Chapter 86 - 2.47

The Crown Prince must be clenching his fists in anger now!

The candidate that he had prepared was taken out because of this unaccounted variable. Who would've thought that the Goddess would directly interfere with the trials not once, twice, but all four times?!

There was no longer a need to compete any further. The winner couldn't be anybody else other than Ariel Maine, if they wanted to heed the Goddess.

Thus, as the glorious title fell into Xu Jiaqi's hands, she laughed merrily along with Ezra, the Goddess, and the System.

Did the Cardinal feel assured since it was Xu Jiaqi and not someone else? Did he? Then, she would personally shatter that assurance of his using someone that he wouldn't have expected to be capable of a betrayal.

Ezra Lancaster.

It was time for their plan to go one step further.

She had been suppressing the female lead and the male lead's sister indirectly throughout the candidacy period, making sure that their powers amounted to nothing next to hers.

What effects would this cause?

Although she didn't say it directly, she was opposing the Crown Prince by not letting anything go in his way.

The Crown Prince wanted to go up the throne with the Holy Land's influence supporting him, which was why he needed the Saintess to be his. Not only that, his sister was sent there not to take the position, but to establish her fame as a maiden of honor.

It was to build an image around his reign. That because the Holy Land and the Saintess was supporting him, it meant that him sitting on the throne was also the will of the Goddess.

It was a perfect seal to becoming a heroic figure.

But Xu Jiaqi came. The woman named Ariel Maine snatched the position and did the unthinkable.

Something had to be done sooner or later.

_____

One day, as she was taking a stroll around the garden, she was met with someone that she had been expecting for long.

"Candidate Ariel, may I have a word with you?" A man donned in obvious royal clothing appeared, attracting the attention of many as he approached Xu Jiaqi with a handsome smile.

It was the Prince of Varadan Empire.

"Prince Caelum." Xu Jiaqi quickly performed a curtsy before raising her head. Since she was a Saintess  and was already set to usurp the position, there was no longer a need to respect the royalties that much. A simple greeting was enough.

A Saintess' position was quite terrifying. Religion could be twisted to one's will, and one that bore the Goddess' name to a level like the Saintess' would naturally have more leeway to this fact.

Prince Caelum would have been a threat to her if she didn't meet the Goddess, but who knew that Goddess Eula was such a lax person who would dare bestow her powers to someone she had just met not too long ago?

"There is no need for the Saintess to be so polite. Please just call me Caelum. Aren't we equals? We should get along with each other so that a good cooperation will be formed between the Holy Land and the Empire." Prince Caelum spoke with a friendly tone.

Naturally, Xu Jiaqi, knowing the extent of this prince's ambitions, wouldn't be so kind as to entertain his wishes.

"The prince is jesting. I am nothing but the Goddess' servant. The Empire is not of my concern, unfortunately. All that I am tasked to do is uphold the Goddess' expectations on me. The Goddess has recognized the extent of my faith, I couldn't possibly betray her efforts."

"I have heard of the rumors, but it seems like the Saintess is truly just like what people have said. Similar to the First Child.. Having a faithful love towards the Goddess. It is truly a blessing that we have you in this world." Prince Caelum chuckled, not minding the ascetic words of Xu Jiaqi.

Xu Jiaqi continued to respond as if she was a robot specifically created to hurl praises and embody the Goddess in every single action she took. It even made the prince's facial expression twitch, his mask on the verge of breaking after facing such a stubborn person.

"E-even so, wouldn't it be great if we were to talk over a cup of tea sometime? I would love to get to know you." The prince coughed. He was nearing his limit of bullshitting. The woman's defenses were too powerful.

Did she not have any desires at all?! He made sure to research every single nook and cranny of her and found out that the Maine household had wronged her a lot in the past. He touched upon this subject, offering to take revenge. He offered riches. Fame. Glory. Position.

Not a single thing was able to attract Xu Jiaqi.

Why?

Xu Jiaqi: All of that would be mine in the end, why do I have to get it from you?

Xu Jiaqi didn't like getting things handed to her when she was capable of getting them on her own.

The Prince continued to blabber his tactics.

Finally, enough was enough.

"Prince Caelum, please respect the Saintess' wishes. The Saintess is someone who is not restricted by the laws of the Empire as she is one of the highest servant of the Goddess. Please watch what you do." Zenith couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward.

Since he became the Saintess' one and only personal knight, his status was raised considerably high. He was also no longer affected by the laws of the Empire and thus, didn't need to be overly mindful of the prince's status.

This was how far Xu Jiaqi had brought him to for now. He had seen the fruits of her planning, and saw how fast she grabbed that Saintess position.

Who was this prince, for him to try to lure the Saintess like this? He wouldn't allow it.

His lady was strong, far stronger than any of them could ever imagine. She didn't need the prince.

She was enough to take down the entire world just like she said when months ago.