They are all characters I control.

"Hehehe, that's right."

His Majesty Darian and Earl Orlando exchanged a brief glance, then laughed heartily, as if the tension from just moments before had never occurred.

"It's good that young people are energetic. However, marriage is a major life event, and it ultimately depends on fate and the wishes of the individuals involved."

He looked back at Liya, who had been keeping her head down and was extremely nervous, and his tone became kind again.

"Miss Lia, what do you think?"

“I remember that Miss Lia’s engagement to Prince Alvin was arranged when your mother was still alive.”

"To establish this engagement, there was also an engagement ring. Is that engagement ring still with Miss Liya?"

This is a shift in focus, moving from the difficult and intelligent Earl Orlando to Leah, the youngest person present.

There's no need to say more about the Marquis of Rost; he's practically an idiot.

However, there would be no gain from the Marquis of Rost, who was neither of any use nor capable of making any decisions.

"I..." When Liya saw that the topic had turned to her again, she immediately clenched her hands nervously.

Earl Orlando was being watched by His Majesty Darian at the moment, so naturally he couldn't answer for her.

Fortunately, she still has the 'Guiding God' by her side.

[Lia: God of Guidance... What... what should I say?]

[Claire: Didn't you want to refuse this engagement? Then just say the engagement ring was taken by Elena and your mother, and you don't know where it is.]

[Lia: But if we do that, what if Father...]

Oh? You actually figured out that answering like that would put the Marquis of Rost in trouble?

However, Claire naturally dismissed Leah's concerns.

Claire: Then let me ask you, wasn't your life like this with the Rothschilds? If you hadn't buried your mother's necklace in the grave, wouldn't it have been taken?

[Lia: ...Yes, yes.]

[Claire: That makes sense, doesn't it? You want to give up the 'Guardian's Spy' engagement ring that your mother left you?]

[Lia: I... I didn't want to either.]

Claire: Well, you figure it out.

This presents a difficult choice: whether to continue sympathizing with the Rost family or to side with her mother and Earl Orlando.

Although Leah has moved into the Rost family home, she cannot change her surname.

Gradually severing her ties with the Rost family is something both Claire and Earl Orlando are doing.

"What's wrong, Lia? His Majesty is asking about your engagement ring."

Marquis Rost was now eager to regain favor with His Majesty Darian.

Previously, His Majesty had no interest in Lia. Even when he had his second daughter, Elena, replace Lia and give her the notebook written by Lia, His Majesty Darian did not object.

Now that His Majesty has regained interest in Leah, Marquis Rost no longer cares about Earl Orlando and is naturally trying his best to please His Majesty Darion.

“My, my engagement ring…” Lia glanced at the Marquis Rost, who looked anxious.

She knew perfectly well that her father intended to 'sell' her to His Majesty Darian, just as he had sold her to Earl Orlando.

Thinking of this, Lia felt somewhat disappointed. Just now, she and the 'Guiding God' had been concerned about her father, worried that he might be punished.

But now, my father has absolutely no similar idea.

After a few seconds of silence, Lia lowered her head even further and whispered, "Mother and sister took it."

Between her father and the 'Guiding God', Lia once again realized that the 'Guiding God' was right.

That was a perfect response.

A knowing glint flashed in His Majesty Darian's eyes. How could he really have done nothing at all?

He was well aware of Leah's situation in the Rost family, so he wasn't surprised to hear her say that.

"I see. Speaking of which, did the Acting Saintess contact you, Miss Liya, after that?"

His Majesty Daryan finally got straight to the point.

Ultimately, what he really wanted to know wasn't the engagement ring or Leah's situation in the Rost family.

Rather, they wanted to confirm the relationship between Lia and the acting saintess, Isabelle. Only if Miss Lia truly had a relationship with the acting saintess could her marriage and status be improved.

On the contrary, then what happened just now was merely His Majesty's concern and a joke.

Earl Orlando frowned almost imperceptibly before explaining, "Miss Lia also waited a long time last night, but unfortunately Lady Isabelle did not contact us."

"Oh, I see." His Majesty Daryan showed a hint of regret, but did not give up.

"Miss Nalia, why don't you contact Lady Isabes now? If you can get some guidance from the Acting Saintess, it will be a blessing for you and for the Empire."

The pressure was entirely on Lia's side.

The Marquis of Rost also looked at his daughter expectantly, clearly hoping she would agree, as this might be the family's chance to climb back into the upper echelons of society.

But at this moment, Lia once again turned to the omnipotent 'God of Guidance' for help.

[Lia: Goddess of Guidance! His Majesty has ordered me to contact Lady Isabelle! What... what am I supposed to do?!]

Lia panicked completely.

Contact Isabelle directly? Under the Emperor's watchful eye? This is too sudden!

Moreover, even Lia knows that directly asking her to disturb the acting saintess could easily provoke the saintess's displeasure.

Chapter 109 In fact, the acting saintess is good at feeding.

The so-called "good old man" emperor has finally stopped pretending.

Claire watched the new emperor of the empire through the system's screen, from Lia's perspective.

He was probably the least respected person by everyone, always hiding behind Bishop Simon, although his status and prestige were not as high as Bishop Simon's.

But with someone in front providing shelter from the wind and rain, standing behind is quite easy.

Since the new empire will never listen to him as long as the church exists, he might as well hide his strength.

Now that Bishop Simon's chance to be promoted to archbishop is gone, he has lost face in front of all the nobles at the 'Advent' banquet in the royal palace.

