Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#34.

Those who had barred Octavia’s entry, treating her as a tainted presence, fell silent in an instant.
“Thanks to your kindness, I arrived comfortably. The technology of Ludovisi never ceases to amaze. Surely this too is a blessing from the God of Order.”
It was clear that capital had been mobilized to welcome them lavishly, and the gift offensive had apparently succeeded in securing their favor.
Yet no one dared speak after witnessing a figure of such prominence personally escorting them.
Chloe fled toward the Waiting Room. Roughly fifteen minutes remained before the ceremony began.
She turned to the priest attending her.
“Why has the Saint of Lucifer Empire come here? Who summoned them?”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s ostensibly to observe the Prince’s ceremony.”
The illness of a royal with high succession rank was far more than a matter of life and death.
Even now, the political machinations of various factions played out over Prince Jeriel’s fate.
The Crown Princess and Saint Uriana, each harboring secrets they wished to conceal, would never have made such a request to the Saint.
Much less the Kingdom Branch Temple Society, unwilling to cede authority to the Imperial Church.
“Could this be a decision from the center after learning of Prince Jeriel’s condition?”
“Likely, the Saint seems to have visited out of personal curiosity regarding the miracle that befell you, Lady Chloe. Such occurrences are rare even in the Empire.”
The priest added, noting her darkened expression.
“Since the Kingdom’s Temple Society, possessing a Saint, holds independent operational authority, they will not interfere or intervene except in emergencies. This appears to be a fortunate opportunity for you, Lady Chloe.”
At the priest’s words, her eyes widened.
‘If it’s merely observation rather than intervention….’
In another light, wasn’t this an opportunity for recognition from both the Imperial Church and the imperial court itself?
If that came to pass, elevating Dominic to the throne and becoming queen herself would merely be a matter of time.
She, who had lived with the ambition to rise at any cost, clenched her fists as her heart swelled with emotion.
Just as her mother had said—she was indeed a child beloved by God.
This was no baseless confidence.

“Your mother was once strong enough to be considered a candidate for Sainthood.”

No information or records of her mother remained, yet the mere fact that she had possessed the highest-grade luminous stone proved she was no ordinary woman.
Then the priest’s cautious voice broke through her reverie.
“Lady Chloe, the ceremony will begin shortly.”
She rose from her seat, her gaze fixed upon the transparent, ice-like crystal hanging from her sacred pendant.

***

Before the ceremony began, Prince Jeriel, draped in white cloth, slipped away to catch a glimpse of the Crown Princess after hearing of her arrival.
It was simply because he missed his mother.
Outside the Guest Room of the Holy Temple, Prince Jeriel heard something shatter beyond the partially open door, followed by the Crown Princess’s furious voice.
His uncle Logan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, as if accepting punishment.
“How did this happen! That damned Saint of the Lucifer Empire is observing Jeriel’s ceremony? Stop the ceremony at once!”

The observation by Kelsedni Admiral, who refrained from unnecessary interference, was manageable enough, but if the Imperial Church sent their own representative, the situation would be entirely different.
They would raise all manner of suspicions under the guise of investigating the cause of shadow corruption, and might even cast false accusations upon the young princes.
“Those damned Imperial Church bastards. When I think of the humiliation I suffered at their hands after my husband’s death….”
When her husband, the Former Duke Ortega, had died, the Imperial Church conducted an autopsy and performed a soul ritual on his corpse, claiming there had been reports of contact with the Chaos Forces.
She ground her teeth in fury at the memory.
With the King bedridden and his passing imminent, the succession struggle was fierce—a time when even the smallest misstep could prove fatal.
Logan then spoke with measured calm.
“Your Highness, but it is true that even the Holy Temple Society’s healing has shown no progress. To save Prince Jeriel, the cooperation of the Saint of the Lucifer Empire has become unavoidable.”
“Countless lives hang upon my succession. A ruler who would sacrifice the many to save a single child has no right to govern.”
Logan stood unwavering, his gaze steady and resolute upon her.
“…It was your brother who took on the role of parent while you focused on matters of state. Now Prince Jeriel has no such figure at all, does he?”
The Crown Princess’s lips tightened, and she struck his cheek with a flash of flame.
Logan remained standing without flinching as smoke hissed from his cheek, leaving a burn mark that quickly regenerated.
“I intend to hunt down everyone who seeks cooperation with those damned Imperial Church dogs and cast them into the Abyss of the Heart Realm. No exceptions, regardless of who they are.”
She was a woman who had chosen the path of a cold-blooded ruler over that of a mother.
Logan had come precisely to persuade her, as Octavia had instructed.
But what neither of them realized was that Prince Jeriel stood just beyond the door, listening to every word of their conversation.
A child could not possibly comprehend the complexities of politics and the power structures of the royal family.
‘To Mother… I am a shameful existence.’
The child simply believed that his very being was an obstacle to his mother, a blemish to be hidden, and he fled.
‘I am an unnecessary child, it seems.’

