The Saintess Is Too Good at Lying - Chapter 19

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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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The Saint Is Such a Good Liar! Episode 019
Alfonso’s smile deepened as he seemed to gain confidence from my gaze.
“It was strange that the Church would suddenly take a stance against the royal family. You know it, and the Church knows it too. That I cannot break off our engagement with you.”
“…That’s not true.”
I shook my head and bit my lip firmly.
“If Your Majesty wishes to annul the engagement, how could I possibly refuse?”
Meanwhile, the gauge had been steadily climbing since earlier, and by now it had left only 0.1% remaining for today’s limit.
I should fill it quickly and be done with it.
Is this what they mean by a necessary evil? He’s annoying to keep around, but the gauge rises so reliably that it feels wasteful to discard him.
“Before being a servant of God, the Saint is Your Majesty’s subject. I would never dare to defy Your Majesty’s will.”
And with those words, I achieved today’s limit. I felt a sense of accomplishment, as though I’d completed my assignment.
“No.”
He suddenly placed his hand over the back of mine. As I flinched and turned my head, I found myself staring directly into those greasy eyes.
“I’m not breaking off our engagement, Justitia. I told you. My true feelings are for you.”
“…”
“You know I love you.”
Those unnecessarily beautiful green eyes gazed at me with an unwavering intensity.
A handsome face that seemed incapable of being desperate for any woman, a man with beautifully defiant eyes confessing his love—
What woman wouldn’t fall for it? I could understand why Justitia couldn’t let go of this man.
‘But there are limits to lying. When there’s not a shred of love in those eyes, talking about sincerity? Love?’
Now I realize I’ve been too modest. Compared to this man, I’m not even a liar.
“You can keep cursing me at social gatherings if you like. Until your anger is soothed, do as you please.”
His attitude of indulging me as though my actions were cute irritated me. As did his firm belief that I would marry him regardless.
“Only, I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from slandering innocent people.”
I let his sweet, coaxing voice go in one ear and out the other, but I couldn’t dismiss this last remark so easily.
“…What do you mean?”
“No need to play dumb, Justitia. You met with Lumiel yesterday, didn’t you?”
Ah, so that’s why he came. The situation suddenly became crystal clear, and I let out a quiet laugh.
why? Rumiella cried and said, ‘The saint framed me. Please scold me. ㅠㅠ’ I guess?
If this man is walking a tightrope between me and Lumiel, it would be difficult to pretend I didn’t hear.
“Lumiel is innocent.”
Since he can’t afford to make an enemy of me either, he’s come here acting unusually affectionate, making this request.
He’s quite industrious. Then again, meeting two women isn’t easy.
“I understand.”
“As expected, you’re clever.”
“So Your Majesty dragged the Cassini Noblewoman into your chamber, didn’t you?”
At my words, Alfonso’s expression, which had been gleaming with composure, suddenly twisted.
“…Why would you reach that conclusion, Justitia?”
“If the Cassini Noblewoman were unrelated to this matter, then her presence in Your Majesty’s chamber that night would be…”
I finished my sentence with a light shrug of my shoulders.
“There’s no other way to explain it.”
“That’s not it.”
Alfonso appeared quite displeased by my phrasing, but he suppressed it and spoke.
“It was just a courtesy visit, Justitia. As you know, Lumiel is my….”
“Your original fiancée, yes.”
I picked up the thread naturally.
“That’s precisely why I’m offering. If you wish it, I can dissolve the engagement whenever you please.”
Because I love you. When I appended this platitude—one I no longer even counted as a lie—Alfonso’s expression grew strange.
I scratched at his composure with an expression of calculated tenderness.
“But you still love me, don’t you?”
Instead of answering immediately as before, Alfonso merely furrowed his brow.
“I understand. That you love me, Your Majesty. That’s why you haven’t sent the annulment papers yet.”
“….”
“And you never will.”
At that moment, the light returned to Alfonso’s eyes. He drew his lips upward in a long smile.
“Exactly.”
Alfonso patted my head as though pleased with me.
“You understand well.”
When I looked at him with an unkind gaze, Alfonso calmly brushed away the tension at my eyes.
“Don’t make that expression, Justitia. I was worried you didn’t know my heart. But you already understand it perfectly, don’t you?”
“….”
“Then we’ve made up, haven’t we?”
Alfonso asked with artless confidence, and I let out a hollow laugh before countering.
“When did we ever fight?”
You were the one who picked a quarrel unilaterally. I swallowed the retort and looked at him, and a satisfied smile bloomed at Alfonso’s lips.
“Right.”
He grasped my hand and stroked it slowly as he murmured.
“Then I can assume we’re ending this matter wisely, yes?”
“What do you mean.”
“There’s no problem in our relationship.”
Alfonso spoke in a gentle voice.
“What you saw that day was a misunderstanding.”
I gazed at him intently before responding.
“I see.”
“What?”
“There may be no problem in our relationship.”
I withdrew my hand from his grasp and continued.
“But that doesn’t mean I can lie and pretend I didn’t see what I saw. You know this about me. I can’t do such things.”
“Justitia.”
Only then did Alfonso fail to fully conceal his true irritation. There was a certain thrill in watching the mask crack.
“What do you expect me to do, then?”
I stared at him for a long moment, then smiled sweetly. That was all. Let him go mad if he wished.
“I think I’ll retire now. I’m exhausted.”
“Justitia!”
Ignoring Alfonso’s call, I stepped outside, where Nora immediately gauged my mood and asked carefully.
“What should we do with this?”
It was a lavish bouquet of roses that Alfonso had brought. I accepted it from Nora, and as I lowered my head, a rich floral fragrance wafted up.
Since spring hadn’t fully arrived, these were quite rare flowers. I opened my mouth with a gentle voice.
“The flowers bear no fault. Simply place them in a vase.”

