"E-Eve...?" Chase called out to Evelina in a hoarse and raspy voice. He felt like his heart had just been shattered by a hammer.

"I-i..." Evelina backed a few steps. Her eyes are full of uncertainty. She took a glance of Chase's scarred face and couldn't help but feel disgusted.

Chase's face no longer looked as handsome as before. His face was pale due to the pain from his injuries. His eyes were tired and contained eye bags. His golden hair was wet from sweat. He looked extremely haggard. But the most terrifying part was the scar on his face. The scar stretched from his right chin to beside his right eye.

"Eve.." Chase tried to call for her again. But Evelina merely stood there staring at him with a scornful expression.

After that day, the relationship between the royal family and the Casspan family worsened. But Evelina's and Chase's relationship was even worse.

Evelina would usually wait for him to return home at the lobby. But now she would try her best to avoid him.

She was that sick of his face.

Chase was not only disfigured but also disable. His left leg isn't as flexible as it used to be and is always numb.

Chase, of course knew the reason for her actions. And because of that, he slowly began to realize how fake her love truly was.

Their relationship turned cold and they no longer acted as a loving married couple. It felt like they were separated, even though they lived in the same house.

After a few weeks, the Sainthallian Empire lost the war and had to give away a massive amount of land to the Vancelia Empire.

It was a humiliating defeat.

***************

Evelina sat in the drawing room dazed.

She used to be highly respected as the Marchioness, as well as the saintess, but now, she was always ridiculed by the other nobles.

The Casspan family received a drastic fall from grace. The nobles were not afraid of them anymore and would freely gossip about them.

Evelina turned to her maiden family for help, but there was nothing the Skyler family could do.

When she asked for help, the duke was angered. Since his daughter married the head of the Casspan family, she was also thought as apart of the Casspans. So it also inflicted him.

The Skylers were still quite respected, but it was humiliated.

Evelina felt a strange feeling inside her chest. She gritted her teeth and massaged her temples.

When did everything go downhill?

"Madam!" One of her handmaid's called.

"What!?" Evelina exclaimed, annoyed.

"I-it's that slave..! He has contracted the plague..!" The maid said in a panic. Her face was full of sweat and worry.

"What!?" Evelina's body turned as stiff as wood. Her heat pounded and she could not ignore the panic in her heart.

There was a plague going around in the empire recently. At first, they didn't think it was much of a threat, but they were soon proven wrong.

Loud and fast footsteps echoed through the halls. Evelina frantically ran to the direction of Eric's room.

With a loud "bang!" Evelina slammed open Eric's room.

Evelina was hyperventilating on the bed and was sweating a lot. Even though she moved to the Casspan estate after getting married, Evelina still gave Eric a room similar to his old bedroom. Dark and small.

The only change was that there was bed placed in the tiny room.

"Madam, don't get too close!" A servant pulled Evelina out of the room and shut the door.

"Madam, we can't keep that slave here. If we do, we'll all get infected!" The head maid warned.

"Y-you! No! Find the family doctor to treat him this instant!" Evelina said stubbornly. Evelina still needed Eric for her plans, she couldn't let them kick him out yet!

The head stared at the young Marchioness with sympathy. She thought Evelina was just being kind-hearted.

"I'm sorry madam, but this is for the safety of everyone in the estate!" The head maid let the two male servants carry Eric out, while they were using handkerchiefs to cover their nose and mouth.

"Wait! No!" Evelina tried to stop them, but she was restrained by the maids.

Eric was sent away to the side estate, where he was isolated. A few days later, Evelina got word that Eric has died.

She felt like everything was falling apart. She had finally achieve her dream and now everything was slowly taken away from her.

***************

The plague spreading in the empire grew more deadly each day. The empire was shrouded with a gloomy atmosphere. The streets were empty and the marketplace no longer was full of people walking around.

Villages turned into ghost towns. Streets were filled with the smell of medicine and blood.

Just as everything seemed hopeless, a priest brought something to the attention of the Emperor.

That day, Evelina and Chase were called over to the Emperor's palace. As they bowed and lowered their heads, the Emperor looked down at the two from his grand throne.

"Marchioness, as a saintess you must perform your duty, and right now is the time." the emperor's voice echoed.

"I-i shall do my best, your majesty the Emperor" Evelina tried to act calm, but her heart was pounding in her chest.

She had a problem...

She wasn't actually a Sienna...

Evelina tampered with the prophecy stone to make it seem she was the new Sienne, using one of the two artifacts Eric found one day.

Evelina's heart was panicking. What was she going to do!? She wasn't actually a Saintess!

She's been using Eric's illusion spells to trick everyone. But now that Eric is no longer here...she was in trouble...

Two guards carefully carried a person who was infected by the plague inside the throne room.

The Emperor pointed to the weak victim and said, "This Emperor would like the saintess to heal this patient's body."

Evelina stole a glance of the patient. His skin had a green-pale color. His breathing was extremely rough, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I-i...." Evelina panicked. Her heart tightened. The Emperor's burning gaze caused her forehead to sweat.

"Is the Saintess planning to make this Emperor wait!?" The Emperor grew impatient and slammed his hand on the handle.

"Th-this one doesn't dare...!" Evelina quickly rushed to the patient's side. One of the guards handed her a handkerchief and helped her cover half her face.

Seeing the saintess herself coming to save him, the patient's eyes brightened and he begged with a raspy voice, "Saintess! Please save me...!"

"Ah..yes..yes.." Evelina nodded. Her heart never calmed down. She knew this was the end of her.

"What are you waiting for!?" Even Chase became impatient seeing Evelina's hesitance. Due to their relationship that is slowly rotting away, he no longer spoke to her with warmth.

"You..." Evelina muttered to herself as she clenched her jaw. She can't do it. She knew she couldn't do it....

"I.....I can't do it..." Evelina spoke quietly, but it was easily heard by everyone.

"Evelina what are you talking about!?" Chase glanced at the Emperor before shifting his gaze back to her.

"I said I can't do it...!" Evelina lashed out. She let out all the panic and pain in her heart.

"What is this nonsense!? Marchioness, you are the Saintess!" The Emperor was furious. You could even see the veins popping out of his forehead.

Earlier that day, the priest brought to him the prophecy stone that was found by Evelina two years ago.

There were more ancient letters imprinted on it which they failed to notice. The priest translated to him that it meant the Saintess will be able to end a tragedy that befalled the empire.

It was definitely referring to the plague that was taking over the empire and that had already killed so many commoners.

"I...I...I'm not the real Saintess...!" Evelina finally said what had been hidden in her secretive heart.

"What!?" Both the Emperor and Chase said in unison.