Furthermore, due to the 'new tax' car crash incident, the nobles also saw the poor impression that Bishop Simon had in the eyes of the archbishop and the acting saints.

Bishop Simon's position will undergo significant changes in the future, and he may even be transferred from this position as the Imperial Bishop.

At this moment, His Majesty Daryan finally got his chance.

An opportunity for power to be held no longer by the church, but by the new royal family of this empire.

But before that, he needed to confirm Lia's role and be wary of Lia and the Rost family's potential resurgence.

Yes, that was exactly what His Majesty Daryan was thinking at that time.

Let Lia take the initiative to contact Isabelle. It's easy for a minor character like you to harass someone like that, as it's easy to offend a powerful figure.

Of course, if Lia were truly that important to Isabelle, Isabelle wouldn't blame her.

His Majesty Darian naturally wanted to win over Lydia and get her engaged to Prince Alvin. This way, the royal family would have the support of Isabelle, the prayer agent of the Church of Goddess.

Therefore, no matter who the new bishop of the empire is, he will not pose any threat to the royal family.

But if Lia only happened to catch the attention of the acting saintess Isabelle by chance, and Isabelle wasn't really interested in Lia, then she would definitely take her anger out on Lia.

In that case, His Majesty Darian would completely suppress the Rost family, and the emperor would go even further than before in crushing the Rost family's glory and status.

Bishop Simon would be even more likely to take advantage of the Rost family's misfortune. A marriage agreement? What marriage agreement?

Although His Majesty Darian in front of us does not have the blood of the Hero King, he is certainly not a fool to have reached this position.

Perhaps it is precisely because he lacks orthodoxy that he is even more cunning and treacherous.

[Lia: 'Guiding God,' what should we do? Are you considering this? Should I contact the lady who is acting as the Holy Maiden? I don't think that's a good idea.]

Claire: Promise him you can contact Isabelle.

[Lia: Huh? But, wouldn't that be impolite?]

Claire: Politeness my ass! What's there to be afraid of? It's just a big truck.

[Lia; What does "big cart" mean?]

Claire: Don't worry about it, it's okay anyway, what's there to be afraid of with me here?

[Lia: Oh, oh.]

No matter what happens, there's always a 'guiding god' to help.

These words undoubtedly gave Lia immense courage, and she took a deep breath.

She looked up at His Majesty Darian and Earl Orlando, who was casting a concerned glance at her, while Marquis Rost, who was urging her on with an anxious expression, was automatically ignored.

“Okay, okay, I can contact the Acting Saintess.” Lia nodded.

When Count Orlando saw that Leah hesitated before agreeing, she immediately understood what that meant. It must be with the approval of the 'God of Guidance', so there was nothing to worry about.

The Marquis of Rost wore an expression of relief, as if he had finally been saved.

His Majesty Darian looked at Lia with a smile and nodded.

"Miss Nalia, please."

"Okay, okay." Lia took a deep breath nervously.

Then she took out the communication magic stone that she always carried with her, as she had been waiting for the acting saintess to contact her.

It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid right now.

But if the 'God of Guidance' says it's possible, then surely I can too, right?

Lia closed her eyes and focused her mind, channeling a faint but clear thought into the gem.

Once the thought is transmitted to the communication magic stone, the next step is to wait for the other party's response.

Not knowing if this would succeed, or whether Isabelle would respond, Leah kept her eyes closed.

A few seconds of waiting felt like an eternity.

His Majesty Darian, along with the Earl of Orlando, the Marquess of Rost, and a group of nobles, held their breath nearby.

Just when Lia thought there would be no response at all, the communication gem in her palm suddenly lit up with a "buzz".

The light quickly unfolded before her, forming an oval-shaped light screen the size of a washbasin, with tiny divine runes flowing around its edges.

The light curtain quickly went from blurry to clear.

The first thing that catches the eye is the familiar pure white background of the prayer and meditation room in the holy city of Spera.

Then, there was Isabelle's beautiful, serene face, with eyes as deep as a blue pool.

She seemed to have just finished praying or working, dressed only in a plain white dress, her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, with a faint trace of fatigue from handling academic affairs between her brows, but her eyes remained clear and gentle.

Her gaze naturally fell on Lia's face directly in front of the light screen, and a genuine, warm smile instantly appeared in her emerald eyes.

"Miss Lia? Hello." Isabelle's voice came through the light screen, clearer and more real than when transmitted through gemstones, carrying a reassuring and tranquil power.

Compared to the previous royal banquet, Isabelle's solemn and divine aura was much less pronounced at this moment.

Looking at her, one feels much closer to her.

"I was just thinking of contacting you later, but I didn't expect you to contact me first."

Her tone was familiar and friendly, as if she were talking to a younger sister she had known for a long time, without any sense of distance that comes with a high position.

"I...I'm a little..." Lia glanced at His Majesty Daryan, she was bad at lying and didn't know how to answer.

At this moment, His Majesty Daryan also took the opportunity to speak up and remind himself of his presence.

"Your Holiness the Acting Prayer Saintess, I am Emperor Darian of the New Empire. It is an honor to meet you..."

"Yes, may the goddess's grace forever shine upon the empire and His Majesty."

Before he could finish speaking, Isabelle interrupted His Majesty Darian.

Seeing this scene, Leah was a little embarrassed, but Claire was amused.

Who would have thought that the acting saintess who feeds him every day treats him this way in front of others? So Isabelle was right when she said he should be grateful to her?