The Saint Disappeared with Her Memories — Her Broken Engagement Decided the Kingdom’s Destiny - Chapter 1

The Saintess marries the next king. This is the unshakable law of this kingdom.

The Saintess’s power comes from a special bloodline, and by merging with the royal blood, it guarantees the sanctity of the next generation’s king. An ancient belief that has lasted for centuries—that the Saintess’s blessing and the king’s authority combined promise the kingdom’s prosperity and stability, forms the foundation of this country.

I, who was chosen as the Saintess of this generation, became engaged to the first prince, Eric Weisskrone.

It was the kingdom’s law and the decision of the old sages of the temple. We are merely beings who follow what we are told. Prince Eric and I don’t seem to get along very well, but I couldn’t bring myself to say I disliked him, even if my lips were torn apart.

“The duty of the Saintess is to devote herself to the peace of the nation. Personal feelings are utterly insignificant in comparison.”

The words of the old sage lingered in my ears. Unfortunately, the Saintess is not given the freedom to choose her partner based on likes or dislikes. Having been taught this, I had no choice but to accept my fate.

Even if I had someone else I truly loved—my secret feelings for the young temple sage, Alexis, remained sunk at the bottom of a moonlit lake. Those feelings would never come to fruition. That’s precisely why I’ve kept this pain hidden deep in my heart. From everyone—yes, especially from Alexis himself. My partner could only be Prince Eric. That is the destiny of the Saintess.

For the future and prosperity of the kingdom and the temple, I had no choice but to live with the fate given to me. I had resolved myself to that, but it seemed he had not.

“I am breaking off my engagement with Saintess Noella!”

One day, I was suddenly summoned. Without any detailed explanation, I was simply told, “Come.” My own schedule was completely disregarded. I’m quite busy with my duties as the Saintess, you know.

I hurriedly finished my scheduled work and came, only to be forcibly dragged to the venue without any explanation. And then, out of nowhere, this happened.

In the grand hall, where crystal chandeliers glittered, Prince Eric stood in the middle of the party venue and loudly declared the annulment of our engagement to me. Dressed in lavish formal attire, his eyes held unmistakable scorn.

Whispers of surprise leaked from the gathered noble guests, and soon silence spread. Everyone was listening to Prince Eric with serious expressions. It was already an irreversible situation. My white Saintess work clothes stood out awkwardly in this setting. I wish they had let me change.

“I am certain that this woman is not worthy of being the Saintess!”

Prince Eric’s voice echoed through the hall.

“Just look at her! How could there be such a shabby Saintess?”

Shabby? This is the Saintess’s everyday work attire. I came here in a hurry after finishing the blessing ceremony. Compared to an extravagant dress, it might indeed look inferior. But in the first place, I was suddenly brought here without even being given time to change and dragged into this situation.

And yet, to be pointed out in such a way. So, Prince Eric intended to demean me from the very beginning. Bringing me here in mismatched attire was all part of his plan. It hurt deeply.

And besides “Not worthy of being the Saintess”? I had doubts about that statement too.

Fundamentally, what the Saintess wears shouldn’t matter to her essence. What determines worthiness isn’t appearance. Ability is what’s important. The amount of sacred magic, the skill to control it, the potential of blessings—those should be the most crucial factors.

That’s common knowledge, not just for priests, but for anyone born in this kingdom. Why would Prince Eric ignore such a basic thing? If he’s going to claim I’m not worthy of being the Saintess, shouldn’t he provide grounds like my magic being insufficient or my blessings being weak?

I thought that, but I remained silent and watched the situation unfold.

“The woman I believe is worthy of being the Saintess is her!”

“Prince Eric!”

Prince Eric stood in the center of the hall and raised his right hand high. The girl standing ahead of him stepped forward. Then, Prince Eric gently embraced the slender shoulder of the girl standing nearby. That gesture overflowed with affection.

A very cute girl wearing a beautiful pure white dress. Her cheeks flushed red as she looked up at Prince Eric with a dreamy expression. She accepted this situation as if it were natural.

