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I was once a hollow saint – chapter 11

「Good morning. Now isn’t this a lovely morning」

I awoke feeling refreshed the next morning. I sat across from Felix in the dining room with a smile on my face.

Felix politely greeted me back, his beauty shining brightly even in the morning. Far too bright.

「Did you sleep well?」

「Yes, of course. Thanks to you.」

(When was the last time I had such a peaceful morning? It’s most likely from my previous life.)

Eating well, sleeping well, and getting dressed in clean clothes were enough to make me happy. I already started to enjoy life here on my second day.

Unlike my previous life, where I only washed my face with cold water from the well when I woke up, the maids took great care of my appearance.

Since I was going to be the empress, all of my gowns and accessories were of the highest quality. I found myself stretching my back when I saw the items I had never worn, even when I was still the Great Saint.

「Tiana-sama, you’re very beautiful!」

「You look like a goddess…!」

My hair was tied with a mint green ribbon to match my mint green dress. The maids exaggerated their praises so much that it made me feel awkward.

(But I do have a much prettier face than I’d imagined. It’s a shame I looked so shabby back then.)

This should help me sell myself as an empress and saint. This appearance made me feel like being silent was enough to exude some kind of regal aura.

「It’s great that you’re living comfortably.」

「Yes. Thank you.」

I feasted on the luxurious breakfast while having a somewhat distant conversation with Felix. When I was thinking about when to bring up the topic, the servants suddenly left the dining room all at once.

And just like that, only the two of us remained. Before I could wonder what was happening, Felix quietly opened his mouth.

「I wanted to talk to you alone, so I dismissed them.」

I nodded in silence, still plagued by a nagging bad feeling.

「Do you think those who attacked you on the way from the kingdom to the empire were sent by the Fallon Kingdom?」

「…Yes. I’m sorry.」

So that’s why he dismissed the servants. I answered his questions as honestly as I could. It would be bad for someone like me, someone from the kingdom, to earn his suspicion by lying to him.

After that, he bombarded me with questions about what happened that day.

Felix seemed to have realized that Fallon Kingdom had completely abandoned me and was using me as a pawn to extort the empire.

He was soft-spoken during our entire conversation, with no hint of blame directed at me.

「Is it true that you can use magic?」

「I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I can use magic, yes. Though the amount of magic I can use is limited.」

I wasn’t lying. I did use magic for chores such as polishing the saints’ wands and things like that, though the magic I could use now was just a joke compared to my prime days.

「Is that so? Forgive my impertinence then.」

「It’s fine.」

Deep down, I was surprised by the direct question. Felix seemed to sense that I didn’t want to go into detail, so he didn’t ask me any more questions.

We have already written down and stamped all of the contract details regarding this marriage and my duties.

(Even if I can use some magic, Felix has promised not to ask for anything more than what’s written on the contract.)

That’s probably why he hesitated to bring up “unrelated matters.” I apologized to him in my mind, as I had planned to do something of my own. I decided to make a request right away.

「I want to know about the ‘curse’ of this country, so can you give me permission to go to the library? If I continue to be ignorant as a saint and empress, I may end up embarrassing us.」

In surprise, Felix blinked his eyes with his long eyelashes, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

「…Sure. Go ahead as long as you won’t be sorry later. Just keep in mind that I won’t be able to return you home even if you wanted to.」

(I hate how he phrased that! Seems like things are really bad for him to say that.)

「I won’t return to that country even if you ask me to. There’s no need to worry.」

「Is that so? After breakfast, I’ll have Byron, my aide, take you there after breakfast. Please remain in your room and wait until then.」

「Yes, thank you very much.」

After that, time flew by as I listened to my future schedule.

(Did Felix sleep properly? From what I’ve heard and seen, he should be incredibly busy.)

That said, I wouldn’t have much free time in my first month either.

The wedding gown will be tailored starting tomorrow. There would be a ball for my social debut two weeks later, and I needed to learn at least some imperial etiquette before then.

These were clearly stated in the contract, and I agreed to them. Felix was terrifyingly detailed.

(I was originally the Earl’s daughter of this country, and I attended social gatherings and ceremonies as the Great Saint. So there shouldn’t be any problems.)

Things looked quiet as I was eating the beautifully cut fruits for dessert.

(Ah. Maybe now is the perfect time to ask.)

Remembering what I wanted to ask him, I put down my fork and turned my gaze to Felix.

We were going to marry, but we wouldn’t have many opportunities to be alone together. I opened my mouth, taking advantage of the great timing.

「Felix, do you have a woman that you love?」

Felix then stopped eating and returned my gaze, as if he were looking at something unbelievable.