Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 23

“Mesha! Don’t come in!”

Sensing the danger of the situation instantly, Lianna warned Mesha in a sharp voice. Celeste, finding her reaction suspicious, immediately ordered,

“Come in!”

Mesha received two conflicting commands at the same time. She hesitated for a moment, frozen in place.

However, after a second of indecision, she finally decided that she should obey her master’s command.

With a knowingly mischievous look, she took a step back and said with an exaggerated bow,

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me for now.”

“Wait right there! And Lianna, it’s her, isn’t it? I bet she’s hiding something.”

Celeste, always quick to take action, immediately turned toward Mesha while casting a sharp glance at Lianna.

Realizing there was no escape, Lianna pleaded with Celeste.

“Celeste, please, I beg you, don’t say too much. She’s just a maid.”

“A maid who looks this troublesome? She must have some special task. And I can see you trust her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be making that face.”

Celeste spoke with confidence.

Lianna quickly denied Celeste’s misunderstanding.

“Mesha always looks like this when she finds something annoying! No matter what the job is, she always has that face.”

“Huh? Then why haven’t you fired her? A maid this rude?”

Celeste asked suspiciously, putting Lianna in a tight spot. Mesha was just convenient to leave in charge during the ‘night stroll’. But she couldn’t say that here!

“Uh… ah, um, Mesha’s mother is the head maid.”

Lianna’s explanation trailed off.

“So you keep her around because of that? You’re Mesha, right? Are you some kind of messenger for Saint Lucilda?”

Realizing she wouldn’t get anywhere with Lianna, Celeste decided to question Mesha directly.

Mesha glanced at Lianna, who anxiously shook her head, offering no help. Sighing, Mesha reluctantly answered,

“No, I’m just a lookout.”

“You don’t need to say unnecessary things, Mesha!”

Lianna tried to silence her, but Celeste immediately pressed on with a stern tone.

“A lookout for what?”

Mesha faltered again, her words caught in her throat.

She glanced at Lianna for help, but Celeste’s intimidating presence left her completely stuck between them.

“Please, give me a break. I don’t even know what I’m allowed to say and what I’m not,” Mesha admitted honestly, scratching her head.

Celeste responded immediately.

“Then just say everything, Mesha. And Lianna, if you still refuse to tell me anything at this point, I won’t be your friend anymore.”

Celeste’s sharp eyes glared at Lianna with a mix of anger and disappointment.

“What?!”

Lianna turned pale.

“There’s clearly some big secret here, but you won’t tell me anything? How can I trust you? At the very least, tell me why you can’t say it. Otherwise, I don’t think I can be your friend anymore.”

Celeste spoke coldly.

Lianna, shaken by the impact of Celeste’s words, barely managed to squeeze out a hoarse reply.

“Even as friends, we don’t have to tell each other everything, right…?”

That was probably a fair argument, but even knowing that, Celeste couldn’t accept it.

“I understand what you’re saying. But I broke off my engagement. Everyone said it was a loveless engagement, but I tried to be positive about it. I wanted to be faithful to my fiancé. I believed trust could be built, and that love could grow over time. But in the end, I broke it off. Am I wrong to want to know the reasons behind it? And now, my best friend seems to be hiding something connected to it. Do you think I can just pretend nothing happened and continue being friends with you?”

Lianna finally understood.

“No, I don’t think so.”

That’s right. Celeste had broken off her engagement. She had been dragged into the affairs of Ernst and Lucilda.

Seeing Lianna’s agreement, Celeste’s expression softened. Then, as if a dam had burst, she pleaded with her.

“Then please, tell me. I want to know. I’m hurt. I’m scared of the future. I just want something to hold on to. Please, if you still consider me a friend.”

“Celeste…”

Lianna wavered, unsure of what to do.

At that moment, Mesha spoke up from the side.

“Lady Lianna, I think you should tell her.”

Lianna snapped her head toward Mesha.

“B-but! My ability makes people uneasy! I can’t say it!”

Mesha, unaffected since it wasn’t her problem, simply looked indifferent. However, from their daily interactions, she felt like offering a bit of advice.

“Ah, yeah, it definitely makes people uneasy. If you wanted to, you could invade people’s privacy completely. If an ordinary person found out about your ability, they’d probably want to keep their distance. But to be blunt, right now, if you tell her, she might distance herself. But if you don’t tell her, you’ll definitely lose her. Seems to me that telling her is the better option.”

“What a terrible choice! It’s the worst!”

Lianna grimaced and shook her head.

Trying to encourage her, Mesha continued.

“If it were me, I’d tell Lady Celeste. And I’d make her a promise: ‘I’ll never use it on you.’”

Lianna gasped.

“Ah…!”

Mesha smiled.

“You just need to promise not to use it on her. If she’s really your friend, she’ll believe you.”

“M-Mesha…”

Lianna looked as if a weight had been lifted from her mind.

“Wait, what are you talking about? Ability? Lianna…”

Celeste interrupted in a hesitant voice, looking unsettled. The unfamiliar word ‘ability’ made her uneasy. She wanted to hear the explanation directly from Lianna but was beginning to wonder if it was something far beyond her expectations.

Her earlier frustration had faded, and she was now regaining her composure, even feeling a bit ashamed of her outburst.

Another thought also troubled her.

—Whether she tells me or not, our friendship is over? What kind of secret is this?

Celeste hesitated, then spoke, trying to be considerate of Lianna’s feelings.

“I-If this is something that’s really tormenting you, maybe I shouldn’t ask after all.”

However, after thinking for a moment, Lianna looked up, her expression resolute.

“Wait, Celeste. I’ll tell you. I’m scared to say it, but I can’t keep quiet any longer. I’ll tell you everything. But promise me you won’t tell anyone. And if, after hearing it, you still want to be my friend, then please stay by my side.”

Hearing that, Celeste hesitated completely.

“I-I won’t tell anyone, of course… but are you sure, Lianna? I mean, I…”

Before Celeste could finish, Lianna spoke.

“I can leave my body and travel anywhere.”