The Smile of the Second Saintess

“Your smile is truly disgusting!”

“Can’t even speak properly? What good are you, you useless wretch, that I bother to keep you?”

“You’re a dreadful little imp who only brings misfortune! Your father and mother died so early precisely because of the bad luck you carry! Get out there and earn back today’s copper coins!”

The whip lashed out at Edith, tearing a gash across her coarse linen clothes and dirty skin.

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, casting the frail girl into an alley full of mud and filth.

Carriages hurried past, their distant, cheerful, and urgent drum and horn calls jarring against the putrid atmosphere of the alley.

****

The Alvis Territory was the empire’s most prosperous province, and its capital, Lovisa, was widely considered the most flourishing city in the empire, a truth no one would dispute.

The Ambir River, melting from the eastern snow-capped mountains, flowed westward, cutting across the flat plains of the Alvis Territory. The mother river’s selfless irrigation and nourishment made the soil incredibly fertile and rich.

Each spring, the golden fields of oilseed r*pe were a hallmark of the Alvis Territory, a land said to flow with gold.

Yet, in corners untouched by the sun, people still fought desperately for daily survival. Hidden from the wealthy in their carriages, the city’s deep alleys teemed with children like her, orphaned and without support.

“Sir, would you like your shoes shined?”

She would wipe away the dirt and hide her wounds, then step onto the bustling streets of Lovisa, resuming the daily ritual she knew so well.

The sun shone brightly, yet it held no warmth for her.

This seemingly beautiful world was not hers.

Edith’s entire existence was confined to that small, damp basement, crawling with insects and rats.

She sought out a gentleman who appeared affluent, unhurried, and kind-faced. Approaching him, she would offer a practiced smile and then, in a pitiful, weak voice, ask her question.

She didn’t actually need to shine shoes; few would allow a dirty urchin like her to touch their footwear. The value of such expensive leather far surpassed her own life.

It was merely a display of misery to elicit sympathy.

There were always a few kind gentlemen willing to part with a copper coin.

Today, the gentleman she found by instinct wore a white robe with gold trim, a silver crucifix pendant at his chest, and a pure golden crown on his head.

Edith didn’t understand the significance of these items, only knowing that he must be a very wealthy man.

His face held an indescribable solemnity.

Normally, Edith would never dare to approach such a distinguished gentleman, but today felt different somehow.

So, she mustered her courage and stepped forward.

The gentleman halted, stopping directly in front of Edith.

He was so tall that he seemed to obscure even the sun itself, high above.

Amidst the fierce brilliance, beneath the pure, azure sky, the man’s figure appeared utterly solemn and sacred.

Only then did Edith notice the colossal procession behind the gentleman, the thunderous drums and horns emanating from their ranks.

This entire procession had stopped because of her.

Every gaze on the entire street fell upon Edith, upon her, the dirty urchin.

‘It seems I’ve caused a great disaster.’

‘I’m in for a brutal whipping, and I won’t get any hard, dry bread. Tonight, I’ll have to lie awake all night in the damp basement, hungry and nursing my wounds.’

Past painful lessons flashed rapidly through her mind. Edith’s forced smile faltered, and tears involuntarily welled in her eyes.

Yet, the gentleman knelt down, meeting her gaze at eye level.

It was not a condescending look of disdain from above.

A pristine, snow-white gloved hand wiped away the tears on her cheeks, staining the glove with dust and mud, yet the gentleman seemed utterly unconcerned.

“Your smile is beautiful,” he said, his voice deep and resonant. “So, please, don’t cry anymore.”

‘Her smile is beautiful.’

She had never heard anyone say that to her before.

****

The young woman with long, golden curly hair practiced smiling in front of a mirror.

She wasn’t entirely satisfied.

With her hand, she meticulously adjusted the curve of her lips, her fingertips lightly brushing the muscles of her cheeks, sensing the subtle changes in their flexibility.

A slight modification, yet it seemed entirely different from before. This smile was clearly brighter and more cheerful, suitable for a welcoming gesture that could soothe the weary traveler.

It looked quite good.

The smile vanished instantly.

Her expression became even colder than Gwynevere’s usual demeanor.

She tried to reproduce the same smile without using her hands to adjust it.

Perfect.

A single success.

“This is much better,” Edith murmured, pleased.

The Golden Angel of the Salentz Religious Territory, secretly acknowledged by all as the second Saintess.

Edith had used the techniques she honed since childhood to earn these titles, subtly challenging Gwynevere’s position from an angle not easily detected.

For her, a smile was a convenient tool.

Kindness, respect, adoration, even power and status—everything was within reach, provided she displayed the right smile at the right moment.

“First, Father’s favoritism, then popularity among the common folk, and now the goodwill of the Templar Knights.” The young woman’s smile remained benign, yet her words sent shivers down the listener’s spine. “My naive sister, if you’re not careful, even the position of Saintess will be snatched away by me~”

A commotion arose outside the window, accompanied by the sound of horses’ hooves.

Edith lifted her skirt and walked to the window. From the second floor of the church, she could clearly see a carriage approaching, escorted by guards, drawing closer to the building.

The carriage curtain was slightly drawn back, revealing a stunningly beautiful young woman peering out, her emerald-green eyes as magnificent as jade.

“Miss Ellenore, yet not truly Miss Ellenore.” Edith smiled softly by the window. “This is getting interesting. What should I do now?”

The emerald-eyed young woman almost caught a glimpse of Edith, who had been observing from the second-story window below, but alas, she was a mere half-second too late; Edith had already vanished from the window.