Chapter 27
Chapter 27. Lies and Secrets
As Vinea entered the reception room prepared in the palace, she was first greeted by the sight of priests sprawled on the floor. Only the Chief Priest, who had guided her through the temple recently, remained standing, clenching his trembling fists and looking down. Fortunately, there were no bloodstains on the floor.
“Your Majesty,” he greeted.
“You arrived early, Empress,” replied Tatar de Tessibania.
Seeing no visible injuries, Vinea wondered if the Emperor had actually laid hands on the priests, who had likely never fought a day in their lives.
“Are you curious why they’re in this state?” Tatar asked.
“Well, did Your Majesty strangle them?” Vinea responded.
“No, though I would like to,” he said.
At that moment, Deron Morkan, who had been standing behind Vinea, stepped forward.
“His Majesty rose from his seat during the conversation, and immediately the priests collapsed.”
Vinea grasped the situation. How could those who had probably held pencils rather than swords their entire lives withstand the murderous aura of someone who had killed countless lives? They were fortunate they hadn’t fainted outright.
“Lineue, these guests seem unwell. Please find them a place to rest,” Vinea ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lineue replied.
Soon, Lineue asked the guards outside to escort the priests away.
Vinea sat opposite the Chief Priest. Tatar, flicking his fingers restlessly, seemed visibly displeased. Unlike the initial commotion, only the Chief Priest remained in the room now.
The Chief Priest swallowed hard.
‘Oh, gods…’
Were these truly the same people he had blessed on the eve of their wedding? The young couple had been stiff with tension as they stood on the wedding carpet, trying to appear flawless despite the burdens on their shoulders. They were tired but determined, not the dangerous and sharp rulers they seemed now.
The atmosphere was dominated by an intensity the Chief Priest had never felt, not even from the former rulers of Tessibania and Veshnu. He should have been wary from the moment they emerged from the prayer room, unfazed by their indecent behavior.
The Chief Priest sensed that today would not be an easy day.
“May the blessings of the gods be upon you. I am here to see the Empress on behalf of the god Urogia,” he said.
“Let’s get to the point. Why have you come here so suddenly, without warning? Even if you serve the gods, you shouldn’t disregard human customs,” Vinea stated.
“As I mentioned to His Majesty earlier, I came to discuss compensation for the statue damaged during your recent visit to the temple,” the Chief Priest explained.
“Compensation…,” Vinea mused.
“Yes. The statue that resembles the tree where the divine miracle, Sefitiana, blossomed. You broke eighteen branches. Are you aware of this?” he asked.
Was he referring to the branches broken during her and Tatar’s passionate encounter? Though their intense actions were partly to blame, the primary reason was to erase any trace of their descent into the basement.
Even in her previous life, the temple had been powerless. If it became known that Sefitiana had been stolen, the swords of the two empires would turn toward the temple rather than each other.
What exactly had the priests said to anger Tatar so much?
Nodding slightly for him to continue, Vinea listened as the Chief Priest, his face stern, spoke again.
“We demand the royal family bear the full cost of expanding three temple buildings and cede the plains in the Otilan region in the northwest of the empire,” he said.
“Hmmm,” Vinea pondered.
She wondered why Tatar hadn’t just dealt with them harshly. Their demands were absurd, almost laughable.
“You expect compensation equivalent to ten years of temple donations just to restore a statue…,” Vinea said, standing up. Tatar, sitting idly, looked up at her with bored eyes.
“It’s amusing to hear such nonsense when I’m already so busy,” Vinea said, turning away.
Seeing her dismissiveness, the Chief Priest spoke urgently.
“I believe our demands are reasonable! Compared to the treasures you took from the temple, it’s a modest request!” he exclaimed.
It was better to get straight to the point than to drag it out. Seeing the Chief Priest wipe his cold sweat, Vinea sat back down.
Her confident gaze was almost arrogant, confusing the Chief Priest further.
‘Did they really not take it?’ he wondered.
Despite the High Priest’s insistence, he had his doubts. The basement storing Sefitiana was designed to remain hidden unless the statue was damaged.
But the branches were broken for the first time that day, and Sefitiana disappeared. Was it truly a coincidence?
While the circumstances were incriminating, there was no solid proof.
‘They’ll probably deny taking any treasure,’ he thought, considering more forceful measures.
