TOOCM 71

Chapter 71

Reina picked up a small pouch from the stall and turned it over in her hands.

“I still want to buy one. We came all this way, after all.”

Even if it held no real blessing, perhaps it could still carry a wish.

The pouch she chose was marked [Happiness].

After paying, she suddenly held it out to Kaiden.

“Is this… for me?”

He looked genuinely surprised. He had assumed she would keep it for herself.

“I bought it for you.”

“…”

“Is a fake blessing not good enough?”

Seeing his hesitation, Reina began to pull the pouch back.

Before she could, Kaiden caught her hand and held onto the pouch.

“You can’t give something and then take it back.”

“What?”

“You said it was mine.”

His serious tone, combined with the fact that he was still holding her hand, made Reina wonder whether he was talking about the pouch—or her.

Why do I keep thinking like this?

Her heart began racing again, and she became painfully aware of how easily Kaiden unsettled her.

“Y-Yeah. It’s yours.”

Avoiding his gaze, she mumbled the words.

Kaiden smiled.

“Yep. Mine.”

The path to the Great Temple was guarded by several gates.

Rather than using the crowded main entrance reserved for the Holy Day, a holy knight led them through a quieter passage.

The moment they stepped inside, a solemn silence surrounded them. Ornate frescoes decorated the ceilings, their delicate details seeming to glow beneath the soft light.

Overcome by the atmosphere, Reina instinctively tightened her grip on Kaiden’s hand.

“Wait here.”

The knight brought them into a secluded reception room that resembled a private prayer chamber. Shelves filled with holy texts lined the walls.

Before their arrival, Kaiden had told Reina about Isadal.

He was a direct disciple of the Pope and one of the twelve cardinals.

He had only recently been appointed, making him relatively unknown. Strangely enough, his appointment seemed to coincide with the time he began assisting Arteon.

Reina had never heard of Isadal in her previous life.

That fact alone made her uneasy.

Kaiden noticed the tension in her expression.

Reina was usually composed, but whenever her brother was involved, she became unusually sensitive.

It was understandable.

Jeffery was her only family.

If anything happened to Aiden, Kaiden knew he would feel the same fear.

He gently squeezed her hand.

“Kaiden?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find your brother. I promise.”

His words were casual, but Reina knew the weight behind them.

Kaiden never made promises lightly.

Having someone so dependable by her side eased the anxiety in her heart.

“…Thank you.”

She smiled softly, as though the tension had never been there.

With Kaiden beside her, she truly believed she could find Jeffery.

Then the door opened.

The person they had been waiting for finally entered.

Reina had expected an older man.

Instead, Isadal looked barely past his twenties.

Most cardinals were men in their forties or fifties.

“Finally, we meet.”

His voice was dry as he took the seat across from them.

His golden hair shimmered like molten sunlight, while his radiant golden eyes possessed an almost otherworldly brilliance.

Despite his youthful appearance, there was something distinctly different about him.

His presence alone set him apart from every priest Reina had ever encountered.

“Are you His Eminence Isadal?”

“Just call me Isadal.”

“But…”

“I accepted this position out of necessity. I am merely Isadal, a servant of the Divine.”

His devout response left Reina with nothing to say, so she awkwardly nodded.

The moment Isadal settled into his seat, the atmosphere changed.

Using Ritsi’s power, Reina immediately sensed a powerful holy energy spreading around them.

A barrier had formed around the sofa.

She had never encountered a priest possessing such immense divine power.

It reminded her of the first time she had met Kaiden.

But their powers felt completely different.

If Kaiden’s aura was like a blazing flame, passionate and overwhelming, Isadal’s was like a glacier compressed into a single point—cold, dense, and utterly unyielding.

Reina shivered beneath its pressure.

Then Isadal spoke.

“You don’t merely feel it. You see it.”

He had noticed her using Ritsi’s power.

Reina remained silent.

Surprisingly, Isadal did not press her for an answer.

It was almost as though he already knew.

His sharp gaze seemed capable of stripping away every secret she possessed.

Reina steadied herself before asking,

“I heard you’ve been helping Arteon search for Jeffery. Why?”

She had expected a cold response.

She had not expected him to be this detached.

For several moments, Isadal simply stared at her.

Then, at last, his lips moved.

“Do you wish to become Emperor?”

Reina froze.

“…What?”

She had come here to ask about Jeffery.

Not the throne.

Not the Empire.

And certainly not becoming Emperor.

She wanted to kill the Emperor.

She had never wanted to replace him.

Even Kaiden became wary at the ominous question.

Isadal tilted his head slightly.

“Was my question difficult?”

Reina narrowed her eyes.

He was testing her.

There was no other explanation.

Without Arteon’s lead, she would never have come to the Holy Nation in the first place.

“No. I have no desire to become Emperor.”

“Why not?”

“Why? Because…”

“You possess the qualities of a ruler.”

His golden eyes remained fixed on her.

“Unlike before, you chose the dragon. I assumed that meant you had prepared yourself. Was I mistaken?”

Reina’s expression changed.

Unlike before?

Those words struck her like a blade.

He sounded as though he knew about her previous life.

But that was impossible.

No one knew.

No one except her.

And yet…

A suspicion began to take root in her mind.

Isadal had never appeared in her previous life.

How could someone with such extraordinary divine power have remained hidden?

Her gaze hardened.

“Answer my questions first.”

She leaned forward.

“Why were you looking for Jeffery? When did you learn the Empire was involved? And what were you planning to do?”

Her questions came one after another.

Isadal frowned faintly, almost as though she had overwhelmed him.

“I intended to protect him.”

“But why?”

“There was a revelation.”

His voice remained emotionless.

“I was commanded to protect you and your family. By the time I was ready to act, you had already become the dragon’s wife.”

His gaze shifted toward Kaiden.

Kaiden seemed to understand immediately who Isadal meant by the dragon.

Yet he remained silent.

Isadal returned his attention to Reina.

“Now answer me.”

His expression did not change.

“Do you wish to become Emperor?”

Again, the same question.

Reina could not understand his obsession with it.

She frowned.

“I just want to be free.”