“It was Archbishop Liang’s doing. He, along with the high priests, used the missing people as sacrifices in a ritual. He wanted to plant a curse on His Majesty, the Emperor!”
In order to save herself, Yenna pinned all the blame on Archbishop Liang and the priests.
Strange traces of witchcraft and magical circles, things no one had ever seen or heard of, were discovered in the Pope’s room. This made Yenna’s testimony all the more credible.
There was no way the unconscious Pope could have committed such acts.
In the end, Archbishop Liang took all the blame and took his own life. The high-ranking priests were executed soon after.
This event marked the downfall of the Grand Temple.
***
I walked through the empty corridors of the Grand Temple. Once bustling with people, it now felt like a desolate ruin.
As I reached the central hall, I saw someone. A man stood alone in this seemingly lifeless place— Brantley.
The sunlight pouring in from the domed ceiling illuminated Brantley’s sturdy figure. In his black outfit, he looked like a finely crafted statue.
Brantley was responsible for managing the Grand Temple.
‘Grandfather gave Brantley this task on purpose. This is why we could search every inch of the temple together.’
Sensing my presence, Brantley turned around, and a faint smile spread across his face when he saw me.
“Is the cleanup going well?” I asked.
“Yes. We’ve cleared out every corner of the Grand Temple,” he replied.
“Then we should be able to inspect the temple thoroughly now.”
As I said, the Grand Temple was now fully in our hands. Brantley nodded confidently but soon his expression turned bitter.
“We haven’t found any sign of Grauzer.”
It seemed like Prache had left no trace behind.
‘Is there really no way to find Grauzer?’
‘Where, then, was the Grauzer I had seen in the lab? Was it all just an illusion?’
I felt confused. The thought of breaking the disappointing news to the three gods who had been waiting for answers pained me.
Seeing my distress, Brantley spoke, “We couldn’t find any traces of Prache either. Maybe he has already recovered and is hiding somewhere else.”
“But if Prache had recovered, why would he let the Grand Temple be destroyed like this?” I questioned. Brantley seemed just as puzzled.
“Even so, the Grand Temple is in our hands for now. Maybe we’ve missed something. Let’s keep searching, step by step.”
I encouraged him.
At this point, only a few lower-ranking priests, who had been proven innocent, and the dying Pope remained in the temple. They tried to keep their existence as hidden as possible.
As Brantley and I were leaving the empty Grand Temple, we saw someone running toward us in a hurry. It was one of the lower-ranking priests who had been lying low.
When he saw us, he flinched.
I greeted him kindly.
“No need to be alarmed. It seems like you’re in a hurry. Do you need any help?”
“N- No, that’s not it,” he stammered, hesitating before asking, “Does Your Highness know?”
“Know what?” I asked.
The lower-ranking priest darted his eyes nervously before replying.
“That Prince Patrick and Lady Yenna are getting married.”
***
Even after Archbishop Liang and the high priests were killed, Yenna remained imprisoned. She was still under investigation.
As the key figure in the Grand Temple, it was impossible for her not to be involved in the kidnapping case.
She denied the accusations and skillfully evaded questions. It felt like she had been through such interrogations before.
The investigation made little progress.
Then, Prince Patrick made a bold declaration to his grandfather and announced his intention to marry Yenna.
“I heard he stood before His Majesty, the Emperor, and said, ‘I made a promise to Yenna before all this happened, and I intend to keep it.’”
“How romantic! The prince must really love Lady Yenna.”
“Because of the prince, Yenna practically got a free probation.”
“T- There’s no evidence anyway. Are you jealous of Lady Yenna?”
Lately, no matter where I went, this was all people were talking about.
An unprecedented scandal swept through the Empire of Berg: the marriage of Prince Patrick and Yenna.
‘Even the academy students aren’t exempt from this.’
As I entered the lecture hall, the chattering students fell silent. However, once the lecture began, they couldn’t hold back and started asking questions.
“Professor, you’re family with His Highness, right? So you must know— did Prince Patrick really say he would go through with the marriage even without the Emperor’s permission?”
“That’s an expensive question. If you answer mine first, I’ll tell you.”
When I posed a complex question about ancient languages, the students groaned in protest.
But what I couldn’t tell them was that there was madness in Patrick’s eyes when he asked grandfather for permission to marry.
In the end, grandfather couldn’t find any evidence that Yenna was involved in the kidnapping.
