Chapter 109
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 109
Yoanna had disliked Ordel from the very beginning.
Thanks to awakening as a Saint, Ordel had become an adopted daughter of the Count Kiris Mansion, but being a distant branch of the family, she was practically no different from a commoner.
It infuriated her that a mere commoner had been chosen as a Saint instead of herself, the true eldest daughter of the noble Count Kiris Mansion, and what irritated her even more was that Ordel seemed utterly unsuited to the title of Saint.
Her uncouth mannerisms betrayed her lack of breeding, her greedy nature coveted only expensive things, and worst of all was her arrogant presumption that she had truly become part of the Count's family.
Yet unable to treat the God's daughter with disrespect, Yoanna could only swallow her sighs—until one day.
Her father summoned the family and spoke.
'She is merely a tool. A stepping stone for our house's advancement. There is no need to treat her as family. Simply educate her well so she doesn't overstep her station.'
How delighted she was to hear her father say there was no need to treat the Saint with respect.
From that moment on.
The entire family began to ignore Ordel and trample her down so she would never dare to climb above her station.
Ordel's quarters, which had been in a reasonably clean guest room, were immediately moved to a filthy attic room with Sarah's tacit approval.
And true to her father's word, not only the family but all the servants of the Count Kiris Mansion watched over her to ensure the tool harbored no foolish thoughts.
Everyone made such efforts to ensure Ordel never forgot her place—and yet....
She dares to ignore us now that she has a Duke backing her?
And she even took over her own room?
It was absolutely unforgivable.
Yoanna rushed up to the room at once.
The maids lingering in the corridor recognized her and came running immediately.
"Oh, Miss! What is the meaning of this? How could she...!"
"Where is the Duke?"
"He just left."
So? The Duke is gone?
Then there's nothing to hold back. I only need to keep quiet when the Duke is present.
Yoanna flung the door open at once.
"Well, aren't you living the good life?"
Ordel was sprawled across an extraordinarily expensive sofa that she had begged and pleaded with her father to buy.
A sofa that no one was allowed to touch except during cleaning!
"Get up this instant!"
There was a Holy Knight beside Ordel, but Yoanna paid no attention and screamed.
After all, they were nothing but parasites dependent on the pittance her father gave them.
In Yoanna's eyes, the people of the Sun God Temple were no different from leeches clinging to the Count Kiris Mansion.
"Why are you here?"
Yet instead of getting up immediately, Ordel merely wiggled her toes.
Yoanna was astounded by such insolence.
"What? What did you just say?"
"Didn't you hear? This is my room for now. If you want to come in from now on, you need my permission."
Did she just say that?
Normally, this girl would have pouted with wounded pride and ultimately followed along without saying a word, but now....
"Anyway, since I've taken over your room, what will you do? Oh, that's right. Would you like to move to the Attic Room I used to occupy? If you'd like, I'm happy to give it to you."
The Attic Room...? That filthy, grimy, rat-infested space fit only for lowborns like Ordel Kiris—and she expected me, a noble Count's daughter, to use it?
"I'm magnanimous, so I'm willing to make that concession."
"Have you completely lost your mind?"
"I'm perfectly sane."
Ordel Kiris examined her fingernails before blowing away an imaginary speck of dust.
Yoanna's blood boiled at being so utterly dismissed.
"You really have gone mad. The Duke shows you a little favor and you've become absolutely insufferable...."
"What's wrong with being proud?"
Ordel Kiris looked directly at Yoanna and smiled softly.
A chill ran down Yoanna's spine.
Had she ever looked at me like that before?
Always with eyes full of envy and longing, never abandoning the hope that one day she too might receive the Duke's affection....
But now her gaze held not a trace of jealousy or yearning.
Rather, it was something else entirely....
"The Duke cherishes me this much—what could I possibly lack?"
She looked down on me with eyes confident and proud, as if she had no reason to feel inferior.
'...Ordel Kiris is looking down on me?'
Her? The one who should always be looking up at me from below, from her lowly station?
