The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 131

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 131

The next day, Artizea was advised to purify her heart and pray in a small prayer room.

The prayer room was narrow and rough. However, Artizea did not stubbornly refuse to do so. After all, there was nothing else to do anyway.

Hailey, who had been angry that such treatment was unacceptable, also became quiet around lunchtime.

This was because she realized that this was not simply the temple trying to break their spirit.

“Will you be alright?”

“About what?”

“I think the temple acting like this might be because they’ve decided to completely destroy the Grand Duchess.”

Even as she said this, Hailey felt somewhat awkward.

It was difficult to refer to Artizea’s mother as “the Grand Duchess” like a stranger in front of Artizea, or to associate her with words like destruction.

Artizea answered nonchalantly.

“Do you think the temple is trying to burn my mother at the stake?”

“Given the current atmosphere, it seems possible. If they had decided to accept Her Highness’s mediation proposal, they wouldn’t have acted like this.”

“That makes sense too.”

“I would rather—”

Hailey started to speak but then shut her mouth tightly. Artizea smiled faintly.

“I know what you mean, Hailey.”

Hailey did not apologize.

If Milaire were to be burned at the stake like this, Artizea would finally be able to free herself from the burden called mother.

Thinking about the future, it would be far better for Artizea herself as well.

“Unfortunately, the temple cannot do that. If my mother is burned at the stake, this time public opinion will flip and my brother and I will become victims. The so-called intellectuals will criticize the temple, saying that burning at the stake is a barbaric act.”

The public opinion supporting the temple would split in half at once.

First, the atheists would turn away.

In addition to that, those who think the protests are excessive but have kept their mouths shut because of the human sacrifice incident would start voicing their opinions.

There are always neutralists who pretend to be rational.

And the spread of the perception that the temple’s teachings are something only old-fashioned people or country folk follow is what Archbishop Akim hates most.

“That’s why my brother is foolish. If he decided to abandon our mother, he shouldn’t draw lines like now but should orchestrate things properly. It would be good to burn down the Rosan estate or have the temple burn her at the stake, then appear before His Imperial Majesty and wail.”

“That’s a frightening thing to say.”

“But that’s the way to minimize losses and safely escape from this situation. The incident would be quickly concluded and only a pitiful son who lost his mother tragically would remain.”

At Artizea’s cold words, Hailey bit her lower lip.

“Are you thinking of doing that, Your Highness?”

“Fortunately, I don’t need to go that far. I don’t particularly want my brother to benefit either.”

“Yes…”

“First, let’s try to meet Archbishop Akim.”

Artizea said so.

Archbishop Akim came to see her after evening had passed.

Archbishop Akim was a power-oriented person. Whether he admitted it himself or not, that was the case.

He was deeply devout and well-versed in doctrine. Not only was his scholarship excellent, but he was also fluent in ancient languages.

He knew philosophy and theology so well that he could explain any debate on the spot.

Even the most trivial-seeming passages in the temple became beautiful poetry with deep meaning under his pen.

He was dignified, his bearing was elegant, and his preaching skills were excellent. Among the nobility, there were quite a few who only participated in services that he personally officiated.

Even the Archbishop often deferred to Archbishop Akim.

‘A person who became a priest because he was a commoner.’

However, Artizea evaluated him that way.

If he had not been the son of a poor family, if he had been given an environment where he could study freely in places other than the temple, he would have displayed his abilities in the Imperial Palace rather than the temple.

His devotion was loyalty to the temple rather than true faith.

As loyalty to the Emperor often is, it was also loyalty to his own power base.

“It’s good to meet you, Archbishop Akim.”

Entering Archbishop Akim’s study, which looked simple at first glance, Artizea greeted him thus.

The rough wooden furniture had no gold decorations, not even brass.

The room was decorated only with all kinds of books. Books that couldn’t all fit on the bookshelves reaching to the ceiling were stacked up to waist height.

Artizea did not look around at such things. Even without examining them, she knew Archbishop Akim’s study well.

Among the reasons Archbishop Akim called outsiders to meet in his study rather than the drawing room was the intention to intimidate.

Ordinary people, when entering Archbishop Akim’s study, are first overwhelmed by the enormous amount of books. And they feel reverence.

Artizea did not think that Archbishop Akim had arranged his study unconsciously.

Dogmatic intellectuals are prone to backlash. However, he was a bishop, not a scholar or intellectual.

Those with faith respected Archbishop Akim, and those without were intimidated by his scholarship.

Of course, Artizea was an exception. She knew Archbishop Akim too well to feel reverence.

“This is for the sake of the Saint.”

Artizea recalled the conversation she had while sitting in this study.

“I think it’s natural for the most noble woman chosen by God to sit in the highest position in the secular world as well, Archbishop Akim.”

“I’m pleased that someone connected to the Imperial family understands such principles.”

