Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 5

After returning from Celeste’s mansion, Lianna collapsed onto her favorite chaise lounge without even changing into her indoor clothes.

She ordered tea from her maid with one hand and then sank back into the lounge, lost in thought.

What had been bothering Lianna was Bartlett’s words.

Lord Ernst was stabbed in the back. By someone.

But the truth was hidden, and it was made to look like he had stabbed himself while drunk.

Why would they tell such an obvious lie that could easily be exposed?

From the way Bartlett spoke, it seemed that Lord Ernst understood the situation. Perhaps he already knew who the culprit was or had a solid clue.

And he had likely shared that information with Wallace and Bartlett. That must be why Wallace told that lie.

Moreover, Wallace and Bartlett had been invited to Lord Ernst’s mansion this time.

Bartlett hadn’t given her any details, but it was probably a meeting related to the incident.

If they already had an idea of who the culprit was, they should just arrest them immediately.

And yet, they were going so far as to lie, clearly scheming something. This meant that either the culprit was someone extremely important, or there was some grand conspiracy behind this incident.

Either way, Lord Ernst, Wallace, and Bartlett were planning something.

What exactly could it be—?

At that moment, an uneasy feeling crept into Lianna’s mind.

No, deep down, she had known from the very beginning.

From the moment she learned that the one who had been stabbed was Lord Ernst.

There was something she had never told Wallace or Bartlett.

Lianna actually knew.

She knew who Lord Ernst was in conflict with.

Lianna let out a deep sigh.

Then, she heard footsteps, snapping her back to reality.

It was the sound of the maid respectfully bringing in the tea.

The well-trained maid poured the tea into Lianna’s favorite cup and placed it gently on the side table next to the lounge.

Lianna slowly lifted her upper body and reached for the tea.

—Tea.

Yes, this tea.

It was the same tea she had drunk the last time she met with the Crown Prince.

That was about two years ago.

It was at the tea party just before their engagement was broken.

Until then, even though it wasn’t an engagement she had wished for, she had believed she would marry the Crown Prince. She had studied hard so no one would be disappointed in her. She had put effort into socializing with the nobility, attending tea parties and evening gatherings, never missing a chance to make connections.

The education she had received as a Crown Princess candidate had been particularly tough. While other young noblewomen spent their days in elegance, Lianna had to learn the country’s traditions, ceremonies, etiquette, and even memorize numerical data on social conditions to understand the nation’s current state. The elderly tutors who oversaw her education were strict and never lenient. If she failed at something, they scolded her harshly for being lazy. Lianna, who was not particularly gifted, wiped away tears as she struggled to keep up with their high expectations.

Then, suddenly, a ‘Saint’ appeared.

The Great Southern Cathedral guaranteed that she was undoubtedly the greatest Saint of the century, and the Central Cathedral followed suit.

The royal palace was thrown into chaos.

No one could predict when or who would awaken as a Saint. According to the long-established ‘Saint Law,’ the awakened Saint was to be the rightful spouse of the King or the Crown Prince, who would inherit the throne.

In other words, in a kingdom where there had been no Saint, Lianna had been chosen as the Crown Princess. But now that a Saint had appeared, she had to give up her place.

Five of the kingdom’s top legal scholars visited Lianna’s family, Duke Gruber’s household. They piled up thick books in front of her and her father, explaining in painfully formal language why the engagement had to be annulled.

Lianna had heard of the ‘Saint Law’ before, so the Gruber family accepted the request without protest.

Following the law, the engagement withdrawal had to come from Lianna’s side. Thus, Duke Gruber formally submitted their request to withdraw from the engagement.

The royal palace accepted it as a mere formality, and just like that—so easily, so effortlessly—the engagement between Lianna and the Crown Prince was dissolved.

For Lianna, it was somewhat disappointing that all her efforts had gone to waste, but she knew this was not the time to complain.

She had considered the Crown Prince as her future husband and respected him, but she had never truly loved him.

Well, a ‘Saint’ had appeared, so it was just how things were.

But there was one thing that bothered Lianna.

It was the Crown Prince’s reaction.

The royal side merely accepted Lianna’s withdrawal and never sent her a response.

Lianna had spent years as his fiancée since she was about ten years old. She wondered how the Crown Prince truly felt about the engagement’s end.

Perhaps she was expecting too much, but even a simple “Thank you for your efforts as my fiancée” or just a “It’s unfortunate, but it’s over” would have been enough. She just wanted to hear his voice one last time.

Of course, she knew it was foolish to hope for such a thing.

After all, she had been chosen solely for political reasons.

Still, if they happened to cross paths at a royal ball or salon, even just one word from him would have made things easier for her.

So, for a while, Lianna attended events where she thought the Crown Prince might be.

Hoping for a chance to exchange a few words with him.

Otherwise, how could she make sense of the years she had spent tied to the royal palace? She couldn’t just accept that they had been wasted.

She hadn’t even wanted to be the Crown Prince’s fiancée in the first place!

A Saint appeared, so all those years were meaningless? That was too cruel.

She just wanted one word. A proper farewell. That was all.

However, even when their eyes met at events, the Crown Prince never acknowledged her. Perhaps out of consideration for the Saint, Lucilda, who clung to his side, he avoided looking at Lianna altogether.

This continued for some time until Lianna finally grew frustrated. Knowing it was improper, she tried to speak to him, saying, “Um….”

But before she could finish, Lucilda nearly snapped at her and drove her away.

From that moment, Lucilda saw Lianna as a stalker of the Crown Prince.

Being the ‘former fiancée’ was already bad enough in her eyes, but now she saw Lianna as a lingering woman who refused to let go.

The ‘Saint Lucilda’ labeled Lianna as an enemy and spread false rumors about her.

Eventually, she even accused Lianna of refusing to acknowledge the Saint and trying to hide her existence for her own benefit. She attempted to turn Lianna into a criminal.

Of course, there was no proof, and the Gruber family was powerful, so Lianna was never charged with a crime.

But the conflict between Lianna and Lucilda became widely known in the palace, making it nearly impossible for Lianna to approach the Crown Prince again.

That was when Lianna decided on a ‘night stroll.’

She admitted that she had clung too much to the idea of hearing the Crown Prince’s farewell.

While other noble ladies spent their time gracefully and happily, I endured strict and difficult training to become the crown princess. It only looked elegant on the surface. But in the end, he was not someone I loved. I should have gladly accepted the annulment and moved on quickly.

But deep down, I couldn’t feel that way! If only I could, how much easier it would have been!

Am I foolish for still wanting a few kind words from my former fiancé?

I knew that secretly visiting the royal palace for a “night stroll” was extremely improper and completely unsuitable for a duke’s daughter.

However, I was deeply frustrated. I had been bound by my engagement to the crown prince for years, only to have it erased as if it never happened. He never even gave me a single word of farewell, and then the so-called “Saintess” treated me like a criminal.

Besides, isn’t it strange that he was so determined to avoid speaking to me?

Taking such desperate measures just to see the crown prince made me feel pathetic and miserable.

But if I didn’t, then everything I had been through would have been for nothing!