"Your holiness, why have you delayed your official appointment? The celebration ended a week ago and soon, everyone would be busy preparing for the Extermination Campaign"
"I haven't received a sign yet. We need to wait more, ArchBishop"
"But your holiness, this is the first time in 200 years that a saintess has been chosen. It's important for the church of Ducroft to appoint a Saintess so we can establish ourselves as a powerful entity in the kingdom. We will soon be swept up into the noble faction because of their donations!"
"If we rush the appointment, they won't need a prophecy to tell them our intention. We have to make people believe staunchly in the power of the church. We need to reinforce ourselves as the standard. People now think of the church as an afterthought but with the foundation I have laid down, it won't be long until they give their all to Ducroft"
"I understand your plan, your holiness but everyone is impatient"
"It's your job to address their concerns. I will do the planning so let everyone wait for the right time. Have I failed you at any point since the start of our cooperation?"
"No"
"Then just do as I say. We have to wait for the right time"
"Yes, your holiness"
"Have you sent the letter I asked you to send and did you deliver it the way I asked you to?"
"Yes, your holiness"
"Good. Call the captain of the Holy Knights to my office"
"Yes, your holiness. Before you go, the second princess has requested a meeting with you. Would you meet with her?"
"Hmmm. I would go to the palace after I finish my talk with the Captain"
"Yes, your holiness"
Adelie walked past the grand archs and the old statue of the hooded man that was known to the guardian god of the kingdom, Ducroft. She smiled, humming a happy tune as she walked back to her office. It was a place formerly occupied by the High Priest before he went into retirement. Now, she sat on that chair and directed the affairs of the church.
There were many people opposed to her occupation. It was mainly due to her age and the fact that she was the bastard of a baron. Still, no one could deny her power so even though they grumbled, they put up with it. One of those people included Count Damien Yeri, the captain of the Holy Knights. He was someone loyal to the church, a handsome and charismatic man.
"You called for me, your holiness?"
"Yes. I wish to run something by you. I know you are someone that values the church and prefers the stablity we have now. However, what if I said there was a safe way for the church to be free of the influence of the nobles while ascending to their former prestigious state?"
"Your holiness, the church is a place of sanctity. We should not scheme here"
"I'm not scheming. You know the exact reason why there hasn't been a Saintess in 200 years. It's because the royal family has been killing all of them"
"Do not speak of treason so lightly, your holiness"
"I am not doing something whimsical. The Saintess is the voice of god and the representation of power for the church. If the Saintess continously dies, it would be a sign of bad luck rather than a sign of power. Would you wait until I die before you take action and protect the church, Captain?"
"What...are you getting at, your holiness?"
"What would happen, if the most powerful man in the kingdom suddenly decided to claim the seat of power for himself?"
"That's...Even then, there's no guarantee he would succeed!"
"He will. No matter what happens, he will succeed. If we do not support him, we would be placed in a more ambigious position and there would be no nobles to support us. But, if we support him, we can be a voice of hope for the people and the nobles, making them depend on us so we can paint him as a tyrant and reap the benefits of faith and trust"
"That's…..a bold plan, your holiness"
"The Grand Duke is many things but he is not able to grasp the affection of others so it would be easy for me to make an offer to him so his reign can be smooth. I know he would be a good ruler but reputation is good among other things. He wouldn't want to go down in history as a tyrant"
Damien Yeri felt a chill go down his back. The Saintess was only 16 years old yet the words that flowed from her mouth wouldn't even cross the lips of a 30 year old woman. Saintesses were supposed to be pure in heart and mind but she looked like someone who could control the heart of anyone whom she set her mind to. The scary part was, he was already roped in.
"If you're on my side, the opinion of the church elders won't matter. Help me rebuild the church from ground up"
Damien thought it was strange. Everything she had done had been to the benefit of the church and the people. It seemed like she had a greater agenda but she didn't look like someone who was doing it intentionally because she was someone evil. Just what was her agenda?
"I will put my faith in you, your holiness"
"Good, you've made the right decision"
Adelie only needed to take advantage of the desperation of the church to achieve her goals. She reached out to the Grand Duke during the celebration and was waiting for a reply. In her last life, she didn't have any correspondence with the shadow second princess so she was curious about what the princess wanted. Now that everything had exponentially changed, maybe one member of the royal family would be able to survive.
"Please escort me to the palace, Sir Yeri. I have been summoned by the second princess"
"Are you acquainted with her highness, your holiness?"
"Not exactly. But if she's requested my presence, then I cannot refuse, can I?"
The carriage was quickly prepared and they began their journey to the palace. It was an hour's journey from the church and when they arrived, the servants were already prepared for their arrival. They directed them to one of the minor gardens where the princess planned to receieve them.
"Greetings to your highness"
"Please rise and sit. You're my guest. I never expected to see Count Yeri here"
"I asked him to escort me, your highness"
"Then you can join us as well. I cannot afford to disrespect the captain of the Holy knights. Please bring an extra chair"
"Yes, your highness"
The chair was brought and tea was served. The three drank tea in silence, two of them waiting for the princess to state her intentions. It did look like she was stalling for time and they couldn't tell why.
"I heard…..that the church gives prophecies so I wanted a reading of my own fate. I'm willing to pay the price to know this information"
Since the church hadn't appointed a saintess in over 200 years, prophesies were a thing of distinct past. For the princess to ask for a prophecy, it showed her desperation and Adelie was a monster who fed solely on desperation.
"Don't worry, your highness. It doesn't require much of a sacrifice or a ceremony. The reason why it has elaborate preparations is to enforce the sanctity of gaining a prophecy. If people knew they could get one easily, it would become quite a problem for the church" Adelie said, smiling.
"Then what does the Saintess candidate want in exchange?"
"When a Saintess is appointed, a temple maiden is appointed to serve alongside her. Both of them carry out rituals together but the rituals are the sole duty of the temple maiden. It's a prestigious honor given to those pure of heart and those with excellent magic. What does your highness think?"
"I think…..it's a bit insulting to ask me to become a Temple Maiden"
"In the past, it used to be a great honor for the princesses of the royal family but alas, it has become such a shame. Since there was no Saintess, there was no Temple Maiden as well. But if your highness agrees to this, I can assure you that your wish would come true"
"What wish do you speak of?" The princess looked at her with suspicion.
"You wish to rid yourself of the title of shadow princess, right? I can assure you, in just a few years, you would solely be known as the Temple Maiden of the Church of Ducroft, rather than the shadow princess"
"Why…..are you offering me such a position?"
"Once I give you the prophecy, you will understand then. If your highness is ready, you can come to the Main church and I will perform a ritual for you"
The two were finally dismissed and returned to the church. Damien had been thinking but he hadn't really been able to see through Adelie.
"Why did you offer her the position of Temple Maiden? We have several candidates prepared and you know how…..intimate the rituals between the Saintess and the Temple Maiden is. That's why, even though the title is of a maiden, it's man that is selected to fill that role"
"You didn't think I'd let you put a dagger around my neck, did you? The princess would make a nice Temple Maiden. Leave the matter at that, Captain"