They had finally reached the holiest land of the country, the Holy Land wherein Rachelle saw how big the church was. If she were to compare these to normal churches back in her world then this is incomparable to those as it looks like a damn castle adorned with crystals that shimmer under the sunlight.
The carriage doors opened and the first one who exited was Alexander. Felicia was about to unmount the carriage all by herself when Alexander extended his arm which made her blink twice, surprised because of his good mannerisms.
"What are you waiting for? Get out!" Alexander exclaimed which made her accept his hand and went out of the carriage, holding his hand for support. Helena was the last one to get off of the carriage but suddenly, Alexander's arm ensured Felicia, linking their arms together as they walked away from Helena who was embarrassed for not getting any assistance as she got off from the carriage.
Everyone seems very bewildered upon looking at Felicia, clearly oblivious of the fact that she was once the eldest daughter of the Duchess who was then hidden from the eyes of the public.
Murmurs filled the space as everyone looked at the two most dashing people, outshining others because of their looks. They recognised that it was the Duke's first son, Alexander the heir but the person who was clinging beside Alexander remains mysterious in their eyes.
"Alexander darling, where's Helena?" Tyren asked as she and the Duke approached the two of them, frowning upon seeing that it was Felicia who was in his arm, clinging closely while looking at them with a blank expression.
"I'm here, Mommy," Helena answered with a low tone, looking down. Seeing how low-spirited Helena became, Tyren's eyes became infuriated, looking at Felicia as she was ready to point her fingers at her once again.
"Is something wrong, mother?" Alexander asked with a cold tone, looking at Tyren with his eyebrow raised which made Tyren reflect on her behaviour and immediately flash a smile, grabbing Helena to her side.
"Let's go, the mass is starting." The Duke said upon looking at the church and started to walk on his own, not escorting the Duchess which made Felicia crack a smile on her face. Alexander and Felicia followed the Duke behind as she was being pulled by Alexander.
Meanwhile, the Duchess and Helena were behind them, following them like puppies with their owners. How funny.
"You're smiling, did something happen that amuses you?" Alexander asked as they began to walk further, striding elegantly as they followed the head of the house. Feliciaraisese her head and looked at Alexander's face, shaking her head.
"No, I just remembered something that's making me laugh." She replied to him, retracting her head back as she faced the front, walking inside of the church. Her eyes then strike on the tall statue of the Goddess, holding a sword.
'So this is the famous Goddess of the story... and the sword... looks similar in my vision...' she thought to herself as she stared into the Goddess, didn't realise that she was already sitting next to Alexander while the Duchess and Helena was on the Duke's side.
"It's your first time seeing the Goddess, right?" Alexander asked, noticing that Felicia was staring intently at the statue of the Goddess, not blinking her eyes. In his eyes, she looks so fascinated about the statue but in Felicia's pov, she was wondering where the sword is.
"Ah, yes... it is my first time after being locked in the annexe." She said, of course hitting Alexander's ego. It serves as a reminder that it's because of them that Felicia hasn't discovered anything outside as she had forgotten what it looks like since she was locked up ever since the Duchess died.
Alexander suddenly became cold and pale because of her words, startled because of her words. It's as if her words keep on poking in his heart that he swallowed a big lump in his throat, didn't expect the comeback.
Alexander was about to talk back, wanting to express his apology because of his past behaviour but suddenly, two priests blocked their views, smiling at them with their hands clasped together.
"May the Goddess Kartara bless you and your family, Duke Roelle." The two priests said, looking at them with a warm smile, greeting the head of the family. The Duke nodded his head and didn't bother to respond with their greetings.
"It appears that the Saintess is with you. We were asked to fetch the Saintess to lead the prayer with the Pope. I hope we aren't disturbing your precious time of praying with your family." One of the priests said, looking at Helena who suddenly beamed in happiness.
"Certainly, please take care of our dear Helena, Bishops. After all, she's a holy being blessed by the Goddess." Tyren responded instead of the Duke who didn't oppose her at all. The priests then all nodded their heads, looking at Helena.
"Let us depart now, my Lady. The Pope is waiting at the entrance." The priest said as he extended his arm to support the Saintess. Helena then meekly nodded her head, standing up as she took the priest's arm while stealing a glance at Alexander.
