How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

“Come on, come on! Just call me big sister once, okay?”

In less than ten minutes after Vanessa entered, Kaleni had already crowded onto the same sofa with her. She had pinched a lock of Vanessa’s hair between her fingers, somehow produced a tiny comb from nowhere, and was combing it as she coaxed and cajoled her.

“You’re definitely younger than I am. If you don’t believe me, we can count down from three and say our ages—or our birthdays—at the same time. I’m absolutely older than you.”

“My apologies, Your Eminence, but could you please refrain from touching someone else’s hair so freely in a setting like this?” Vanessa’s polite, proper smile had gradually turned helpless. “It is somewhat improper.”

“What does it matter? Little Vinny, why are you acting so distant now? We’re family. Why be so formal with family? There are no outsiders here.”

No matter what Vanessa said, Kaleni’s hands did not stop moving.

“Listen, I’m really good at fixing hair. I do my own hair all the time. When I was little, I absolutely loved styling my dolls’ hair,” Kaleni said with a bright smile.

“But I am not a doll.”

“Eh, that part doesn’t matter. Ever since I was little, I’ve always imagined having a younger sister. Then I could take care of her—comb her hair like this, straighten her clothes, and dress her up in all kinds of looks...” Kaleni said, her eyes sparkling.

“Forgive me, but what you are describing sounds more like a dress-up doll.”

“Of course not! I really have always wanted a younger sister. Then I would have someone younger to spoil, and I would not be the only Facilis of my generation anymore. Honestly, whenever I see families with brothers and sisters walking down the street, I get incredibly jealous.”

“Little Vinny, your hair is wonderful. It’s as silky as satin. The texture is amazing.”

“Mm, so cute! You look like a porcelain doll. You’re too cute! Little Vinny, how can you possibly be this cute?”

As she spoke, Kaleni crouched in front of Vanessa and stared at the cherry-pink-haired girl sitting so primly before her. The little stars in her eyes seemed to double.

“I can tell that you really do enjoy arranging hair. Honestly, your own hair feels very nice as well,” Vanessa said with a soft sigh.

“That is different. How could styling my own hair be as fun as styling my little sister’s?” Kaleni puffed out her cheeks.

“I am not your little sister.”

“You are.”

“I am not.”

“You are!”

“Your Eminence?”

Rina had watched from the side for quite some time. She still had not figured out what was happening, or why there was suddenly another Saintess, but she could not help stepping in at this point.

“You are making this Saint— I mean, Lady Vinny—uncomfortable. Please restrain yourself a little.”

“How is she uncomfortable? Little Vinny obviously likes me, right?”

Kaleni turned her bright, heart-shaped eyes toward Vinny, her gaze filled with expectation.

Vanessa rested both hands on her knees. She looked as though she wanted to say something, yet she could not bring herself to embarrass Kaleni.

“Little Vinny, you are being far too formal. We are family. There are no outsiders here, so why be so stiff? Just treat this place like your own home,” Kaleni said gently.

“And how am I not your big sister? Let someone else judge. Rina, tell me—do Little Vinny and I look like sisters?”

As she spoke, Kaleni scooted closer to Vanessa again, pulled her into an embrace, and pressed their cheeks together for comparison.

Uh...

Honestly, they did.

Rina did not want to encourage her Saintess to keep fooling around, but she could not lie about this.

The two of them looked far too alike.

And it was not merely their hair color or eye color. Their facial features bore an unmistakable resemblance as well.

There were subtle differences, of course. Yet this Saintess really did look remarkably like her own Saintess—enough to play the perfect double in one of those substitute-identity stories.

Vanessa gave Rina the impression of a full sister born to the same parents as Kaleni. They were not identical, but they were undeniably alike. Standing together, anyone would assume they were sisters.

Which only made this stranger.

Could the previous Saintess have borne more than one child?

Rina knew that was impossible, but after seeing Vanessa, the thought had genuinely crossed her mind.