***

Dong—
The sound of the chalice being struck to signal the beginning of the ceremony echoed through the hall.
Within the solemn atmosphere, the ceremony was commencing.
Octavia had ultimately entered the Ceremony Hall and taken her seat.
The Crown Princess and Logan Ortega were nowhere to be seen. May and April, Princess, had also declined to attend due to their duties in the Chaos Realm.
Surprisingly, Kelsedny Admiral was attending the ceremony without fail.
He sat beside Matteo, the Saint of Mercury.
Saint Uriana’s face bore more tension than usual.
Chloe, standing with the officiating priests, cast a glance toward the Saint of Mercury seated in the observation area beyond the barrier.
‘With the Empire’s Saint watching, the Temple won’t be able to cover up the Saint’s incompetence.’
She intended to prevent the Saint from concentrating properly. This ceremony was meant to be her moment to take the lead after hastening Saint Uriana’s exit.
Soon, Prince Jeriel emerged, draped in white cloth.
Through the gaps in the fabric, the child’s anxious eyes swept across the observation seating, which held more spectators than usual.
Realizing that his mother and uncle were absent, his gaze fell with sorrow.
Then, in the disappointed child’s eyes, Octavia appeared, smiling and waving her hand.
“Prince Jeriel! Let’s play catch after this is over!”
A startled priest could be seen making hushing sounds to stop her.
Prince Jeriel, watching Octavia who visited him every day, smiled sadly and ascended the altar.
“Chapter One, Purification of….”
“Ahhhhh!”
The moment Saint Uriana approached Prince Jeriel while ringing the bell, the prince let out a scream.
Someone had suddenly yanked away the cloth that had been concealing the prince’s grotesque appearance.
“What is the meaning of this!”
The High Priest shouted at the Assistant Priest who had removed the cloth.
Yet the Assistant Priest merely stared back at the High Priest with a bewildered expression.
“I-I beg your pardon? I was simply following instructions to remove the cloth as soon as the ceremony began….”
The Assistant Priest, having received false instructions, was deeply flustered.
“Oh dear….”
Those witnessing the prince’s body, entirely blackened by corruption, gasped in shock.
“All the ceremonies conducted thus far seem utterly meaningless. I thought at least the progression could be halted, even if complete recovery were impossible….”
“Even if this is a problem that none of the saints throughout history could solve, wasn’t Saint Uriana granted the title of Omnipotence?”
Some began to question the Saint’s abilities.
Under the weight of their gazes, Prince Jeriel curled his small body inward.
“Don’t look. Don’t look at me like that….”
Saint Uriana hastily covered him with the cloth and embraced Prince Jeriel, channeling her divine power into him.
“It’s alright… You’re alright, Your Highness. Please maintain your composure.”
Beneath the cloth, the child’s body trembled violently.
“Everyone, you must not be swayed by the schemes of the Chaos Demon. Please refocus.”
Saint Uriana turned to face the priests and rang the bell once more.
The Saint swiftly resumed the ceremony before the chaos within Prince Jeriel could surge further.
Ding—.
“First Rite, Scripture of Purification.”
The Saint’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
She gazed down at the sacred bell, enhanced with Ludovisi’s amplification techniques.
Her divine power had recovered to its former level, yet she could not shake the doubt gnawing at her.
‘In truth, even before losing my sanctity, my ability only managed to halt the encroachment—it was never enough to stop it entirely.’
Could I, unworthy as I am, truly save him even with the aid of this technique?
Silver radiance began to envelop Prince Jeriel, who lay curled upon himself.
That was when it happened.
Beneath the cloth draped over him, the Prince’s body—which had uttered neither scream nor groan—convulsed.
“Nngh….”
Like the violent torrent of a shattered dam, a sinister aura began to pour forth from the Prince’s body.
“It hurts.”
Amid agony that shattered both body and spirit into fragments, the child recalled the moment his mother had turned away from him.
‘If I die like this, will I finally escape the pain and become free?’
Through the desperate struggle to endure, Jeriel’s eyes suddenly fell upon his older brother, Lucas.
Since falling ill, Lucas had never once come to visit—nor had he attended the ceremony.
The brother who had hated him so much he would ignore his words was weeping.
‘If this continues, the rampage might hurt everyone.’
Suddenly, before Jeriel’s eyes appeared his Father, smiling tenderly.
The child reached out toward the vision.
‘Father, please take me with you.’
The moment he fully confronted the shadow within his heart, everything froze, draining into black and white.

“You’ve endured much. Now you are liberated from hell and become free.”

A gentle man’s voice came from somewhere.
The child felt no fear of the shadowed hand reaching toward him. Rather, it felt like a tender caress, a gentle embrace.
Soon, along with a sense of liberation, the anguish of body and spirit ceased.
It was the first peace he had felt since his Father’s death.

***

Prince Jeriel suddenly lurched upright.
He made no effort to hold the fabric in place, nor did he feel shame at his exposed form.
He simply stood there with a vacant smile, staring into empty space.
Instead of the silver radiance of the sacred, a pitch-black aura coiled around his entire body.
“…Mental collapse?”
Saint Uriana’s complexion drained to an ashen pallor as she gazed upon Prince Jeriel.
At this rate, he would spiral into a rampage. She rushed forward and embraced him desperately.
“Fifth Form, Scripture of Salvation!”
But it was useless. The Saint’s silver radiance vanished as though being swallowed by the darkness.
“No, this can’t be.”
Even with the Bishop and all the priests intervening, nothing availed.
Meanwhile, Chloe was in a state of profound panic.
She had never imagined the situation would escalate to such severity simply from removing the fabric.
Chloe hastily stepped forward, drawing out her sacred amulet necklace and beginning a consecration.
“By the radiance of order, steady the crumbling heart, scatter the chaos like mist….”
Soon she fell silent, sensing something amiss.
‘Why?’
Her consecration ability was inferior to before—something had changed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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