The Saintess Is Too Good at Lying - Chapter 63

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

The Saint Is Such a Good Liar! Episode 063
I wanted to remain at the ballroom longer, but my energy had completely depleted, so I ultimately had to concede.
While I dozed off briefly, the carriage arrived at the Temple.
As the door opened and I descended with Cassandro’s escort, a single rose adorning my dress fell away.
Cassandro knelt on one knee and fastened it back onto my dress. I laughed and stopped him.
“There’s no need. I’ll be removing it soon anyway.”
“Even so.”
I watched the man silently attach the rose, then impulsively asked him a question.
“Did you give a rose to anyone?”
Cassandro lifted his head with a bewildered expression.
“I did not receive one.”
“You could have received one, couldn’t you? I understand there are no restrictions for Holy Knights.”
“I didn’t attend that gathering for such purposes.”
“That may be true, but… someone might be waiting for your rose.”
“Who would that be?”
“You’re the only one unaware of how popular you are.”
In fact, Cassandro’s name came up quite frequently during today’s conversations. How could it not?
A Holy Knight so handsome, tall, and well-built, and skilled in combat besides.
“Come to think of it, you have something even better than a red rose.”
Throughout Scalia at this time of year, red roses bloomed abundantly, but in exactly one place—the Grand Cathedral of the Monastery—white roses blossomed.
I plucked a single rose from the nearby blooms and pinned it to his chest.
“If there’s a noblewoman you have feelings for, you could pin this on her. It’s more special, so she’ll appreciate it more.”
“Like the rose brooch you received today.”
An unexpected question came back at me, and I was momentarily flustered.
I couldn’t bring myself to deny it, so I remained silent, and Cassandro quickly apologized.
“My apologies. That was thoughtless of me.”
“No, it wasn’t thoughtless exactly….”
I felt embarrassed and scratched the back of my head.
“It seems I overstepped. You might not have feelings for any noblewoman.”
Just as I was about to take back the rose I’d given him, Cassandro urgently grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“This is mine.”
He spoke seriously, then seemed to panic greatly a moment later. Wait, shouldn’t he have panicked when he grabbed my wrist just now?
“Since you gave it to me.”
After a brief pause, Cassandro’s lips trembled slightly, and he lowered his head.
“…My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. It would be strange to give something and then take it back anyway.”
I added playfully.
“So there is a noblewoman you want to give a rose to?”
“There is not.”
“Then why did you grab my hand so urgently just now?”
“That’s….”
Cassandro’s earlobes flushed crimson in an instant. Seeing his reaction, I laughed—until he suddenly splashed cold water on my amusement.
“Congratulations on your marriage.”
My laughter died. When I turned my gaze away, he met my eyes with an unreadable expression.
“Are you happy?”
I still had 0.5% of my gauge allocation remaining. How wonderful it would be to fill it completely today.
“…Yes.”
Speaking that simple lie felt strangely like swallowing sand—my mouth grew rough and uncomfortable. As if to prove it was a perfect deception, the remaining gauge filled instantly.
“You should be happy.”
That loaded addition was the only scrap of conscience I could show him.
* * *
When I woke the next morning, an unexpected gift had arrived.
“My goodness, I’ve never seen such an enormous bouquet!”
Nora approached me, cradling a massive arrangement of roses.
Blue roses. A color that couldn’t exist naturally. They had been dyed with divine power.
It was obvious who had sent them.
“They’re absolutely beautiful! The Archbishop is so thoughtful and attentive.”
“It appears to be a wedding congratulations gift.”
Despite my indifferent response, the flowers were indeed lovely.
While Nora arranged the blue roses in a vase, I dressed in my vestments and went to the Prayer Room as usual.
Formoso had already arrived and was offering prayers.
I didn’t acknowledge him deliberately, simply standing quietly—but he noticed keenly and turned around.
“Good morning, Saint.”
His long dark crimson hair, reminiscent of dried blood, cascaded down as he bowed his head.
I made the same respectful gesture and approached him.
“Thank you for the bouquet you sent.”
“Did you like it?”
“Yes, it’s quite unique and beautiful to look at. It will be the most memorable wedding gift.”
Formoso’s lips, which had been curving upward through my previous response, stiffened at the end.
“…Marriage?”
“I assumed you sent it as a wedding congratulations gift.”
Could he not have known? Then why did he give me the rose bouquet?
“…Excuse me for a moment.”
Before I could ask, Formoso covered his face and hurried past me.
What? Did something suddenly make him feel unwell?
“You have an external appointment this afternoon, don’t you? It seems you’re in a hurry.”
Nora, flustered as well, offered an explanation while watching my reaction. I nodded casually and asked.
“What time is the rose presentation ceremony?”
“At 2 PM, Saint.”
There was still plenty of time. It seemed I could proceed with my usual duties and depart without being late.
I had an early lunch and arrived at Rose Square about two hours before the event.
The noble ladies from the Volunteer Group participating in the event, along with Clarissa and Lumiel, were already there.
“Thank you all for coming. I’m counting on your help to make this year’s event a success.”
This was Lumiel’s first time attending. I turned to her and spoke.
“Since it’s your first time, please don’t push yourself too hard. If you encounter any difficulties, just let me know.”
“I will. Thank you for your consideration, Saint.”
Lumiel, dressed in angelic white, smiled softly.
I gazed at her for a moment, smiled in return, then asked Nora loudly enough for others to hear.
“You’ve completed all the safety inspections on the roses, haven’t you?”
“Yes, the priests have inspected everything.”
“Good. Roses aren’t poisonous plants, after all.”
Just to be safe, I added, and the noble ladies listening in laughed merrily.
“The Saint is truly thorough. Thanks to you, we can participate in the event with peace of mind.”
“You’re all distinguished individuals, so it’s only right to prepare carefully.”
No matter how I thought about it, roses were the only thing Lumiel could possibly cause trouble with.
“Then I’ll be counting on you all today.”
After greeting the noble ladies who had helped, I went to my designated area.
There was still time before the event started, so I was checking on the roses when Nora suddenly whispered in my ear.
“The Cassini Duke is over there.”
At this unexpected news, I turned my head and saw that Sergio was indeed looking in my direction.
But for some reason, his expression looked downcast and even serious.
‘Did he come looking for Lumiel?’
As I casually approached him, Sergio flinched and looked at me.
Looking closely, his condition seemed quite poor—it appeared he hadn’t slept a wink last night.
“The Cassini Noblewoman is over there.”
“I came to see you. Come with me.”
With that, he led me away to a secluded spot.
He even wanted me to dismiss Cassandro.
“It would be better if you sent him away, Justitia.”
I initially refused, but he was so insistent that I eventually gave in to his wishes.
“Why did you come to see me?”
“You really don’t know?”
His voice sounded angry. Wondering why, I thought back and remembered something.
Ah, yesterday I had lied and said I received roses from Sergio.
“What was your reason for saying such a thing?”
“You came because of what I said yesterday, didn’t you?”
To his pointless question, I sighed briefly and answered.
“If you said you threw them away, I thought the Noblewoman would be hurt even more.”
“But did you need to broadcast to everyone that I gave you roses?”
At his unexpected words, I stared at Sergio with a blank expression.
It didn’t sound like a lie, but I needed to be certain. I activated my lie detector.
[It is the truth]
The status window flickered like a lie.

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