I Became the Villain Saintess's Slave

Applause rippled through the hall, spreading outward in a wave as the announcement landed.

Every noble and dignitary in the room surged toward the main entrance at once.

Lucian couldn’t make out much of anything from where he stood, the Emperor’s own procession swallowed almost entirely from view.

All he could really see was the imperial guard itself, marching in formation, armor gleaming in dominant shades of blue and green, the imperial crown emblazoned across every breastplate.

The guards walked flanking the royal family on every side, closing off what little view Lucian might have had.

This was, in fact, the first time he’d ever laid eyes, or attempted to, on the Emperor himself. Despite once having been formally engaged to his daughter, Lucian had never once been granted an audience with the man directly.

By most accounts, the current Emperor of Bravenheart commanded deep respect, both within his own government and among the general populace.

Every major decision made under his rule passed through his own direct oversight, and the results spoke for themselves: a stable economy, and policies the public largely regarded as sound and reasonable.

Except for one particular habit that stirred real controversy among some of his subjects.

The Emperor kept up a personal hobby of hunting Dark Beasts, creatures found exclusively within the Calamity Forest, monsters carrying dark mana of their own, feared deeply by ordinary people.

It wasn’t the hunting itself that unsettled the public, though. It was the forest.

The Calamity Forest carried a reputation steeped in dread, tied to a tragedy eighty years past, when the Dark Beasts within it had broken loose entirely, tearing through cities across Bravenheart territory in a rampage few had forgotten.

Should the Emperor ever slip up during one of his hunts, the fear was that history might repeat itself. It was exactly that fear, layered over genuine admiration, that had earned him the nickname the people used behind closed doors: the Dark Beast Hunter.

Even this close, I still can’t actually make out his face. And I’ve been curious for a while now what he actually looks like, how strong he really is.

Lucian let the curiosity fade for the moment, resigned to not getting a clear look at the Emperor at all.

His attention drifted instead toward Isabella, who seemed just as fixated on the imperial procession as he’d been.

Something in her expression had sharpened into real focus, her eyes locked on something within that crowd that had clearly caught her full attention.

Lucian tried following her gaze, chasing whatever had snagged her interest, but came up empty, unable to spot anything unusual himself.

Something else nagged at him besides that, though: why was Isabella still standing here with him at all?

She’d told Nora and Adrian, back on the fourth floor, that she needed to file her report at the cathedral immediately. If she lingered here much longer, it would only feed Nora’s suspicion further.

"Archpriest Isabella, are you sure it’s alright that you haven’t submitted your report to the cathedral yet?"

Lucian worked up the nerve to ask, even knowing the question bordered on impolite.

It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to point out, either. Whatever each of them was actually working toward here, their goals seemed to overlap enough that keeping each other on track only benefited them both.

Isabella barely registered the question at first, still absorbed in tracking the movement of the imperial guard.

Lucian, noticing he’d been ignored, tugged lightly at the edge of her sleeve to pull her attention back.

That did it. Isabella blinked, refocusing on him at once.

He didn’t waste the opening, repeating the question, reminding her she was supposed to already be back at the cathedral in Peria filing that report.

"Don’t worry about that, Lord Lucian. The report will still arrive right on schedule."

Something in her tone carried absolute confidence as she said it.

By now, the imperial procession had fully entered the main hall. Behind them, another announcement rang out, this one introducing a family from the Seven Pillars of Bravenheart following close behind the royal party.

"The Seven Pillars of Bravenheart, House Versys, has arrived."

House Versys had long overseen and guarded Bravenheart’s southeastern territory.

Lucian turned back toward the main entrance. With fewer guards obscuring the view this time, he could finally make out House Versys clearly.

Their delegation stood out immediately, dominated by green attire and distinctive hats.

Fittingly enough, House Versys shared something in common with House Sarnel itself, Both families were renowned for their preference for Relic weapons.

The Sarnel family specialized in swords, while the Versys family favored bows rather than relying solely on Grimoires, as was customary in other regions.

One figure among them stood apart from the rest, dressed differently, carrying a presence entirely distinct from everyone around him. Someone approached to greet him directly, addressing him by name.

From the exchange, it became clear: the standout figure was none other than the Patriarch of House Versys himself, personally in attendance tonight.

So that’s what Galen looks like. He was actually invited here?

Relations between House Versys and House Sarnel had never been particularly warm, strained by past tragedies neither family had fully moved past.

For House Sarnel to extend an invitation to them regardless meant tonight’s event carried real weight, significant enough to warrant setting old grievances aside.

Another announcement followed shortly after, welcoming the next Seven Pillar family to arrive.

"The Seven Pillars of Bravenheart, House Pneuma, has arrived."

House Pneuma was widely considered the weakest of the seven, at least militarily, fielding barely any real army of their own.

Despite that, their Patriarch had built a formidable reputation as the empire’s greatest Alchemist. The wards protecting the imperial palace itself had reportedly been designed by his own hand, engineered to withstand direct assault.

The fortress walls surrounding Peria carried similar defensive enchantments of his design, capable of striking back against any enemy that dared approach.

While Lucian’s attention lingered on House Pneuma’s arrival, footsteps approached from behind, closing in fast.

"Sister Jeanne?"

Jeanne came to a stop directly behind him, taking in his appearance with open scrutiny.

She registered Isabella’s presence beside him quickly enough, offering the Archpriest a proper greeting.

But her focus kept snapping back to Lucian’s outfit, something about it clearly bothering her.

"Couldn’t you find anything else to wear?"

She seemed to be suggesting, gently, that he should have worn black like the rest of House Sarnel tonight. Lucian explained, honestly enough, that this had been the only thing he could actually find.

Whatever her reaction to that, Jeanne’s expression carried an urgency that didn’t match the moment at all. Without warning, she grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Sorry, you two, I need to borrow Lucian for a moment."

Rumelia and Isabella watched in confusion as Jeanne suddenly took Lucian away, their eyes following her every movement.

Something about how she said it, the speed of her movements, felt distinctly out of character. She was already hauling him toward the far side of the main hall before he could even process what was happening.

Do they already know something’s wrong with the domain on the fourth floor?

Lucian turned the thought over, confusion and worry both creeping in as his sister dragged him off toward wherever she actually meant to take him.

Eventually, Lucian was led away to a room deeper inside the venue. Guests along the way offered their greetings to Jeanne, but she paid them no mind, keeping her tight grip on Lucian as she dragged him forward.

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