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nChapter 48

nProofreader: xoxomonami

n“Have you ever seen the Saintess in its completeness, Lady Heiress?”

n“No.”

nArtizea replied in surprise.

nIn her previous life, she heard several times about Saintess Olga’s heart.

nThe first that brought Saintess Olga’s heart back to the social world was the Marchioness of Camellia.

nWhen the empress died and no one came to notice, she proudly hung the diamond around her neck.

nAfter the disappearance of the Marchioness of Camellia, Saintess Olga’s heart fell into the hands of another nobleman. But it wasn’t long before he went bankrupt.

nThe curse of a couple who died unjustly was put on the jewel. Then, the price of diamonds soared even further.

nHowever, as far as Artizea knows, Saintess Olga’s heart has never appeared again.

nAnecdotes about history and miracles were attached to the statue.

nSaintess Olga is a real person from 200 years ago. As she traveled throughout the empire, she performed sacraments.

nAfter Olga died, her lover sculpted the statue of her himself.

nIt is said to have shed tears on the day the sculptor died.

nThe tears of the Saintess had the power of healing. It is said that the pilgrims who fell asleep in front of the statue were all younger, and all the sick were healed in several nearby villages.

nSaintess Olga’s statue worked a miracle of healing in the years that followed.

nBut as the years passed, it cracked around the chest.

nThe large diamond was obtained by the Viscount which was said to have been cured by the sacred miracle and was put into the empty chest.

nIt is such a treasure.

nIf it had ever been circulated on the black market, a word would have come out as the Saintess Olga’s heart shook the social world.

nHowever, there has never been a single line of rumors about the Saintess.

nSo, she vaguely thought it had broken as the Peschers were ruined.

n‘Is she kept by the empress?’

nPerhaps she disappeared when the palace of the empress was on fire.

nSoon, Countess Martha pushed a handcart. The cart had a cloth-covered statue the size of a child.

nWhen the fabric was taken off, a bluish stone figure emerged.

nIt could not be said that it was beautiful. It was not a work of an artist who had craved it in marble. This is because an ordinary man engraved the image of his lover on stone.

nThere were two long streaks of stains like tear marks on its face.

nThe empress handed over Saintess Olga’s heart to her attendant.

nThe attendant took the diamond from the necklace and put it on the statue.

nThe empress said.

n“Lady Heiress of Rosan and future Grand Duchess of Evron, I will give you this statue as a wedding gift. Since I received Saintess Olga’s heart, it is only right to gift you the completed Saintess.”

nArtizea bowed her head deeply to express gratitude.

nThe empress staggered and stood up from her place.

n“I’m tired. You two go back now. Congratulations. You’ll be busy with preparations, so it’s okay, you don’t have to come again.”

n“It’s a shame we took so much of your time. Rosan will withdraw.”

nArtizea bowed to her.

nThe empress first left her audience room. Countess Martha approached and said.

n“I will send what the Empress has given to the Evron Grand Duchy. Is that okay?”

n“Yes, thank you, Countess Martha.”

n“Then goodbye. Congratulations on your wedding.”

nArtizea greeted her.

nThen she crossed arms with Cedric and stepped out.

nCedric asked in a low voice.

n“Are you okay, Tia? You look tired.”

n“Yes, I’m a little tired, because I paid a lot of attention.”

n“Did everything you want come true?”

nArtizea pondered. She then concluded.

n“Yes. I received all the answers I came for.”

nThe empress did not give an immediate positive answer. But it would be foolish to answer right away for something so important.

nArtizea was not worried.

nThe empress’s heart was definitely inclined. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given the completed statue of Saintess Olga.

nHer dead friend’s heirloom, in its imperfect condition, have until now been kept unknowingly in her own bedroom.

nWhat did the empress think as she saw the loss of it’s heart every day before going to sleep? What else did she think about? Cedric sighed.

n“By the way, you’re taking on a tremendous responsibility. Restoring the Peschers. We can cancel it now.”

n“You noticed it.”

n“If the offspring of the Peschers was alive, she wouldn’t have concealed the saint. I now understand why until now she closed the door of the Empress Palace and stayed quiet.”

nThe Empress still had something to protect.

n“What do you want to do?”

n“Is it a matter that I can decide?”

nArtizea asked. Cedric asked back.

n“This is what you started.Of course you have to decide, right?”

n“How about you, Cedric? I can tell you which one is advantageous and which one is profitable, but in the end, it will be the Grand Duchy of Evron that will restore the Peschers.”

nCedric thought for a moment.

