his responsibilities, it would be unfair to punish only you. Furthermore,” I continued.

The Saint who is Irma’s sister was toyed with by my brother and lost her holy powers from the shock. On top of that, I did not want to burden her with the grief of losing her older sister as well. I did not want to be resented, regardless of the reason.

“Regardless, do not take her life,” I appealed.

Ludwig let out a small sigh. “If Her Imperial Highness goes that far, I shall obey. Frieda, are you alright with that?”

“I have my dissatisfactions, but I will follow the decision of the Empress.”

“Very well. Irma, you are hereby stripped of your rank as a knight. You shall start over from the beginning as a common soldier.”

“I understand. I am deeply grateful for the leniency of Her Imperial Highness,” Irma whispered as she broke down in tears.

Immediately after her restraints were removed, a woman came running from down the hallway, shouting, “Sister!”

Irma looked up and cried out, “Amalia, why are you here?”

The woman calling Irma her sister was undoubtedly the Saint who had been toyed with by my brother. She was a fragile, beautiful girl with blue-tinged black hair. I could see why she was exactly my brother’s type. This girl, Amalia, bowed her head deeply the moment she saw me.

“Thank you so much for forgiving my sister.”

“No, I should be the one to apologize. My brother was terribly disrespectful to you.”

When I bowed back, Amalia shook her head vigorously.

“I heard from my sister that you were a victim as well. Besides, I was a fool. I was deceived by a man who was all surface, and I carelessly made such a vow. It is my own fault that I can no longer use my holy power.”

Wait, hold on a moment. She lost her holy power because she made a vow? It wasn’t because of the emotional shock?

“Did you… did you make a Saint’s Vow?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“What? I heard nothing of this!” Irma shouted.

A Saint’s Vow is a contract magic where a Saint uses their holy power to swear an oath to the Goddess. It can be a personal oath or a promise made to another, but either way, it carries a powerful compulsion. If one breaks a vow made to the Goddess, it is entirely possible they would lose the ability to handle holy power.

“Amalia, tell me what happened!”

As Irma pressed her, Amalia’s gaze wandered. However, she eventually steeled herself and looked up.

“When the Crown Prince whispered of his love for me, I vowed to use my holy power only for the sake of Ashtar.”

A vow to the Goddess is absolute. If she swore to use her power only for Ashtar, it was only natural that she could not use it for anything else. I looked up at the ceiling, wondering why she would make such a vow. Irma and the others had similar reactions. But Amalia continued, saying there was more.

“There is more?” Irma asked, her eyes wide. Amalia lowered her eyes apologetically.

“That man vowed to love only me.”

“Pardon?”

That word escaped from me, or perhaps someone else. It was simply that unbelievable.

“My brother made such a vow?”

“Yes. That is why I trusted him.”

Well, that made sense. A Saint’s Vow is absolute. If broken, the Goddess’s punishment is delivered. No one would imagine someone would tell a lie using a Saint’s Vow. Therefore, Amalia’s own vow wasn’t entirely irrational.

Rather, the irrational one was my brother.

“What on earth was that foolish brother thinking when he made such a promise?”

“Looking back now, perhaps that man did not understand the true meaning of a Saint’s Vow,” Amalia suggested.

“That shouldn’t be possible. But then again, it is my brother,” I muttered.

I couldn’t say it was impossible. As I thought it through, I realized a certain fact.

“Wait. You lost your holy power because of that vow, right? Then, what about my brother?”

Amalia lost her power because she swore to use it only for Ashtar. If so, what happened to my brother, who swore to love only Amalia?

When I looked around with that question in mind, Frieda and Ludwig both averted their eyes. Amalia also looked down when our eyes met. I turned to Irma and asked what she thought.

“Well, that is, likely,” Irma began.

“It is fine, please tell me.”

“I suspect he has become a man who cannot hope for an heir with any other partner.”

“Ah. So he has become useless in that regard.”

