Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 166
“Is there any chance your heart might change in the future?”
“That’s something I can’t predict right now. But I am a saintess. For now, I want to focus on fulfilling that role.”
Guy’s expression darkened. He seemed defeated, but there was nothing more Irene could offer. Giving him false hope would only hurt him more in the end. This was all she could do for him. After lingering for a while longer, Guy finally stepped away.
“But I won’t give up.”
His final words lingered in her ears, making her rub them absentmindedly. As she did, Burt, who had been standing apart until now, approached her.
“By any chance.”
“Yes?”
“Did you hide the proposal, Burt?”
Burt pulled an envelope from his chest in response to Irene’s question. It was the same as the one Guy had given her.
“Yes.”
Burt didn’t lie. He honestly confessed to what he had done.
“I deemed it unnecessary.”
“Which part? The part about me getting married? Or the part about Guy being the spouse?”
“Both.”
At those words, Irene stifled a sigh. She didn’t mind that Burt disapproved of Guy as her potential spouse, but to say that marriage itself was unnecessary? Did that mean Burt had no feelings for her? Or perhaps, even if he did, he had no intention of marrying her?
She had countless questions but found herself unable to speak. Why? Upon reflecting, she realized.
‘I’m afraid of the answer I’ll get.’
An awkward silence hung between them. And it didn’t break easily.
“Irene.”
After a long pause, it was Burt who spoke first. But Irene had no intention of listening to him calmly.
“I think I’ll go rest now.”
She turned away from him. Burt didn’t chase after her as she rushed off.
“Oh, Saintess, you’re back?”
When she returned to her room, Lani greeted her. She had been talking to Noah, both of them wearing rather serious expressions.
Lani naturally ended their conversation and began attending to Irene. After a few moments of hesitation, she spoke up.
“By the way, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“There’s been a marriage proposal to Lord Burt.”
The news of Guy’s proposal had already reached here? No, it didn’t make sense—it was too soon. Irene looked at Lani and asked,
“What proposal?”
“Now that the world is slowly stabilizing, you know. There are still some heretic groups wandering around, but they’re not what they used to be. So naturally, people are starting to think about marriage.”
“And what does that have to do with Burt?”
“I hear he’s been getting quite a few marriage proposals too. Recently, there was one from a royal branch of the northern kingdom. She’s quite a famous figure.”
“Who?”
“Let me think.”
While Lani strained to recall, Noah chimed in from the side.
“Aluna.”
“Aluna?”
“That’s right. They say she’s quite a beauty up north. Comes from a good family, and her personality’s supposed to be great too. But I don’t think the marriage will actually happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because Lord Burt likes you, of course.”
At those words, Irene’s face flushed red.
“Does it look that obvious?”
“Yes, I think anyone would say so! That’s why Lord Burt will surely reject the proposal.”
Irene thought back to the proposal letter Burt had held earlier. He’d said it was from Guy, but could it have been from someone else? The thought made her chest tighten. Still, the sky was as clear as ever.
As Irene gradually regained her composure, her emotions no longer flared as they once had.
‘Calm down.’
With slow breaths, the tightness in her chest eased. For now, she decided to focus on her duties as a saint and wait for the goddess’s guidance. That was how she would fulfill her role.
While the central regions were growing more stable, something peculiar was happening in the outskirts.
“Oh, Saintess!”
“It’s the Saintess!”
In a small slash-and-burn village deep in the mountains, a beautiful woman appeared. She called herself a saintess, making plants grow and healing the wounded.
And as she did so, she claimed that the saintess currently in the capital was a fake. At first, the villagers didn’t believe her, but gradually, they began to fall under her influence.
“Saintess, what is your name?”
In response to someone’s question, the saintess answered,
“Ramiel.”
It was the reappearance of another ‘Saintess’.
