The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 43

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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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# Chapter 43.
“Saintess, look here for a moment.”
Becky fastened the final pin and studied my reflection in the mirror for a long moment.
“……Is something wrong? Does it look odd?”
“No, not at all. It’s just that seeing you dressed like this makes me feel a bit strange.”
Becky’s nose twitched slightly, then she seemed to collect herself and began inspecting every detail with meticulous care.
“And this hairpiece — it’s not too heavy, is it? We can’t have you getting a headache when you’re giving the Blessing later.”
“It’s fine.”
“And this ribbon needs tightening again. You’re terribly careless, you know.”
I had nothing to say. Becky’s eyes glistened with tears even as her hands worked deftly, retying the ribbon.
“I’m going now.”
“Yes, Saintess. Please have a safe and peaceful day.”
As I boarded the carriage, Liam was already seated.
“Nervous?”
“A little. What about you?”
“To be honest, I’m somewhat anxious myself. I’ve never provided security for an event of this scale before.”
“So we’re both doing this for the first time!”
“……I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
“Then let’s help each other. If I see anything unusual, I’ll send you a signal right away.”
“What sort of signal?”
“Hmm, fanning my face twice with my fan?”
I lifted the fan from my waist, and Liam nodded seriously.
“I’ve already informed the Princess as well, just in case.”
“Separately?”
“Yes, by letter.”
Liam raised his eyebrow slightly.
“The two of you have been communicating separately?”
“Just a bit. Nothing important.”
Seeing me hedge, Liam didn’t press further. Instead, he smiled faintly.
“You’ve grown considerably.”
At those words, my shoulders lifted slightly with pride.
The moment we passed through the main gates of the Imperial Palace, I swallowed my gasp.
Towering ice sculptures twice the height of a man stood in rows along both sides of the approach, catching the sunset and gleaming a brilliant red.
Overhead, layers of colored lanterns hung suspended, casting shadows across the ground with each gust of wind.
‘I’m actually seeing something like this.’
A memory flickered past — trudging through autumn leaves scattered in the Orphanage courtyard, enduring winter in that place.
Back then, I didn’t even know a world like this existed.
“Is it all so fascinating?”
“……It’s beautiful.”
Embarrassed, I glanced away.
As we approached the enormous golden doors of the Main Hall entrance — doors that required four soldiers working together just to push open — a chamberlain struck the floor three times with his staff.
“The Saintess, Lady Diane, makes her entrance!”
Oh, goodness!
That voice reverberated through every corner of the hall.
The moment the doors swung wide, the murmur inside cut off as though erased.
With hundreds of candles flickering throughout the hall, it felt as though every gaze had suddenly fixed upon me alone.
‘……This is more overwhelming than I expected.’
The view from atop the stairs was breathtaking.
On a ceiling so distant it was impossible to judge its height, gods soared through clouds, and below them hung three chandeliers that bathed the entire hall in golden light.
Black and white marble tiles crossed in an intricate pattern across the floor, so polished that the figures standing upon it were reflected as clearly as in a mirror.
A small five-year-old girl standing alone at the top of the stairs made everyone lean forward with curiosity.
‘So this is the little Saintess.’
‘So young, and already at an occasion like this…….’
Whispers reached me on the breeze.
My face burned, but I straightened my back and descended the stairs one careful step at a time.
“Saintess!”
Gaitel emerged at the bottom of the stairs, waving cheerfully. Behind him, a familiar face appeared.
“……Your Highness?”
My words caught in my throat.
Her complexion was noticeably healthier than usual.
His face, usually tired no matter where he was, looked unusually bright today, and the formal ceremony robes he wore made his shoulders seem broader as well.
‘……What’s this? Why does he suddenly look so handsome?’
It was an absurd thought.
Over a seven-year-old, no less.
I hurriedly erased the thought from my mind.
“Well, I’m the Crown Prince after all, so I had to attend.”
Demian spoke in a flat tone.
“Your Highness. How have you been feeling lately?”
“Much better than before.”
I lowered my voice slightly as I asked Gaitel.
“What about that favor I asked for?”
“Ah, that. House of Rochelle is still checking whether the servant records from back then still exist, and House of Bern will probably take a bit longer. Their record-keeping is notoriously sloppy, you know.”
“Can we learn anything more here today?”
