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Chapter 169 - Bucket List
When he looked back at the page, it was filled with all sorts of information about Aluna, reflecting how eager Cecile was to visit.
Maggie’s Pie House – 1 silver for each local specialty apple pie. Got to be sure to buy the one sprinkled with cinnamon!
Aluna Observatory – Half price discount on admissions before 7 am.
The trail beloved by the great sage – said to be the prettiest path to stroll along. That’s a check!
And below all of it, there was one more line added.
I don’t know whom I’ll be sold to, but I should beg to be allowed to visit the lake city. Even once would be fine! Please let me marry someone generous enough to allow me that much.
Estian’s thoughts turned back to his wedding day. At the time, Cecile had boldly declared to an attendant, “I’m sure His Majesty won’t be so petty over this much, seeing how I’ve come such a long way
” When he considered his future schedule, there wasn’t much to do since he usually rested after returning from a conquest. “Perfect,” he murmured. He would take this opportunity to show Cecile just how generous he could be.
* * *
A week after Estian’s return, a modest end-of-month dinner party was held for the attendants in the imperial kitchen. Everyone was gossiping about the emperor’s latest conquest.
“It’s said the dukedom of Etia completely disappeared.”
“I heard! Only a few villages survived from what I know.”
Far from a festive atmosphere, the mood was somber. The emperor had quieted down since welcoming the empress, so they thought he’d softened. Instead, it felt like the emperor’s cruelty had only grown exponentially.
“He went straight to the empress’s palace after returning, right? And he hasn’t come out yet?”
“At least I’m glad Her Majesty’s antics have died down ever since His Majesty returned. It was terrible while he was away, wasn’t it? Giving orders while swinging a whip.”
“That it was
”
While the attendants discussed the emperor and empress, there was one person sitting in the corner downing glass after glass of liquor—the saintess. She filled the biggest cup available to the brim, not even bothering to add ice, and chugged it in one go.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” the saintess muttered with a hollow look. “How did Estian return unscathed?”
Not only had she failed to go to Etia, she also hadn’t managed to steal Cecile’s body. With all this being said, Estian should’ve remained uncontrollable after he went berserk, and yet he’d returned from the conquest even faster than he’d done so in the story—in human form, at that.
‘Aren’t things developing differently from what I wrote?’ the saintess came to a sudden realization. Quite a few novel scenes she’d read before came to mind. Usually, in stories where the author somehow found themselves entering the world they’d invented, the protagonists would be at a loss the moment the plot deviated from the original storyline. In the past, she thought the solution was to guide the story back on track, but it felt different now she was in the protagonist’s shoes.
“It feels like the story ended before it even began. Now what do I do?”
The most climatic event was gone, and the saintess felt like she’d lost out on a compulsory quest, not unlike missing a critical course needed to complete a degree. As the night continued, she repeatedly raised her glass again and again. Two, four, then eight
 Her theory was that the alcohol consumed should be doubled each time.
What should she do in the future? Her holy powers hadn’t been recovered yet, and the ship that was the ‘male lead’ had sailed. Then, what was left? Suddenly, the saintess remembered the sub male leads, and more specifically, the man she’d met before the conquest. If there was nothing else, she had to at least snag him.
“Should I meet Kane?”
It was then that a voice suddenly replied, “Are you talking about me?”