༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (58) ༻
The frequency of Cien’s visits to Ian’s hospital room increased as the days went by.
Of course, to do so was not a crime.
As one of the parties involved in the incident, Cien couldn’t be blamed for wanting to take care of him in the desire to apologize to Ian.
However, whenever the Imperial Princess visited Ian, like a sinner avoiding the light, she involuntarily suppressed her presence.
Even someone like Leto or Celine, who was well-known as Ian’s closest friend, or high-ranking nobles like Delphine and Elsie couldn’t visit his hospital room. Using her authority to meet Ian felt both embarrassing and awkward in such a situation.
They all waited in front of the temple and blankly waited for Ian.
While Celine crouched against the wall, looking down at the ground, Leto would sigh and slap the back of his head. This action would inevitably anger Celine, while Seria indifferently bit her nails next to them, her eyes devoid of life.
Emma made several trips to the temple, making an effort to bring food and potions. However, hearing that one of the causes of Ian’s injury was excessive potion use made her stagger back in shock.
Delphine, without saying a word, occasionally stopped by to receive a summary report on the situation from the priests and then left. That was the calmest reaction, but on the contrary, the priests treating Ian became even more tense because of it.
Once she arrived, Elsie would stand guard in front of the temple, rain or shine, like a faithful dog.
Elsie’s younger brother, Lupine, would occasionally come and tap her shoulder, and only then would she take a break to have a meal. Except for those brief moments, Elsie was always in front of the temple.
Those waiting for Ian were not only limited to them.
In addition, numerous people who had been saved by Ian also visited the temple to inquire about Ian’s well-being.
Leaving aside those individuals, it was an undoubtedly clear privilege that only the Imperial Princess was allowed to meet Ian.
So, whenever Cien reached the front of the temple, she would lower her head without fail and quickly rushed her steps. It was because she was afraid of meeting their eyes.
She still didn’t have the courage to confront their feelings.
No, in fact, she could already guess their harboring emotions. However, after facing them, it was likely that she would have no remaining decency to come and visit Ian as she did now.
Cien wanted to have some time alone with Ian, even if it was just a little.
Even though the latter was in a state of unconsciousness and Cien repetitively spent her time blankly staring at his sleeping face.
Nevertheless, today, the Imperial Princess arrived at the hospital room after a long time with a slightly lighthearted heart.
Finally, it came the day when she obtained permission from the Imperial Family to take out the Holy Relic.
When the topic of ‘Dragonblood Script’ was brought up, the Imperial Family suddenly cut off contact, but upon the princess’s persistent pleas, they reluctantly provided some holy relics worthy of sacrifice.
The Imperial Princess couldn’t hide her discomfort despite finally obtaining the holy relic after so much difficulty. After all, any holder of the Dragonblood Script was in a position to practically have free access to the Imperial Family’s secret vault either way.
The situation was such that, while it wasn’t difficult to bring out even one holy relic, she couldn’t help but think that the Imperial Family had made it purposefully difficult to do so for no reason.
Still, Cien’s mood improved considerably once she received the holy relics.
Although it was of a lower class among the secret treasures possessed by the Imperial Family, it was a precious thing that couldn’t be obtained even with ten million gold.
Holy relics were divine objects that absorbed the divine power when a god descended to the earth. Naturally, their value was immeasurable, and when priests used them as a sacrifice, their value multiplied several times.
No matter how severe Ian’s injuries were, with a relic like this, he could potentially be saved twice.
Of course, this was a case from when the high-ranked priest was doing the treatment, but it was irrelevant since the academy had the Saintess.
Surprisingly, even the Saintess had a change in her expression and seemed pleased when she accepted the relics.
According to rumors, the Saintess hadn’t smiled for a while, but seeing her bright smile upon accepting the relic indicated its undeniable value.
However, it didn’t take long for even that smile to disappear from the Saintess’ face.
Somewhat lighthearted, Cien ended up expressing her emotions regarding Ian after a long time.
“Is the temperature in this treatment room okay?”
“Yes, it is always maintained at the optimal temperature. Of course, there may be some slight errors, but…”
“Then, what about the humidity? Is ventilation good there?”
At first, the Saintess responded to the Imperial Princess’s words with a smile, but her expression gradually went stiff.
In reality, the Saintess was enduring a lot.
Regardless of what anyone said, the main cause of Ian’s severe injury was the Imperial Princess.
Although Ian had his share of recklessness, the Saintess could not blame anyone but the Imperial Princess from the beginning to the end, as she couldn’t bring herself to blame her loved one.