Yoanna, who had satisfied her base desires by trampling, crushing, and scorning the High Priestess who claimed to be the God's daughter, found Ordel Kiris's current demeanor utterly intolerable.
"This won't do. It seems she needs a lesson after all."
Just as Yoanna reached out to grab Ordel Kiris by the hair—as she had done every time the girl tried to rise—a voice stopped her.
"Step back."
The Holy Knight, who had been standing motionless like a decoration until now, finally stepped forward.
Yoanna's eyes widened.
"How dare you block my path? Get out of the way this instant!"
"I said step back."
But the Holy Knight did not retreat. Instead, she went further, gripping her sword hilt.
A clear warning that if she persisted, the blade would be drawn.
How insolent!
At that moment, the maids who had been watching through the open door rushed in to shield Yoanna.
"Goodness! Drawing a sword before a noblewoman! How vulgar!"
"A Holy Knight, no less! How could you be so disrespectful!"
"You're no better than a street thug!"
The Holy Knight didn't even blink at the barrage of insults from all sides.
"Regardless of who the opponent is, I will never forgive anyone who threatens the High Priestess."
No matter how hard they tried, maids were still just maids.
The intense aura radiating from the Holy Knight drained the color from the maids' faces as if they'd never spoken at all.
They retreated hesitantly, their frightened eyes darting toward Yoanna.
Yoanna too found herself overwhelmed by the sheer force of presence.
She bit her lip and glanced at Ordel Kiris, but Ordel Kiris showed no sign of stopping her—merely watching in quiet stillness.
With a composure in her gaze I had never witnessed before.
What was this? Her eyes had always been an offensively pale yellow... so why did they appear golden today?
Had Ordel Kiris's eyes always been like that?
Something unsettling yet beautiful...
'Tch, what am I thinking?'
To think Ordel Kiris beautiful!
Yoanna shook her head vigorously, about to cry out for her guard knights to come at once.
"Pardon the intrusion."
A calm voice, utterly incongruous with the moment, resonated through the room.
All heads turned sharply.
A woman with beige-toned hair entered the chamber.
"It is an honor to meet you, High Priestess. I am Karen Boreo, sent by Duke Sheary."
At the woman's introduction, Yoanna's eyes widened.
B-Boreo... surely that meant...
"I understand the High Priestess lacks a maid to attend her. During your stay at the Count Kiris Mansion, I shall serve you."
"My goodness. How thoughtful of the Duke. Do come in, Miss Karen Boreo."
"Please, call me Karen. I shall attend to you with utmost sincerity, High Priestess."
At the warm exchange between the two, Yoanna's face trembled uncontrollably.
Yet she could not bare her fangs as before.
Karen Boreo was nobility, after all!
"Though it seems there was some commotion...?"
Karen Boreo's sharp gaze pierced toward Yoanna.
Yoanna flinched.
"It's nothing, Miss Karen. This was originally Yoanna's room, after all. She must have come to retrieve her belongings."
It was then that Ordel Kiris spoke, her voice tinged with amusement. On the surface, it seemed she was taking my side, but it was anything but.
She was openly mocking me.
Yoanna felt a profound sense of humiliation.
"I see. Then please do take what you need. The High Priestess requires her rest."
This was my room, yet Karen had issued the order to leave.
But Yoanna could only bite her lip, unable to speak a word.
Boreo was no mere noble—she was a vassal house of the Sheary Duchy itself!
She was not someone Yoanna could treat carelessly, regardless of her status as a countess.
"...You! Bring me my dresses!"
In the end, Yoanna had no choice but to snap irritably at the maid before sweeping from the room.
Behind her retreating figure came the warm voices of Ordel Kiris and Karen in pleasant conversation.
It sounded like mockery, and Yoanna's face flushed crimson with rage.
* * *
She's about to explode.
Watching Yoanna bolt from the room, I clicked my tongue in disapproval.
Coming here to grab her by the hair, only to be driven away empty-handed—how utterly humiliating that must be.
But I can't afford to be discouraged by something this trivial.
There are countless debts I owe on behalf of Ordel Kiris for everything you've done to her.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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