Archbishop Akim was the person who, together with Artizea, led the manipulation of the oracle to make Lisia the Empress.

Artizea thought of him as an excellent politician and capable business partner. However, she had no respect for him as a cleric or scholar.

Without even guessing Artizea’s thoughts, Archbishop Akim asked.

“Wasn’t one day too short a time to purify your heart, Marquess?”

“My heart is always pure, Archbishop. I simply have a pitiful mother.”

Artizea smiled.

“Pitiful refers to beings like children who were about to be offered as sacrifices. Not someone who bore a child by a man not joined in matrimony and tried to perform human sacrifice to curse that man’s wife.”

“…”

Artizea thought it was strange after all.

Archbishop Akim could not really have been surprised or shocked by Milaire’s immorality.

He was someone who could cover up such sins without any concern if necessary.

What surprised Artizea was that she could feel not just no room for compromise but even hostility in his speaking manner.

It didn’t seem like he was strategically taking a hard-line stance first to gain an advantageous position in negotiations.

She couldn’t immediately present a negotiation proposal to someone who was speaking principles with a hostile attitude.

Artizea stated her position moderately.

“Since you are a wise person, Archbishop, you must understand well why I call my mother pitiful. I’m bewildered that you speak this way.”

Artizea said.

“My mother has been emotionally unstable for a long time. It’s my fault for not taking proper care of her and allowing her to fall to demonic temptation. I deeply feel that responsibility and intend to provide sufficient compensation.”

She didn’t even bring up other stories that might evoke sympathy for Milaire.

Such things were stories to spread when conducting public opinion warfare. There was no point in telling them to Archbishop Akim.

Instead, Artizea had already informed the temple of the scale of donations to be provided through other routes. She reminded Archbishop Akim of this.

After all, what the temple wanted was not really to punish heretics.

There were plenty of fake magicians, necromancers, prophets in the world. There were also heretical groups that believed in superstitions.

However, the temple had no interest in most of them.

Ultimately, this incident had grown so large because the perpetrator was Milaire.

What the temple really wanted was to regain its old authority. And Milaire was the perfect target to display that authority.

However, taking this matter to the extreme was also burdensome for the temple. Unlike protest groups that disappear when disbanded, the temple could not help but think about the future.

Just as the Imperial Palace was concerned about the temple, the temple also had to be concerned about secular power.

If they burned Milaire at the stake, they could earn the resentment not just of the Emperor but of her children.

The Duchess of Evron was Milaire’s daughter. Moreover, if Lawrence became Emperor, it would be even more troublesome.

Even if they just let it pass for now, throughout Lawrence’s reign, the temple would have to bear that burden. He would be able to strike at the temple at any time under the pretext of avenging his birth mother.

That’s why there were many within the temple arguing to end things at an appropriate point.

Therefore, Artizea’s mediation proposal was the best answer.

Instead of excommunicating Milaire, they would announce that she would be confined as someone possessed by demons. Taking care of the insane was originally something the temple did anyway.

In practice, the main house of the Rosan Marquess family would be turned into a monastery, and Milaire would be confined for life under the pretext of being a novice nun.

It would be even better if Milaire appeared at the trial shedding tears in repentance, and Artizea herself went to plead on her behalf.

Even if that weren’t the case and Milaire were to rant and rave with cursed words, they could display their dignity by showing her being dragged away by the temple.

This would be sufficient to establish the temple’s authority.

Moreover, since it was accepting the biological daughter’s mediation proposal, family resentment would also disappear.

Since Milaire wouldn’t be moved to a harsh place but would remain where she currently lived, it could also comfort the Emperor’s heart.

It was a moderate mediation proposal that caused no loss to anyone.

In addition to that, Artizea intended to pay the temple a lump sum of the pension she was giving Milaire as a token of gratitude.

All the assets that Milaire currently possessed would also be donated.

Moreover, the Rosan Estate had both historical significance and value as property.

Archbishop Akim would already know that this proposal would produce optimal results for the temple as well.

But he snapped with a fierce expression.

“Marquess, what do you take the temple for?”

“…”

“You’re young but you’ve already developed bad habits. There were already too many in the temple who excessively favored you, so I investigated a bit.”

Archbishop Akim threw a thick bundle of documents in front of Artizea.

“From errand boys to high priests, there’s no one who hasn’t received your ‘tokens of sincerity.'”

“…”

“In this sacred temple, do you think money can accomplish anything?”

“…They were merely ‘tokens of sincerity’ as the words suggest.”

Artizea consciously wore a faint smile.

“Surely you don’t think Father Colton maintains friendship with me because of my ‘tokens of sincerity’?”

There were about two possibilities she could guess at.

Since she couldn’t be certain which one it was, Artizea chose one side to lightly probe.

And as expected, Archbishop Akim’s complexion changed.

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