“Yes... I suppose you do look rather alike.”

“What do you mean, ‘rather’? Is it not obvious enough already?” Kaleni still sounded dissatisfied with Rina’s answer.

“If the two of us walked outside together, anyone who saw us would think we were sisters, right?”

Kaleni pressed Vanessa’s face against her own again. Whether deliberately or not, her hair brushed Vanessa’s cheeks several times, making them itch.

“Ahem. Your Eminence, you should let Lady Vinny go. She really does not seem accustomed to this. You are being so enthusiastic that you might frighten her.”

“Mm.”

At that, Kaleni had no choice but to release Vanessa. She merely let go, however. She had absolutely no intention of moving away.

“Little Vinny, your outfit is so pretty. It suits you perfectly. Who picked it out? Did you? And, and—can you teach me that instant outfit-change magic? I want to do it too. Imagine appearing in public in ordinary clothes one second, then changing outfits in an instant the next. It sounds so gorgeous and stylish!”

“This is not magic, Your Eminence.”

“Not magic? Then what is it? A trick?” Kaleni tilted her head, openly curious.

“It is related to my Spirit Soul.”

“Your Spirit Soul? But mine is [Saint’s Envoy] too. Isn’t yours [Saint’s Envoy] as well, Little Vinny?”

“My situation is somewhat unusual. I have more than one Spirit Soul.”

“Whoa? Little Vinny, you are that amazing?” Kaleni asked in surprise. “You were born with dual Spirit Souls? Really? I thought a constitution like that existed only in legends.”

“Lady Vinny, is your Spirit Soul [Saint’s Envoy] as well?” Rina asked.

Vanessa said nothing. She merely raised her hand.

Strands of cherry-pink light laced with white wove together, blooming within the room as a warm radiance spread outward.

“That is... holy light.”

Rina froze.

She could not possibly mistake that sensation. It was genuine holy light, without question. The Saintess’s holy light had once saved her life. There was no way she could fail to recognize it.

If she had retained any doubts about Vanessa’s identity after first seeing her, they were gone now.

Other things could be disguised. Holy light and the sacred flame, [All-Gods Consecration Flame], absolutely could not. They involved the Dawn Goddess’s authority and could never be replicated. The moment those two powers appeared, her identity was beyond question.

“My apologies, Lady Vinny. Earlier, because I lacked sufficient understanding, I questioned your identity. Please forgive me.”

“It is nothing. Your suspicions were entirely reasonable. As the commander of the Radiant Cross Knights, it was your duty to be cautious. Honestly, before all this happened, I never would have expected it either.”

Vanessa placed one hand over her heart, her words unfailingly polite and gracious.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Rina nodded. Looking at Vanessa’s poised manner, then at her own Saintess’s utterly unserious behavior, she could not help sighing inwardly.

They were both Facilis. Her own Saintess truly ought to learn from Vanessa. Put the two of them together, and it was obvious who seemed more like a proper Saintess.

Naturally, as the Dawn Saintess, Kaleni had to preserve an appropriate image in public no matter what she was like in private. At the very least, she had to maintain the outward appearance of a poised young lady.

As Kaleni’s personal-guard commander, Rina knew perfectly well what Kaleni was like in private.

It was not that Kaleni lacked the image of a proper lady.

Rather, the word ladylike had absolutely nothing to do with her.

“Something happened? What happened?” Kaleni immediately caught the important point. “Come to think of it, Little Vinny, I still have not asked about your background. Would you be willing to tell us?”

“What I am about to say may sound... rather far-fetched. But every word is true,” Vanessa said.

“Go ahead, Little Vinny. Whatever you say, I will believe you.” Kaleni smiled playfully. “Rina is not an outsider. She can be trusted; I guarantee it. So tell us.”

Rina felt much the same.

Once Vanessa’s identity as a Facilis had been established, Rina knew she would not lie—at the very least, not with malicious intent.

