Chapter 15: 15

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I figured even without crown prince, the Duke was enough to kill the spirits of the nobles.

‘The fact that he’s the princess’s partner is important too.’

And it was perfect timing that the Duke couldn’t bear the sins of his father and came to me.

“That is…fine but…”

The taste of the tea kept lingering in my mouth.

The Duke’s reason for coming here must be to reduce the damages from the demons.

I leaned back slightly on the sofa and stretched my legs out. When I stretched out on the sofa like this, I felt so comfortable that I suddenly wanted to sleep. Maybe I slept wrong since my neck felt stiff.

I tried to sit as comfortably as possible without looking disrespectful.

The hesitation soon disappeared from the Duke’s face. Then he answered like he had never hesitated, “I would gladly to be a partner of the Saintess.”

I smiled faintly at the excessiveness statement. This is what they call killing two birds with one stone.

“I look forward to working with you, Duke Cassian.”

I felt a bit a pity seeing the stubborn and glacial Duke who rarely ever spoke to anyone first apologizing like this.

At the very least, Duke Cassian revived his House and provided a better life for his people.

I pushed my slightly cooled tea towards the duke. I could see that he was a little relieved by my actions, but his lips moved slightly as if he was saying the princess’s name. It seemed almost unconsciously done.

When I thought about the princess and the duke, I suddenly became curious.

In Reneben’s case, he learned that he had divine powers when he was 2 and lived in the temple for 15 years. After living like that, meeting the princess must have felt like a breath of fresh air so I understand.

But why does the duke like the princess?

They were childhood friends, yes, but he must have fallen in love with her at some point. Of course, it would be weirder if he didn’t love the princess.

“Out of curiosity, why does Your Grace like Princess Ronella?”

Even though I mentioned her name with pure intentions, the Duke’s face was dyed with embarrassment.

“That’s…” the Duke started to answer then his face grew distorted. He covered his mouth and lowered his head, then his expression turned strange, “Well, it suddenly…”

“What?”

“…Ha?”

The duke’s face was heavily distorted. He held his forehead, mumbling something that only he could hear.

There was a mixture of confusion and unknown guilt in his eyes. Then he looked at me with bewilderment and muttered as if he had a screw loose.

“…Why do I like Nella?”

‘Does love need a reason?’ I was going to reply but I couldn’t say since the Duke looked like he was realizing something.

I didn’t expect him to say he didn’t know why he loved her. The Duke’s bewilderment did not last long. He was back to his usual composure as if what just happened was an illusion.

I reached out to him to see if he was ok. He shook off my hand and opened his eyes sharply.

“No, it’s nothing. I like Nella just because it’s Nella.”

That was the answer I expected, but something felt off, so I studied his expression.

But Duke Cassian was unwavering.

“Then I assume you will be my partner that day?”

“…I am honored to be of service to God’s blessing.”

He didn’t seem honored at all.

Duke Cassian got down on his knee and kissed the back of my hand. It was pretentious but it didn’t feel bad to receive such treatment.

“I am also glad to have the Duke of the Empire escorting me.”

When he stood up, I had to look up as he was a lot taller than me. I couldn’t help but wonder how he looked to the princess who was shorter than I am.

Then I prepared to send him off.

I told the maid who was waiting nearby to clear the teacup which the Duke hadn’t even taken a sip out of. Then I led him to the door.

With this, I’d achieved my purpose.

I felt like the duke was staring at the back of my head. It might be an exaggeration, but it felt like lasers were coming out of his eyes.

I opened the door, pretending to be unaware of the intense gaze. When I tried to see him off, he stopped me and spoke.

“…You can stay inside.”

I decided that it’s not polite to follow when the other person didn’t want me to. I opened the door of the drawing room and stood against the wall.

He walked through the opened door. As his back grew smaller, I leaned against the wall and crossed my legs. Right then, he turned his head and I quickly uncrossed my legs.

I also lowered my folded arms, but I think the Duke already noticed.

