Roy and the little ghost were flying around the banquet hall when suddenly they locked onto a man and floated above his head, pointing downwards in Maggie's direction.
Maggie understood immediately that he might have a suspicious ghostly aura, so she subtly raised the question to Eve.
"That man in the distance seems to be a very outstanding young master."
She asked, seemingly casually.
"Your Highness is referring to the eldest son of the Motley family? He is indeed an outstanding person and the pride of the Motley family. He is already a junior mage at a young age, although I don't particularly like him."
"I remember Lin didn't seem to like you very much."
As Maggie pointed to one of the men at the banquet, Eve looked thoughtful, but when she said the second half of her sentence, a hint of trouble suddenly appeared on her face.
"Perhaps this is not surprising, given that she and I are both competitors for the title of Holy Maiden of Light."
Maggie smiled, but instead of mentioning that she had once killed a junior priest who had provoked her, she avoided the main issue and brought up the most trivial conflict between them.
"The temple's decision is correct; you are the best candidate for the Holy Maiden of Light."
Eve shook her head, a look of disapproval on her face, as if in her opinion, Motley Lynn was no match for Maggie.
"Maybe."
Maggie gave a noncommittal reply, her gaze returning to the man. The eldest son of the Motley family didn't seem to be among the three she had narrowed it down to, but...
"Perhaps I could know his name?"
"Maggie asked softly."
"Hmm... his name seems to be Motley Joyce?"
Eve looked thoughtful.
Upon hearing the name, Maggie's pupils constricted instantly, because the name overlapped with the names of three suspicious individuals she had identified in the comics.
Joyce's last name wasn't mentioned in the comic, but thankfully she asked one more question, otherwise she would have missed it.
Maggie's intuition told her that the person carrying the aura of the undead, and whose name was on her shortlist, was most likely the one causing trouble.
However, she cannot make a move now; without solid evidence, it would only damage her reputation as a saint.
Even if she had an unprecedented outburst of saintly compassion, it doesn't mean she would lose her mind and throw away everything she had worked so hard to achieve.
Eve didn't notice Maggie's strange expression, and instead showed a worried look.
"Although he is a very outstanding young man, you, as the Holy Maiden, will have a future where you..."
Maggie was still lost in thought, but after hearing Eve's words, she instinctively felt something was wrong and interrupted her without hesitation.
"Princess Eve is overthinking it. My body and soul have long been dedicated to the temple, and I would never consider romantic relationships."
She encountered Eve's enigmatic thought process for the first time.
"Phew, thank goodness."
Eve immediately showed a relieved expression.
"?"
Looking at Eve like this, Maggie felt an unusually strange feeling.
"Tonight's banquet is a welcome gift prepared by His Majesty the Emperor for me. The ball is about to begin, so I think I need to excuse myself for a moment, Princess."
Clearing her mind of the strange thoughts, Maggie once again put on a graceful and generous smile and whispered in Eve's ear.
"Your Highness is the star of the night, so of course I won't disturb you."
Eve immediately showed a flattered expression, took a half step back, and gracefully lifted her skirt to perform a dignified lady's etiquette.
Maggie gave a soft "hmm" and turned to walk towards the center of the banquet. Her previous words were just an excuse; she was now preparing to approach Joyce and needed to confirm things further.
As Maggie approached the center, those around her slowly made way, not daring to obstruct Her Highness in the slightest. This was the power of the Temple of Light; even though Maggie was only a mid-level mage, she received the highest level of courtesy and respect.
Ignoring the various stares, Maggie walked straight toward her ultimate goal.
Motley Joyce.
He seemed to realize that Maggie was heading in the direction that led him, so he stopped talking to her. The gentlemanly and gentle smile on his face faded a little, and his gaze fell on Maggie.
Maggie took in his reaction, but walked to his side with a calm expression.
Joyce turned to face Maggie, and although he concealed it well, Maggie still sensed a hint of hostility from him.
Like his sister, Motley Lynn.
"Good day, Your Highness."
He spoke first, his pupils reflecting Maggie's image.
Maggie was also observing him. Although Joyce's appearance could not be described as handsome, he was still quite good-looking. Eve, with her personality, even praised him, so he must be very popular within the territory of the Kingdom of Saint-Navi.
Unfortunately...
In the comic book storyline, Maggie had never heard of the eldest son of the Motley family, only of the lich Joyce who appeared in Tarbert on the very first day of the necromancy portal and slaughtered tens of thousands of civilians.
This is why Maggie is so certain that the teleportation array is related to him.
He was far too suspicious. As a nobleman, he shouldn't have become an undead on the very first day. Moreover, he was a mage; how could he have been so easily corrupted by the aura of death and turned into a lich?
Unless he already had a problem.
Now, Maggie has detected an undead aura on him, further confirming this possibility.
If her guess is correct, then Eve's tragedy and that of the entire Saint-Nar Kingdom is utterly ironic.
"Young Master Motley, hello."
Maggie extended her hand politely, as if she wanted to shake his hand.
She wanted to test how far this young master Motley had been assimilated by the undead, as the gray beads that Bella had tricked her into drinking still remained in her body.
When it comes into contact with the same source of energy, the gray bead will definitely react.
Although Maggie's behavior was somewhat unusual, it was still within the realm of understanding. To others, it was simply that Maggie wanted to get to know him alone, albeit in a slightly abrupt way.
Motley's face stiffened slightly. Under the gazes of the noble ladies and gentlemen, he did not extend his hand and stood stiffly in place.
"..."
Maggie remained motionless, smiling as she looked at him. Although she seemed to be the one who had been rejected, Joyce was probably the one who was more afraid.
After all, he couldn't be sure if the Holy Maiden of Light had some special way of sensing that something was wrong with him.
He felt guilty.
In theory, only the Holy Emblem in the temple can have this effect, but unfortunately no one could have imagined that Maggie would have a gray bead hidden in her body without becoming a mid-dead.
"What? Does Young Master Motley dislike the temple, or...?"
Seeing that he remained motionless, Maggie's smile grew even gentler, but her words were no different from those of an approaching venomous snake.
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