* * *
My life continued unchanged after that. I attended social gatherings regularly, proclaiming my love for the King.
My lie gauge had climbed to twenty percent. A remarkable achievement in just one week since meeting Alfonso.
My lips grew sore from repeatedly insisting that I would keep my word and that our relationship had no problems whatsoever.
Part of me had hoped for news of a broken engagement, but the fact that Alfonso hadn’t contacted me since that day suggested he truly harbored no intention of breaking it off.
Then again, in the original timeline, he hadn’t broken the engagement with Justitia until just before her execution.
“They say the Saint told everyone she understands the Cassini Noblewoman and has forgiven her. How magnanimous of her.”
“And she attends social gatherings every day now to defend the King, despite rarely leaving the house before.”
“Truly, she’s a model of a virtuous queen consort. If His Majesty loses her, he’ll be making a grave mistake.”
Meanwhile, my reputation continued to improve daily.
The sight of Justitia, who had lived a monastic existence, now bustling about to save her beloved fiancé, apparently struck a favorable chord with everyone.
On the other hand….
“The Cassini Noblewoman has been quite active in social circles lately, hasn’t she?”
“Yes, she keeps insisting it’s all a misunderstanding—that the Saint misinterpreted everything.”
“Well, I suppose that’s possible if she felt wronged, but… ah, I don’t know. It doesn’t look good.”
“My thoughts exactly. Why did she go alone to His Majesty’s chamber and cause all this trouble in the first place?”
Lumiel’s victim act wasn’t landing particularly well, which struck me as odd given her usually masterful social maneuvering.
In truth, Lumiel was in an impossible position.
If she simply stayed quiet, the affair would become accepted fact, and everyone would assume she was complicit and keeping silent out of guilt.
“…But how do you know all these things?”
The social gossip Nora relayed was information I could scarcely have obtained myself.
No matter how much of a victim I appeared to be, people found it awkward to discuss such matters in front of the involved party.
“Are you sneaking off to parties at night or something?”
“Saint, surely you didn’t realize there’s a fierce social scene right in the closest place to you?”
The closest place? I tilted my head in confusion, and Nora snapped her fingers and provided the answer.
“This very Temple, of course. The worshippers who come to pray have so much to say about everything.”
Ah… that makes sense.
“But if things continue this way, a broken engagement will be difficult. Whether His Majesty will brave the scandal of infidelity to take the Cassini Noblewoman as queen….”
Then Nora faltered and quickly lowered her head.
“I, I apologize. I spoke out of turn….”
“It’s fine, Nora. I feel the same way.”
I replied with indifference, my gaze drifting toward the roses in the vase that had already begun to wilt.
“Is he planning to just endure it like this?”
Alfonso still hadn’t made any public statement, but would things truly end well because of that?
‘…Now that I think about it, since he’s not being harmed, he’s just staying quiet?’
Alfonso might recover his image thanks to this, but Lumiel won’t.
‘Wow, if that’s really the case, the King’s son is truly garbage….’
…And the moment that thought crossed my mind.
“Saint, you have a visitor.”
The Priest arrived bearing news.
“Who is it?”
“The Cassini Duke.”
It was a name I hadn’t heard in quite some time. I smiled brightly at Nora, whose expression had darkened.
“It seems the only one who truly cares for the Cassini Noblewoman is her family.”
As it happened, I had no schedule today. I’d thought I might miss an opportunity to build my gauge.
‘The heavens are truly on my side.’
My older brother has come to corner poor me, it seems. Shall I go see what he wants?

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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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