She was released, and preparations for her wedding with Prince Patrick began immediately. Judging by the luxurious items being purchased, it was clear they were planning an extravagant wedding to make a statement.
‘It must be to restore Yenna’s tarnished reputation.’
When I returned home, Dad was getting ready to go out.
“I’m going to check on Patrick. See if he’s dead or alive,” he said with a cynical smile.
Prince Patrick had been in seclusion lately.
‘He was protesting to Grandfather.’
The Emperor had not officially congratulated them. Normally, the Emperor would give his blessing for royal or high noble marriages, but this was a subtle way of showing his disapproval.
Still, staging a protest against the Emperor?
Not long ago, Prince Patrick had been openly ambitious about the throne.
“To see him change like this, it’s like he’s been bewitched. If that’s the case, as the elder, I should knock some sense into him,” Dad joked with a hollow laugh.
‘But could there really be something wrong?’
The more I thought about it, the more something felt off. Noticing the concern on my face, Dad lightly tapped my cheek.
“This is between brothers. You don’t need to worry about it.”
It was only then that I realized how worried I looked. Suddenly the butler knocked on the door.
“Your Highness.”
“Is the carriage ready?”
“No, Your Highness. A letter has arrived from Prince Patrick.”
“A letter?”
“Yes, along with a gift.”
Dad’s brows furrowed. A gift without even showing his face? From Prince Patrick, it was a luxurious box of chocolates.
He had also sent me a gift— a pure white dress.
“What is this for…?”
“What nonsense…,” Dad muttered coldly after reading the letter from Patrick.
“He wants you to be Yenna’s bridesmaid.”
It was an unexpected request.
“Since Yenna doesn’t have family in this world, he’s asking you, as his blood relative, to help in her place.”
Dad was about to tear the letter up in response, but I quickly grabbed his hand.
“I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“I’ll be Yenna’s bridesmaid.”
“Why would you?”
Dad was clearly unwilling to allow it. But I smiled brightly to reassure him.
“I’m not actually planning to stand as a bridesmaid.”
“Then why agree?”
“A bridesmaid helps the bride before the wedding. So, naturally, I’ll be able to visit the house where Yenna is staying.”
Yenna was currently living in Prince Patrick’s mansion.
“Are you going to check on Patrick?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Dad said with concern.
“Even if you go, the Prince will likely refuse to see you. He’s not even showing his face to Grandfather, after all.”
This was the only way.
“I’ll just check on Prince Patrick and then stop being the bridesmaid.”
“But…”
“I’m an adult now, Dad. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m doing this because I want to.”
At my words, Dad looked a little hurt. I felt sorry when I realized it.
“You’re right. You can’t stay a child forever.”
His words were an acknowledgment of me as an independent person. My Dad, who always worried about everything regarding me, was giving me his trust, and I appreciated it.
***
After Dad sent a letter of acceptance, a reply from Prince Patrick arrived a few days later.
He requested that I assist in fitting Yenna’s dress, as he had summoned a designer to his mansion for the task.
On the appointed day, when I arrived at Prince Patrick’s mansion, Yenna was waiting for me at the front door.
“Thank you for coming. It’s been so long,” she said.
But Yenna wasn’t alone. Several noblewomen had already arrived and were waiting.
‘So she didn’t ask for my help because she was alone?’
They were women from families associated with the Grand Temple. After the fall of the Grand Temple and the death of Duke Eisen, the leader of the Temple faction, the group splintered.
Some, like bats, had clung to the Imperial faction for survival, while others were barely holding on, unwelcome by anyone.
‘It seems they’ve chosen Prince Patrick and Yenna as their new leaders.’
“I didn’t know you two were so close,” one noblewoman remarked in surprise.
Yenna blushed modestly.
“I’ve always admired the Lady. Though I’m sure she still finds me a bit awkward.”
Yenna looked at me with a brazen smile.
“We’ll soon be family. It would be a shame if you still felt distant.”
Her tone and expression felt oddly familiar as if I had seen it somewhere before. But I couldn’t quite place who it reminded me of.
“The designer has arrived early. Let’s go check on the dress.”
Yenna took my arm, pretending to be friendly.
‘So, is she no longer interested in my father?’
Could that be why her hostility toward me had lessened?
‘That’s unlikely.’
No matter how I looked at it, she was likely using my status as ‘the daughter of Prince Hart’ to repair her image.