“Well, today is just for everyone to enjoy themselves. But I’ll keep my eyes open regardless.”
Gaitel gestured subtly with his eyes toward the surroundings.
I could see a few unfamiliar servants paying closer attention than usual to the guests.
“Please come this way. This is the Saintess’s seat.”
Gaitel took my hand and led the way forward. Demian walked beside me, looking around the hall.
“I’ve never seen one this grand before.”
“Your Highness too?”
“Yes. Well, the Debutante Ball is held every year, but this is the first time we’ve welcomed a Saintess born in our generation.”
Hearing such words made my existence feel extraordinarily special.
I fidgeted as I took my seat near the place of honor, at the station designated for the Blessing.
Looking around, I noticed the names of familiar noble houses.
‘Somewhere among these people, someone must know the people mentioned in that newspaper article.’
The names of the three houses I’d uncovered wouldn’t leave my mind.
As of now, I only knew their names—how they were all connected remained a complete mystery.
Once enough people had arrived, the Blessing ceremony began.
It wasn’t grandiose. I simply closed my eyes and let Holy Power flow gently through my fingertips onto the foreheads of those who lined up before me.
One person, two, three.
Each time I placed my hand, Holy Power flowed from my fingertips.
After passing about six people, a steward called out the next name loudly.
“The young lady of House Vallet, Miss Chloe Vallet!”
The curtain above the stairs parted, and a girl in a pure white dress appeared. Her golden hair was intricately pinned up, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
But something was odd.
My gaze kept drifting downward, not settling on Chloe’s face.
At first I thought I was the only one. But when I glanced to the side, the two noblewomen who had been chatting just moments before had fallen silent, their eyes fixed on her feet.
The hand holding the fan froze in mid-air, and the hand holding the glass went rigid.
‘……Why is everyone looking at her feet?’
Beneath the hem of her dress, the tip of a pair of red shoes peeked through.
‘Ah. So those are the red shoes.’
Then the owner of the red shoes was Chloe? That was ominous.
As she descended the stairs, step by step, she appeared graceful and composed.
But from that moment on, the air throughout the hall felt pulled taut by an invisible thread.
“May the Blessing be with you.”
I placed my hand on her forehead.
Nothing happened.
Chloe smiled brightly, offered her greeting, and headed toward the center of the Ballroom.
‘……Are they really just ordinary shoes?’
But everywhere she passed, people’s eyes still followed her feet.
Conversations continued, yet their eyes remained fixed in that direction.
Only after I had bestowed the Blessing on the last debutante could I finally take a breath.
“Saintess, look at that, if you please.”
A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. Where Liam pointed, a few young children had been caught stealing chocolates near the dessert table while trying to avoid the adults’ gaze, and were now being scolded.
“How adorable.”
“Hehe, no one can resist chocolate.”
As we exchanged such trivial remarks, I gradually let the tension ease from my shoulders.
Though not entirely.
In one corner of my mind, the red shoes and the gazes that had followed them kept replaying.
Gaitel approached and sat down beside me with a smile.
“How is it, Saintess? Not as dramatic as you expected, is it?”
“I suppose not. But haven’t you noticed everyone’s been staring at Miss Vallet’s feet since earlier?”
“……Is that so? I hadn’t really noticed.”
Gaitel dismissed the observation without much concern.
Ah. Was it because of the Red Shoes? she murmured to herself.
At those words, she wondered if perhaps she was the only one being oddly sensitive about it, and her heart wavered again.
‘No, it’s still better to be careful.’
As the tension that had filled the opening moments began to ease, the musicians finished tuning and gradually started the prelude to the first piece.
One by one, people took each other’s hands and gathered toward the center of the Ballroom.
Chloe took her partner’s hand and moved toward the center as well.
I rested my chin in my palm, watching the scene unfold, yet my gaze never left Chloe’s feet.
The first note sounded.
And in that moment.
“……Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. I just felt something odd a moment ago.”
It seemed Liam had sensed it too.
The orchestra continued playing. But something felt subtly off—the rhythm seemed fractionally misaligned.
Tap.
Chloe’s foot touched the floor half a beat behind the music.
The eyes of those around her began turning toward her, one by one.
This time, it wasn’t just me.
The entire hall was slowly being drawn in, converging on Chloe alone.
Among the crowd whose eyes had already begun to glaze over, Chloe’s expression twisted with bewilderment.

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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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