A Saint who was Adopted by the Grand Duke - Chapter 0

“I demand the return of Saintess Daina.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

The eyes of the Grand Duke shone brightly. Priest Pedrik coughed, flinching in the green light.

“Didn’t you take the saint from our temple? It was strange when you bought the humble child.”

“….a humble child,”

Deheen repeated Pedrick in a low voice. Pedrick trembled as he faced the dangerous air from him.

“We know that Daina has become aware of her awakening. It belongs to our temple, so please return her. Our situation has gotten difficult now.”

It was such a way of speaking from someone who never saw a person as anything but an object. Deheen’s patience reached its peak, and the tip of his lips curled up coldly.

“I don’t know how you knew it, but … you bought the saint for only a million errins, the Grand Duke is too much.”

In the end, Deheen lifted his leg and kicked the table hard.

Bang!

The table broke with a tremendous roar. Pieces splattered all over the places, smoke billowed and the office became a mess.

“Grand Duke Deheen! What are you doing!!”

“What am I doing? I’m just protecting my daughter.”

He didn’t stop there, instead he drew his sword. Raising a sword against a priest was tantamount to declaring war on the temple. As the situation turned urgent, even the paladins and Deheen’s knight raised their swords.

In an instant, the office was in confrontation. There’s tension on everyone’s face, the complexion lost its color.

“Everyone, listen carefully.”

Deheen roared loudly.

“Her name is not Daina, but Esther. And is not a saint, but my daughter.”

“Your Highness! No!”

There was no stopping it.

After finishing his words, Deheen struck the sword without hesitation and Priest Pedrick’s left arm was cut off. It was the true image of Deehen, the Grand Duke who was famous as a murderer.

With everyone frozen, the priest who came with Pedrick jumped between the two. He shuddered and poured all his divine power into Pedrick’s arm. Soon after, there was a lot of blood and he had his arm reattached. Pedrick who almost lost one arm paled.

“What is this … what have you done….”

“Once more, if you don’t stop talking about my daughter.”

Deheen looked right in front of Pedrick’s eyes. Then, he polished his words with sincerity.

“I’m ready for war.”

***

Priest Perikel was dozing off, guarding the prison’s entrance.

Then, his eyes opened because he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Perikel stood up waited for the main character of the sound to arrive.

It was Saintess Lavienne, as he had expected.

“Lady Saintess! Have you come to pray again? How many years has it been … you can stop now.”

“No, Daina was a dear friend of mine. I can’t give up.”

Lavienne smiled bitterly and lowered her big eyes. Perikel’s eyes on Lavienne filled with admiration.

“The benevolence of a saint who shows mercy to such a monster. The monster will never know how much grace this is.”

With a sad smile on Perikel’s words, Lavienne put her hands together to set an example.

“It’s my job as a saint. Prist Perikel, I’m sorry, but could you please excuse me for a moment?”

“Yes, I understand.”

This has often happened, so Perikel’s answer was straightforward. Perikel turned his stiff shoulders and took his soldiers out of the tower.

After confirming that there was no one else, Lavienne opened the door to the prison.

As she walked into the room, Lavienne’s expression beamed with joy.

“I’m here.”

Where the bright voice of Lavienne was directed, a small-bodied woman curled up. Tied helplessly to a magical tool, it was Daina, whom Lavienne called a dear friend.

Lavienne walked straight toward Daina who hadn’t responded to her words. As soon as she arrived at the front of Daina, she grasped Daina’s cheek with his right hand. Daina’s body, who could not overcome the strength, staggered.

“I’m here?”

“….”

However, Daina didn’t respond. Her empty gaze only stared into the air, with nothing in it. Not even Lavienne who was calling her.

As if she didn’t like the look, Lavienne rubbed her mouth. Lavienne passed Daina and went into the void behind her back.

There was a crystal bottle connected to Daina. The red liquid fluttered inside.

“Why did you gather so little?”

When the amount was less than she expected, Lavienne’s voice filled with irritation. Lavienne sighed and approached Khalid, her guard. Then she pulled out his longsword. A sacred sword given only to the Paladins representing the temple. In the center was a red ruby, symbolizing the eyes of the goddess Espitos.

