Chapter 4: THE SAINTESS

Max's POV

The study chamber was unusually quiet that morning, as if the palace itself was holding its breath. Sunlight spilled through the high windows in thin, pale bands, illuminating dust as they drifted lazily through the air.

Cardinal Solis stood before the large table in the room's center, his hands clasped behind his back, posture rigid as ever. He was only five years my senior.

"Your Highness," he said without glancing up, "Please take a seat."

His tone was polite but clipped—the same every morning.

I obeyed and took the seat opposite to him. Scattered across the table were scrolls, ledgers, and a massive inked map of the world. Solis adjusted one brass weight, flattening the corner of the parchment.

He tapped a gloved finger against the sprawling landmass painted at the map's center. It extended over broad plains, fertile valleys, mountain ranges, ports, and deep forests.

The empire I was destined to rule.

"Astrael is the oldest stable empire among the nine. Its strength lies in its climate, agriculture, and long-standing political institutions."

Solis shifted his gaze to me—a look sharp but not unkind.

"Two pillars uphold this empire," he said. "The Imperial Throne and the High Church."

I nodded once. This much I already knew, but Solis rarely repeated anything without purpose.

He rested both hands on the table.

"The throne commands the empire only because the Church acknowledges it. And the Church commands the people only because the Crown permits it. Neither institution stands without the other, Your Highness."

A shiver moved up my spine.

Not fear—clarity.

"The political balance of Astrael was a blade sharpened on both sides."

Solis continued, pointer now shifting across the map.

"Because of this balance, Astrael's alliances with other empires become all the more vital. Especially now."

He tapped the southern landmass—vast, shaped by winding rivers and broad lush plains.

"This is Venerra," he said. "Astrael's most essential ally."

I leaned closer.

"Venerra maintains our strongest trade routes," he explained. "Their fleets reinforce our control over the Southern Passage. Their envoys support Astrael during inter-empire summits."

He traced a thin blue ink line between Astrael and Venerra: the narrow strait connecting our continents.

"That passage carries nearly half of Astrael's imports," he continued. "If Venerra's loyalty wavers, Astrael's position collapses with it."

"Unfortunately," he added quietly, "they have grown...watchful since the Empress Aveline's death."

Something twisted sharply in my chest.

He moved the pointer back to Astrael.

"This is why stability must be demonstrated. Not implied. Demonstrated."

He carefully closed one scroll, replaced another.

"The Emperor understands this," Solis said. "His Holiness understands this. And now, so must you."

Before I could fully absorb his meaning, he straightened.

"That is why the Church has taken its first major step in decades."

I blinked. "Decades...?"

His posture remained controlled, but something shifted in his tone—a faint weight, a gravity fitting the moment.

"A Saintess has been recognized," he said.

The words struck like a physical blow.

For a moment, everything stilled.

A Saintess.

A title almost mythical.

People my age had never seen one.

Most nobles had only heard of Saintesses through stories passed down by their grandparents.

But Solis said it so calmly, as if announcing a shift in weather.

He continued, "The recognition was made at dawn. Most nobles has already been informed of this."

A rare occurrence at such a fragile time in Astrael's stability.

My heartbeat quickened.

I forced my voice steady. "What's her name?"

Solis looked directly at me.

"Her name," he said evenly, "is Chloe."

The world tilted.

Chloe.

The girl from the Empress' funeral—one year ago.

The girl standing alone on a shaft of afternoon light.

The girl with trembling hands and eyes that carried old grief.

The girl who seemed to know me before I even spoke.

A memory flashed:

"Take care of yourself," I had told her.

The way she froze—as if those words wounded her.

"Yes," I whispered before I could stop myself. "I remember her."

Solis observed me quietly. "Then the announcement is not entirely unexpected."

I shook my head. "It is."

A Saintess.

Her.

Why her?

Solis moved on, unaffected.

"A Saintess appearing now," he said, "is a signal. To the people, to the nobility, and, more importantly, to the other empires."

He gestured toward Venerra once more.

"They will interpret this as a sign of Astrael's unity. Or, if mishandled...a sign of its fragility."

My throat tightened. "Mishandled?"

"Her presence must be received with ceremony," he said. "Respect. Alliance."

He closed the map slowly.

"And thus, the Saintess shall arrive in one week."

I stared.

"One...week?"

"Yes."

He folded his hands behind him again.

"The palace will host a reception ball in her honor. Invitations have already been sent to Venerra and several other courts."

A ball.

For Chloe.

I swallowed.

"She..." My voice shook. "She's expected to attend?"

"Of course," Solis said. "Her arrival is both spiritual and political. She symbolizes harmony between the Crown and the Church."

He paused.

"And she must stand beside you, Your Highness. As tradition dictates."

My breath caught.

"Beside me?"

"Yes," Solis said. "During the welcome ceremony, during rites, during public appearances. You will greet her as Crown Prince."

My pulse hammered.

A girl I met for a moment a year ago—whose sad eyes followed me in dreams and whose voice haunted the back of my mind—would stand beside me before the entire empire.

I didn't know whether the thought made me nervous or relieved.

Solis glanced at me again.

"You appear unsettled."

"No," I said quickly. Too quickly.

He did not push further.

He merely stepped away from the table, gathering his scrolls.

"We will resume lessons tomorrow. Today, your responsibility is preparation."

As he reached the door, he paused.

"And, Your Highness," he added, without looking back, "remember this: the Saintess is chosen for the empire. Not for you."

The door clicked shut.

I remained seated, staring at the faint glow of sunlight on the map.

Chloe.