Frieda cleared her throat loudly. It seemed my remark was unbecoming of an Empress.

“I am sorry. But things finally make sense to me now.”

“They make sense?” Frieda asked guardedly.

“For the month before I departed, my brother was in an unprecedented foul mood. I thought it was because the peace talks had stalled, but I see now. He was simply frustrated.”

“Imperial Highness Noel!”

“Yes, I am sorry,” I said, closing my mouth.

Beside me, Ludwig began to laugh boisterously. “Ha ha ha! This is perfect! I intended to make him pay for the crime of harming a Saint of my territory someday, but it seems the Goddess has already delivered the punishment!”

Ludwig looked genuinely happy. It was understandable. My brother, who had fled by offering me as an apology gift, had been struck by the Goddess’s judgment after all.

“By the way, Amalia, do you have any intention of getting back together with him? For example, if he were to beg on his hands and knees?”

“I have no intention of returning to him. Next time, I will find someone with a beautiful heart rather than just good looks.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

If that was the case, my brother would never be able to be with anyone else. For a man with such a reputation for womanizing, it was the ultimate punishment. Furthermore, if he cannot father a child, it is a massive weakness for a Crown Prince. If his irritation continues, his downfall likely isn’t far off.

That left only the issue of Amalia being unable to use her holy power. Regarding that, I thought I might be able to do something.

“I was made into a substitute for my brother. I also harbor resentment toward my father for not stopping him. I intend to carry out my revenge. However,” I looked back at the comrades who had seen me off, the citizens who had thanked me, and those who taught me that people worth being thanked exist.

“I have people I care about in Ashtar. That is why I want to save the Kingdom of Ashtar. So, would you like to work under me?”

I held out my hand to Amalia. She looked at it with a blank expression.

“Is that as a servant?”

“No, as a Saint.”

Ludwig tried to intervene, but Frieda stopped him. I ignored them and continued.

“But my holy power,” Amalia started.

“Believe in me.”

“Believe in you, Imperial Highness?”

She looked up at me wonderingly. I walked around behind Amalia, placed my hands on her shoulders, and leaned close to her ear.

“Believe in me and pray to the Goddess. If you do, you will be able to use your holy power.”

“Believe in the Empress and pray to the Goddess,” Amalia whispered.

She gave a small nod and slowly reached her hand out into the air. At her fingertips, a faint light appeared. That light, radiating holy power, was undoubtedly Amalia’s.

“No way, how?”

It worked just as I thought. I moved back in front of her, and her lips trembled as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.

“As expected of Her Imperial Highness.”

“Could such a miracle truly happen? Who exactly is the Empress?”

I heard the voices of Frieda and Ludwig. The difference in reaction between the one who knew my identity and the one who didn’t was quite interesting.

“Amalia! Your power has returned!” Irma cried out, embracing her sister in a surge of emotion.

“Yes, it seems so.”

“I am so glad!” Irma wept.

However, Amalia herself seemed more bewildered than joyful. Her lips trembled in disbelief, and she turned her gaze toward me, seeking an answer.

“It never activated even once until now. What did you do?”

“It is simple. You vowed to use your power only for the sake of Ashtar. Therefore, I gave you a role that serves the interests of Ashtar. That is all I did.”

That was why I had mentioned my desire to improve Ashtar. Amalia believed that story. Therefore, she became able to use her power under the pretext of cooperating with me to better her home country.

“Because of something like that?”

“Yes. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. If you had not empathized with me, or if you had not believed my words, the Goddess would not have recognized you.”

Thus, this was a miracle brought about by Amalia’s own purity. When I told her that, her face crumpled with emotion.

“Imperial Highness Noel, I will never forget this debt as long as I live. Please, allow me to serve you.”

“Of course. I will have a position ready for you,” I said with a smile.

Amalia covered her mouth with her hands as if she could no longer hold back her feelings, and her tears began to flow without end.