Inside the small study with a tiny fire crackling away…
Pitter-patter as the drizzle taps softly on the window.
“Ugh… No matter how much I pinch my cheeks, nothing comes out…”
A woman with snow-white hair that stings the eyes.
Dressed in Saintess robes, she pouted while fiddling with her cheeks.
‘She’s like a twin.’
When she first saw Pina Grancia, she doubted her own eyes.
To think there could be someone so identical to her! It felt a bit unfair.
A strange feeling as if she were looking at her own reflection. Not even when creating a doppelgänger did she feel like this.
A maze of others’ emotions.
So that’s why this so-called Saintess is here, huh?
Suddenly, jealousy surged up.
Her body, ripe like a fully grown fruit. The curves of her soft figure captivated the gaze.
That confident smile on her face made Pina tug at her own cheeks in annoyance.
The thought that she’d never monopolized the Black Knight’s heart from the start struck her.
Pina’s hands trembled weakly, tightening with frustration.
‘…So that’s why Licht got anxious whenever he looked at other women.’
Pretending to be oblivious, she was captivated.
With a body like that, it’s rare to find a man who wouldn’t fall for her.
Although she reluctantly sat at the table after the Saintess’s invitation…
She really didn’t feel like having tea and chatting at all.
“Who on earth are you…?”
“Well, calling me your long-lost twin sister from childhood… would you believe that?”
Unfazed even before the Grancia Empire’s princess. Crossing her arms and resting them on her chest was quite an aggressive stance.
“No way, I don’t believe it. That’s a lie. What on earth happened in the future… for me to become the Saintess?”
Pina glared at the Saintess sitting in front of her, an unmistakable sign of wariness.
Her wolf tail shook vigorously like a flag.
“Hehe, you’re getting right to the point. But let’s talk about something else for a moment.”
However, her opponent was no amateur.
Just moments ago, the Nameless Saintess had yanked at Pina’s wolf ears in retaliation for pulling her cheeks.
“How much do you know about my knight?”
“…Don’t call Licht that.”
Her jaws clenched with a crunch.
The endearing names they used for each other. Come to think of it, Licht also used to call her “Saintess” before he lost his memory.
“We’ve known each other for 15 years, so I can call him however I want.”
Pfft, her laughter almost sounded more like a fox than a wolf.
“Not a warrior, not a hero, but a noble Black Knight.”
The Saintess showed no signs of retreating even under the piercing gaze of the Empire’s princess.
Maybe it’s because she resembles herself so much.
Even her words sounded similar, making Pina feel one step behind.
“And a perverted dog too.”
“Come on, he doesn’t even look at other women! How can that be perverted?”
Pina shot back, but the Saintess’s expression, popping a candy into her mouth, looked carefree and full of herself.
‘You don’t know the full side of the Black Knight.’ Those words stirred Pina’s anger.
It was annoying that she kept poking at an aspect of herself she didn’t even know.
“Everyone knows my knight isn’t a loose man.”
“True. If he were, he would have crossed that line already when we were in the hot springs in the north.”
She summoned memories from the snowy onsen, despite the flurry outside.
After all, the only person who would have seen Su-hyun half-naked was her alone.
A sculptor of the highest caliber, shaping her heart with every sinewy muscle.
Sure, his face was quite handsome, but his true value lay in his pure and warm heart.
You could say he’s more substantial than what’s on the surface.
“…What did you say?”
Now it was 1-on-1.
The Saintess was trying to touch the wolf ears atop her head. Acting fine, but her face was completely pale.
‘This is definitely something I didn’t want to hear.’
It was something she expected. If the Black Knight’s stories were to be believed, it was a long, unrequited love saga.
They probably never even engaged in affectionate gestures as a couple. If they had, her reaction wouldn’t be like this.
“W-what exactly did you and my knight get up to…? Am I more shameless in the past?!”
“…Hehe, I’ve won.”
As the Saintess bit her nails, she now looked like Pina Grancia.
Overwhelming possessiveness and a platinum wolf who disliked having what’s hers taken away.
The notion that she was a future version of herself slowly gained her trust.
“Licht is… someone precious to me.”
“Your knight is a good person for sure. Too good for someone like me.”
As they shared the same candy and drank the same black tea, they spoke similar words.
When the talk turned to Su-hyun, the relief on their faces felt like seeing a mirror.
“He returned my mother to me and gave me the strength to live again.”
“…Same here. Despite being a half-baked Saintess who couldn’t use Divine Power well, he always held me close.”
With a sense of kinship, they continued to chat, softening their guard.
Though they had lived different lives, one meeting with a man had changed their entire destinies, and that was where they shared common ground.
“He told me it’s okay not to be strong, and okay to be weak.”
“Exactly. I’m the weakest Saintess, yet he always thought of me first.”
Pina and the Nameless Saintess smiled gently, thinking of the Black Knight.
“Even as a princess, he doesn’t see my honor or wealth but sees the real me.”
“Even as a Saintess, he never criticized me for not being able to heal.”
Two women sharing similar stories.
Although their statuses diverged as Saintess and Princess, it seems the Black Knight spoke the same words to both.
Salvation.
A simple task that could be achieved with just a word, yet those lucky enough to find it are scarce.
For some, it was a gem they could never obtain in their lifetime, and for others, it was a mirage they regretted missing.
