Chapter 87 - 2.48

"...I understand. It's a pity that things turned out this way. Saintess Ariel, I hope that you achieve a great and fulfilling life." It was unknown what the Crown Prince thought as he said those words.

He left without saying anything more, but his gaze lingered on Zenith for a few seconds longer. A trace of doubt and disgust was present in his eyes, which was caught by Zenith with ease. Of course, he paid no heed to it.

Xu Jiaqi walked away from the spot and entered her private Saintess quarters. Even though legally, he couldn't enter, Zenith followed her closely, as he was allowed entry by the lady who told him that she would be covering his whole being up with magic.

Once they entered her room, Xu Jiaqi sat down and let out a sigh.

Zenith vividly remembered that he was very flustered when he was first pushed into the lady's abode.

"Um- Lady Ariel.. Did I overstep my bounds?" Zenith asked with worry. His only source of worry became this lady that he exclusively served. His life revolved around her now because there really was nothing else to do for him.

Even though he was titled a Knight, because he was the Knight of a Saintess, he didn't need to fulfill a typical Knight's duties. He only needed to stay close to Xu Jiaqi and protect her. Something that he thought was getting increasingly difficult to do since the lady would disappear on her own without notifying him from time to time.

"No. I was also discomforted by him. It's alright. Forget about that... Is there anything urgent or specific that I need to do as a Saintess? Or a matter that you think I have to pay attention to."

"Well.. First of all, the matter about the Crown Prince.. People will certainly seek you out to create a connection with you just so they would be able to leech off of you.. It's just like that. Your name has also spread quite far before you even became the Saintess because of when you helped those two villages.. Also, your Holy power is nothing to be joked about. Naturally, these people would want to associate themselves with you." Zenith coughed and spoke.

"And I can't just ignore them?"

"It depends. There is only three people that you need to consider. First, the Cardinal. Second, the Emperor. And third, the Crown Prince. Although we fended him off today, he will definitely try to come back again. He has been aiming to form an alliance with the Holy Land for long, it's a known secret that he wants to increase the Empire's influence directly through getting the Saintess in his hands. He won't give up easily."

Xu Jiaqi smiled. Indeed, Zenith was a smart fellow. He voiced out exactly what Xu Jiaqi and the System figured out. The Crown Prince might have to be removed altogether at this rate. At first, she only planned to change the Holy Land's influence, thinking that the Empire would be affected similarly.

But if it is someone like Caelum, her plans might have to be altered slightly. With her good eyes, she saw how elusive and crafty the man could be. Even though she pretended to not have seen anything, she had eyes everywhere due to her System.

The Crown Prince still tried to communicate with Serenia and sometimes Glazelle even as the candidacy period started. Serenia seemed to think that the man liked him because of how special he was treating her, but that couldn't be the case.

His eyes were filled with fraud and dishonesty to the point where Xu Jiaqi almost felt bad for Serenia.

'Do I have to eliminate the Quinnards?' Xu Jiaqi thought.

With ease, she opened up a sound blocking barrier just to be secure. Her eyes lifted up as she smiled.

"Then, what do you think is needed to start a new Imperial family?"

"...A trustworthy Ruler that is loved by the people and will be able to stabilize the court. Unless you want to take a tyrannical path, there is no way that one could just alter the court to their liking.. There is also the matter of nobility ranks. The Empire is very keen on upholding the strict hierarchy... I suppose." Zenith answered doubtfully. He was unsure of her intentions, but he had a bad premonition about it. 

"So, someone like you?" Xu Jiaqi laughed.

If it was Zenith, he would be able to gain the people's support. The court will be harder to take care of, and that goes the same from the noble families.

But with just a few tricks, she would be able to handle it. The power of a Saintess was in her hands, and the moment Ezra became Cardinal would also somewhat be the moment she became the ruler of the Holy Land.

As they got along better, Ezra had practically submitted himself to Xu Jiaqi because of the Goddess' will. He followed it strictly like a baby chick. Xu Jiaqi's will would soon be Ezra's will. The Goddess will approve nonetheless since it would end up in her power being restored.

Although Xu Jiaqi hadn't spoken about her possible plan to unite the couple using the System and the Goddess' cooperation, she still planned to fulfill her end of the deal. Giving back the Goddess' powers.

Then, it was settled for now.

Xu Jiaqi laughed in joy, picking up a folding fan that she had lying on the table beside her.

It was the fan that the System gave her for completing the previous world, but she had taken a liking to it and decided to bring it out without even planning to use it.

She pointed the fan towards Zenith, her faithful Knight. Standing up from her chair, she placed the fan on the bottom of Zenith's chin and raised it upwards gently.

"Zenith, my lovely Knight, shall I present the Emperor's seat to you?" Xu Jiaqi gazed lovingly towards Zenith, making him flush up and stagger backwards.