Anais looked at the Empress. The Empress was still laughingâleisurely, as if those words were nothing.
âIs it so. Letâs try it, Your Majesty.â
âYou donât have to, Wife. You are most definitely my wife, so what test do you need?â
âHohoho. You trust me like this.â
Seemingly satisfied with Kylianâs words, she stroked his cheek again. He stayed that way because he liked being in his wifeâs hands for the first time in a while, even though he was unfamiliar with the condition, where he couldnât think rationally. It was something Anais couldnât even dream of in the past.
âYour Majesty! Donât you know the bad energy I feel from that fake!â
âThe God of Death and the God of Life always hated each otherâs energy. But itâs like using the same divine power.â
âBut is the High Priest really real?â
The Empress looked at his face in disgust and then said, Kylian was unfamiliar with the expression Anais was making and shut his mouth.
âI wonder if that is the real High Priest of the Goddess of Life.â
Captain Lacey understood her words at once and drew his sword.
âAre you crazy? What are you doing!â
The Captain swung his sword and stabbed High Priest Raviel in the abdomen.
Lacey didnât care and put the bloodied sword back into the scabbard.
Anais shouted, unable to stand it any longer.
âWhat are you doing!â
âI told you. It was a test to see if the High Priest himself was a fake or not.â
âWhat kind of test is this! Youâre only venting your anger!â
Anais immediately ran out and headed to the High Priest. She hurriedly approached, forgetting that she couldnât even use her own divine power, and reached out her hand to the High Priest lying on the floor.
Seeing âLilithâ approaching, he opened his eyes and pushed her down. Anais fell behind and fell on her hips.
Anais knew that Lilith originally had a bad relationship with High Priest Raviel. She didnât know that it would be strong enough to refuse help even though he was so cornered.
âItâs because of you that I was brought here!â
Raviel stood up as his eyes, which had burst blood vessels, turned white again. After all, his body had enormous divine power, so he was recovering quickly, perhaps because he was overflowing with energy.
His body had only the trace of the sword going through it. Then it went on without leaving a trace. The traces that remained were only the torn clothes.
âA thing like you should have died the first time you were kidnapped⊠!â
âI guess weâll have to do more tests to find out. Captain.â
The High Priestâs body, which had fallen back to the floor, was greatly shaken by Captain Lacey. Anais bit her lip. Then she turned to the Empress.
âWhy did you bring the High Priest here?â
âYou said it earlier. You told me not to use the sacrifice I bought. So I came to find a substitute.â
âAnd it seems you donât like this either. Do you not remember how he acted towards you?â
The Empress covered her mouth with her hand as if she was really surprised. Kylian looked at the Empressâ expression and Anaisâ expression alternately, then fell into confusion.
âYour Majesty the Empress. The people you have spoken of are at the door of the audience chamber. Shall I ask them to come in?â
The knight who asked for the Empressâs permission glanced at the saint and the High Priest of Goddess Julias, who were slumped on the floor, and then walked past them and headed for the door.
âYou really donât remember, so Iâll tell you.â
There was no way the Empress would do something like this for Anais. More than anything, the expression on her face like she was worried about Anais was having so much fun doing this.
âLilith, when you got kidnapped as a child.â
âWho do you think had a hand in that?â
âYes. Itâs him. The reason you were sold like a slave.â
The High Priest seemed unable to speak yet. He wanted to say something, but his mouth was still full of blood, and his tongue couldnât regenerate.
âAfter you were born, he thought your position in the temple would be in danger, so he sent you away.â
âI beg your pardonâŠ?â
âThen you were kidnapped again.â
âThen the culprit is the same.â
Anais thought that the ringleaders who kidnapped her and Lilith were all dead. But what does this mean?
âBut Duke Percival killed all the ringleaders then.â
âThat guy was an exception. He left it for a while to kill after the coup.â
With the Empress saying that, Anais realized that the Empress didnât really know about this from reading the diary.
This was something Anais hadnât written down in her diary because she didnât want to recall it. Besides, she didnât know about the ringleader.
âSo thatâs why Iâm taking revenge. Revenge for both you and I.â
âYouâre grateful, arenât you?â
Anais was confused. That he sold Lilith twice all for the sake of his position in the temple. And how the hell did the Empress know this?
âYou didnât answer again.â
Anais raised her head and looked at the Empress. The Empressâs expression softened. As she stared at it, she heard footsteps behind her.
âGreetings to Your Majesties, Emperor and Empress.â
It was the High Priest of Death. And next to him stood Phileal and Leviathan.
