Chapter 206

“Your Holiness, everything is prepared.”

An elderly nun pushed the door open and spoke softly behind Ye Zheng.

A white dove glided across the clear blue sky. Ye Zheng closed the window. The old nun stepped forward to straighten the layered collar of her robes. A grand and opulent ceremonial carriage stood ready before the gates of the Papal Palace, and hundreds of attendants had already taken their places.

The tall ceremonial carriage was pulled by several snow-white steeds. Wende, dressed in a uniform adorned with a sash, stood waiting beside it. The instant she saw Ye Zheng step out, she immediately instructed the personnel to form ranks and make ready for departure.

Today, Ye Zheng was still clad in her signature white robe, with a red outer cloak draped across her shoulders. A discreet sword rested at her waist. Only the crown upon her head could be called magnificent, yet it didn’t feel the least bit out of place. Her simple, clean, and elegant attire made her seem tall and poised, while the majestic and lavish crown further emphasized her dignified beauty. As she appeared surrounded by the crowd, nearly everyone present instinctively lowered their heads in deference.

Wende bowed in salute, then reached out to take Ye Zheng’s hand, helping her step onto the ceremonial carriage. Standing atop the elevated carriage, Ye Zheng lowered her gaze, quietly observing the bustling knights moving about below her.

The Papess’s birthday didn’t belong to her or to her family. It was a grand церemonial event of the Church, shared by the entire empire. It had always carried the long-standing tradition of prayer and the granting of blessings. Today, as the Papess, Ye Zheng would proceed in a grand parade from the Papal Palace all the way to the square before the imperial palace. Dozens of clergy members would present the statue of the God of Hope along with revered holy relics throughout the procession. Hundreds of church knights marched in disciplined formation to uphold order. Along the route, countless believers and citizens would cheer and celebrate, eager for even a fleeting glimpse of the Papess’s presence.

The ceremonial carriage swayed gently as the procession began.

As the rhythmic sound of horse hooves and steady, synchronized footsteps echoed outward, the citizens who had gathered early along the streets erupted like fireworks just set ablaze, their cheers bursting forth in waves. The moment the white horses and the Papess’s figure came into view along the street, the solid stone pavements of the Upper District seemed as though they might be lifted by the overwhelming tide of applause.

Standing atop the ceremonial carriage, Ye Zheng gave a faint nod and raised her hand in acknowledgment toward the crowd. Her gaze met the eyes of the young, the bright, and the elderly alike, offering a gentle warmth that shone even more brilliantly than the light reflected from the crown resting upon her head.

Various cheers overlapped and blended together. Ye Zheng couldn’t clearly make out the individual voices of the crowd, yet she could still feel their trust and admiration. A genuine smile rose from the depths of her heart.

Today, the sky stretched clear for thousands of miles. Looking up at that towering figure, it felt as though she alone was the sun hanging in the heavens.

Pei Xi and his teammates stood at the very rear of the crowd. He had no interest in taking part in this frenzied spectacle; he only wanted to quickly find a way to slip into the imperial palace. However, with just a casual glance outward, his eyes were inevitably seared by that dazzling figure.

“Hey, hey! We’ve gotta hurry and move.”

Roy lowered his voice and nudged Pei Xi with his elbow.

Only then did Pei Xi snap back to awareness. He stepped backward, withdrawing from the surging, excited crowd.

“This is probably her final moment of glory. The impostor will definitely be dragged down from the altar… as long as our operation today goes off without a hitch.”

Hearing Roy’s words, Pei Xi frowned and said, “Revealing the truth about the divine sword isn’t meant to bring Ye Zheng down. This is the God of Hope’s divine sword. It likely carries immense significance. We can’t keep it for ourselves.”

Roy nodded in a perfunctory manner. No matter what their objective truly was, once the truth about the divine sword came to light, it wouldn’t be any different from tearing Ye Zheng down.

To be honest, he somewhat admired her. Her courage was genuinely astonishing, to dare to tell such an outrageous lie and still calmly accept the people’s adoration. But unfortunately, a boat that lingers too long in the gutter will eventually capsize. The divine sword, the mission, and the true hero were all destined to return to where they rightfully belonged.

Roy bit down on his lip until it turned pale. Before long, his own mission would also reach its end.

He would return to his rightful and glorious identity, the one that should have been his from the very beginning.

Roy cast a discreet glance at Pei Xi, careful not to draw any attention. Even if the truth came out later, Pei Xi probably wouldn’t blame him, right? After all, they’d never been his enemies; they’d only been quietly helping him from the shadows this whole time.

Pei Xi stepped forward, his heart weighed down, but his eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. A streak of dazzling golden hair flashed past before vanishing into the maze of streets and alleys.