‘Su-hyun said this person is my unfortunate future…’
Su-hyun spoke of the Saintess and Pina Grancia as if they were entirely separate beings.
Yet the women facing each other now were indeed similar.
‘It’s reckless to label it an “unfortunate future” just like that.’
If I hadn’t met the Black Knight, that would have been unfortunate.
A life where, no matter how hard she struggled, no one was there to help her out.
In that dark and sticky place, it was Su-hyun who reached out and pulled her out without hesitation.
“Can I just call you Saintess?”
“Yes, I’m the Nameless Saintess. If you want to call me something special… you may call me ‘Nameless Saintess’.”
Truth be told, there wasn’t much difference between a Saintess and a Princess.
Just wearing different clothes doesn’t turn you into someone else.
“I’m Pina Grancia. The princess of the Grancia Empire.”
“Hehe, this is really an honor.”
Without needing much explanation, the two women had bonded over the singular presence of the Black Knight.
Was it a sense of kinship? Or maybe just the comfort of recognizing themselves in each other.
“…..”
No, rather, it’s the relief of knowing she’s not a rival.
Ultimately, she realized she had no relation to Su-hyun. They probably hadn’t even held hands.
‘There’s still a chance for me.’
Even if the memories of Su-hyun occupied more space, the one beside her right now was Princess Pina Grancia.
Convinced she had the strength to chase the lead-wolf ahead of her.
“…Licht really isn’t a vessel, is he?”
“Yes, if you’re speaking of Su-hyun, he’s not a vessel.”
Detecting the opponent’s intent, Pina asked to confirm information.
The Nameless Saintess hadn’t used the word Licht until now.
“Hehe, as expected. I knew you’d catch on.”
How much she knew about Su-hyun had her poking at Pina’s sincerity.
Knowing it wasn’t a challenge, she probably wanted to reveal the parts she didn’t know.
“…Honestly, it sounds like you’re bragging about yourself.”
Cue dramatic sound effect It felt like the Saintess was also Pina Grancia at the same time.
“You were curious about my identity, right? Princess?”
“…I heard it was an unfortunate future.”
“That sounds somewhat accurate. You’d have everything taken away by the Demon Kings without meeting Su-hyun.”
Clatter The Saintess set down her cup of tea.
Lowering her gaze, slowly opening her mouth made her appear so forlorn.
“If I were to call it a cruel fate… I took over the Saintess’s position after Sister Shar.”
“….”
That meant death.
There hadn’t been cases of inheriting a pre-existing Saintess position.
It was a stark contrast to Su-hyun rescuing Schartines from beneath the academy.
“I might be using honorifics because I don’t want to forget and don’t want to lose everything.”
The Saintess continued calmly, yet something behind her smile looked sad.
“I’ve ended up crying clumsily. Is this study a bit too dry…?”
“Right now, you’re remembering because your powers are released…?”
“….That’s correct. You’re quite perceptive.”
She resembled a lonely wolf. Her unfortunate future, unrecognized by anyone. Pina listened attentively while wiping away the Saintess’s tears.
“I am your uncertain future.”
A blank sheet of a Saintess who had lost everything to the Demon Kings of the Hero Church.
Even if she claimed to be a future version of herself, the ambiance she bore felt remarkably different from them.
“If you and your knight were to attempt to change the future…”
With a snap of her fingers, she continued.
Then, her attire transformed from the pure white Saintess robe to shining glass armor.
“I would change into a form like this too.”
“…..”
With a mana rose adorning one side of her head, the Saintess now closely resembled the ‘future Princess Pina Grancia.’
“It’s better to use honorifics. That way, you’ll start resembling Su-hyun.”
Unlike before, it truly felt like she was gazing at her reflection in a mirror.
Unlike the freshly adult version of herself, this one radiated poise.
What kind of relationship would her future self have with Licht?
“Right now, Licht drank a memory-erasing potion… How on earth…?”
“He simply fell asleep. To completely erase his memories.”
Pina contemplated how to bring back Su-hyun, who sacrificed his memories for the trial due to Pantoze’s test.
“Is there a way?”
“You know the answer already. No one knows better than you about it.”
Yet, the response she received was not an answer but a question.
What could she possibly know? If she left the trial like this, the memory-less Black Knight might welcome her back.
Just imagining it was like being squeezed by someone’s grip, causing her heart to ache.
“I don’t know…”
Pina Grancia confided in her future self about the parts that troubled her.
“The answer is simple. Pina Grancia. No, past me.”
The Saintess was back in her robe, gazing at her younger self and slowly spoke.
“It’s a magic that makes you like what you hate and hate what you like.”
Golden wolf eyes met, understanding each other.
“It’s both a technique to understand everything about the other person and to hold them dearly.”
The Saintess took Pina’s trembling hands and posed as though in prayer.
“It’s spirit magic that can both break your heart and make you leap with joy.”
She explained the sensation that had been tormenting her.
The chill in her heart that had been piercing her all this time.
“In the world, they call that Divine Love.”
She awakened her past self to the definition of love she had learned from Su-hyun.
Even those without names could wield the magic of love.
“…Do you finally understand? My dear Hero?”
Pina Grancia quietly nodded, recalling the Black Knight’s request to make her fall in love once again.
