Chapter 1431: Veil of Malice
Allina Lisandra Miza, the beloved Saintess of S.A.I.N.T., lounged on an ornate chair in her vast, glistening white bedroom. The lace-draped walls seemed to shimmer under the glow of an exquisite crystal chandelier, its delicate light spilling over gilded furnishings. Yet the beauty around her did nothing to soothe her fraying temper.
Her delicate features so often praised for their angelic softness, were now taut with frustration as her slender fingers scrolled furiously on her phone. A scowl, unbefitting her saintly image, twisted her sweet, innocent face into something darker: envy.
Why? Why was it so hard to surpass Princess Lorient’s reputation?
She gritted her teeth, fighting the bitterness rising in her chest. She had been chosen, or to be precisely ’designed’, to become the new beacon of hope, to eclipse the Lucient family and make people forget about the dead princess.
Allina had indeed played her part to perfection: saving lives, giving speeches dripping with compassion, presenting herself as pure, kind, approachable, gentle, with the beauty that she believed not inferior to princess Lorient.
And yet...
The latest polls flashed mockingly on her screen. Her popularity still trailed far behind the Lucients, though many people ,especially young people had indeed started to love and admire her like an idol, but that all that is, a mere idol.
Princess Lorient, on the other hand, belonged to an entirely different league. Lorient was revered, not for charm or spectacle, but for her illustrious lineage, her immense power, and her heroic deeds during the Dark Age War. She had been immortalized as a legendary figure, a beloved princess, a savior. Even now, years after her death, the people still mourned her as though she had been taken only yesterday.
To add insult to injury, people were mocked her attempts to emulate the princess’s elegant style, accusing her of trying to become something she could never be.
"Why?" she whispered under her breath, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palm. "What does she have that I don’t? I save lives, too. Am I not kinder? More generous? More beautiful?"
Yet still, the people, especially the stubborn citizens of Harland, refused to embrace her. She had, more than once had expressed her desire to visit Harland personally, to ’connect’ with its people and show them her sincerity. But each request had been met with silence, a postponement; however, she had a suspicion that something had happened with King Lucas.