“…Sykes?”

What was he doing here?

Pei Xi frowned in confusion, but he didn’t have the energy to dwell on Sykes right now. He carefully guided his teammates away instead.

At the outer edge of the crowd, a line of security officers dressed in black uniforms was maintaining order. They had to steer clear of them with caution.

On the ceremonial carriage, the breathtakingly beautiful Papess withdrew her gaze. The faint curve of her lips didn’t shift in the slightest.

Just as she’d anticipated, Pei Xi and Sykes had already stepped onto the stage.

Ye Zheng’s eyes darkened, growing deeper and more unreadable. She looked straight ahead, where the towering spires of the imperial palace were already faintly coming into view.

The white horses steadily pulled the ceremonial carriage forward. Amid the roaring bustle of the crowd, Ye Zheng cast a glance toward the knight riding the white horse at the very front. The knight seemed to sense her gaze and tilted her head slightly, exposing a small portion of her cold, sharply defined jawline. She gave a subtle, nearly imperceptible nod.

✧✧✧✧✧

Escorted by the surging crowd, the ceremonial carriage slowly entered the imperial palace. The fervent cheers lining the streets gradually faded, replaced by the grand and vibrant atmosphere within the palace grounds. Numerous nobles and high-ranking clergy had already gathered, and the banquet hall was alive with the soft rustle of opulent garments, intricate hairstyles, and the crisp clinking of wine glasses.

The central figure of the celebration didn’t head straight to the banquet hall. After stepping down from the carriage, Ye Zheng followed the attendant’s guidance and went to find Shu Wan, who was still busy at work.

Shu Wan was in the middle of cross-checking the list of attending guests and their gifts with someone else. The instant she saw Ye Zheng appear at the doorway, a “Zhengzheng” almost slipped out of her mouth. Realizing the setting wasn’t appropriate, she quickly corrected herself and addressed her as, “Your Holiness.”

Ye Zheng found the situation a little amusing. She dismissed the others, leaving only mother and daughter in the room.

“You can leave these matters to the others. There’s no need for you to push yourself this hard.”

Ye Zheng noticed the dark circles beneath her mother’s eyes and frowned slightly.

Shu Wan waved her hands again and again. “It’s fine. This is your coming-of-age birthday. I wouldn’t feel at ease if I left it to someone else.”

Seeing Ye Zheng’s frown, she patted the back of her daughter’s hand and spoke with quiet emphasis, “Don’t worry. Today will go smoothly. I’m personally overseeing every single detail, there won’t be any mistakes.”

Ye Zheng’s expression stiffened for a brief moment. She caught the deeper meaning behind her mother’s words, and a complicated feeling stirred in her chest.

Her mother had never been included in her plan. She hadn’t revealed even the slightest hint of her intentions, yet her mother seemed to have vaguely grasped something and had taken the initiative to act in her place, helping oversee today’s stage.

“Mm, I trust you. You don’t need to worry either.”

Ye Zheng lowered her head and gently pressed her forehead against her mother’s. Meeting her startled gaze, she spoke softly, “No matter what happens today…”

“Believe me. Everything’s under my control.”

With that, Ye Zheng turned around and left. Behind her, Shu Wan’s pupils quivered violently as a powerful premonition set her heart racing.

After stepping out of the room, Ye Zheng moved along the empty corridor. At the far end, a golden-haired princess suddenly came into view.

“Heath?”

Heath gathered the hem of her skirt and hurried toward her, smiling with a hint of shyness. “I came looking for you, Your Holiness.”

She intentionally stressed the words “Your Holiness,” her tone carrying a playful teasing note shared between close friends. Ye Zheng smiled back and asked, “How did Your Highness know I was here?”

“They couldn’t find you, so I figured you’d come to see Madam Shu. And sure enough, I found you here.”

“They?”

The smile on Heath’s face dimmed slightly as she replied, “It’s my father. He wants to meet you.”

Ye Zheng nodded, unsurprised. “I understand. I was planning to greet him anyway.”

After all, he was the master of this palace.

The two of them walked further into the depths of the palace. Heath couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity showing, “Why’d you choose to hold it here?”

Heath truly couldn’t make sense of it. Ye Zheng was now the Papess, and the imperial family and the church had always maintained a delicate, almost confrontational balance. The Grand Cathedral and the Papal Palace would both have been ideal venues for a birthday celebration, yet Ye Zheng had chosen the imperial palace. It was genuinely an inconceivable decision.

“Take a guess.”

“I guess… maybe you’re trying to send some kind of signal to the empire’s citizens.”

