Blood splattered all over my face. I blinked.
The dagger cut through the thick pelt of the demon as easily as if it were cake. A clean, smooth slice through the neck that made its head fly off and fall to the ground. Blood sprouted from its neck as its decapitated body collapsed in front of me with a heavy thump.
"Valentina, what-"
"Go! I'll explain later."
I pushed Father behind me and steered my horse towards the defensive line. Damian somehow got next to me, still casting and firing quickly.
"For god's sake, Val, be careful. But if you insist on being saintly, I'll cover you."
"All right. I'll see you when they're dead."
Having gotten over the initial fear, pure adrenaline ran through me. The knights' formation was gradually breaking apart, so I first took care of the demons that leaked to reduce pressure from the fleeing nobles. My decade of practice kicked in, and I fought with the ferocity of a proper saint and queen, the protector of her people and God's chosen one.
The holy dagger penetrated demon skin like it was nothing, with barely any force needed, while normal bullets and blades could barely leave a scratch. With this ridiculously overpowered relic, I finally understood how Catherine, as weak as she was, had been able to so effortlessly seal the demon king in the novel. It was even easier for me as I had actual training.
"Charge!"
The captain of the knights shot me a glance of acknowledgement and the knights utilized the momentary relief I brought to reorganize and launch a new round of assault. Their weapons did little to harm the demons, but they managed to hold them back while I hunted them one by one. The demons sometimes almost overwhelmed me, but Damian made sure none got too close.
Slowly but surely, we pushed the demons back. After all, the knights were from the best families in the kingdom and the finest there were, Damian was one of the strongest mages in history, and I was the holy saint. I felt a savage thrill of power from slaughtering those horrendous creatures so deftly and briefly wondered if I wasn't just like them on the inside.
Finally, the last demon fell. I panted, my heart still pounding. The holy dagger, the coat of my horse, and my clothes and myself were all covered with blood, and everything smelled revolting. The knights collected themselves and tended to the wounded. Suddenly, I became aware of how tired my limbs were and slid off of my horse. Damian, always the gentleman, came to my side, and I leaned into him.
"That was incredible, Val."
"I know."
A horse bolted out of the trees. The rider jumped off and ran towards us.
"Valentina! Damian!"
Father grabbed the both of us and embraced us tightly. He sighed with relief as we squeezed him back. When we were let go, he anxiously examined us up and down.
"Are you injured? What happened? What's all this blood?"
"Don't worry, it's not mine. I killed the demons."
"I helped too. You should've seen us, Father. Val was like a real angel."
Father's expression twisted, as if he wasn't certain whether to be proud or furious.
"You two defeated all of them? Dear god, you've grown up too much. Oh, what the hell were you thinking?!"
We were spared further confusion on his part by the knight captain, who reminded us that we shouldn't linger in case more demons came. Father picked me up and put me on his horse in front of him. I wondered why he didn't do the same with Damian, but then I realized since he'd attacked from range, he was relatively clean, while I looked far worse and was practically drenched in blood.
I hadn't rode on the same horse with Father since I was a child, but it was very comforting. He led us through the route the rest of the nobles had taken, and we soon came out of the forest and reached the pavilion where a small crowd was gathered. Oscar was among them, and I was almost gleefully confident that a burst of euphoric relief flashed across his expression when he saw me.
He got up, but if he'd intended to approach us, he was stopped by a hand on the arm by the king, who also stood. King Henry came towards us, but Mother got here first, gliding as fast as humanly possible.
"Oh, my poor darlings."
She took a handkerchief and attempted to clean away the blood on my face, to no avail. Tenderly and tragically, she lamented to us.
"Don't you know how worried I was? How could you do such a thing to me? Oh, whatever would I do if I lost any of you?"
While we reassured her we would never do such a thing again, the knight captain moved to speak to the king. The latter nodded and addressed me, gently but firmly.
"Lady Valentina, I understand that you've eliminated the creatures that attacked us. For that, I thank you very much. However, forgive me for asking, but did you have any idea that they would be there when you suggested Calemore's Point?"
I'd committed my lines to memory, and I put on a performance that would make Mother proud.
"I apologize so terribly, Your Majesty and everyone else, for the fright. When I went to Calemore's Point last year, it was a perfectly lovely spot. Yet earlier today, I felt so desperately drawn to the place, like it needed me, but I hadn't the slightest idea why, so I assumed it must've been the guilt of keeping a wonderful hunting spot to myself. I could have never imagined the presence of those beasts."
Bashful and immense remorse, almost on the verge of tears from putting others in such danger. Nevertheless, I took out the holy dagger and caressed it, holding it in a way that it was visible to all and looking at it with regret and conviction.
"This is the holy dagger that had been used to seal the demon king. I received it a few months ago, from a woman claiming to be a messenger from God. We, the temple, decided to delay a declaration in order to study it and decipher further what God meant with this, especially its implications regarding the awakening of the demon king, so as not to cause panic. Now, I suppose it's unfortunately clear."
An old man came from the palace, helped by a maid, who I had planted years ago for this exact purpose. The senior priest maintaining the palace's chapel was a rare true believer, and the maid, his only source of information from the outside, had made sure that in his eyes, I was the perfect devout saint. As a priest under the patronage of the royal family, he was extremely well respected.
Every year since I'd recalled my memories, even before my debut when I came here as moral support for Father, I visited his chapel faithfully everyday, and just this morning too. He lifted a shaky finger, pointing to the forest, and spoke with a raspy voice.
