Chapter 159 - North Korean rabbit

Episode 159

At that moment, Evangeline saw the Emperor's face, which was utterly serene.

She realized.

'He knew... all along?!'

His expression was not one of surprise upon seeing his son and daughter-in-law, whom he had thought dead, return alive.

It was clear the Emperor had been in prior communication with Hilia and Arpad.

A surge of unfairness and anger welled up within her.

Belated realizations followed one after another.

'Could it be... that he agreed to have the oracle received at the imperial palace precisely to reveal it at this moment?'

Because that would make her look even more foolish and cornered?

It was the kind of malice one could imagine Hilia devising.

The moment Evangeline realized this, she grabbed the Archbishop's arm.

She intended to tell him to quickly activate the evidence of the oracle, the prepared miracle.

But Hilia was a step faster.

Her pink lips parted, and the sacred language resonated clearly through the air of the sanctuary.

She had translated and recited, in the sacred language, the very words Evangeline had just muttered.

-This humble servant beseeches thee. Grant us thy revelation.

The Archbishop's eyes widened in shock.

"This is...!"

Before he or Evangeline could react, 'that event' occurred.

The altar inside the sanctuary began to shine with a dazzling light.

It was not caused by magical power or any other force.

It was an overflowing, abundant divine power. It was the 'false miracle' meant to serve as evidence for the 'false oracle,' created even by drawing upon the divine power from some of the sacred relics the Archbishop possessed.

That light pierced through several layers of buildings, shining brilliantly even to the distant horizon.

* * *

Watching the altar shine with a dazzling blue light, I smiled softly.

'I thought it might be like this, and indeed...'

In my second life, I had lived at the temple for quite some time.

Thanks to that, I possessed considerable knowledge about divine power and the sacred language.

'Since the Archbishop and Evangeline confidently mentioned an oracle, I thought they must have prepared something.'

Most divine power is activated through the sacred language.

Omitting the sacred language is only for very simple uses of divine power or when accompanied by tremendous sacrifice.

To appear as an undeniable miracle in people's eyes, being large-scale, it naturally required activation through the sacred language.

"This humble servant beseeches thee. Grant us thy revelation."

Words anyone would recognize as a plea for an oracle.

Even in this situation, Evangeline could not properly utter the sacred language.

Therefore, my prediction that translating those words into the sacred language would trigger the false miracle proved correct.

Although there was the tricky condition of having to intervene between Evangeline's words and the Archbishop's activation.

'Fortunately, I succeeded in hijacking the miracle.'

This made it possible to claim some rights regarding the miracle.

I filled the corners of my mouth with an unpleasant smile.

So that it would be clearly visible to Evangeline, who was quite some distance away.

"Good heavens!"

"Oh! Truly! A miracle!"

"It's just as the temple said! It's proof of the oracle!"

Cheers erupted from all around, and some knelt in prayer.

The Empire had no state religion; faith was purely a personal choice.

Thus, those gathered here either already held faith in the Heavenly Lord God or were simply curious about the first oracle in centuries.

Those who originally believed in the Heavenly Lord God were moved by the miracle, but others were different.

"Wait, but His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess have returned, haven't they?"

"Moreover, didn't the miracle occur right after Her Highness spoke just now?"

"Then the miracle was truly bestowed upon Her Highness, wasn't it?"

The reaction most feared by Evangeline and the Archbishop began to emerge.

At this, a priest of the Heavenly Lord God strongly objected.

"The Saintess first pleaded to the God for an oracle, did she not! This is the response to that!"

"No! But didn't it happen as if responding to Her Highness the Crown Princess's sacred language, not Lady Ruth's words?"

"Ah, was what Her Highness just said the sacred language?"

"Wait, then wasn't the miracle just now a response to Her Highness's plea?"

"No! Wasn't there talk for days that an oracle would be bestowed upon Lady Evangeline!"

"But the timing...!"

Arguments broke out from all sides.

This was absolutely not the situation Evangeline or the Archbishop desired.

I could see Evangeline staggering, her face pale.

The Archbishop supported her, but the black veil covering half her face fluttered, revealing her scars.

Then Evangeline was too busy hysterically pulling at her veil to pay attention.

Even if they tried to salvage this situation now, it would likely be insufficient.

Smiling, I intervened again, drawing everyone's attention.

Evangeline, who had expended quite a bit of her image during this time, and I, who had been thought dead but returned alive with Arpad.

The level of attention when we spoke was completely different.

