Chapter 68
“Lin, Adeline!”
I couldn’t open my mouth, so I just nodded my head.
He suddenly grabbed my arm and turned me toward him. Only then did my gaze meet Ilias’s face.
“Your Highness.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“You must be angry since I mistook you for a ghost. I sincerely apologize.”
“Oh, no!”
I was the one flustered by his sincere apology.
“That’s not it.”
“Then why won’t you look me in the eye or come near me? It must be because you’re angry.”
“No, it’s just that…”
Trying to pull down the corners of my lips that kept rising was a lost cause, especially now with this misunderstanding piled on top. I failed in the end.
“Hahaha!”
At my loud laughter, Ilias’s eyes trembled with confusion.
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just too funny.”
“What?”
“I’m not angry. I just didn’t expect someone like you to be afraid of ghosts. I thought you were the kind of person who could slash even a ghost in one blow.”
At that, not only Ilias’s neck but even his face flushed red. I was almost worried I had said something wrong.
It was refreshing to see him embarrassed for the first time.
Today, Ilias had shown many unexpectedly cute sides.
That made me feel closer to him than usual—as if we had grown significantly closer.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
Avoiding my gaze, Ilias replied.
“Ahem. I’m fine. I’ll tell them to clean up here. You can finish what you were doing.”
“Your Highness!”
Pretending not to hear me calling him, Ilias disappeared with astonishing speed, as if he had used teleportation. Truly impressive.
I hadn’t meant to tease him, but I felt a little guilty anyway. Still, I couldn’t stop laughing.
‘Even someone with such skills has things they fear, huh.’
The empire’s greatest swordsman, who brandished his sword without hesitation, was afraid of ghosts? He must have created more than a few ghosts with that blade of his.
His endearing humanity, hidden behind a seemingly perfect mask, was oddly charming.
I figured I should leave the cleanup to Sarah and head to where he was. I wanted to see a bit more of this unexpected side of him.
* * *
Since the Blessing Ceremony, Christian had immersed himself in divine power research at the sanctuary. He had been conducting experiments on various aspects of divine power.
He summoned people from the temple daily to run tests, but aside from one or two people with truly exceptional divine power, no one could distinguish differences in the power.
Everyone just repeated parrot-like responses:
“I feel a clear and serene energy.”
“The goddess’s power is truly sacred.”
At best, ordinary people could only feel that the divine power had a warm and positive aura.
Some high priests and cardinals, those with strong divine power, could sense the energy more clearly.
But Adeline was different.
To be honest, almost no one could distinguish divine power in such a way.
Even within the church, only a few with the most powerful divine abilities could manage it.
Yet Adeline had clearly distinguished between her own divine power and that of a cardinal.
Sensing divine power and distinguishing between sources were clearly different skills.
On top of that, Adeline wasn’t someone who had studied or researched divine power like the cardinals. Nor did she possess greater power than they did.
‘And yet she can tell? What in the world is going on?’
It was truly extraordinary. Adeline had once again done something nearly impossible. Though she seemed unaware of it herself.
A true saint.
The thought briefly crossed Christian’s mind.
‘No way.’
Christian rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
‘She only showed a faint signal during the divine power test. Just enough to spark a reaction from the crystal orb…’
This wasn’t something that could be explained away as a lucky guess or intuition.
‘What if she’s hiding her divine power?’
But that was impossible. There’s no way multiple cardinals could all fail to detect it.
His thoughts grew more tangled.
‘Still… if someone could hide divine power…’
Divine power could be shared with others.
‘Then maybe… hiding it could be possible, too?’
Until now, no one had ever tried or needed to hide divine power. It brought wealth and status—there was no reason to conceal it. Hence, no one had even imagined the idea.
Because who would hide a gift that could change their life?
But if someone had a power greater than a cardinal and wanted to leave the church?
In that case, wouldn’t they want to hide it?
It was incomprehensible by Christian’s standards.
He thought back to the past.
When Adeline first joined the temple, she was clearly inferior to Leona in every way. Family background, ability, even personality.
Always in Leona’s shadow—but she survived.
It was Adeline who eliminated all the other candidates, except Leona.
And yet, at some point, she began to wish to leave the church.
