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In contrast, the Saintess Church was the state religion of the Livitium Imperial Kingdom, and its head temple was also located in the Imperial Kingdom.

The Saintess Church esteemed those who could use Healing miracles as God’s Loved People. They revered Saintess Snow¹ —who was said to have brought even the dead back to life (rumor had it that she was still alive till this day and on a pilgrimage)— as their founder and made it their virtue to better their arts every day in order to become closer to her miracles. However, the Saintess Church of today was nothing more than an empty husk of what it was before. The Saintess Church monopolized any and all who had the talent of the Healing Art, and they kept their advanced skills and studies behind closed doors, giving them leverage to influence the upper echelons of each country whilst putting a high price on the practice that was too expensive for the general public.

And then, while it wasn’t clearly defined as a state religion, members of the beastfolk race adhered to the Divine Beast Religion, in which each tribe worshiped their respective ancestral spirits, gods, and holy beasts. Although none of the humanfolk adhered to the Divine Beast Religion, almost all beastfolk did, making it one of the three major religions of the continent.

Upon the proposal of the church’s high official, the Frontier Count kept his low profile as he answered.

“Unfortunately, my daughter is currently in the process of discussing her engagement to a certain noble prince of the empire…which had been postponed for the time being due to the demise of the emperor. It is vital for her to be within my arm’s length in consideration of future developments. Therefore, she will be accompanying me when I return to the capital in the near future.”

“I understand. Then, I will contact the temple in the capital and make arrangements for future treatments.”

While slightly dejected, the high official of the Department of Divinity accepted the excuse unexpectedly easily, perhaps expecting it. His only goal was to investigate Syltianna’s qualifications, and since the girl didn’t fit the bill, she was probably worthless in his eyes.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

The high official looked down on the lowered head of the Frontier Count, then liberally nodded.

♢♦♢♦♢

With the help of her lady attendants, a girl of about 150 centimertes height, about the same as the average 12-year-old, but more than twice the average weight, was walking down the corridor with one leg dragging behind her.

She was wearing a burgundy dress with lots of frills and lace. The dress itself was expensive, equivalent to the annual income of a typical middle-class family, but because it was made to fit the girl’s body shape, the overall design was off-balance. The designer probably frowned as he took the measurements.

As she silently walked down the long corridor, her attendants mechanically assisted her with each step. Their eyes betrayed no sign of genuine care or concern, it was clear this was merely a job to them. Nevertheless, she maintained her composure. Her stride only halted when she noticed a figure emerging in front of her.

The approaching figure was a young girl, seemingly around eight or nine years old. She was attired in a purple satin dress, which clearly reflected an element of luxury.

The blonde-haired girl, whose hair was trimmed to mid-back length, initially seemed in high spirits. Although not traditionally beautiful, she exuded a lively aura. However, her mood shifted upon noticing the figure walking in front of her, her initial frown turning into surprise as she observed her walking with both feet. For a brief moment, a hint of relief washed over her, only to be swiftly replaced by self-loathing. She vented this emotion in a fierce gaze – more accurately, a glare – directed at the girl with the impaired leg.

“Long time no see, sister Syltianna. We haven’t had a proper talk like this since last year’s consolation party, have we?”

The girl addressed as Syltianna returned the gaze but didn’t respond to the greeting. “…”

The silence seemed to irritate the other girl, who was about to hurl more words at Syltianna when one of the attendants urgently whispered in Syltianna’s ear, “She is your half-sister, Lady Euphemia.”

As if finally being brought back to reality, Syltianna blinks repeatedly. Only then did a voice escape from her mouth. “Hello…Euphemia…”

“Greetings. How do you do, I suppose? You seem just as before, dear sister. Now that you’re walking on both feet, I had hoped perhaps you’d made an effort to improve your appearance. Alas, I see that’s not the case.”

With a defeated shrug of her shoulders, Euphemia showcased her surprisingly expressive face. As the youngest among Count Corrad’s six daughters, her features were always animated, akin to a captivating small creature one can’t look away from. This presented a stark contrast to the ‘Ragweed Princess’ standing before her.

Looking at her with slightly intrigued eyes, Syltianna slowly weaved her words. “I received…treatments from the shrine maidens…so I’m better now…”

“Shrine maiden? Ah, those girls that shady priest brings over. Hmm, I guess they are more capable than they look. So, I assume that your injuries are all healed now?”
“…not completely…with time, I might…heal enough…to walk normally…maybe…”
“Hmm. That doting father of ours is going to heal you, then. Well, I suppose it will be hard for you to walk normally either way, considering your size. Why don’t you exercise some restraint?”
“…okay. …thank you…for caring for me…”

“Wha?! I’m definitely not caring for you. I’m only warning you because it would be a shame for us if any more unsavory rumors were spread about our family. Don’t get the wrong idea!” Euphemia stormed past Syltianna, face beet red, yelling in anger.

Not long after she saw her off, Syltianna resumed her walk, but her stomach rumbled with hunger. “Princess, your treats.” With a familiar gesture, one of the lady attendants offered her a bag of sweets.

Syltianna reflexively reached for it, but after a second of hesitation, she withdrew her hand.

“…I’ll hold off…until dinner…”

Her lady attendants couldn’t hide their surprise at those words. The girl in person, however, didn’t seem to take notice of it, and slowly made her way towards her own room, enduring the pain and hunger.

“…sister…na…”²

“—hm? What was it, milady?”

When one of her attendants asked her about her mumble, Syltianna shook her head from side to side, as if to say it was nothing.

Her eyes gazed out the window, towards the endless blue sky. For a moment, there was a deep longing reflected in those eyes, but it quickly dissipated and was replaced by a color of emptiness along with a sigh that escaped her lips.

Translator’s Note:

(fake) Syltianna you’re such a good girl T^T

Translator’s Note:

Politics? World building? Where’s my daily slow life???

1. Mab: Snow… Yuki…. hmm, who could it be…
2. Mab: this is no typo. Fake syltianna’s sister is Lana

   Basically, she is saying
   “(little) sister… (La)na…”

   I mean, obviously, Lana mistook Jill as her own sister because of her hair color, and Lana’s sister is supposedly taken to Cilento Imperial Capital by a slave trader.

   So the situation, as it stands, is real Syltianna (Jill) is with fake Syltianna’s little sister, and fake Syltianna is with real Syltianna’s family.

   This author sure loves irony, huh.