"My lady, His Grace wishes to see you in his chambers."
I looked up curiously at the servant's words. Father had been busy lately, and I hadn't seen him in a while.
"Did he say why?"
"No, only that it is urgent and for you to go immediately."
"All right."
It was rather early in the morning, and I would have never been up, if not for my excellent self-discipline these days. I wondered what it could possibly be as I entered the room.
"Good morning, Father."
"My angel. Come, sit."
Father had dark circles under his eyes, likely tired from all the work. I sat down on the couch across from him.
"Do you remember when the priests visited us?"
I nodded.
"I've received news that they are coming again, from the Grand Temple. They'll arrive soon."
I blinked, caught unaware. Father must've made sure we were informed of any unexpected visits after last time, but somehow they still managed to surprise us.
I checked my dress. Casual, not too fancy, as there weren't any major social events today. Still far more expensive than anything the female lead might wear, but good enough. For me, it would be considered modest.
"What do they want this time? To discuss the saint again?"
"Likely, yes, so we need to be prepared. You are certain you wish to be the saint?"
It didn't matter to Father if I really was or not. To him, the temple was corrupted with lies, and one more wasn't going to do any harm.
We had several discussions together about this, with Mother, and they were both willing to respect my decision, once they were sure I understood what it would mean. I did understand, more than they could possibly know.
"Yes, Father."
He nodded gravely.
"Very well. Then, let's practice your mentality again."
Many senior priests were terrific at detecting lies and how true one's faith was. I had been trained so that I could expertly devote myself to God when needed, with the purest belief. After all, the royal court was a stage, and we were a family of fantastic actors.
Father went through some questions with me, until I was as holy as possible. We didn't have a lot of time, but I felt confident for the real thing.
"Your Grace, priests have arrived and are asking to see you and Lady Valentina."
"Let them in."
The doors to Father's sitting room swung wide open, and the priests entered. It was a similar sight to last time, two older priests followed by several apprentices.
"Good morning, Your Grace. We finally meet again."
Priest Fernadez's sly smile was back, and Father greeted him coldly, like last time.
"Good morning, Priest Fernandez. And this is?"
"I am High Priest Tahon. May God bless you, Your Grace."
I glanced at his robes. Sure enough, he was really a high priest, one of the twelve so important that they rarely left the temple. It pleased me that he came to me personally, but of course, it was only to be expected. He was older and quieter than his companion.
"And you as well, Your Eminence."
Even Father had to respect him, for the sheer power he held. When I became queen, I would make sure the temple didn't have nearly this much influence, probably because of the ideology of my past life that religion shouldn't interfere with politics. But then, it was exactly why I wanted to be the saint.
The priests directed their attention to me next. I was excited and ready.
"Ah, this must be Lady Valentina. May God bless you."
"And you as well, Your Eminence. Good morning, Priest Fernandez."
I put on my most innocent smile, my best imitation of the female lead. If my voice sounded any more naive, I might have puked.
"Please, do sit."
Father's cool politeness was received with equally reserved acceptance. The two leading priests sat across from us, the apprentices standing behind them like a wall.
"I'm sure you know why we are here, Your Grace, Lady Valentina."
I nodded and so did Father, slightly and solemnly. He was excellent at being intimidating, and I felt a rush of pride.
"Have you thought about our proposal?"
"Yes. We have."
Father slowly poured a cup of water from the jug on the table and took a sip. A tactic, to keep them on edge and in suspense.
In the tense silence, I noticed that so far, the high priest had remained silent after our initial introductions, and gazed at us with tranquility. Perhaps he considered himself too important to speak. Priest Fernandez, on the other hand, was full of confidence.
"What does Lady Valentina think?"
I, too, poured a glass of water and drank, with elegance. My voice was chaste and sincere.
"I believe that God has blessed me, and that I am the incarnation of the first saint."
This got both priests on alert, though the high priest didn't show it as much.
"What makes you believe that?"
Aha. One of the questions we had practiced.
"I think that God glorifies all of us, because our greatest gift is to be able to worship him. To serve him as a humble messenger is an honour I can only dream of, regardless of my complete devotion."
I made sure to soften my gaze and to avert my eyes, lest they see me trying not to laugh.