“Hm?” Ye Zheng was a little taken aback by Heath’s answer. She turned her head and looked at the princess, noting the seriousness in her expression.

Heath went on, “The day foretold in the prophecy is drawing near. At a time like this, only by standing united can the empire’s upper ranks give everyone a sense of confidence, right?”

“Standing united.” Ye Zheng turned the words over on her tongue and let out a soft, unreadable laugh. “Let’s hope it turns out that way.”

Formidable knights stood guard in front of the palace doors. Heath didn’t call for anyone to announce their arrival and instead pushed the doors open herself for Ye Zheng.

The instant she crossed the threshold, Ye Zheng’s gaze flickered faintly as she cast a glance at Heath.

Thinking it through carefully, although Heath seemed to be the most powerless and least noticeable princess within the imperial palace, her presence always appeared quietly in every corner. Had she been the one who helped the emperor’s faction track her down, or had the emperor dispatched Heath to find her from the very beginning?

If it was the latter, then it meant Heath possessed a certain level of influence at the emperor’s side and wasn’t merely an idle, insignificant figure on the margins.

Ye Zheng quickly withdrew her gaze. Before becoming the Saintess, she and Heath had been classmates and close friends. After she'd become the Saintess, their relationship had grown somewhat distant, yet Ye Zheng had always understood Heath clearly.

Heath was quiet and reserved, at times seeming almost excessively introverted. However, this introversion didn’t stem from timidity. Ye Zheng occasionally felt that Heath carried too many heavy thoughts within her heart, so many that she didn’t even know where to begin, which led others to mistakenly believe she was withdrawn and cowardly.

In certain ways, the two of them were actually quite alike.

The heavy doors shut behind her with a dull, echoing thud. Heath didn’t follow her inside. Ye Zheng gathered her thoughts and shifted her gaze toward the middle-aged man standing within the hall.

The emperor wore an extremely formal deep-red ceremonial robe. He had a sturdy, well-built frame and looked far younger and more vigorous than most men of his years. At that moment, he seemed to be quietly appreciating a painting hanging on the wall. When he heard the sound, he slowly turned around, revealing a pair of golden pupils.

“It’s been a long time… Your Holiness.”

Ye Zheng remained where she stood with her hands clasped behind her back and gave a slight nod as a gesture of courtesy.

“May the God of Hope be with you, Your Majesty.”

The last time she had met the emperor had been several months earlier, after her return from the Western District. He had summoned her, Pei Xi, and Sykes together and declared her trial at the round table.

The emperor didn’t speak again. Ye Zheng stepped forward and followed his gaze toward the painting hanging on the wall.

The painting portrayed a handsome young man, rendered with striking lifelikeness. However, Ye Zheng didn’t particularly like it. At first glance, the young man’s expression seemed gentle and modest, yet his pitch-black eyes concealed a demonic sort of desire, like a bottomless black hole.

“Is this painting of the legendary Count Lu’an?”

The emperor glanced at her with a hint of surprise and replied with approval, “I didn’t expect Your Holiness to possess such profound knowledge in aesthetics as well.”

“I only happened to learn of Mr. Lu’an’s legendary story by chance and recognized him. It can hardly be called profound knowledge.”

“Count Lu’an” was an ancient legend of the empire. He had been an old count who fanatically pursued youth and immortality. He burned all his descendants alive to summon a witch, thereby obtaining a young, handsome, and immortal body. However, he feared mirrors, because they would reflect his true appearance, old and hideous.

In the painting, the handsome man stood with his back to the mirror. A small portion of the back of his head, reflected in the mirror, appeared withered and bald. That was how Ye Zheng recognized the figure.

“Ah, the legend behind this painting seems to have fallen out of fashion long ago. I didn’t expect someone so young to still know it.”

The emperor let out a sigh, thick with emotion.

Ye Zheng had stumbled upon it by chance while flipping through a disorganized collection of stories. She parted her lips, about to speak, when a dull ache suddenly pulsed deep within her mind.

Mercè?

Ye Zheng’s expression didn’t change on the surface, yet she called out inwardly with a trace of doubt.

Mercè had always dwelled within her consciousness. Most of the time, she stayed asleep to conserve her strength, only waking when Ye Zheng summoned her, answering questions and clearing away confusion.

Ye Zheng called out to her again in her mind, but there was still no response.

“Your Holiness, it’s almost time. Shall we head out? All the guests are waiting for the protagonist of today’s celebration.”

The emperor laughed heartily. His golden eyes beneath his golden hair rested on her with a smile. Ye Zheng met his gaze, her dark eyes deepening.

“Let them wait a little longer. Since you summoned me here, there must be other matters to discuss, correct?”