The Beginning Of Conflict

“From this point forward, the two Holy Maidens shall both be placed under protection in the royal palace.”

In the “Topaz Chamber,” where as many as twenty people were seated, the king announced this from the chairman’s seat. Beside him sat Isaac and nearly all the figures who had been present in the audience chamber, including the chancellor and ministers.

Normally, young women like Cordelia and Hina would not be permitted to attend such a meeting. However, when bearing the title of Holy Maiden, it was different. Rather, because they held the authority to “designate the king,” they had even been seated beside His Majesty himself.

(This is quite nerve-wracking. I never expected to be involved in a place like this…!)

Perhaps the original Cordelia had resolved to sit here someday as queen, but the current Cordelia was a reincarnator who knew the ending. She had lived assuming the engagement would be broken, so she believed she had no connection to this.

(And yet not only was the engagement not broken, I became a Holy Maiden!? I have mountains of questions!)

Thinking about Fenrir, who was not present, Cordelia clenched her teeth.

In front of her, the chancellor agreed with the king.

“Yes. Since we do not know which of the two will ultimately become the final Holy Maiden, having them reside in the palace is the safest option.”

The others nodded in unison.

Even if there were two Holy Maidens, realistically only one could become queen. Inevitably, they had to narrow it down to one.

(And yet we have no idea how to decide that one… this makes no sense at all…)

After the incident, once Fenrir had calmed down, the people tried to confirm that very matter first. But Fenrir only said things like “ah” and “hmm,” never giving a clear answer.

Worse—

“This is the first time that even I have seen two Holy Maidens. How should I know more? If both possess the Holy Maiden’s power, either is fine to me. You humans should decide yourselves.”

After tossing the matter aside, it added, “I shall go for a walk after so long. Do not summon me,” and vanished somewhere.

Fenrir said they could decide arbitrarily, but in truth no one knew what criteria to use. The Holy Maiden herself was a rare existence chosen once every several centuries, and until now human will had never influenced the selection—the authority belonged solely to the divine.

Because of that, it was obvious a power struggle would arise: the Holy Maiden Hina faction and the Holy Maiden Cordelia faction.

That battle was about to begin here in this meeting room.

“Your Majesty, may I propose something?”

“What is it?”

The one who rose respectfully was Count Lavori, the kingdom’s finance minister and head of a wealthy merchant family. Known as an ambitious man, he had also been the first to approach Hina when the Holy Maiden’s discovery was announced.

“The Holy Maidens are to be protected separately in the eastern and western palaces. Unlike Lady Cordelia, who has the Duke Harmonia family’s backing, Lady Hina was raised among commoners. She may face difficulties with palace and noble culture. Therefore, if permitted, the Lavori family would like to fully assist Lady Hina.”

At once, tension filled the air. Though unspoken, the nobles swiftly exchanged glances, gauging reactions.

(The Hina faction has already begun to appear…!)

In simple terms, the Lavori family was offering to support Hina’s life—in other words, become her patron.

Cordelia was originally Isaac’s fiancée, and after the recent incident she had acted together with him, making it clear she sided with the current royal family (which was true).

By contrast, Hina wished to marry Isaac but was rejected and had not yet chosen whom she would select. Furthermore, her childish behavior made it easy for seasoned schemers to judge her as manipulable.

For those aiming at the throne, supporting Cordelia—already closely tied to the royal family—brought little advantage, but backing the unaligned Hina could yield great benefits if she were chosen as Holy Maiden. In some cases, they might even have her appoint a king aligned with them and control the country.

For those whose ambition outweighed loyalty, it was a natural choice.

(In a sense, this is practically an open declaration of opposition…)

Careful not to show agitation, Cordelia secretly glanced at the king beside her. Most present were surely watching his response—Hina alone still looked absent-minded and uninterested.

“…Very well. I permit Count Lavori to attend to Holy Maiden Hina.”

“I am honored.”

This time a murmur spread openly.

The count’s argument had merit, but there were many ways the king could have rejected it. Yet he approved it—allowing Count Lavori to support Hina in opposition to Cordelia, whom the royal family backed.

From now on, nobles would gradually split beneath the surface into Hina and Cordelia factions, starting with Count Lavori. It would inevitably spread to common citizens as well.

“Is there anyone else who wishes to attend to Holy Maiden Hina? …If not, we shall proceed to the next agenda. Chancellor.”

“Yes. I shall report. First, the borders—previously open only to trusted merchants since the Holy Maiden’s appearance—will be completely sealed until the Holy Maiden is determined. Next…”

(Oh, my head hurts…! I thought solving the Sacred Beast issue would be the end, yet I’ve suddenly been thrown into such a troublesome scenario!)

Straining to follow the complicated topics that continued one after another, Cordelia sighed inwardly.