‘Why? There has to be a reason.’
But here lay the dilemma.
If she had strong divine power, she had a high chance of becoming the Saintess. And that meant wealth and power, even without lifting a finger.
A complete life transformation.
It didn’t make sense that Adeline would give up on becoming the Saintess.
She had once wanted it desperately enough to eliminate all her competition.
According to investigations, she had arrogantly claimed from a young age that she was destined to become the Saintess.
And yet, she now seemed ready to abandon it all, even with divine power in her hands.
Christian couldn’t understand her thoughts no matter which angle he considered. His chest grew tight with frustration.
‘This isn’t helping. I should start with something simple.’
He stepped outside the sanctuary. The fresh air seemed to ease his headache a little.
He headed toward the library in the rear—one of the largest owned by the church, housing rare ancient texts not found in the temple proper.
‘Let’s start by looking into ways to hide divine power.’
It seemed completely unnecessary, but if such a thing were possible, it could explain Adeline’s abilities. Although, it still wouldn’t explain why she would want to hide it.
A solution no one needed and no one wanted—but still worth exploring.
* * *
When I returned to the room after changing into sleepwear, Ilias was lying under the blanket, pretending to be asleep.
He was clearly feigning sleep out of embarrassment, but I had no intention of playing along.
Because I wanted to see that side of him again.
Not the prince behind a heavy mask—but the real Ilias.
It might have been a mischievous thought, but I strangely wanted to tease him. Even if he didn’t want that.
I climbed into bed and lay close beside him. I saw his shoulder flinch.
“Ilias.”
I called him softly, but there was no response. I had expected this kind of reaction, so I wasn’t too bothered and continued speaking.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I spoke in the most pitiful and sorrowful voice I could manage.
“I really am sorry.”
He slowly turned his body to face me. Because of the close proximity, this time I flinched.
His golden eyes met mine at a distance so close I could feel his breath. They were so beautiful, I felt like I might be drawn in.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him from this close, but it was the first time we were alone like this—lying down together, no less.
‘A handsome face looks good whether you’re standing or lying down, huh.’
As I marveled at how flawless he looked from every angle, his breath landed gently on my cheek.
“There’s no need to apologize. I was just caught off guard by something I hadn’t seen before.”
He reached out and tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ear. It was such a tender gesture that, strangely, my whole body felt hot all of a sudden.
Worried that this heat might somehow reach him, I suddenly sat upright.
Startled by my abrupt movement, Ilias sat up as well.
“Adeline, what’s wrong?”
Wrong? Nothing at all!
Now that I thought about it, there was no real reason.
He had simply been kind to me. That was it. Nothing had happened.
I’d just felt so nervous for a moment, afraid he’d notice my flushed face, and reacted instinctively.
I quickly searched for a way to defuse the situation. Just as one issue can distract from another, changing the subject seemed the best option.
“Well, actually… I have something to tell you. I’ve been debating whether or not I should bring it up.”
As I spoke calmly, trying not to reveal my nerves, Ilias immediately became serious.
“Whatever it is, just say it. If you want me to listen, I will. If you need help, I’ll offer it.”
I decided to finally speak about something I had been hesitant to say.
Honestly, getting his help was the best course of action. I wasn’t suspicious of him, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak carelessly either.
This was a huge, dangerous matter for me, so I had no choice but to be cautious.
But I couldn’t delay it any longer. I was already in the same boat as him.
“Your Highness.”
“Say whatever you want.”
“As you probably already know, I have quite a strong divine power.”
Ilias nodded calmly.
“I’ve suspected as much. You’ve already saved me twice with that power.”
He was too sharp not to notice, even if I hadn’t said it outright.
“Why didn’t you ask me about it?”
“I was waiting for you to tell me. I also believed you eventually would.”
His gaze, full of trust, made the heat I had just calmed rise once again.
‘It’s not like I’m going through menopause, so why do I keep heating up at the slightest thing?’
I tried to think of something neutral to cool down my thoughts, but it didn’t help.
It wasn’t a big deal, and yet, because of the way he looked at me—with such trust—it became a big deal.
I calmly spoke what I had been holding back inside.
“Actually, I didn’t even know I had this power.”
