The Executed Saint Reincarnates as a Princess and is Loved by Her Older Brothers - Episode 30

In the office where the staff had been sent away, a mournful voice echoed.

“Don’t mess with me!”

King Nathan of Koryu was deceived.

“Why hasn’t the saint appeared yet?”

No matter how much we search the entire country, there is no girl who meets the conditions of the saint.

A girl who shares the same birthday, bears the stigmata of flowers, and can use the power of miracles has not appeared.

I hear that all the saints throughout history manifested their healing powers around the age of three.

However, even after spending many times more months, there was no sign of finding a new saint who met the three conditions.

It has been nearly fifteen years since the saint has been absent, marking an unprecedented crisis in the history of the Kingdom of Koryu. It is truly an unparalleled emergency.

“Your Majesty… please calm down…”

The Duke of Turenne, who served as Prime Minister, pressed his gloved hand to his forehead.

“The people are crowding in front of the castle gate, complaining that they can’t even afford bread for tomorrow…”

“Shut up! If you don’t have bread, then eat some sweets!”

Nathan, not listening, irritably tore at his hair.

“Damn it… if only we could find a new saint, everything would go smoothly…!”

The saint is a miraculous being who is reborn in the Kingdom of Koryu without missing a single day, saving the people.

The reason why this kingdom, which cannot be said to be fertile, has prospered for many years is because God has sent holy maidens to this country for generations.

Even if she hasn’t been found, just having the Saint somewhere in the kingdom should reduce misfortune and drive away evil—yet, why is the country still declining, and the royal family’s authority continuously diminishing?

Nathan suddenly looked up.

“Could it be… Juliet’s curse!?”

Is the soul of the deceased Juliet preventing a new saint from being born?

No, that contradicts the prophecy that “the saint has already been born.”

So, is the evil spirit of Juliet hiding the new saint and obstructing the search to prevent her from being found?

“It’s Juliet’s fault! It has to be!”

Nathan condemned him outright and slammed his fist on the desk.

“That detestable woman! To bring misfortune upon me even in death, how rotten to the core can a wicked woman be!”

When Juliet was around, it was taken for granted that everything was peaceful and safe, and Nathan had never felt any gratitude for it. Even now, he had no intention of recognizing her value.

Rather, Juliet was unilaterally harboring resentment and hatred, convinced that she was hindering the emergence of the new saint and cursing this country.

“Damn it… I can’t let myself be defeated by the calamity brought by the witch…!”

The saint is the head of the clergy; the king is the pinnacle of the secular world.

The two positions support each other like the wheels of a carriage. It was no longer possible to steer the country with one wheel missing.

The particularly severe blow has been the succession of natural disasters.

The long rain that began after Juliet’s death became the catalyst for the poor harvest that continues to this day.

Due to the cold damage, the harvest of agricultural products decreased, leading to a famine the following year.

In the countryside, farmers were struggling in poverty, to the point where they had no choice but to use the seed rice they were supposed to reserve.

The seeds that have been completely consumed will naturally be in short supply the following year, and poverty will continue to perpetuate.

Some even sold their fields and livestock, but while that might temporarily stave off hunger, it would make it impossible to continue farming or dairy farming.

If a large number of farmers continue to abandon their land, society will collapse, and the chaos will become impossible to stop.

Natural disasters, poor harvests, poor fishing yields, and the outbreak of epidemics.

Amidst the continuous misfortunes striking the kingdom, only the distant Rochelle territory was holding out.

The current Duke of Rochelle is Lionel de Lancelot. He is Nathan’s half-brother.

When the abnormal weather first occurred, while the nobles were all tightening their grip on their territories, only Duke Rochelle lowered the taxes and eased the burden on the people.

Furthermore, it seems that he is gaining people’s support because he himself desires a modest life just like his subjects.

“The lowly-born outcasts are just used to a life of poverty!”

Nathan cursed in a fit of rage.

A life akin to that of a beggar is something Lionel could endure, but there’s no way a noble royal like Nathan could.

However, the nobles who hoarded food during the poor harvests earned the resentment of the populace. There were lords whose territories experienced riots and houses that were destroyed.

While the other nobles were losing the support of their subjects, only Duke Rochelle was gaining fame.

Natural disasters that fiercely strike the entire country somehow avoid the Rochelle territory.

It must be a coincidence, but I can only say that my bad luck is incredibly strong.

Lionel, known as the one-eyed prince, is now said to be more popular than King Nathan himself.

“Hateful…!”

I would rather make it look like an accident and take care of him, but if the Duke of Rochelle, who attracts so much attention, were to die under suspicious circumstances, the suspicion would surely fall on Nathan.

To the absent saint and to the foolish younger brother who is becoming a thorn in my side, my insides boil with rage.

Nathan clenched his teeth bitterly.