"Through the care of the great Artanus, the Heavenly Lord God, and the Earth Mother Goddess, we have returned safely. Your Imperial Majesty, Father."

"We report our return."

Both Arpad and I pretended we had not been in prior contact with the Emperor. The Emperor did the same.

As if he had not agreed to the oracle being received at the imperial palace only after exchanging letters with us yesterday.

We were truly a model family of fraudsters.

"Welcome back. Arpad. Hilia. I believed you would be safe."

The Emperor's voice trembled slightly. Unlike a moment ago, when he seemed pleased as if he had been waiting for our appearance, his emotions now seemed overwhelming.

As if now there was no need to hold back, he could reveal them freely.

'That also feels natural.'

The Emperor approached with quick steps and embraced Arpad with both arms.

I watched the father-son reunion with a pleased expression, while many around us were astonished by the unexpected scene.

Both Arpad and the Emperor were people who rarely showed emotion or affection, so it must have been an unfamiliar sight.

Perhaps the Arpad of before might have pushed the Emperor away or tried to avoid him.

But now he was quietly held in his father's embrace.

I, who now prided myself on being quite good at reading Arpad's expressions, could tell.

He was currently feeling embarrassed.

Unconsciously, a smile spread across my lips.

Surprisingly, after releasing Arpad, the Emperor also embraced me.

And he whispered softly.

"...Thank you."

His tone was as if I had saved Arpad and brought him back.

'Well, it wasn't quite to that extent.'

Denying it in front of others would not have been appropriate.

I decided to shed my embarrassment and be brazen. I smiled brightly and returned the Emperor's embrace.

Because I could clearly see Evangeline trembling with unfairness and anger before the altar.

That was when it happened. Evangeline let out a scream as if in a final desperate struggle.

"The hereditary madness of the imperial family is a curse placed by the Heavenly Lord God upon humans who have forgotten the divine!"

This desperate outburst was effective in instantly gathering the gazes of everyone gathered in the sanctuary.

"On the day an innocent, pure imperial descendant born through the Saintess's body ascends the golden throne, the curse that has befallen the imperial house shall end!!"

The end was almost like a shriek.

Because of this, people belatedly realized that what Evangeline had uttered was the content of the oracle.

"Wait, that... isn't that the oracle?"

"The content is certainly that, but..."

"But, wasn't the miracle just now a response to Her Highness?"

"No! Because the temple of the Heavenly Lord God declared Lady Ruth a saintess..."

Evangeline raised her hand high.

"Did you not all see the miracle just now? The Heavenly Lord God has just bestowed an oracle upon me!"

A murmur spread through the crowd.

Evangeline thrust out her swollen belly and shouted again.

"This child shall inherit the throne and end the ancient curse upon the imperial family—!!"

At that moment, Arpad stepped forward.

"I've heard a very interesting story about that child."

"...!"

* * *

The sanctuary's glass ceiling always allowed one to look up at the sky.

As it was close to noon, sunlight poured hotly into the sanctuary.

Thanks to this, Arpad walked straight along the path made of light.

The people densely filling the sanctuary parted of their own accord, making way for Arpad.

Following the naturally created path, he stood right before Evangeline without any hindrance.

Sunlight poured down like a halo, making Arpad's platinum hair shine so brightly it looked divine.

His ivory skin glowed as if dusted with pearl powder, and his sharp nose bridge and veiled jawline were supremely elegant.

What most captured people's gaze was the elegant shadow cast over his deeply set, rounded eye sockets.

It seemed meticulously calculated to make his eyes, like carved sun-hearts, shine even more brilliantly.

A captivating smile hung on Arpad's beautiful lips.

A smile that seemed to draw in the very soul of the beholder.

Evangeline, forgetting her situation for a moment, was enchanted by that smile.

She completely forgot that she had tried to kill Arpad. And she even forgot that Arpad had bitten and torn the cheek of her when she was disguised as Hilia.

Even though the itch and pain still remained in the scar on her cheek.

Arpad had left Hilia behind and approached her.

Arpad smiled enchantingly and extended his hand.

She let go of the Archbishop's hand, which was holding hers.

She ignored the urgent voice speaking beside her.

"...You mustn't!"

Unconsciously, Evangeline tried to take Arpad's hand.

Calling out to him.

"Arpa...!"

And only when she met eyes that held nothing but cold contempt did she finally realize the reality.

The fact that this beautiful man could never, ever be hers.

And that he would never have approached for her sake.

A chill ran down her spine.