The Saintess Is Too Good at Lying - Chapter 106

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

The Holy Maiden Is a Master Liar! Episode 106
“Well, that is…….”
One of the guards hesitated before speaking.
“I would advise against venturing any further down this path.”
“Is that so? The way looks lovely.”
The Casablanca Lilies had bloomed large and full in midsummer, their beauty impossible to ignore. My eyes were drawn to them naturally.
“Is it dangerous?”
“Not exactly…….”
The guards exchanged reluctant glances with one another.
Unable to understand their hesitation, I furrowed my brow, but then one of them found the courage to speak.
“It is the Albus Garden, Your Holiness.”
……Where was that again?
My memory faltered for a moment before it came to me.
It was the garden that Queen Julia, Alfonso’s mother, had loved.
‘And Queen Julia lost her head at the guillotine for her infidelity.’
For Alfonso, it had become a place of trauma.
Ever since his mother’s death, he wouldn’t even pass near it.
‘Of course, if I were Justitia, I wouldn’t go there to be in Alfonso’s favor…….’
But what did it matter? He’d already discovered that I no longer cared for him.
I was about to walk past without a second thought when I changed my mind.
The guards still believed me to be Justitia.
Knowingly walking toward a place the King despised didn’t suit her at all.
‘And I haven’t the energy to bicker with Alfonso anyway.’
So I turned back.
The lilies were so beautiful even from a distance that I regretted not seeing them properly.
“You were here?”
I was admiring different flowers elsewhere when Alfonso’s voice reached me shortly after.
His hair was disheveled from hurrying. I stared at him blankly before opening my mouth.
“It seems you came in quite a rush.”
“Not particularly.”
[That is a lie.]
The result of my Lie Detection Ability flashed into my mind, and I let out a stifled laugh. I reached out deliberately toward his hair.
“If you’re going to lie, you should at least have looked in a mirror first.”
I moved my fingers deftly to straighten his hair, and he stiffened. I finished tidying it lightly and withdrew my hand.
“There. Much better now.”
“Where were you?”
He was embarrassed and changing the subject. I decided to be gracious and humor him.
“Just nearby. I was enjoying the flowers.”
The Cathedral gardens were lovely, of course, but they couldn’t compare to the Royal Palace Gardens. Just those lilies from earlier proved it.
Even though the place was relatively neglected due to the King’s displeasure, they bloomed abundantly.
“When you become queen, you’ll have all the flowers you could want. Which one was your favorite?”
“The lilies I saw earlier…….”
I answered casually, but belatedly remembered the location and my voice trailed off.
Yet I quickly composed myself. Surely lilies bloom only in the Albus Garden?
“The lilies were quite beautiful.”
I finished speaking confidently, and Alfonso’s expression became peculiar. Then a crooked smile appeared, and he opened his mouth.
“So you went to the Albus Garden.”
How did he know?
I looked at him while trying to appear composed, but Alfonso’s expression was one of futility.
“The only place in the Royal Palace where lilies bloom is there. That’s why the Deposed Queen loved it.”
Seeing him refer coldly to his own mother made composure even more difficult.
“……I took a wrong turn.”
“Yes, I’m sure you did.”
Alfonso’s face had gone expressionless as he looked at me.
“Surely you didn’t go there deliberately to anger me.”
“I would gain nothing from that.”
“You’re right. You’re clever, so I’ll trust you.”
His tone said one thing, but his mood clearly hadn’t improved.
I stared at him and asked quietly.
“Will I never be permitted to visit that place, even when I become queen?”
Alfonso regarded me with a long look.
“I heard that lilies bloom only in the Royal Palace Gardens. I’m rather fond of them, so it’s a shame I can’t visit there.”
“You liked lilies?”
Alfonso raised one eyebrow skeptically.
“I thought it was roses.”
Indeed, every time he visited, he unfailingly brought me a Rose Bouquet.
“Why not change your tastes? I happen to like roses.”
“Preferences don’t shift so easily.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“It’s all right. There’s no need to change.”