However, Alexander didn't bother looking at her until Helena disappeared in front of them with eyes filled with disappointment as Alexander didn't give her any attention at all. He used to be proud whenever she would get called the Saintess but now, seems like everything is changing.
Felicia who noticed the cold war between Alexander and Helena, flashes a sinister smile, feeling happy because their relationship drifting apart. It was then that the mass finally started with the bells ringing loudly, making everyone stand up, looking at the Entrance wherein the Pope and its assigned priests entered the hall, together with Helena who was wearing a veil to cover her face.
"So this is the process of attending a mass." She muttered to herself but enough for Alexander to hear her, triggering him again unexpectedly as he looked at Felicia, eyes filled with guilt and shame.
"Let us all bow our heads and hear the words of the Goddess through the Saintess blessed by our Goddess." The Pope announced to the crowd. She hadn't noticed that their procession had already ended.
Helena was in front of the crowds, with her veil hiding her face, She knelt in front of them and placed her hands close to her heart as she earnestly prayed to the Goddess.
"Oh dear Goddess Kartara, Almighty Lord, the creator of all beings, we humbly beseech thee to protect us from all evil and calamity and to deliver unto the depths of hell those who have caused us hurt and pain. Forsake their evil ways and grant us your grace and mercy so that we are not corrupted by their sinful temptations. We pray in the name of the Goddess to grant us a nation free from wickedness and sin and to strengthen our fellowship through your divine wisdom. Amen." Helena prays in front of the believers.
But something made Rachelle irked and disturbed. Helena wasn't closing her eyes or looking down, praying earnestly. Rather, her words seem like it was directed at her, looking straight into her eyes while praying in front of the believers.
She could tell despite being at least far from her position as her head was a bit tilted into their position, feeling her glare behind the veil that hides her face. So this is how she tries to attack her today, by directly calling her an evil person, tempting Alexander to lead him away from her.
'How obnoxious and ridiculous for her to use the prayer as an insult directed to me. She deserves a clap for this.' Rachelle thought as she chose to ignore Helena's words and acted like nothing happened.
After her prayer, she stood up and walked her way to the Pope's direction, sitting next to him as she was the holy being blessed by the Goddess. She had the right to sit next to the Pope.
Meanwhile, Rachelle could also feel another gaze, coming from the altar where the Pope was sitting. It wasn't coming from Helena, but it was the Pope who kept on staring at her, looking at her right through her eyes that made her frown and perplexed.
Seems like the Pope is invested in her but he isn't showing anything, his expression remains calm and blank, hard to read and hard to guess what he's thinking. He remained cold and unfazed that Rachelle was having a hard time identifying his motive as he kept on glancing in her direction.
"Are you okay?" Alexander asked throughout the whole mass as he noticed that she was getting uncomfortable. Felicia looked at her and nodded her head, didn't want to attract unnecessary attention from Alexander.
The mass continued with the Pope staring at her, She tried to avert her eyes, wandering it around the altar, avoiding the Pope's eyes. She didn't want to associate with him as something felt very uneasy by the way he stared at her.
It's as if he's looking through her soul.
With a few more prayers and reciting of more prayers, the mass finally ended with a loud celebration, praising the Goddess for her never-ending blessings to the empire, gracing them with her presence.
Every noble started to associate with one another, talking and obviously boasting about how much donations they had donated to the Holy Land. Meanwhile, Helena was back, conversing with the socialites who were praising her for her prayers.
Alexander on the other hand was talking to his mates, leaving her all alone while staring at the Goddess in front of her. All of a sudden, a shadow overlapped her figure as she looked down, seeing another person behind her.
She turned her body, blinking once again as it was the Pope, smiling at her which made her feel very crept out. She didn't even notice that he was already behind her, she couldn't hear his footsteps at all.
"It seems that you are quite invested with the Goddess, young Lady." The Pope said to Felicia while smiling at her, looking intently into her eyes which made Felicia step back a little bit. She suddenly felt very scared, questioning herself as to why she was getting scared.
There's something about the Pope that gives her chills and she doesn't even know why.