The Saintess’s room was filled with various priests as well as other important dignitaries. But the Cardinal kept them all at bay and became the person closest to the Saintess.
He prayed hard for the Saintess to wake up, and Seraphina finally opened her eyes after a few hours, making everyone sigh in relief.
"Cardinal Flux, you did it! It must be because of your earnest prayers that the Saintess woke up so quickly."
Someone praised him, and Cardinal Flux straightened his back to show that he was proud while trying his best not to show it.
Instead of addressing the others, the Cardinal chose to turn toward the Saintess and focus on her.
"How are you feeling now, Saintess Seraphina? You gave us all quite a scare when you collapsed all of a sudden. If there is anything you need, you can tell me. I am your humble servant, and I will provide it for you."
Cardinal Flux was flexing his importance and usefulness in front of the Saintess, and this served two purposes.
One, he could make the people believe that he was close to the Saintess and force out any competition that wanted to become her caretaker.
And second, he was cementing himself as a responsible and dependable person in the Saintess’s mind.
Seraphina’s reaction was a little slow, showing that she was finding it hard to concentrate on the situation at hand.
"Where...am...I? Teacher? Where-"
Seraphina looked around, likely for Grand Master Kael, and the Cardinal decided to act immediately and grab her hand.
"Saintess, please look at me. I know that the situation is a little confusing for you and you are not able to concentrate. But don’t worry! It will all get better soon. Just wait a little longer. Your head will start feeling much clearer."
Cardinal Flux had deliberately increased the strength of the controlling magic. Soon, Seraphina would be so intoxicated by it that she would not be able to tell left from right.
At that time, the only person she would be able to depend on would be the Cardinal, and he would finally win her over.
Slowly, Seraphina’s eyes cleared, and she looked a little more stable. She looked at the Cardinal with a trusting expression that made him grin in delight.
"What happened to me?"
Seraphina asked in a slow voice, and Cardinal Flux knew that it was his time to gain control over her. So he decided to mix lies and truth to weave a narrative that benefited him.
"The doctor said that you had Systemic Allostatic Dysfunction. He did not say what caused it, but one of the symptoms was stress. I feel ashamed that I never realized just how stressed you were while living with the Grand Master. If I had known, then I would have brought you back much sooner."
Cardinal Flux was good at theatrics. He was insulting Kael and highlighting his own importance in the same breath. He could already see heads turning and nodding along with him.
That made him continue his performance.
"Saintess Seraphina, I cannot express my regret to you enough. Since I have failed you, I would like to offer you the temple. Please come back to us. I swear I will spare no expense to ensure you are well taken care of."
It was a huge promise that the Cardinal made without blinking an eye. But he knew the Saintess’s nature, and he knew that there was no way she would ever take advantage of him.
Not only was she too timid, but she also lacked the drive to lead people.
Her best purpose was to serve as a shadow ruler for him under the influence of that magic.
"Cardinal Flux, are you saying that I collapsed because I was stressed? Do you think it is because I had no authority before?"
Seraphina questioned, and he smiled at the fact that she was asking important questions. He could twist her words and present them in a way that suited him.
"I am at no liberty to say anything. But since you said it yourself, isn’t that how you feel? Grand Master Kael is a good person, but he’s still young and self-centred. He is not at a stage where he can look after someone as important as you."
Cardinal Flux sowed the seeds of doubt and allowed them to sprout.
He almost felt proud when Saintess Seraphina opened her mouth again, but his smile faded just as quickly.
"Then, are you saying that the temple will give me all the authority? You won’t question anything I do or say, right?"
She asked, and the Cardinal nodded eagerly.
"That is right, Saintess. I promise I am your faithful servant who is here to serve you. I will never do anything to harm you."
Seraphina nodded and decided to issue her first order.
"In that case, can you go and get Teacher Kael for me? I have something to tell him."
Cardinal Flux felt his heart soar with joy. Finally, all his hard work had paid off. The Saintess would break ties with Kael herself, and he would be free to monopolize her talent.
"I will call for him immediately."
__________
’Well, how did you like my performance, Seraphina? Did I look like I had turned over a new leaf?’
Seraphina watched her body speaking with a detached look on her face. She was unhappy that she had not been allowed to act out this part.
But she knew that it was the right decision to leave all of this to her other self. She was a much better actor and, unlike Seraphina, knew how to hold back.
’Ah, don’t pout, my dear. We both know that you would have punched the Cardinal the second he said something about Kael, and that would deprive us of our chance at revenge, right?’
Seraphina slowly let the resentment flow out of her, and she nodded.
She knew that the voice was right. This was the right decision if she wanted to take the Cardinal down.
’Don’t forget. We are doing this for Kael’s sake. Let’s get rid of the Cardinal for Kael today.’
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