Cardinal Elias

Upon hearing those words, before Serenia even had any further chance to react, the door was opened, and revealed a tall figure, who entered in large strides.

Elias Ashborn, the current First Cardinal.

Serenia narrowed her eyes.

He was very tall. Unlike what you would expect out of a devotee's physique, he was quite well-built. You could see that he possessed firm muscles just by looking at how his garments draped around him. His hair was long and straight, in a shade of platinum blonde. Even noblewomen would be jealous of his luscious locks that sparkled as he strode in. His eyes were stark blue, ones that would send electric waves down your spine if you looked at them for too long.

A man that would capture people's attention no matter where he went. Such a man walked up to her, with an expressionless face. He seemed to be waiting for something.

"May El's light be with you." Serenia stood up and performed a perfect curtsy.

Elias swept a careless look over Serenia once. She could tell that he was apathetic towards her.

However, the next second, that cold disposition disappeared. His lips curved up, and there was nothing but a perfect smile that was as warm as a ray of sunshine.

"Good day, Saintess Serenia. How have you been?"

"As usual, Cardinal. How about you?" Serenia replied, brandishing her own fake smile.

"Thankfully, I am doing fine. I came here to deliver some news to you. The Palace is planning to hold a banquet to celebrate the return of Prince Caelus. You are going to attend." He emphasized the last sentence, locking her fate in.

'I hate being ordered. And I hate fake smiles even more.' Serenia jeered inside her heart.

"..Is there no room to refuse?"

"Why, is there something you're displeased with? Don't worry, you will be given the loveliest dress, adorned with matching precious jewelries, and be accompanied by me. If it's Duke Ardenne you're worried about, then don't. It'll all be fine."

Although his voice sounded soft and welcoming, if one was perceptive enough, they would sense the disgust and irritation hidden deep within those sentences. As if his entire being was waiting for this conversation to be over in an instant.

"I'm not interested in Duke Ardenne."

"There's no need to hide it from me, Saintess. Everybody knows how.. you've been smitten with that man for the past few years. It's nothing to be shameful about." Even though he was smiling, you could tell that he was terribly unhappy with the Saintess' uncouth feelings.

"I had a change of heart. Am I not allowed to do that?" Serenia tilted her head with innocence.

"..Did something happen?"

"Nothing much. Let's just say.. I got bored of him. It happens! I don't want to waste anymore time on him that I could've allocated to serving the El." Serenia spouted words that channeled the perfect Saintess aura.

If it was the original Serenia, she would've jumped in delight upon hearing Duke Ardenne's name. She was that smitten with that man, who was not even the slightest bit interested in her.

Elias was taken aback by this sudden change in attitude, but chose to not pursue the matter any further.

"Alright, I believe you. The date hasn't been fixed yet, but it's sometime in the next month. Please prepare the necessary things for your duty. Good luck, may the El bless you." Elias placed his hand on Serenia's shoulder, as a gesture of encouragement.

"Thank you for your concern, Cardinal." Serenia bowed lightly, seeing him off.

After the Cardinal left the room, Serenia laid down on the bed. Her thoughts deepened as she tried to

'Let's continue sorting out my memories.' There would be trouble if she strayed too far from the original Saintess' identity.

She wrote down all the important points she could remember on a piece of paper and made sure to familiarize herself with it. She didn't want any suspicion to come her way, so she immediately burned the paper afterwards.

Serenia sighed. She had a faint headache.

"I just arrived here, and I already have some work to do." She grumbled.

A royal banquet of that size meant that her attendance as the Saintess wasn't going to be just for filling up the hall. According to her memory, she would be required to perform some rites and blessings. Not to mention socializing with the higher ups that would fawn over her.

Things that her, the Demon Queen Iris, wasn't used to.

'Ha! To think that I would be doing a complete turn like this..'

Serenia left her room and navigated through her chambers to reach the chapel. There was nobody in sight, so she carelessly approached the large statue of El positioned right in the middle of the hall.

"El.." Serenia mumbled.

To be honest, even though she hailed from the Underworld, it wasn't like she despised or loathed El. In fact, a lot of the Underworld's dwellers were followers of the El's Light.

Essentially, El was the God perceived as the 'Creator' of the universe.

While it's true that originally, he bestowed divine power to the Holy Palace as grace for being pious believers, there were no such thing as separation between demons and non-demons back then. Everyone coexisted peacefully.. but as time went on, this statement lost its meaning.

"For your believers to twist the faith so much so that it's no longer divinity, but rather a game of politics and power... I can't help but feel pitiful for you."

Everything the Holy Palace does was 'in the name of El'. But nothing, none of that was ever ordered by the El. Not burning villages down, not the wars, not the barbaric actions they tried to justify.

Serenia kneeled and intertwined her fingers together. She closed her eyes, and prayed with sincerity.

'I don't know how I got here, or why my memories are still intact, but I appreciate the chance that you've given me. I will not fail. Even though I was previously the Demon Queen, I will uphold my current title with honor. I will accomplish my goals with certainty... So, please don't send down lightnings of retribution just because of my past deeds!'

Shiiing!

A bright light emanated from the statue before her, illuminating the previously dark room up. Serenia opened her eyes to a set of blue windows popped up before her.

[The Saintess System has been unlocked.]