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Noah scoffed as he stepped closer to me. “So, you passed the Ivory Tower’s exam, huh?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Come on, be honest. You must’ve used some kind of trick, just like you did in that warehouse.”

“No, I didn’t.” I shook my head confidently.

In the warehouse, I had used magic, but in the Ivory Tower exam, I relied on intuition—completely different tactics.

“Don’t lie! The way gold coins rained down from the sky back then—”

Noah was about to shout more accusations but caught himself, glancing at Lily and the other maids. It seemed he didn’t want them to know too much about how he’d been embarrassed before.

“Anyway, I know you’re fooling everyone with some trick. You’re not a real Saintess.”

Noah looked me up and down with a sneer. “Well, you won’t be wearing these fancy clothes at Elpinard for much longer, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

“What do you think? Your con is almost up, that’s what I mean.” Noah’s voice was laced with arrogance as he tilted his chin up. “Father said that soon the central church’s priests will come to Elpinard. They’re going to take you to Kydsha and test you, expose you as the liar you are!”

Kydsha? A test? This was the first I’d heard of it.

I turned to look at the maids, wondering if they knew anything about this. But judging by their shocked expressions, it was clear they were as clueless as I was.

‘So they didn’t know either.’

Noah’s confidence suggested he wasn’t lying. ‘They’re planning to send me back to Kydsha…’

From Duke Elpinard’s perspective, it made sense. I wasn’t his real daughter, and he had no solid reason to oppose the central church taking me back.

‘And to the Duke, I’ve probably been nothing but a troublesome burden.’

Being asked to return a child he had been forced to take in would likely be a relief for him.

“No, that can’t be true,” Lily stammered, her face drained of color. Rose and Daisy, equally pale, quickly echoed her sentiment.

“Yes, that’s right. The Duke would never send the young lady to Kydsha.”

“Of course not. He’s even ordered a grand celebration for her upcoming fifth birthday…” Daisy trailed off, realizing too late that she had said too much, clapping her hands over her mouth in shock. Lily and Rose exchanged worried glances with Daisy, clearly regretting the slip.

“Oh, so Grandpa is planning a birthday party for her?” Noah grinned, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Then that must be it. The last supper!”

His smug, gleeful smile was infuriating.

“Even criminals get treated well before they’re executed. Don’t you think your birthday party is just the same?”

* * *

Noah’s bombshell remark abruptly ended our walk. The Flower Trio—Lily, Rose, and Daisy—were more shaken by it than I was, and it was clear that they couldn’t enjoy a leisurely stroll anymore.

“It can’t be true, Miss,” Lily declared firmly the moment we returned to my room, trying to reassure me.

‘I’m really fine, though,’ I thought. But seeing the three of them so distressed started to make me feel uneasy as well. It wasn’t the idea of leaving the Elpinard estate that bothered me, but rather the fact that the central church was now taking serious action.

I was the Saintess acknowledged by Bael. ‘If my position is this unstable…’

It implied that Bael’s standing within the central church wasn’t as solid as it used to be.

‘Back when I returned to Kydsha after slaying the Mad Dragon, Bael was a strong candidate for the next Pope.’

Back then, not only Bael but also the other members of our expedition were on the rise. Axel becoming the head of the Magic Tower and Servian being elected president of the Imperial Academy both happened right after we defeated the Mad Dragon. And Kirke’s ascent to the throne as Emperor went without saying.

While I, as a dark mage, had inherent limitations, I had assumed the others would continue their rise without setbacks.

But something must have happened within the central church during that time.

As I pondered this seriously, rubbing my chin, the three maids grew increasingly worried, their faces turning pale.

Realizing my mistake, I quickly forced a smile. “It’s okay. I was originally part of the temple, after all.”

“Miss…” Lily’s voice trembled as she and the others seemed to misinterpret my attempt at reassurance as me pretending to be fine despite my sadness.

“…This won’t do.” Lily suddenly clenched her fist with determination. “Master Axel is close to you, so he will surely convince the Duke to let you stay.”

“Axel… will?” I repeated, surprised. Would he really?

Given how we constantly bickered, I imagined Axel would be more likely to suggest, “Is there any need to bother with a final feast? Let’s just send her to the temple immediately.”

But Lily seemed utterly convinced. “Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll explain the situation to Master Axel and ask him for help!”

* * *

‘What in the world is this nonsense?’

Axel frowned deeply as he made his way to the Duke’s study. When Lily had approached him with a determined look on her face, he hadn’t thought much of it. He assumed it was just another regular report about Reshia’s daily activities, something he was used to receiving periodically.

But Lily, on the verge of tears, had told him something completely unexpected.

“The central church in Kydsha is sending people soon. They’re going to test whether the Saintess is genuine or not… It seems the Duke has already decided to send her away.”

Axel found this hard to believe. Even though the Duke had taken in Reshia somewhat reluctantly, he was the one who had given her the “Elpinard” name.

The Duke valued the weight of the name “Elpinard” more than anyone. It was hard to believe he would simply send Reshia “Elpinard” off to the temple without a fight. However, if Lily’s concerns were genuine, it was possible that the central church’s arrival was imminent. Axel, maintaining his usual upright posture, quickened his pace as he approached the Duke’s study.

He entered the study without knocking or making any other announcement. After all, his father would have sensed his son’s urgent approach from the far end of the corridor. However, it wasn’t Duke Elpinard who greeted Axel inside the study.

Instead, it was Baron Rishier Logan, the Duke’s closest confidant, who was seated behind the desk. Rishier had been a friend to Axel since childhood, and their relationship was more like that of brothers.

“Logan?” Axel addressed him informally, as was their habit.

Rishier looked up from the mountain of documents he was buried under, revealing dark circles under his eyes that suggested he hadn’t had proper rest in days.

“Where’s my father? And why are you holding down the fort?”

“Ah…” Rishier sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair as if utterly exhausted. “His Grace has left for the Kreutz Duchy. He said there were matters he needed to deal with personally.”

“The Kreutz Duchy? I wasn’t informed of this.”

Axel frowned. For his father to make such a move, it had to be something significant. Yet, despite living in the same estate, Axel hadn’t noticed any signs of a large-scale operation. 

“Yes, it was a sudden departure. His Grace wanted to strike before Kreutz had time to prepare. Said it was best to hit fast and withdraw quickly.”

“Sounds like he’s going to war,” Axel remarked with a wry smile. It wasn’t as if his father was planning a military ambush. After all, formally approaching the gates of the Kreutz Duchy wouldn’t change much, whether Kreutz was prepared or not.

Rishier sighed again, more deeply this time, as if the weight of the situation was too much. “In a way, it might as well be war.”

“What do you mean?” Axel asked, narrowing his eyes.

“His Grace is heading there alone to… well, kidnap the Duke of Kreutz’s son.”

“What?” Axel’s eyes widened in shock. “Kidnap?”