I could barely maintain my composure as the show went on.

  Lady Solana dismantled the baron’s reputation and gathered the support of the crowd in the span of a few short minutes. As promised, none present concerned themselves with my arrival in the hall, and there were no questions about my involvement.

  The countess squeezed my hand and spoke quietly. “It’s done, Miss Helian. Follow me, let’s get out of here.” As she led me towards the hall’s main entrance, a group of voices erupted suddenly behind me.

  “Lady Saintess!” “Oh, Metis have mercy!”

  I turned to see a group of priestesses from the eastern territories scrambling toward me. The eldest member of the group stumbled and nearly landed on her face.

  The swiftest one got close and kneeled at my feet, shouting “Oh, heavens be praised! The saintess!”

  The gathered crowd’s eyes were on me, and the countess’s expression was unreadable.

  In my panic, all I could muster was “I don’t understand.”

  “Ah, do not fear!” The elder priestess, having picked herself off the ground, rushed to explain. “Young lady, you have been chosen by our patron most high and wise, the Goddess Metis!”

  The priestess still kneeling at my feet nodded in agreement. Between sobs, she spoke: “To those in Her service, the light of a saintess is like the sun! It shone brightly the moment you entered the hall! This is truly divine providence!”

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  The countess wrapped her arm around my shoulders to reassure me and spoke. “Please forgive my ignorance, but what does it mean for the young lady to be a saintess?”

  The elder priestess resumed speaking. “Of course, Lady Solana! As we all know, in the era of ancient myth, the Goddess Metis waged war against her brother, the vile trickster Loki, to put an end to the calamities he wrought upon the earth. It was at this time the first saintess was brought into our world.”

  The kneeling priestess gripped the hem of my dress. “The saintess is an instrument of the heavens’ will, brought from beyond the veil to purge evil from the realm and spread prosperity through her wisdom and holy power!”

  The gentleman in the top hat chose this moment to speak up. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s the young Miss Helian! She placed second in the administrative exam on her first attempt and impressed the entire finance ministry with her wisdom.”

  Edie, her eyes still red from sobbing, concurred. “I’ve met the young lady on multiple occasions. Just being in her presence filled me with a sense of calm. Even then I wondered how a girl could be so radiant!”

  The crowd was rapt with attention. “The saintess? That young woman?” “I can see what they mean…” “She does possess an ethereal quality…”

  The elder priestess cleared her throat, and, satisfied, offered her now-decisive conclusion. “Any doubt in my mind was cleared when you returned to the hall with her, Countess Solana. The young lord Rydberg’s sins were brought to light in part by the saintess, no?”

  Solana turned to face me and smiled. “That’s correct. Despite the risks involved, she endured Arsen Rydberg’s mistreatment and provided key information so I could bring him to justice. If you insist that this was the will of the heavens, who am I to deny it? Let all gathered here rest assured. Miss Helian will be under my protection.”

  I found myself back in the trap. The story had once again taken an unfamiliar shape.