Unexpectedly, Vinea answered with a casual tone.
“Are you referring to Sefitiana?”
“…!”
The Chief Priest quickly turned to check if the door was open, worried someone might overhear.
Seeing his alarmed expression, Vinea chuckled briefly.
His face reddened as he whipped his head back to her.
“What if someone hears, Empress!” he said.
“Lower your voice, Chief Priest,” Tatar interjected, filling the room with tension.
The Chief Priest gritted his teeth inwardly. Even without Sefitiana, these two deserved punishment for their sacrilegious acts in the holy prayer room.
Despite their lack of apology, they had left the prayer room boldly.
Since then, he had struggled to re-educate the young priests who had been disturbed by the incident.
Despite having much to say, the Chief Priest, intimidated by Tatar’s presence, lowered his voice.
“…We do not wish to escalate this matter. Either return what you took or fulfill our demands,” he said quietly.
Vinea tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes blinking lazily as she looked at the Chief Priest, as if questioning what he was talking about.
“We did not take it, Chief Priest.”
“Then, are you implying that you used Sefitiana?” he asked.
“You know better than anyone that’s not true. Did you witness any of the phenomena described in the scriptures—the light piercing the sky, the earth shaking, or blessings pouring down?” Vinea retorted.
The Chief Priest knew she was right. Just as one cannot simply cover the light of Sefitiana with cloth, the manifestation of its miracles would be evident even through several walls. However, no such phenomena occurred that day, proving they hadn’t used Sefitiana.
“If you didn’t take it, then who did? Are we to believe it just vanished without reason right after you entered?” the Chief Priest pressed.
“Unfortunately, that’s the truth. We swear by the gods that we did not take that useless stone,” Vinea replied.
Though they did break it, they hadn’t technically taken it out of the basement, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Let me ask you this: From the temple’s perspective, does Sefitiana truly grant wishes?” Vinea inquired.
The Chief Priest visibly flinched.
Seeing his reaction, Vinea continued in a cold voice, “It’s strange because when we touched it, nothing happened.”
The Chief Priest couldn’t respond. Vinea pressed further.
“Is it really Sefitiana? If not, the temple has been deceiving two empires with a worthless stone.”
“S-Sefitiana is real!” he stammered.
If it was revealed that the temple had secretly kept Sefitiana instead of burying it, they would suffer a severe blow. However, it would be less damaging than one of the empires stealing it. But if it became known that Sefitiana was merely a shining gem without any power, the temple’s honor and credibility would plummet, and the faith of the priests, grounded in the scriptures, would be shaken. Additionally, those harmed by the war would direct their anger at the temple that vouched for Sefitiana’s authenticity.
The Chief Priest closed his eyes tightly. Despite needing to gain something, they were being cornered.
“The temple was the first to obtain Sefitiana, which appeared 100 years ago at the border between Veshnu and Tessibania. Naturally, we verified its authenticity.”
“How?”
“No material or magic can damage Sefitiana.”
“Does that include gems?” Vinea asked.
“Even a diamond would be useless,” he replied.
Vinea’s blue eyes gleamed with curiosity. They had indeed broken Sefitiana. If the tool used didn’t matter, then why did Sefitiana break in their hands?
After a moment of thought, Vinea looked at the Chief Priest and said, “Our discussion is over. You may leave now.”
“Th-that’s not possible. Sefitiana—”
“Is buried forever, is it not? Just as people have always believed, they will continue to think it is true,” Vinea stated.
She was willing to overlook the fact that the temple deceived the world by hiding Sefitiana in a basement and that the gem had no power, provided the temple acknowledged that the Emperor and Empress of Tessibania had discovered the truth. Though it wasn’t a complete loss for the temple, it wasn’t a favorable outcome either.
“—If you doubt us so much, there’s no other way,” Vinea said, standing up and opening the door. She addressed Lineue, who had been waiting outside, “Go to the jailer in the underground prison and fetch some truth serum used on the prisoners.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lineue responded, hurrying to the underground prison, confused and alarmed.
Returning to her seat, Vinea smiled at the horrified Chief Priest.
“I hate repeating myself. So, go and tell them clearly. We’ll see if the Empress confesses to stealing Sefitiana under the influence of truth serum or not.”