nBut the answer was decided from the beginning.

n“I don’t want to turn away from the Pescher Viscounty. That’s not a good idea. I was originally thinking of looking for a descendant.”

nCedric sighed.

nHe told Ansgar to look it up, but in the end he hasn’t been actively investigating.

nHe felt a sense of debt.

nThat said, he couldn’t ignore the risk. Anyway, the top priority he had to keep was Grand Duke Evron.

n“Let’s do it if you think it’s better to postpone it after considering the priorities.”

n“The problem of the Perscher Viscounty is only a small thing. Cedric is carrying a bunch of dangerous people anyway.”

nArtizea thought and talked about the village of the rebels of the Evron Grand Duchy.

nHe understood what she meant, and Cedric had an embarrassed face.

nArtizea smiled.

n“Undoubtedly, I’m sure the Emperor already knows about the Pescher artist, so don’t worry too much. You can’t get something done right now as much as protecting it. Taking up work from 18 years ago puts a political burden on Your Grace as well. It’s even more so now that Lawrence is in line for the successor.”

nOn the surface, she seemingly has to do what the Empress asked for by taking charge of the statue. However in reality, it is on the empress’s side that, if the exchange went down, the Empress would be anxious.

nThe Empress had not done anything for 18 years and she had grown old. She must have also felt anxious that there was no one to take over.

nShe has not found the character and power that deserves to be the guardian of the blood and flesh of her precious friend.

nSo it was a rather hostage situation, for the empress had no choice.

nArtizea smiled.

n“Aren’t you supposed to ask me about something else?”

n“You mean the salt?”

nCedric said in a slightly troubled tone.

n“It is true that the burden is high, but didn’t you think it was necessary?”

n“Yes.”

n“That’s all right. I know that in order to bring in the southern provinces, we need to get the Riagan Duchy. The import of salt from the Riagan Duchy is also heavily involved in the finances.”

nCedric sighed.

n“But I can’t imagine that such a day will come …….”

n“Don’t worry.”

nArtizea said.

nHow can I make you an emperor if I can’t do that much?

nArtizea smiled and looked up at Cedric.

n“Let’s go back.”

nCedric nodded his head. And he walked alongside her and left the empress’s palace.

n***

n“Martha, open the box.”

nThe empress dressed comfortably and sat up on her bed.

nCountess Martha opened the box she had brought from the audience room.

nWhen she opened the lid, the four sides of the wall of the box opened as if falling off.

nAnd in it, crystals of salt, like blue gemstones, came out.

n“Your Majesty….”

nCountess Martha called the empress with her trembling voice. The empress did not say anything for a while.

nThese jewel-like salt crystals come only from one beach owned by the Riagan Duchy.

nThe coat of arms of the Duke of Riagan also embodies the salt crystal.

nThe Duke of Riagan lost all descendants, except for the Empress.

nThe Empress gave up her title at the time of her marriage, so after the death of her parents she could not regain her title.

nThe current Duke of Riagan was the one that served the emperor. It was the emperor who gave him a seat there.

nConsidering that the foundation of the Duke of Riagan was derived from the salt of the South Sea, the meaning of Artizea’s offering of this salt crystal was clear.

nArtizea had told the Empress that she would bring back the Riagan Duchy.

n“Martha.”

nThe empress said in a cracked voice.

n“Is this possible?”

n“… How dare I make such judgement?”

nCountess Martha said with a biting voice.

nIt is impossible to get the Riagan Duchy back. The only descendant is the Empress.

nAnd she had no children anymore. She had no close relatives.

nHowever, she had no intention of passing it on to one of her current kin. They are traitors who succumbed to the emperor and harmed the descendants, so they are all deserving of death.

nSo, even if she drives out the current Duke of Riagan now, there is no way she can get back the future the Empress originally wanted.

nStill, Countess Martha couldn’t say that.

nKnowing her suffering the Empress had been through for 18 years, she could not say that it was impossible.

n“Yes, it’s impossible.”

nThe empress said so, and she lay in bed.

nCountess Martha placed the salt crystal in the place where the Saintess had been. It was in a position where the empress could see it by just laying down on her side.

n“Martha, I’m…..”

n“Yes.”

n“I have never forgotten it.”

n“Yes, Your Majesty…”

n“I thought it was impossible to stand up because I’ve grown old, and have no strength left in my hands and feet. But I still haven’t forgotten.”

nThe empress said so.

nThe empress began to doze after she was exhausted from welcoming guests after a long time. And she soon fell asleep.

nCountess Martha carefully covered her with a blanket.

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