"I felt… such a great evil, so utterly wicked and damned. Demons, only the first, as their king strengthens. Yet they were vanquished, with God's blessing! It is her duty. The saint will save us… she is the only one that can. All hail, Saint Valentina."
His words had an impressive and commanding effect, like a true messenger of God, or at least everyone believed him to be, and so they impulsively echoed him.
"All hail, Saint Valentina."
It was a magnificent moment, though it would've been better if I wasn't covered in blood or smelling dreadfully. With that, the public was temporarily satisfied, and my family ushered me into the palace to bandage my minor wounds and clean me up. They only left after receiving assurance that I would keep myself as safe as possible in any future saintly activities involving the greatest evil in this world.
I dictated letters to Nathaniel and Priest Fernandez, detailing today's events and future plans, which Zoe transcribed and sent. The temple would make a declaration as soon as I returned from the competition, officially warning the people of the demon king's return but with much consolation regarding my abilities to avoid panic.
It was a testament to the hunting competition's importance that it was not cancelled despite the demon attack. After all, the royal family was already struggling with unity and loyalty from the nobles, and so they couldn't afford losing the event of the year symbolizing patriotism. Thus, the rest of the week was spent in relatively enjoyable hunting, though with slight nervousness in the air and a greatly increased number of knight escorts.
The night before the closing day of the competition, a knock came at my door. I gave permission, and Mikhail came in, holding a large box.
"Good evening, my lady."
"What is it?"
His handsome face was distressed but determined, with a hint of pride. It never ceased to amuse me how easy he was to read compared to nobles, and in particular, my fiance. It made me feel that he and his feelings were wholly mine, and I liked that very much.
"I wasn't able to kill the demons for my lady, and my lady had to dirty your hands because of my incompetence. I'm very sorry, and I know it's not much, but please accept this as my apology."
Mikhail approached where I sat and knelt down so I could see the contents of the box, which he opened. It was brilliantly red fur, as bright as a rose or my hair. I picked it up and feeling the softness, knew at once it was genuine. It was fashioned into a coat, and though the craftsmanship wasn't the best of the best, it was at the level of high society, probably from one of the many artisans that were invited to the palace during the competition so pelts could be made into gifts as soon as they were hunted.
"A fire red fox? But those are exceedingly rare. And how could you afford the craft?"
"I've been tracking it every year since I've been allowed to come. I'd thought my knighthood and protection were the best gifts I could offer my lady, but a few days ago I discovered that I was lacking even in those aspects. I've never had anything to spend on, so I had a little savings collected over the years."
"With your salary? This must've taken all of it."
"Everything of mine is my lady's anyways. It's the least I can do as a humble request for my lady to tolerate me until I grow stronger."
His pale blue eyes were so sorrowful that my heart ached, but also filled with warmth. I smiled.
"Very well. If it lessens your misery, know that I shall still need you in cases of dealing with people. They're capable of being much more dangerous than demons, after all. Besides, it wasn't entirely displeasurable to slay them myself."
The pride I'd seen in his eyes took over, and Mikhail smiled. It was always too pretty.
"My lady is powerful, and I thank God for the honour of being able to serve you."
I had countless other fur coats, but they'd cost next to nothing to those that gave them to me. Yet to Mikhail, I was his everything, and that made me feel a strange kind of happiness. I was still thinking about him during the closing ceremony the next morning, as Queen Josephine crowned me the queen of the hunting competition. I had won by a large margin, especially since Oscar dedicated all his hunts to me.
"Lady Valentina Avington, may you continue to behold the virtues of a true lady. Live with elegance and grace, and breathe life into Orilon with the passion and beauty of your youth and soul."
I wished that instead of the lovely tiara she placed on my head, it was her own crown. Had I been born into the royal family, I wouldn't need to depend on a fragile engagement with a man that may or may not care for me.
After the ceremony, I saw Oscar standing by alone as he waited for his carriage, and my ambitions obligated me to take the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with another one sided conversation. As usual, for once, I just wanted to know what he felt, to hear him tell me that I mattered to him. I was so, so tired of holding on to the rare small actions and fleeting expressions, wondering if I could rely on his affection or if I needed to strengthen my political and social standing even more to make up for the lack of it, if worse came to worst.
Alas, I kept going with the perfect sweet smile.
- - -
Catherine watched Lady Valentina talk to Prince Oscar. She'd heard about how amazing Lady Valentina had been, killing all those demons by herself, but she hadn't had the chance to congratulate her yet, and she already felt too much guilt to disturb the happy couple.
"Funny, isn't it? He ran the moment he saw the demons, because he doesn't give a damn about her and they both know it. She deserves so much better, but she likes his crown too much."
Catherine jumped and her handbag fell to the floor, its contents spilling. Lord Damian, who'd somehow come to stand next to her without her noticing, hurried to help her pick them up. Their fingers brushed, and she blushed.
"Y-you startled me, Lord Damian! What were you talking about?"
Lord Damian did not reply. He was holding and looking at a handkerchief that had fallen out of her bag. It had a badly embroidered yellow rose and his initials. Her cheeks reddened further.
"A-ah, I'd made that for you, but I couldn't find you before the competition, and I thought it was too ugly anyways…"
He smiled, his purple eyes glinting. It took Catherine's breath away.
"How would you like to come to my sister's birthday ball with me, Lady Catherine?"