Nevertheless, the Saintess silently endured.
The Imperial Princess wasn’t to blame. After all, the true culprit was the Dark Order, and she was merely saved by Ian.
While she internalized some harboring resentment, the Saintess couldn’t go beyond that and blame the Imperial Princess further.
From the start, Cien was a member of the esteemed Imperial Family. No matter how high-ranked the Saintess was in the Holy Nation, the Imperial Princess still wasn’t someone that could be treated carelessly.
However, the patience of the Saintess had been constantly tested to the limit recently.
She could forgive those who sinned and committed mistakes.
But she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive someone shamelessly raising their head after doing such things, especially when Cien came to visit Ian every single day, gazing at him with an affectionate expression.
She thought the Imperial Princess would stop it if she ignored it. However, the Saintess couldn’t be benevolent enough to turn a blind eye to the situation where the man she loved was alone with an attractive woman.
Moreover, whenever the Saintess was distracted with something else, Cien would cast a forlorn gaze and shed tears by Ian’s side.
Each time, the Saintess had to forcefully suppress the rising anger reaching her throat.
‘It’s all because of you.’
‘To save you, the person I love got hurt. It’s not out of selfishness but solely because of the pure good intention to rescue you!’
In that moment at least, the compassionate and benevolent Saintess did not exist.
Only a woman who almost lost her one-sided love and was filled with resentment remained.
And today, with a little more trigger, it seemed that things had reached this point.
Snap! The sound of a ruptured blood vessel echoed from the Saintess’s forehead.
Nevertheless, the Imperial Princess, whose mind had already wandered elsewhere, continued to cluelessly express her concerns for Ian.
“And, I’ve been thinking since last time, but the scent in the treatment room doesn’t seem very pleasant. Perhaps we could use a more sophisticated fragrance… No, I will personally bring high-quality fragrances from the Imperial Family…”
“…You’re being ridiculous.”
With that sharply spoken remark, the Imperial Princess’s body stiffened in surprise.
Soon, she turned her widened eyes towards the Saintess.
It was a bewildered gaze as if to say that such a thing couldn’t possibly happen.
The Saintess of a Holy Nation saying that to an Imperial Princess?
While they were of a somewhat similar social status, and precisely because of that, there was a certain presence that couldn’t be taken lightly.
This was especially true when dealing with foreign dignitaries.
No human would boldly confront the other despite having similar positions in terms of hierarchy. If that ever happened, there were only two possibilities.
Either the opponent was their sworn enemy, or they were so angered that their reasoning flew out the window.
The Saintess seemed to be the latter.
Yet, the voice that flowed through those enchanting lips was so calm, leaving Cien with a dumbfounded expression.
“With what audacity are you saying such things? Do you not realize who caused Ian to be hospitalized right now? It’s because he was trying to save someone incompetent like you and your subordinates. But… What did you say? What about Sir Ian’s condition?”
“Uh, well, S-Saintess? I-I mean…”
In truth, being naturally fearful and tearful, Cien couldn’t respond to the Saintess’s anger individually.
Until now, she had managed to overpower others with the authority and arrogance of the Imperial Family. However, being nagged by a human of equal status in such an unexpected situation was an unprecedented experience for her.
However, the Saintess, whether Cien was intimidated or not, simply vented the emotions she had endured until now.
Instead, she let out a short sigh, sweeping her bangs aside with her left hand. Her light pink eyes held a sharp glint.
“Your Imperial Highness, let’s stop acting ridiculous here… Let’s not play the pitiful heroine in front of Ian. Got it? You’re not the heroine but the villain who tormented Ian and even threatened his family.”
Silenced by these words, Cien couldn’t even catch her breath. Tears welled up in her eyes.
She was now revealing her previously hidden tendency to cry easily. Nevertheless, in her eyes, there lingered a hint of doubt and distrust. It was a suspicion based on shallow common sense and trust, believing that, no matter what, the Saintess wouldn’t act this way towards her.
Meeting that gaze, the Saintess, while sweeping her bangs aside, flashed an irresistibly charming smile.
“…Why? Is this the first time you’ve encountered a Saintess who only speaks the truth?”
It was a single sentence that erased even a hint of doubt the Imperial Princess harbored.
Cien hiccupped.
When she gazed at the profound hatred and animosity with her light gray eyes, she immediately felt an urge to escape.
The Imperial Princess found the Saintess frightening.
Extremely so.
However, this was only the beginning.
