CH 100

3rd POV

“My apologies, sir, for keeping you waiting.” (Priest)

A small, fat, mild-mannered-looking priest came hurrying over. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ekaterina, and stared at her.

What is it, I wonder?

“Well… I’m sorry about this. I mean… I thought the goddess had manifested.” (Priest)

Ekaterina’s POV

Oh, you’re good.

“Oh, so I’m not the only one who thinks so.” (Alexei)

Big Brother’s mood meter went up a notch. I’m sure he’ll be offering a lot of money to this palace in the near future. Congratulations.

Oh, by the way.

“I am afraid I am not the manifestation of the goddess, but it was my honor for you to think so. Big Brother, why don’t you dedicate the Heavenly Blue pigment to this shrine? If you give it a beautiful blue color befitting the Queen of the Night, she will surely be pleased with you.” (Ekaterina)

I thought that if we could make the palace beautiful and worth seeing, it would attract more visitors, and it would also help advertise the Heavenly Blue. I hope the offering will pay for itself in advertising… I’m sorry, Goddess.

“That’s a good idea. I would like to make an offering to this goddess, if that is alright.” (Alexei)

“That would be much appreciated… But you are his sister, aren’t you? I thought you were the wife.” (Priest)

What, no, it’s not like that!

Don’t worry about it.

The fat priest seems to be in-charge of this shrine. He showed me the statue of the goddess, which is not usually open to the public. It was a small wooden statue about fifty centimeters high, but it was a very beautiful carving of a figure looking up at the heavens.

It is said to be the most beautiful statue of this goddess in the Imperial Kingdom.

3rd POV

“She’s beautiful. She looks like you, after all.” (Alexei)

Alexei smiled, but Ekaterina felt heartbroken. She believed she looked like her mother.

Alexei immediately noticed her expression. Gently, she hugged Ekaterina’s shoulders and whispered.

“If you wish, I can welcome the goddess to our mansion.” (Alexei)

…No, wait, Big Brother.

Does that mean you’re going to buy this statue or something? No. It may not be a world heritage piece like the treasure the High Priest had shown me earlier, but it’s still worth something like an important cultural asset. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to take it for private use. I don’t want it to be wasted.

“…I think that this goddess should belong to all the people who visit the temple.” (Ekaterina)

Ekaterina shakes her head, and Alexei smiles.

“Well, you really are very considerate.” (Alexei)

Ekaterina’s POV

Ah, siscon filter activated.

Anyway, Alexei offered to let the chief priest and the little fat priestess make a copy of this goddess statue.

There is no portrait of my mother Anastasia in the Duke’s residence. There used to be a portrait of Anastasia in the room where the portraits of successive dukes and their families were displayed, but after my grandfather Sergei died, my grandmother burned it down.

As a replacement, he wanted to display a copy of the statue.

That’s Big Brother… requesting to have a duplicate is practically just a drop in the bucket.

“That’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure Mother will be very pleased.” (Ekaterina)

I’ll display it in front of the portrait of my father, the man she fell in love with so much.

She should be a strong and beautiful goddess who could defeat even the Sun God, and she should elbow my father in the face who was a Hikaru Genji incarnate, a scum. But my mother wasn’t that kind of woman, but if she were ever to be reborn, I hope she would be that strong.