Hopefully, he didn’t think I was observing or appreciating him. I didn’t have any impure intentions towards Duke Cassian so I didn’t want to be misunderstood.

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The Duke had already walked far enough that I couldn’t barely make out his face, turned around and began to walk back to me with a flawless posture.

“Is something the matter?” I asked out of formality, in a tone that asked if he left something behind.

At my question, he hesitated for a moment before saying in a somewhat placid voice, “I am sorry for the injury on your arm.”

“…? Oh, Ohh…”

“I failed to protect the Saintess. As a knight, I deserve to be punished.”

Hmm… I swept a finger over my lips with a lengthy hum.

There wasn’t exactly a set rule. Perhaps there was something written about failing to protect the royal family but legally speaking, there wasn’t any punishment for failing to protect a saint.

In the first place, the temple had nothing to do with the law. Even if a person was killed in the temple, no one was legally responsible.

I didn’t think the Duke was a bad person. Even if this was the modern era, I doubt people would consider the Duke a bad person.

Imagine if a child and the president of a country both fell into the water. Naturally, the child’s parents will rush to save their child, rather than the president.

It was only natural to save those precious to you, regardless of the status of the other party.

Although I spoke as if the Duke was a bad person when I talked to Reneben, it was just an example of how much the nobles disregarded the temple.

Just because I was now living in the Empire, didn’t mean my beliefs had changed. It would be more ridiculous for me to assimilate into a world where people’s death meant nothing.

Despite that, even I wielded the power I had as I wanted. Even to myself, I felt I was self-centered.

The Duke’s apology made me feel strange. I knew his words were sincere so I could easily accept his apology but…

I felt a little mischievous so I asked, “If this happens again, will you save me first?”

“…”

The duke remained silent, so I continued.

“If I die… I imagine there will be a lot of damage until the new saint appears, no?”

I sighed deeply. I didn’t hate the Duke, but I wanted him to understand what was important.

“Duke Cassian.”

“I am here.”

I knew what he considered precious so I could tell him this.

“Wouldn’t you say that saving someone precious to you is the more correct choice?”

“…”

“Of course, when the chandelier fell, the princess was safe, while I was in danger. Obviously, the more effective choice would have been to save me.”

The duke’s mouth was clamped shut.

“But do you know something? Emotions don’t consider efficiency.” I continued.

I hope he does not repress his emotions because he is bound by his status.

After sending the duke off with that, I looked out of the window with relief like a weight had been lifted.

I watched with interest as he got on the carriage. And the moment the horses moved, the carriage was out of my sight.

Now I had to go wash my hands that were stained with that young noble lady’s blood. It made me uncomfortable.

I found a washroom that the priests used for their faces.

The servant who was guarding the washroom was taken aback to see me. He handed me a soft towel that seemed to have dried under the sun for several hours. I took that and went inside the washroom.

Once I plunged my hand in the sink, the water poured on my skin. The red blood mixed in with the water like it was being dissolved.

“It’s not washing out well…”

I knew I should use cold water but I hated cold water so I was using warm water instead. After rubbing my hand in the washbasin for a while, I checked my hands, and all the traces of blood were gone.

Now, I had to go find Reneben and the young miss.

I straightened my shoulders and relaxed my stiff joints then I walked out of the washroom. As I stepped out, I noticed that the number of servants had increased by one.

The servant who handed me a towel reminded me of a deer and there was a new servant standing next to him.

The new servant looked naïve and shyly walked over to me before taking my towel.

Seeing the servant’s face turn red and the fact that he could barely make eye contact, I roughly understood what was going on.

I usually moved within a fixed area in the temple. As a result, there were many who wanted to see the Saint Emilone but couldn’t even though we were in the same building.

The admiration on the servant’s clear face made me feel better.

 

 

Translator’s Corner:

* I am busier with FMH(my main novel) than I anticipated but I am still translating this. I know updates are very slow but it will increase very soon!

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