Lavienne with the holy sword in her hand tried to return to Daina again. Then Khalid, who was buried in darkness like a shadow, came forward.

“I’ll do it. You don’t have to dirty your hand.”

“Is that so?” Lavienne opened her eyes wide and seemed to think, then she grinned and handed the sword to Khalid.

The holy sword, blessed by the God. A sword of justice that is to be used only to carry out God’s will has wounded Daina’s palm.

“Umm….”

-It hurts—

Daina suffered from the pain that had passed from her hand, leaning back her head. However, the screams failed to escape. It was because of the cloth that was tightly bitten by Daina’s mouth.

The cloth filled to prevent self-harm was a shackle that could not be released except during mealtime.

Maybe it was because of anguish.

For the first time since Lavienne entered the prison, Daina’s head was cleared up. At the moment, her eyes met with Khalid’s eyes, who was staring at her.

Khalid turned away from her eyes, mixed with resentment, anger, and hatred.

All the blood from Daina’s hand flowed into the bottle that Lavienne was holding. The red liquid was Daina’s blood, and Lavienne drank her blood and emptied it clean.

“Well, good.”

Lavienne, who drank her blood and smiled broadly, was as beautiful as a dead flower. Daina’s blood glistened over her finely bent lips.

Daina stared at Lavienne, shaking her lips. Feeling the gaze, Lavienne smiled more brightly and drew her face closer.

“Why? Are you complaining?”

Lavienne stroked Daina’s tangled hair. Then, she grabbed a few strands of hair and placed them behind her ears.

“You dared to take what’s mine. You don’t know the subject, but you have the power of a saint.”

Lavienne strode and pushed Daina aside. Daina’s head crashed against a hard wall.

Lavienne, who achieved her purpose, left the prison with a smile. Daina closed her eyes weakly as she looked at the back of the two.

‘I’m the real one. I’m the real saint … I am….’

As always, it’s only on Daina’s mind.

Her cry reached no one.

***

Krieek.

The thick iron door, which had been tightly closed, opened with a clatter. They were the new sisters dressed in white who opened the door to the prison where Daina was.

“It’s meal time.”

The oldest of the three, Rachel, was frosty. Rachel took the lead in entering the room. She was followed by junior Helen and newcomer Annie. Annie was the new girl who took charge of Daina from today. It was the first work given to her.

Annie, who entered the room with a nervous face, opened her mouth in surprise at the sight of Daina.

The many wounds seen through the clothes with clear blood stains were shocking.

“Sister Rachel, that figure is … who did that?”

A panicked Annie stuttered and asked Rachel.

“Who did that. That’s the way it is. You can’t bother others here, so she’s abusing herself.”

“How can she do that when she’s tied up like that?”

“That’s why she’s a monster.”

Rachel told her to stop asking and be quiet. She restrained herself under the glare, but Annie couldn’t erase the feeling that something was strange.

Rachel strode forward, then grabbed Daina’s chin and raised her head. Then Daina, who was asleep, woke up with shaking eyelids.

Daina’s clear eyes moved slowly as if she were trying to grasp the situation. Her eyelids would have been closed again if it were a normal day, but not today.

Her eyes fell on Annie, who was standing behind Rachel. And then, in a moment, she was revived.

The other new girls didn’t know, but Annie felt Daina’s gaze staring at her. Even in the dark, Annie’s arm was filled with goosebumps.

“Si-sister! This….”

“What are you doing standing still? Have you forgotten what you have to do?”

“Ah … no!”

Annie, who was about to talk about Daina, shut her mouth at Rachel’s scolding. Meanwhile, Helen took the cloth from Daina’s mouth. It was to feed the food they brought.

The usual meal given to Daina was a liquid that was as good as water because it had to be swallowed without chewing.

Rachel spilled the liquid she had brought into Daina’s mouth. She didn’t eat it on her own, so most of it ran dirty around her Daina’s mouth.

‘Poor thing.’

Annie had a bitter feeling that she had become an accomplice to the abuse.

No one gave an explanation about the top-class criminal. She was just ordered to keep quiet about everything she goes through here.

What kind of sin does she commit to be treated like this? She thought that way while blankly staring at Daina. Again, their eyes met.

—Release me.

At that moment, Annie’s head rang with an enchanting voice she had never heard before.