‘It must be because of this sense of responsibility that he went to Denesor.’

And now he’s trying to clear my false charges, probably…

I took a step back from Hades.

“Alright.”

“Alright?”

Hades furrowed his brows.

“This is it. What I really want right now isn’t to clear up this whole ‘your woman’ misconception, it’s to cure the disease.”

Hades looked as if he wanted to say something more, but I placed my index finger on my lips.

“Of course, I’m not thrilled about being misunderstood as your concubine, but there are many more problems to solve right now, so let’s prioritize.”

Silence ensued. Hades seemed to be deeply contemplating my words. I prayed inwardly.

Please, say you’ll do it!

I had a reason for not wanting the current situation to change.

There was no chance Hades would simply say, ‘It was a misunderstanding so far. So, from now on treat her merely as my guest.’

Clearly, he wanted to treat me as equivalent to the Saint of Donovan.

Which was not pleasant for me, who would soon have to leave Donovan!

“Understood.”

Finally, Hades spoke.

“So, you don’t want any formal changes.”

“Yes.”

I nodded vigorously.

“The problem will only grow bigger. Moreover, I don’t want to attract attention while so many imperial guests are here.”

Luckily, Hades seemed to agree.

“So at least until they leave…”

“Let’s do that.”

Hades cut me off.

“This is your issue, so I’ll handle it as you wish.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, Hades was fundamentally sensible and wouldn’t overreact.

‘I can rest easy about this matter.’

(This is the time marker.)

It took two full days for the ViceAmbassador Iscariel to find me. He came after treating not only the injured knights but also the minor patients in the castle.
Per Hades’ request, I stepped aside, allowing us a private conversation. But I knew. Hades would be standing right outside that door.

The slightest hint of anything unusual, and he would burst in.

“Saintess, how is your condition?”

I looked him straight in the eyes.

“You probably already know, Chancellor.”

Iskariel sighed.

“I do, but I still wanted to ask you directly.”

He stepped lightly toward me.

I stared at him, as if he had jumped right out of a game screen. I was now familiar with Hades, so there was a slight disconnect between him ingame and reality. But it was the opposite with Iskariel.

“Please give me your hand.”

My small hand lay atop his large one.

Iskariel muttered a few words with his eyes closed. I clenched my teeth. Could this man, heralded as the strongest of Leodel, actually heal me?

I felt a massive power transfer from him to me. Neither hot nor cold, the power itself slowly moved. My mouth opened. The feeling was exceedingly strange.

“……!”

I tried to speak, but no sound escaped. Panic slowly crushed me.

‘What if Iskariel considers me an enemy? What if he’s trying to erase me right now?’

Iskariel’s voice resounded clearly in the air.

“Why would you think that?”

My thoughts were being transmitted to him!

I tried to pull my hand away from him, but Iskariel’s grip held me fast.

“Saintess, I know who you are.”

“…….”

I hesitated. Yes, assuming that Iskariel wouldn’t know was foolish. Of course, someone of his caliber would have recognized my identity the moment he saw me.

“That’s correct.”

Iskariel looked straight at me.

“I knew who you were the moment I saw you.”

Ah.

I managed to pull my hand away from him. Or rather, he let go.

Iskariel seemed uninterested in reading my thoughts any longer.

“You’re right, Saintess.”

Iskariel gently stroked my cheek.

My heart started to pound. Despite anticipating what would come next, I tried to appear calm, wanting to deny the reality.

‘Even if he knows my identity… he doesn’t necessarily have to be hostile. I’m not a demon or anything!’

Finally, with a trembling voice, Iskariel spoke.

“You’re… my granddaughter, Angelica.”