"He chose me, because he knows I am willing to pledge my entire being to him. I, in my position, can do the most to carry out his mission and save the people of our kingdom."
Caring, knowledgeable, mindlessly devout. I was a picture perfect saint.
"Have you directly received a message from God?"
This was the line. If I turned back now and denied it, they might not make me the saint, but I would still be Lady Valentina Avington. If they found out I was lying, I would be accused of blasphemy and locked up, or even executed.
I could do this. I knew everything God would want the saint to do from the novel, and we could handle the rest with our wealth.
"Yes, I have. I've received prophetic dreams since I was young, which I have used to benefit our duchy so far, and in the future, I hope to employ them to help the people of our kingdom. Just last night, I felt that I was surrounded in warm light, and a kind voice spoke to me."
I drank some more water. Now, they were truly intrigued, leaning in slightly.
"He told me I was to rescue those who were suffering, to spread his light. He said you were coming today, and that we were to work together to save as many as we can. He called me, 'Saint Eleanora'."
I sat back and watched the effect. Priest Fernandez, as much as he tried to conceal his shock, had raised eyebrows. Though High Priest Tahon didn't show it, I knew he must've been impressed as well.
It had taken much work and research on my part to find the name of the first saint. In this world, there had only been one saint, so she was referred to as 'The Saint' or Her Holiness. Even the novel never mentioned her name, like she had no individuality other than serving God.
The high priest spoke at last.
"I hail the incarnation of Saint Eleanora, a true messenger of God. It is an honour to be in your presence."
Priest Fernandez was even more startled at this, and hurriedly repeated the words. I smiled shyly.
"Thank you, divine priests. I look forward to working with you."
"We will provide as much assistance as we can, Your Holiness. We will officially declare you as the saint on Blessing Day."
Blessing Day was on New Year's Day, about a month and a half away. It was the most important religious celebration of the year and had a fair part in the novel. This gave me plenty of time to prepare and improve my reputation further.
"That sounds excellent, Your Eminence."
"It is merely my duty. Please, ask, if you have any questions at all."
In fact, I had one. The thing I just couldn't figure out, no matter how many libraries I consulted.
"Actually, I was wondering, where does holy power come from? When?"
This question clearly caught them both off guard. The high priest took a few moments to answer.
"Blessings to us priests are granted to those with enough faith, at birth and later in life. Your powers, however, will be directly connected to God. You will awaken them when the time comes. We will send you a priest as a tutor to help guide you."
That didn't exactly answer my question. Did priests just wake up one day with holy powers, once God deemed them to have enough faith? I hoped I would learn more, but the female lead never got a clearer explanation, and the topic was firmly closed now.
As for awakening my powers, I just prayed I could become queen before the real saint awakened hers. It might be an inconvenience, since it was apparently triggered by extreme emotions. For the real saint, it was when Damian was badly injured during a demon subjugation. How could I get rid of her without causing extreme emotions?
I could worry about that later. Right now, I should focus on the task at hand.
"Thank you very much. I will have divine powers, yes? It's not strange for me to not have any right now? I want to help others as soon as possibly."
"You definitely will. There is no need to worry, Lady Valentina, you are doing well. I heard you've taken in an apprentice for Priest Norman."
How did he know that? It might be to my advantage, but it wasn't any of his business.
"Yes, I was hoping having a priest around my age would help."
"It does. But do you not wish for a child with more experience? Perhaps from a noble family?"
Oh? This was interesting. Did he already know the value of Nathaniel? Was it possible?
"I chose a commoner because I would like to understand more of their woes, and all are equal in the eyes of God. Thank you for your consideration, Your Eminence."
"You are most welcome. If you will excuse us, I would like to speak with His Grace on how he can best support you and strengthen House Avington's relationship with the temple."
It was clean talk for trying to get benefits from Father, and I was impressed this supposed holy priest looked so remorseless. Must've been all the practice, because in the end, they were just professional con-men feeding on people's desire for purpose.
"Of course. May God bless you, Your Eminence, Priest Fernandez."
"And you as well, Lady Valentina."
I left the room, and let out a long sigh. I hated wearing a saint's mask like that, and I wished I could have all her adoration without doing any work.
It was just what had to be done. It would be worth it, when I became queen.