After learning about the pregnancy, she couldn’t eat properly for a while due to worries.

Thanks to Elysion’s kind attitude, she could now enjoy the grand treatment of the Duchess’s guest without worry.

“Do you need to return to the Harington Viscount?”

As she wondered how long she could stay like this, she felt impatient. Fortunately, Elysion asked first.

Moreover, Elysion, the Grand Duke himself, treated her exceptionally kindly.

He handled her with great care, as if she were a delicate feather about to be blown away.

Due to his attitude, Karina’s cheeks often turned red.

“I can’t go back to the viscount. It’s too dangerous. Sabiel might be keeping an eye on it.”

Karina felt lost about her future.
No matter what she did or how she should live, Karina felt overwhelmingly frustrated.

Despite being concerned about the sudden change in attitude, the moment Elysion affectionately wrapped his arms around her shoulders, all worries and troubles seemed to vanish.

“I want to stay under his protection like this.”

Even though Saville is also a Grand Duke, he might not be able to intervene.

“Phew.”

Lying on the bed, Karina turned her head and looked around the room again.

She didn’t notice much on the day she first arrived at the Grand Duchy because she fell asleep like fainting, but it was an excessively splendid and luxurious room.

“A Grand Duchess’s room. What does it mean for them to grant me this?”

The Harington Viscountess’s room, decorated with dignified items that might occupy half of this room’s enormous space, was also magnificent.

“Because you are my precious person.”

Watching Elysion speak so casually made Karina wonder if there was something wrong with her head.

‘If there’s nothing wrong with my head, then maybe it’s him…’

She had heard rumors that Clement, the only Grand Duke in the Empire and a highly respected knight, had gone blind, turned insane, and howled like a beast every night.

But seeing him with perfectly functioning eyes and in such good condition, Karina shuddered at the thought that only the part about him being ‘insane’ in the rumors might be true. Moreover, it was about herself.

Eventually, she thought optimistically that he might have finally recognized her as his destined partner.

“Ah, my stomach…”

As her lower abdomen slightly stung as if poking, Karina buried her face in the pillow for a moment.

It was at that moment that an unsteady thought occurred to her.

“It would have been nice if this child were Elysion’s.”

Rather than a child of the repulsive and outrageous Saville, who seemed to be squandering the name of the Prince.

As she touched her lower abdomen, soothing it as if comforting a child in her belly, her hand stopped.

“…It’s impossible, right?”

After pondering something with difficulty, Karina rose from the bed.

Elysia made a sponsorship announcement with Roben and Esho.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t host you in the reception room since it’s too crowded due to the sudden increase in guests.”

The reception room was occupied by Mariella and Lev.

A while ago, the butler was in trouble because there were not enough hands due to the sudden increase in guests, so he felt sorry for taking tea to the Grand Duchess’s room and decided to return quickly after witnessing an unbearable sight.

“I want to continue what we were doing earlier, but only when you allow it.”

Elysion looked at Karina affectionately and kissed the back of her hand.

Her heart thumped wildly.

She was afraid that her face would turn red out of confusion, but fortunately, due to having lived as a priest for many years, she could maintain composure.

Regretfully, the tea set that Bernard had prepared with sincerity was likely to cool down Elysion’s anger, as she had hastily placed it anywhere in the room after being surprised.

“Haah.”

Seeing Elysia sigh unintentionally, Roben asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, that’s right.”

“Sister, don’t leave.”

Esho said.

“Do you know how noisy it is because of you right now?”

Above the heads of Roben and Esho, lights resembling electric sparks occasionally flickered and flashed.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“Because I closed the trust since I didn’t want to hear the obvious story.”

The trust was a communication window where the chosen priests could converse with the gods.

Upon hearing Elysia’s words, Esho made a surprised expression.

“Do only you have that privilege?”

Elysia was an existence born from the peculiarities of this world.

Even though she was not a possessor, there was a separate reason why she could become a genuine priest.

It was all thanks to Mariella’s notes.

In an attempt to put her in Harumsha to avoid the dreadful fate given to Elysia, she ended up being chosen by the gods there.

No one doubted the fact that Elysia was not a possessor but a fake priest who entered Harumsha to avoid the death ending. Among the possessors, only a very small number could receive the trust.

“The gods are greatly disappointed with Mariella’s choice. They’re making a fuss about not wanting to see the scene of Sonatek ascending to the divine throne.”

“I know. But I don’t think it’s the gods’ place to say.”

“Why is that?”

Listening quietly to the conversation between my sister and Elysia, Roben asked.

“In the end, the gods couldn’t help our mother get back the stolen item from Sonatek for twenty years.”

Although the gods were possessors, they transcended this world.

To those who transcended, emotions, pain, complaints, and suffering were nothing more than concepts to be abandoned to transcend beyond humanity.

They couldn’t change the fate of the Sandal originals with their sympathy.

Now, as they make a fuss about not wanting Sonatek to ascend, how amusingly ironic it is.

Even after transcending everything to become a god, they are regaining the emotion of ‘extreme disgust.’ Sonatek was such an existence.

Elysia found it so funny that she burst out laughing alone.

The cold voice of the man intervened in their conversation at that moment.

“It looks like you’re having fun.”

At the sudden voice of Illeion, the conversation of the priests stopped.

“May the blessings of the Five Gods and Oder be with you.”

Roben bowed politely, crossing his hands in an X shape over his chest. Seeing Esho awkwardly standing still and gesturing to him with his eyes, he reluctantly lowered his head toward Illeion.

“May the blessings of the Five Gods and Oder be with you.”

Illeion’s eyes were not directed at those who were greeting him. He precisely stared at Elysia and asked, as if reprimanding Roben and Esho.

“Why are the priests outside the temple? It seems suspicious, considering the will of the gods.”

Roben stepped forward.
“I came out to offer prayers, hoping for the day when the servant of the gods departs from suffering and safely returns from Harumsha.”

“I see. There are prayers like that too. If I had prayed for good fortune when heading to the battlefield, I might have donated a fortune to Harumsha. In the eyes of the Five Gods and Oder, it seems that the Imperial Shield going to the battlefield is not much different from the departure of a servant of the gods.”

Elysia glanced at Illeion with caution.

The man, who seemed happy with Carina, had a heart that had been tortured for a long time with the man’s smile.

However, he kept his gaze fixed on me, and it seemed as if he was restraining Roben and Esho.

‘Why? Why?’