I wasn’t going to live here forever anyway. I swallowed the rest of the thought, and for some reason Alfonso’s expression grew cold.
“Why?”
“Because I can simply pretend to like roses.”
It was something I’d done before. Alfonso’s mouth twisted, as if he grasped the implication.
He laughed shortly, then suddenly cradled my face and drew it toward his. I complied with what he wanted.
“Right. It won’t be difficult for you.”
……
“But you must never let it slip. You know as well as I do that I’m a man who murdered his own mother.”
It was Alfonso himself, the blood son, who had witnessed Julia’s infidelity and testified against her.
Whether from a sense of betrayal, or in search of a way to survive by cutting ties with his mother—he alone knew.
“Make me believe you love roses until the day I die. Hide your fondness for lilies completely. Then everyone will be happy.”
“Everyone but me.”
“No. In exchange, you’ll win the King’s favor, and your son will become Scalia’s Successor King.”
Alfonso caressed the cheek cradled in his palm, speaking softly.
“You’ve been deceiving me charmingly for seven years now because you wanted this, haven’t you? I know everything.”
……
“I want to live with you for a very long time. I think we’d make quite a perfect couple.”
That could never happen, I thought with a smile, and withdrew his hand from my cheek.
“In that case, I’d better get back to my lessons.”
“I’ll take you.”
“I’d like to enjoy admiring the roses on the way there alone.”
The words carried an odd weight after our conversation. Alfonso gazed at me with an unreadable smile, and I replied in kind with a smile of my own, bowing my head.
“Farewell, Your Majesty.”
And without hesitation, I returned alone to the Educational Facility.
Naturally, Cassandro’s expression upon seeing me arrive unaccompanied looked as though he might collapse at any moment.
“You came alone?”
The way he was clenching his jaw was all too visible. He probably thought he was hiding it.
“I said I would do this, so relax. As Your Majesty said, there’s nothing dangerous here for me.”
“……I remained here because I trusted His Majesty’s word.”
His jaw tightened even more. At this rate he’d damage his teeth.
“Had I known you would treat the Saint this way, I never would have…….”
Then the corners of Cassandro’s eyes suddenly crinkled.
It wasn’t the expression of anger. It was the expression of someone enduring pain.
I felt a sudden surge of fear and called out to him.
“Sir Cassandro?”
Ungh……
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Cassandro clenched his teeth and pressed his hand to his forehead.
“My head suddenly……”
“Did I anger you that much?”
“No, it’s not that……”
His expression twisted again. Seeing him look even more distressed than before, I caught hold of him and spoke.
“You should sit down for a moment. Let me use my Holy Power.”
“That won’t be necessary. It will pass soon.”
“Sir Cassandro.”
“I really am all right.”
Since he was actively refusing, I had no choice but to wait for his condition to improve.
Slowly, Cassandro’s expression returned to normal. But there was something bewildered in his look.
“Have you always had migraines?”
“No. It was sudden…….”
He muttered the words in a daze.
“Sudden…….”
There was something oddly vacant in his expression. Seeing Cassandro like this—it was a first, and it struck me as genuinely concerning.
Rather than wait for his permission, I simply looped my arms around his neck.
Cassandro stiffened, but he didn’t resist. I drew him closer, pressing my forehead against his—the same way it had been the last time we’d shared vision together.
Holy Power flowed from me into him through the bridge of our touching foreheads. I heard the quiet rhythm of his breathing.
After a long moment, I released him. Only then did the clarity return to his eyes, sharp and steady as always.
“Holy Power works instantly, after all. Are you better now?”
…….
Cassandro nodded. I gave his shoulder a light pat and spoke again.
“Don’t be angry with me. I won’t do it again next time.”
Then I laughed softly and moved past him.
For just a moment, I thought I noticed his eyes were redder than usual.

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