Their relationship wasn’t just that of friends. They must be lovers. The intimate distance between them told that story.

I know her a little. I’ve seen her a few times at the temple. I remember we passed each other in the hallway during ceremony preparations. What was her name? I don’t remember her name. That’s the extent of our relationship.

“Her name is Elise! She is one of the priestesses highly regarded within the temple, possessing remarkable talent.”

Elise? Hmm. Was that it? I’m sorry, but I don’t even remember her name. We haven’t interacted, meaning she’s not a companion who has worked with me on Saintess duties. Maybe she’s a skilled individual I overlooked. Let’s see. I’ll concentrate a bit and check.

I sense the flow of sacred magic. What about the magic she contains? Can she control it properly? I can see the delicate flow of magic like threads of light.

“Hmm”

Her abilities as a priestess don’t seem particularly high. Is she really highly regarded within the temple?

I feel she’s significantly inferior to the priests I train daily. Her magic quantity is low, and her control is immature. Her blessing power was faint and unstable. And Prince Eric intends to install such a person as the Saintess?

Is this his own decision?

Since it seems Prince Eric, who isn’t a priest or anything chose her, he probably couldn’t discern whether she has real ability or not. Even so, this is…

There should be others in the temple with more power and worthiness. So why her? Prince Eric must love this girl named Elise. The atmosphere between them, the way they looked at each other—everything told that story.

But for that reason alone, he plans to break off our engagement? Ignoring the law.

For that, he plotted to install her as the Saintess. If so, there’s no other way to describe it but foolish. The kingdom might face serious trouble ahead.

Even though it’s a law to guarantee the kingdom’s prosperity, the next king chooses love even if it means breaking it. I don’t hold any resentment about that. In fact, I even feel a little envious. It’s a choice that wasn’t permitted for me as the Saintess.

Breaking off our engagement seems to be a done deal. And he’s saying he’ll make priestess Elise the Saintess. He probably can’t take it back. After all, he, as royalty, declared it before the nobles’ eyes.

Well then, let’s do as Prince Eric wishes. There’s nothing I can do about it anymore. It seems he disliked marrying me that much.

I’ll check one last time. How will I feel hearing his answer? I quietly asked.

“Prince Eric, do you truly love that girl?”

“Ah. Of course, I do.”

Prince Eric puffed out his chest and answered proudly.

“I never loved you even once. Because I had Elise.”

He answered immediately. With eyes that held no hesitation. I can tell he means it. So, Prince Eric really prefers that girl. It seems he wants to uphold those feelings even if it means breaking a law that has lasted for centuries. He has that resolve.

But what will become of the kingdom? Perhaps with Prince Eric being with her, the kingdom’s future might take a new path. Even as the Saintess, I don’t possess the ability to foresee the future. I don’t actually know what will happen from now on.

In that case, I also feel like hoping that a bright future will come from being with the one you love. Alexis’s face flashed through my mind for an instant.

“I understand. Then, please do as you wish.”

I too will make a resolution. The resolution to bid farewell to everything until now. And the resolution to live a new future from now on.

The duty of the Saintess is to devote herself to the peace of the nation. I realized that fulfilling that role is impossible for me. It seems I, as the Saintess, am no longer needed. So.

“I don’t need you to tell me. I’ll do as I please.”

Prince Eric wore a haughty smile and pulled Elise’s shoulder even closer. His words were prickly. But that’s fine. I don’t feel anything anymore.

“Is that so? Then, Prince Eric. And everyone else, farewell.”

I knelt on one knee and quietly assumed a prayer posture. Placing my right hand on my chest, I extended my left hand forward.

“Huh? What are you—”

A soft light emerged from my fingertips.

Using all the ability I had trained until now to the fullest, I activated a special magic. A pale white light enveloped us and spread throughout the entire hall.

Still spreading without stopping, it reached from the town to the entire country. As if to reach everywhere, far and wide, leaving nothing behind.

Where the light passed, something changed. Something disappeared. People’s expressions momentarily became confused, then grew calm.