The Cowardly Baby Saint Can See Ghosts [Novel] Chapter 16

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Episode 16.

As I withdrew my holy power and opened my eyes, I felt my hair gently settle back down.

It was always like this. Whenever I channeled my power as a Saintess, these mystical physical effects manifested without my conscious control.

"Yes."

"You're just so… so young, I didn't recognize you."

The girl, who had been staring at her completely healed palm with sparkling eyes, suddenly let her gaze darken.

"Since when did you possess this kind of power?"

Perhaps noticing my perplexed expression, the girl hastily shifted her tone.

"It's my first time seeing a Saintess, so I was just fascinated… Please forgive my rudeness."

"It hasn't been long. That's why I'm still so clumsy at using my abilities."

It was the honest truth. The girl, seemingly embarrassed, twiddled her thumbs, clearly wanting to keep the conversation going.

"Um…"

She leaned in and tightly grasped my hands. Just as I was about to recoil from the sudden physical contact—

"By any chance, are you close with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"No."

At my immediate, reflexive denial, the girl tilted her head in confusion.

"But my father said that the Saintess and His Highness were quite close?"

"I was just wondering if you two were in that kind of relationship!"

"Absolutely not."

When I delivered that line with a deadly serious expression, the girl immediately shut her mouth.

However, her next question was completely unexpected.

Her demeanor shifted in an instant.

"Then, are you treating his illness like you just treated my hand?"

The Crown Prince's condition was supposed to be strictly classified information.

Her face had gone completely blank, and she stared at me with a frightening intensity. Now that I looked closer, her intention to scrutinize my reaction was glaringly obvious.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is healthier than anyone else, so there's no need for anything like that."

I quickly cobbled together a plausible-sounding excuse.

"We simply maintain a superficial relationship to promote harmony between the Temple and the Imperial Palace. Nothing you're worrying about is going to happen."

"W-worrying?"

"Weren't you worried that His Highness and I might get romantically involved?"

For the first time, the girl's unnerving, stoic facade cracked.

"A-actually, I sneaked out without my father knowing! I was just so curious about the Saintess, so I…"

Yeah, that tracked.

"Actually, bringing up the Crown Prince was just an excuse, wasn't it?"

"You just came out here because you were curious about me."

Judging by the heavy silence that followed, I had hit the bullseye.

Honestly, I didn't feel offended. It was natural for anyone in this world to be morbidly curious about the sudden appearance of a Saintess.

And above all else…

Since I had the body of a five-year-old but the mind of an adult, I naturally had a soft spot for kids.

Looking at her reminded me of the younger children I used to take care of back at the orphanage in my past life.

I nearly got lost in sentimental memories while a living person was standing right in front of me.

"I'm sorry."

Her vocal tone dropped.

The bashful, innocent smile from earlier was gone, replaced by a deep seriousness.

"You must have been very startled that I approached you like this."

"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't, but…"

I pointed at her newly healed hand and offered a small smile.

"I'm still glad I was able to heal you."

The girl's eyes widened in silent shock.

"It didn't hurt, did it?"

"…No."

"Um, hey."

"Do you want to be friends?"

I boldly held my hand out to her.

I didn't dislike honest people. In fact, hearing that someone wanted to meet me this badly was a bit flattering.

Right. I was still a doomed extra with a ninety percent chance of being murdered.

Unintentionally reminded of my precarious fate, goosebumps erupted all over my arms.

Feeling awkward, I was just about to pull my hand back when a warm palm firmly clasped mine.

"I-I'd love to."

First Imperial Princess Geitel Velium stared down at the young Saintess, who barely reached her chest.

Dyeing her signature Imperial black hair to a dull brown had been a smart move. As expected, the child showed absolutely no signs of recognizing her.

It was an incredibly bizarre feeling.

"Please come visit often! I don't have any friends here, so it gets really lonely."

The Saintess's eyes were practically sparkling, looking at Geitel as if she were a precious oasis in a desert.

From the moment she had first spotted the child wandering through the Temple's secret garden, Geitel had felt a sharp intuition.

Her younger brother, Damian, had undoubtedly been captivated by this very sight.

Beyond merely having a pale complexion, the way her silver hair scattered the sunlight and her flawless skin glowed made her look ethereal—completely untouched by the grime and greed of the secular world.

That was why her initial stumble hadn't been an act. Falling backward in surprise had been a genuine, uncalculated mistake.

But to freely expend holy power—an asset that should strictly be reserved for the Crown Prince—on a complete stranger without a second thought?

Even as Geitel coldly calculated the girl's worth, she felt briefly puzzled by the realization that she wasn't in a bad mood at all.

"Um, what's your name?"

The little girl asked, her baby-fat cheeks squished into an endearing pout.

Geitel froze for a fraction of a second. She had altered her physical appearance, but she hadn't bothered to prepare a fake alias.

Her hesitation was brief.

"Idel."

Geitel subtly clenched her fists under her skirt, cursing herself for accidentally blurting out her actual childhood nickname.

Had her heavily fortified guard really dropped this far just because the Saintess was unexpectedly pure?

"Nice to meet you, Idel. I'm Diane."

The way the girl giggled and smiled so openly made her look exactly like an overly affectionate puppy.

"Diane, is it really okay if I come over often?"

Trying to maintain a bright, innocent smile—an expression she had never genuinely worn in her entire thirteen years of life—caused Geitel's facial muscles to twitch.

There was a sickening dissonance between the impossibly genuine Saintess in front of her and Geitel herself, who was hiding her royal identity and approaching under a deceitful guise.

Geitel felt a sudden pang of guilt, but she ruthlessly squashed the emotion, erasing it from her face.

"Yes!"

The Saintess nodded enthusiastically and flashed a brilliant smile.

Historically, every single person who had crossed paths with Geitel had possessed an ulterior motive.

They were all sycophants, desperately trying to cling to the proxy ruler of the Imperial Palace to scavenge even a single crumb of authority.

Geitel was bone-tired of it. Furthermore, the noble ladies around her own age always tried to bond by tearing others down, while the young lords were only interested in securing a position as her political aide.

Geitel truly loved Damian. She cherished him as her younger brother, and back when his mind was healthy, he had been exceptionally bright—a fitting talent destined to become Emperor.

However…

She couldn't help but harbor a dark, festering craving for an unattainable dream.

But that didn't mean she had any intention of actively dragging her brother down from the throne.

Merely breathing within the walls of the Imperial Palace subjected a royal to countless assassination attempts and political traps. Geitel had learned this harsh reality in her very bones over her thirteen grueling years of life.

That was precisely why, right now—

"I'll tell the Pope! That way, you can come visit me comfortably without sneaking around!"

"A-ah, no. There's no need for that. It would be a bit burdensome…"

"Gasp. I'm sorry."

…It was actually much harder to figure out how to manipulate a situation when her target approached her with such pure, unadulterated innocence.

If she dragged this encounter out any longer, she might attract the priests' attention. If she ran into high-ranking clerics, this minor infiltration could blow up into a major diplomatic incident.

Geitel snapped her mind back to reality.

"I'll come find you again next time. Please greet me warmly when we meet."

"Okay…!"

With that, the Princess turned her back. As she walked away, the Saintess's warm, cheerful voice echoed softly behind her.

I felt like the muscle under my eye was going to start violently twitching.

I forced my absolute best smile, trying with all my might to ignore the glowing pop-up window floating directly in front of my face.

Idel waved her hand and quickly exited the garden. I watched her until her brown hair vanished completely beyond the stone wall.

And the exact second she was out of sight, I forcefully exhaled the breath I had been holding.

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