The Dawn Saintess’s identity carried enormous weight. Objectively speaking, there had been plenty of ordinary Dawn Saintesses throughout history: some of middling ability, some with strange temperaments, some with unusual hobbies.

Yet there had never been a single one with a wicked heart.

No one believed a Dawn Saintess could commit evil.

That was also why Vanessa had sought Kaleni out and felt immediately at ease with her, trusting her completely. Vanessa knew that every Dawn Saintess possessed noble character. So long as she explained her predicament, Kaleni would surely be willing to help with all her strength.

“Here is what happened.”

Vanessa recounted how she had come to this world.

Kaleni and Rina listened silently from beginning to end, while Vanessa watched their reactions closely.

“A parallel world?” Kaleni’s smile faded as she fell into serious thought. “So other parallel worlds really do exist?”

“Yes. Before this, I did not believe it either,” Vanessa said. “I think the catalyst that brought me here was the double-moon phenomenon, as well as that shattered eight-patterned concave-convex mirror.”

“An eight-patterned mirror?” Rina frowned.

“So, Little Vinny, you are not from this world.” Kaleni sounded as though something had finally clicked into place.

That would explain why two members of the Facilis Family could exist in the same era.

Rina thought the same, and Vanessa’s account left her deeply shocked.

“Yes. I am not from your world. I am a Facilis from another world,” Vanessa said solemnly.

“Then which Saintess is your mother? I want to know whether she is a Saintess known in this world,” Kaleni asked.

“No. My mother is not a Saintess.”

“What?!”

“Your mother is not a Dawn Saintess? What do you mean? Are you saying you are not from the Facilis Family?”

“No, I am. But my family situation is somewhat complicated. Earlier, I looked through this world’s history in a bookstore. I can confirm that my parents and grandparents did not exist in this world.”

“On the other hand, I have never heard of your mother or grandmother either.”

“Then... who are you?”

“I am also Sophia’s great-grandchild,” Vanessa replied.

“Huh?”

Kaleni’s eyes widened. Rina, who had been listening nearby, looked equally stunned.

Now their relationship was difficult to describe.

If they were called biological sisters, their parents and grandparents were all different. But if they were said not to be related, they were of the same generation and shared the same great-grandparents.

“I see. I understand now,” Kaleni said after some thought.

“You do?”

“Little Vinny, you are another me. Or rather, I am you from a parallel world.”

“Think about it. We are of the same generation, we have the same great-grandfather and great-grandmother, and the Facilis Family has always passed down in a single line. In a sense, does that not make you my parallel-world self?” Kaleni said.

“That... does make some sense,” Rina agreed.

“But what caused our parents and grandparents to be different?” Kaleni asked again. “And you just said your mother was not a Dawn Saintess.”

“I think it is because, after Great-Grandmother Sophia, my branch of the family became a dead vein,” Vanessa said.

“A dead vein? The Facilis Family?”

Neither Kaleni nor Rina could remotely imagine such a thing.

The Facilis Family, descendants of the Goddess, reduced to a dead vein?

It sounded more like a grim joke. How could the Facilis Family, blessed by the Goddess, ever become a dead vein?

Unless the Dawn Goddess had withdrawn her authority—but how could that possibly be true?

“Yes. That is why, in my family, my father and grandfather are the ones from the Facilis Family. My mother is not.”

“In another worldline, the descendants of the Facilis Family became a dead vein...” Rina said in a low voice. “It is hard to believe.”

“But fortunately, you still lived up to expectations and reawakened your bloodline, right? The Church of the Dawn in your world must have helped tremendously, then?” Kaleni asked in confusion.

“The Church of the Dawn?” Vanessa smiled faintly, with a trace of irony. “Whether it helped, I do not know. Whether it deliberately hindered me, I am not yet certain.”

“What? In your world, the Church of the Dawn not only failed to help—it could not possibly have...?” Rina frowned.

“I ended up where I am today almost entirely because of them.” Vanessa shook her head.