Chapter 53

"Is it true that you feel an evil aura from Lana?"

If the person the high priest had pointed out was Tashirna or Kalani, he wouldn't have been so surprised. But Lana? Lana is the eldest son of the Artaxi family, with a clear status and a transparent upbringing. It's true that he doesn't frequent social circles much, but many people who visit the Artaxi family have seen him grow up. An evil aura? He hates such things more than anyone; he doesn't seem like someone who would ever fall into corruption.

"Are you sure?"

When Latil asked in surprise, the high priest shook his head.

"No. His aura is clear and pure. But that look in his eyes. It feels like he wants to freeze me to death."

"..."

Latil almost smacked the high priest's forehead.

"He treats me the same way."

"Really?"

"And don't confuse me. You surprised me."

"The Emperor seems to trust this young man a lot."

"He has a status that can't be doubted."

At Latil's firm answer, the high priest's eyes curved in amusement.

"People often desire what they cannot have, but they also desire more of what they already have."

It was a statement with a subtle nuance. Just as Latil was about to ask what he meant, Lana, who had noticed the commotion, approached and greeted Latil.

"Your Majesty, you have arrived."

Lana then glanced at the high priest but didn't acknowledge him. If it were anyone else, they might have ignored him and moved on.

"Your beautiful face, illuminated by the sunlight, truly sparkles, Lana. May the Lord bless your day today."

Even a worldly high priest is still a high priest; he smiled brightly at Lana, who was ignoring him, and greeted him as a real high priest would.

"..."

Lana, who had been looking down at the high priest, turned and walked away without a word. Even after being ignored twice, the high priest only chuckled, "He's a prickly one."

But as soon as Lana left, Latil scolded the high priest.

"Can't you at least not act like a priest?"

"What does acting like a priest mean?"

"Who ignores you and then laughs and talks about God and blessings?"

Latil spoke firmly and crossed his arms, causing the high priest to think deeply with a 'really?' expression. Latil sighed and grabbed the wheelchair handles again.

"I'll move."

Just then, Lana, who seemed to be leaving, turned back. He had wanted to leave to avoid spending too much time with Zayshin, but as he walked alone, he felt annoyed and turned back, thinking, 'Why am I avoiding him?' Moreover, seeing Latil and Zayshin getting along well made him even more irritated, and Zayshin, who was supposedly injured, looked perfectly fine, which made him suspicious.

"Are you really hurt?"

Lana finally approached and asked the high priest directly.

'Are you coming back to pick a fight again...?'

Latil sighed at Lana's obvious coldness and tried to speak before the high priest could say something priestly. But just as Latil was about to speak, the high priest, who had been told not to act like a priest, suddenly burst out laughing. The sudden loud laughter made Latil jump and look at the high priest. Lana, who had asked if he was faking his injury, frowned at the unexpected laughter. To avoid acting like a priest, the high priest, recalling the lines that casino customers had jokingly imagined for feuding concubines, said:

"The Emperor is mine. Don't come within a 3-meter radius. If you try to harm the Emperor, I'll kill you."

Latil, about to say, 'You're really hurt, Lana,' was so taken aback that he stared at the high priest. What?

"I am the embodiment of possessiveness. Don't try to charm the Emperor with that sparkling face. The Emperor isn't interested in small muscles like yours!"

'No, even if I told you not to act like a priest, this is going too far!'

Latil covered the high priest's mouth, but Lana already looked very upset.

"No, it's fine, Your Majesty. I want to hear what this casino dealer has to say."

As Latil sighed and lowered his hand, Lana stepped even closer to the high priest and sneered coldly.

"You said you would bless me with God's favor just a moment ago. Your words change so quickly, Zayshin."

"God's blessing can only be received by those close to God... I'll show you a shortcut."

As the high priest murmured and slowly stood up from the wheelchair, Latil panicked and pushed his shoulder down.

"Sit down!"

"Ah."

The high priest, remembering he was pretending to be a patient, quickly sat back down, but Lana was already looking at him with utter disdain.

"Your Majesty seems to like fools."

When Lana muttered this, Latil, trying to calm him down, smiled and patted his back.

"I also like men who can't drink."

Just as Lana's expression was about to soften, the high priest, oblivious, laughed and interjected.

"That's exactly me, Your Majesty."

'Just shut up! You're not even a concubine!'

Latil stared in disbelief, but the high priest beamed.

"It seems I am Your Majesty's ideal type."

The last bit of warmth in Lana's expression disappeared. It seemed ridiculous to him that Latil was dealing with someone like Zayshin. The look in Lana's eyes when he saw Latil was, 'How can you have a taste like that?' Eventually, Lana, not wanting to talk to him anymore, only bid farewell to Latil and left. The high priest, smiling, tried to reassure Latil.

"I don't feel any evil aura from him, Your Majesty."

Latil didn't respond. Instead, he waited until Lana was completely gone and the area was clear before lowering his voice and scolding the high priest.

"I told you not to act like a priest, not to act like a gang leader in a back alley."

"I revealed my possessiveness for Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

"Don't. People are looking at you strangely!"

"I'm fine."

"I'm not! I have to pretend to be infatuated with you!"

* * *

While Latil was scolding the high priest about his overbearing possessiveness, Aini, the Empress of Karisen, was receiving shocking news.

"Reldler committed suicide?"

Her friend and most cherished maid, Reldler, had left the palace, saying she wanted to rest at home, but news of her suicide had come. Aini, shocked, collapsed onto the sofa. It was too sudden.

"Why suddenly? She was doing well, and she had no worries?"

"People can hide their worries and still appear cheerful."