âWelcome, High Priest of Death.â
âWhat is it, Your Majesty?â
âThey are accusing me of being a fake. I called you to speak in front of Your Majesty.â
The High Priest of Death looked at Anais and looked at High Priest Raviel, who was lying on his stomach next to her, trembling and covering his mouth with his hand.
âI swear to the God of Death, she is the real Anais.â
âThen why is High Priest Raviel lying in front of me and the Empress?â
Kylian remained silent before asking. He also felt a sense of discrepancy from time to time. She was definitely Anais, but not like the Anais he knew. The constant feeling of incongruity came to the fore the moment High Priest Raviel shouted that Anais was a fake in front of him.
His heart still beats loudly at the mere mention of her name, but ever since the Empress woke up, seeing her face made Kylian feel like he was looking at someone else.
âThat person has lied a lot since before. Doesnât Your Majesty know? Just as you almost lost Lady Anais before, it must be to confuse Your Majesty this time.â
Kylian was confused by the High Priest of Death speaking to him as if to warn him. He was the one who cut off his lifespan to save Kylianâs wife. Why would he lie?
The sound of rain hitting the blue stained glass of the audience room filled the silence.
Itâs raining. The terrible rain that fell on the day his wife died. He began to lose his temper again when it rained. Even if his wife was acting differently from before, itâs because she didnât have her memories. He had already suffered too much to be distant again just because of useless doubts.
âI want to bring that power to me here.â
âIt would be better to do it in the bedroom than in the audience chamber.â
âI want to do it here.â
Kylian wanted to do anything his wife asked for. There was nothing he couldnât listen to. He held the Empressâs hand without catching his breath for a moment.
âWife, wait⊠your handâŠ.â
His heart throbbed painfully. The nightmares of when his wife left him seemed to come back to him.
âYou look pale, Your Majesty.â
âWife. Can you please hold my hand?â
The Empress stared at Kylian, who was pale and was pleading with him.
âIâm really sorry, Your Majesty, but I donât want to.â
ââŠIâm sorry. I made an embarrassing request in front of everyone.â
He clenched his fists and had to calm himself down. He looked at the Empress and unknowingly turned his gaze to Anais in Lilithâs body. He was reassured when, oddly enough, her eyes met his.
âYour Majesty, go to your bedroom and rest. Iâm going to hold the ceremony here.â
ââŠNo. I will be here too.â
Kylian belatedly came to his senses when he heard the Empressâs voice and answered.
Kylian couldnât possibly separate himself from his wife. His insecurity paralyzed his reason, and his unresolved regret kept blinding him.
âYour Majesty! You will regret it! Donât be fooled by what that fake says!â
âYou still havenât come to your senses.â
âI can see it! Other people may not know, but how can I, the High Priest of the Temple of Life, not know! The soul in that body is fake! Youâre not the real Anais!â
Phileal frowned as he heard that. He then lifted Anais from the floor. She was raised by him so she suddenly jumped to her feet.
Anaisâs eyes, which Phileal looked at, were directed to High Priest Raviel.
âYour Majesty, trust me! Where is High Priest Lewarren! He would see it! That High Priest of Death is lying!â
âNo, even the High Priest of Destruction confirmed my identity.â
âIf you shut your mouth well, I will be willing to let you live, but why are you playing with your mouth like this?â
The Empress scowled, displeased and glared at Raphiel.
âYou are not Lady Anais!â
âYour Majesty. Look at that. That liar is up to something else. He has been running around and selling off his comrades with pathetic lies to survive, and he seems to be doing it again.â
Raphiel shouted in injustice.
âYour Majesty! Iâll bring the real Anais into that body! Give me a chance!â
He knew for sure that if he was deprived of his energy and divine power, he would continue his life as long as he was alive. Like a mummy. Raviel did not want to live like that. How has he endured so far?
âThen, what if something went wrong with Her Majesty?â
âHigh Priest Mephist. Are you even afraid? Seeing the High Priest of Death even pretend to care about others? Oh, right. You priests of Death always have such good manners, indeed.â
If it was another temple, they would doubt that the priest of Death was doing that. To be concerned about anotherâs welfare.
âI will show you right now!â
After saying that, Raviel stretched out his bloodied arm toward the Empress. Then he gathered all of his purifying power and unleashed it on her.
Suddenly, a large light filled the inside of the audience chamber. Anais, who was in Lilithâs body, collapsed, staring at the ceiling.
When she blinked her eyes a few times, the first thing she could see was Lilithâs limp body, hugged by Phileal.
Kylian was right next to her.