Title: The Villainess is the Saint

Summary: She is the descendant of one after all.

I was currently in the temple to test my magical aptitude. As I excitedly awaited for the priest to return with the device, I began to ponder what magic I was gifted in. I hoped it was the same as the prince's. It would be grand to have such a commonality.

After a few more minutes, I saw the priest come back. In his hands, he held two items. One of them caused my eyes to widen in disbelief.

"The Saintess's Staff?" I asked as I stared at the relic in awe.

"Yes, my dear," the priest said with a chuckle, no doubt he found my reaction amusing.

"But why?"

The prince had not mentioned anything about the staff when he had been tested. My older followers also made no mention of it.

"Normally we only bring this out when a girl demonstrates prodigious skill in healing magic or has shown light magic... but I have this feeling that something interesting might happen."

"What? Do you expect it to react to me?"

Did he believe I was the next Saintess?

He chuckled.

"I have little hope of that. It's just that you look quite a bit like the depictions of the original Saintess. I would love to see the 'Saintess' in the flesh before retiring."

I began to thumb my hair. Did I really look that much like her? It made me subconscious.

I'll just take it as a compliment. With a bit of hesitation, I reached out for the staff. Before I committed, I looked at the priest who nodded gently.

When I grasped the staff, the room illuminated to such a degree that all shadows vanished.

I was exhausted. On top of my training to become the next queen, I had to do light magic training as well as theological studies as the next Saintess.

I stared miserably at the dull light my magic emitted. Despite being chosen by the relic, I could not be considered adept. There were many more women who had more impressive mastery of what light magic they had, and I felt guilty for taking a role many of them had clawed for for an entire lifetime.

I sighed as I released the spell and fell back on my bed in the temple. It was terribly lonesome. I had seen little of my family, friends, or the prince in any social setting since learning of my role. It felt like my entire life was all work and training.

I began to curl up in my bed. Hopefully this was only temporary. It had to be a transition period. Eventually would have to work out in the end.

I barely passed another assessment. It was a close thing. Even though I passed, I did not feel joy. I could see the disappointment in their eyes. My light magic was unexceptional.

I needed to do better. The Kingdom needed a strong queen and Saintess. Julius needed someone who could stand beside him.

"Lord Lucas, where are we headed next?" I asked Julius's uncle.

"If these journals are to be believed, somewhere in the northern frontier," the man said as he studied the ratty sheets of parchment.

"Do you think we'll find one of the lost relics?"

He only sighed before stating his doubts. It was confirmation enough that he doubted such a boon. It would have been too easy a solution to my dilemma.

Seeing my distress, the man comforted me. He mentioned that we might find other descendants who could help me get a better grasp on my magic.

It only reminded how much a failure I was that the temple sought alternatives to bring out my potential. In truth, I knew they had given up on me. I was a washout.

Despite this, I dutifully practiced my magic. I stared at the flickering light in my hands. It had dimmed compared to when I first started.

I stared at the relic in my room. It had rejected the commoner. It rejected the commoner that had the brightest magic I've ever seen despite having no formal teaching.

Why? Why was I the Saintess? I was the least capable candidate I knew, and I was saddled with the responsibility.

No...

It was a curse. My life before, while difficult, was not something I would have ever traded away. My family loved and we're proud of me, I had a purpose in life that I could achieve, I wasn't a disappointment...

As my mind went through what had been lost to this damn position, I felt tears run down my face. I quietly cried alone.

I bitterly took Olivia's lessons to heart. They helped me make leaps and bounds, but I could never reach her level. I know it was wrong, but I hated her for her natural talent.

What truly rankled me was how I was being compared to her now. I could hear the incessant gossip.

The daughter of a ducal line was incompetent compared to a country hick.

So much for the Redgrave bloodline.

What a useless girl.

My dreams were haunted by the image of the Saintess. She held this constant smile. It was as if she were taunting me.

"What are we doing in the Bartfort Barony?" I asked listlessly.

"The journals we found in Livia's attic suggest that the Saintess sought out Lord Bartfort's ancestor. While I do not believe she was able to make the journey since the writings seemed to indicate severe cognitive decline, it is reasonable to assume that there might be some writings there related to the Saintess."

I found myself walking around the estate. I had found the children to be distasteful. The simpering tones just made me remember how quickly everyone turned on me.

Looking around, I saw a rickety shack. How odd. It looked too poor to belong, yet it looked well used. Out of curiosity I drew closer.

Looking through the window, I saw a pair of eyes look back at me. They looked like they belonged to a child.

"Hello?"

Collin excitedly pulled me around the estate and talked about his siblings. He seemed quite fond of them all, but he adored his older brother who was currently on an expedition.

Leon...

I felt my head hurt every time I heard the name. For whatever reason, I felt an odd sense of longing. It was probably nothing. Maybe I just missed my family. I haven't been home proper for quite some time. Collins adoration for his siblings must be triggering my sense of loneliness.

That was probably it.

... Though why do I keep mishearing Collin? I swear I hear him saying Lea half the time.

When I saw him descend from the ship, I felt the world go still. My heart thumped faster and faster. My ears could only hear static as the world seemed to have fallen behind me. The only things I was aware of were him and me.

But why?

Why did the mere sight of him elicit such a response? It didn't make sense. I never met him before.

I loved the prince. I shouldn't feel such things for a stranger.

An intrusive thought ran through my mind.

But does he love you?

What was I thinking, Julius and I were engaged.

But what has he done for you?

He comforted me when I was at my lowest in the palace. He promised to be by my side so that I would never cry again.

So where was he?

...

He must have been busy. He is the future king. He has his lessons to attend to. He must have been saddled with more training since I became the Saintess.

...

The thoughts didn't come back, but it didn't have to. I didn't believe my own words.

AN:

1) Very rough prompt. It's more of an interesting concept, but I'm not sure how I would play it out. I could go for a more sinister scenario in which An tries to possess Angelica by slowly chipping away at her sense of self worth, I could go rewrite it so that Angelica and Olivia bond before the Academy through their shared ability to do light magic, or I could make the temple the antagonist by trying to take control of the Kingdom through Angelica. The possibilities are quite numerous.

2) Obviously, this draft is missing a lot of details. This is mostly because I didn't want to commit too heavily in any particular scenario since this plot point could go in so many possible directions.