Others were also shocked, but the funeral procedures were quickly carried out, and the next day, the funeral was already underway. While the official funeral would take place a few days later, the body was placed in a coffin for three days, during which anyone could place flowers.

"I want to give Reldler a final gift."

Aini, feeling both sad and betrayed, didn't want to go to the funeral but resolved to see her friend off. She went to the coffin to place a mirror that Reldler had always loved. The coffin was already surrounded by many flowers.

"Reldler..."

Aini, with puffy eyes, asked the guard standing by the coffin to open it.

"Open the coffin. I want to place this with her."

The mirror Aini brought was adorned with expensive jewels, making it a very valuable and precious item.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guard nodded, cleared the flowers from the lid, and opened the coffin. But as soon as the coffin was opened, both Aini and the guard let out a small scream.

"Reldler!"

"Miss!"

The coffin was empty. People immediately started a commotion, saying someone had stolen the body, but the cold hall where the coffin was placed was guarded by many soldiers, making it impossible to steal a large adult body.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

A few hours later, Aini, still in shock, returned to her room, and another maid, sobbing, quickly brought her a warm tea. Aini, hugging a cushion, drank the tea and shook her head.

"No. I don't know."

The return of the voice, Reldler's sudden suicide, and the disappearance of the body were all too much to bear. Aini, clutching the mirror she had intended to give Reldler, trembled. At that moment, the maid who had brought the tea, noticing Aini's distress, spoke cautiously.

"Your Majesty... There's something I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would blame yourself."

Aini, staring blankly at the sofa where Reldler often sat, turned her eyes sharply and asked.

"What didn't you tell me? What is it? Tell me quickly!"

"Reldler said that you were very stressed lately, and she thought being away for a few days would make her more worried, but she would return right after seeing her parents."

"What? Why didn't you tell me this before?!"

"In case something happened to her on the way, I was afraid it would hurt Your Majesty..."

The maid's voice trailed off, and Aini burst into tears. After hearing the voice, Reldler had held Aini's hand tightly until she fell asleep. Reldler was the type to worry like that.

"So it couldn't have been suicide, right?"

"But there were many witnesses."

Aini bit her lip. The maid was right. Despite the sudden suicide and the lack of a note, the funeral was quickly processed because many people had seen Reldler commit suicide. But would someone planning to commit suicide leave such a message?

"Where are you going, Your Majesty?"

"To the Viscount's house!"

Unable to shake off her doubts, Aini immediately left the castle and headed to Reldler's house in the outskirts of the capital. If there was something strange, it needed to be resolved immediately. However, the Viscount and his wife were at the palace due to the disappearance of their daughter's body, so no one was home. The servants and maids, already in a panic, were even more flustered by the sudden appearance of the Empress. In the end, Aini, finding no new information, returned to her carriage. But before it could leave,

"Your Majesty."

A maid ran up and held out a small envelope through the window.

"What is it?"

Aini, weakly, asked, and the maid opened the envelope, revealing a small amulet.

"One of the Lady's relatives is a priest, and this amulet was given to the high priest."

"And?"

"Originally, it was kept in Miss's drawer, but when she came this time, she said she would give it to Your Majesty and chose a pendant to hold the amulet."

So that's why she suddenly wanted to go home. It probably wasn't suicide. Aini looked at the pendant sadly, reached out to take it, but then changed her mind and shook her head.

"Give it to the Viscount's wife. She will be more distressed than I am."

* * *

While Karisen was in an uproar over the sudden death and disappearance of the Empress's closest maid, Tarium was relatively quiet after the high priest's injury. The high priest, with fiery determination, searched for the person who had pushed him, but the culprit had hidden well and couldn't be found. Others thought he had simply tripped and fallen, so they didn't take the incident seriously. Thanks to this, a precarious and quiet peace continued until one day, a small incident occurred in Tarium.

"White Rose Knights? They came to see me?"

The White Rose Knights, a group of paladins, had officially come to see Latil. Latil, who had learned about the White Rose Knights from the high priest on the day he accepted him as a concubine, was surprised and asked the secretary who brought the news.

"Why do they want to see me?"

"I don't know, but they say it's very important and they must see Your Majesty."

'Is it because of the black magic? Or the death of the old high priest?'

Although puzzled, Latil saw no reason to refuse and accepted their audience, heading out alone. There, the paladins, dressed in white cloaks and matching white uniforms, stood in formation, and a few other officials and nobles were watching.

"So, why have you come to see me?"

While quickly considering the possible reasons for their visit, Latil walked to the throne and asked nonchalantly. The response was more dramatic than expected. The white-uniformed knights simultaneously knelt on one knee, as if they had practiced for years. The surrounding officials, confused, whispered among themselves. Latil, sitting on the throne, was also puzzled and demanded again.

"Speak."

Then, a knight in the center of the front row stepped forward and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, please allow us to protect the high priest!"

The other knights echoed in unison.

"Please allow us!"

Latil, who had been laughing meaninglessly, suddenly became serious. The high priest? Zayshin? Did they know the high priest was here? It wasn't because of the old high priest or the black magic, right?

"The high priest?"

Still pretending to be unaware, Latil asked, and the knight who had stepped forward stood and answered.

"The high priest's infatuation with Your Majesty is beyond human control, but he should not be harmed by the intrigues of the concubines. Please allow us to protect him."

"!"

Latil was surprised, and the surrounding officials were also shocked and murmured.

"The high priest is in love with the Emperor?"

"The Emperor is putting the high priest in the harem?"

"Is that even possible?"

Then, a thought occurred to them.

'Is the Emperor trying to bring religion under his power?'