"This is merely a reminder that everyone expects an accurate and true prophecy from you, my good child. Is it not a heavy burden to carry?"

Lady Sees’ words stabbed Ruby exactly where it hurts. Could she not be so... hard to deal with?!

"You are... so right, my Lady." Ruby’s voice was sad now, wistful, acting the part of a woman who was burdened by a gift she had never asked for. "No one can see how difficult it is to carry such a weight of expectation. To ensure every prophecy is satisfying enough, or true enough, for the people."

She said it sweetly. Mournfully.

Screw true prophecy, Ruby thought. People only want to hear what they want to hear. Truth was worthless if it did not serve her survival. She needed to live. She needed to take control. She needed to win.

"Don’t worry, my dear." Lady Sees said.

"I do not know how these visions work for Saintesses. The gods’ ways are mysterious, after all." she paused. "But I implore you to share more of them from now on. Not only because of this incident, but..."

The veiled lady leaned in, close enough that Ruby could smell the faint perfume of jasmine and something sharper beneath it.

"You know. The war in the north."

Ruby went very still.

"Your husband is fighting for your honor." Lady Sees’s voice was barely a breath now, meant for Ruby’s ears alone. "It is truly the least you could do."

Ruby froze.

Ha—

There it was again.

This humiliating feeling...

"Ah. I just had an idea, Saintess."

Before Ruby could process anything further, or at least untangle the knot of humiliation and resentment tightening in her chest, Lady Sees’s voice shifted. Lighter now. Almost cheerful.

The change was so abrupt that Ruby felt mental whiplash, her thoughts scattering like startled birds.

"To secure your reputation, I think it would be wise to begin delivering disaster prophecies." Sees said.

Ruby blinked. "What?"

"I heard the former Saintess gained her credentials thanks to several accurate disaster prophecies." Lady Sees shrugged, a casual roll of her shoulders that seemed almost irreverent. "Despite some other... inaccurate ones, of course."

"The war happened because you were being compared to her." Lady Sees said matter-of-factly. "And at the same time, it is easy to prove yourself. You are the true Saintess. She was the fake. Why not seize the opportunity?"

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. The shift was just a subtle, fractional tightening of her lids, but it was there. Displeasure began to bleed through.

"By... copying her?" Ruby asked. She could not quite keep the edge from her voice.

"By surpassing her." Lady Sees’s smile widened.

"Beyond what you have already proved. Beyond what anyone expects." The veiled lady tilted her head. "By then... no one. Not one person will dare to go against you anymore."

Ruby’s eyes widened.

This woman.

She was—

Ruby did not like what she was hearing. Every instinct rebelled against taking advice from someone who made her feel so small and exposed.

Lady Sees was a mystery wrapped in black silk, and Ruby had learned today that mysteries were dangerous. They could not be controlled. They could not be predicted. They operated according to their own unknowable logic, and Ruby’s entire survival depended on knowing more than everyone around her.

But.

But.

What Lady Sees said made sense. Every word of it. The logic was sound, the path was clear, and the destination was exactly where Ruby needed to go.

Disaster prophecies had built Cecilia’s reputation. Accurate disaster prophecies, delivered at the right moment, to the right people, with the right framing. Ruby could do the same... and more.

This was truly how she could fight.

This was truly how she would win this world.

She had been so focused on giving people what they wanted to hear. Sweet prophecies. Reassuring visions. The soft lies that made nobles smile and ministers nod and common folk light candles in her name.

But people did not remember the gentle prophecies. They remembered the ones that shook them. The ones that came true in fire and blood, that proved the Saintess had seen what no one else could see.

Perhaps it was a risk to stop delivering comfort. But Ruby knew she could still wrap her predictions in sweetness. She could still offer gentle reassurances alongside the hard truths.

Her prophecy about the Emperor’s death was proof of that. She had foretold the calamity, but she had also spoken of what might come after, of silver linings and hidden boons. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Yes.

Yes.

She could even mix fortunate prophecies in between the disasters. A balance. Light and shadow. Hope and warning!

That dead bitch Cecilia had only ever predicted calamity. She had been a herald of doom, nothing more. She could not see fortune!

That was how Ruby would surpass her.

Publishing one or two fortune prophecies would not cost her much of her own fortune. And if she chose carefully, if she selected exactly who would receive those blessings, she could gain allies.

Powerful allies. Grateful allies. People who would owe their happiness to her!

Ah.

Ruby was reluctant to admit it, but Lady Sees...

Lady Sees was right.

Behind the veil, watching Ruby’s face cycle through resistance, consideration, and finally the bright spark of epiphany, Cecilia sneered.

She stood right beside the Saintess, close enough to touch, and Ruby had no idea. No idea that the woman she was learning to resent was the very same woman she believed dead and rotting.

This evil, naive little bitch had no idea that every piece of advice, every gentle nudge, every carefully placed word was designed to steer her exactly where Cecilia needed her to go.

It seemed the little provocation had worked.

Good. Very good.

It was useful to inspire Ruby to tell more truth about the future. The more accurate prophecies the Saintess delivered, the more Cecilia could plan accordingly.

Every disaster foretold was a disaster she could prepare for. Every twist of fate Ruby revealed was a thread Cecilia could weave into her own designs.

Using Ruby Vaiva would be easier from now on.