The Executed Saint Reincarnates as a Princess and is Loved by Her Older Brothers - Episode 15

Lionel’s mother was a woman the king had taken as a plaything.

The royal family has a summer palace at their summer retreat. The current king, who enjoys hunting, often visits the palace, riding his horse to hunt birds and beasts living in the forest for enjoyment.

Perhaps it was a fleeting moment of freedom from the queen, who was reputed to be jealous.

The one who caught the king’s eye was my mother, who was working as a maid in the detached palace.

It seems that my mother had a childhood friend she promised to marry in the future, but the king didn’t care at all.

When the mother, who was not even allowed to refuse and was taken captive, became pregnant.

The king acknowledged the unborn child as his own and gifted a gold ring engraved with the royal crest and his own insignia.

In the small country mansion given to the king, the mother gave birth to Lionel.

Mother frequently showed Lionel the ring given to him by Father and told him to keep it with him at all times.

“Lil, you are the child of His Majesty the King.”

Live with pride at all times.

The mother who kept teaching him that passed away when Lionel was eight years old.

Even when my mother fell critically ill, and even when she quietly passed away, and even during the modest funeral where my eight-year-old self was the chief mourner, my father did not show up.

I thought it was heartless, but if I rushed over carelessly, I might have risked being noticed by the queen, who is rumored to be extremely jealous.

The passionate king was rumored to have spread his seeds far and wide, and the queen was said to be secretly disposing of her husband’s illegitimate children as if crushing lice.

Eventually, after finishing his mother’s burial, Lionel took the only heirloom, a golden ring, and entrusted it to the temple in the royal capital.

The temple is the most prestigious religious facility in the country.

The rural church also takes in and raises orphaned children without guardians, but the temple takes in children of higher nobility. In other words, children like Lionel, who have royal or noble bl00d but cannot be taken in by their parents for some reason.

Having lost his mother and being neglected by his father, Lionel was treated coldly by the people of the temple.

Those who serve in the temple, especially those in higher positions, should have known who entrusted Lionel to this temple.

I should have understood the meaning of the emblem on Lionel’s ring, but their attitude was as cold and distant as ever.

The king has a crown prince, Nathan, with the queen. In terms of bloodline and power, Nathan’s position as crown prince is unshakably solid.

Compared to that, there’s no benefit in being kind to a hidden child with no backing.

Rather, they might have feared that if the queen found out about Lionel’s existence, it would incur her wrath.

My mother is no longer in this world. My father is alive, but he doesn’t see Lionel.

In a temple tainted by calculation and corruption, no one loves Lionel.

Lionel, who had become all alone, only felt his loneliness and solitude growing.

The first person to show kindness to Lionel was her.

The contemporary saint──Juliet.

Juliet was a girl five years older than Lionel.

Eyes more beautiful than amethyst. White blonde hair that reminds one of untainted snow.

Even though she always wore simple robes and didn’t own a single glamorous dress, Juliet was beautiful, shining from within, no matter how plain her clothes were.

It seems that Juliet was raised in a poor orphanage on the outskirts of the country. She was officially recognized as a saint at a young age and was brought to this temple.

She assumed that Lionel had a background similar to hers—an orphan with no parents or relatives.

Lionel knew who his father was, but there was no way he could tell the truth.

Even with Juliet, I deliberately neither denied nor corrected anything, just went along with the conversation.

Lionel had somehow started calling Juliet “Jill,” the name she had during her time at the orphanage.

In response, Juliet also called Lionel “Lil.”

That short nickname felt like a secret name just for the two of them, and Lionel was happy.

The days spent with Juliet were a soothing time for Lionel, who had been in a perpetual dark night since the loss of his mother, as if gently embraced by the dawn light that had finally broken through.