Chapter 30

#030 The Last and Only (2)

Three days passed, and it was Saturday.

During that time, Cardinal Boute had taken a leave of absence from his classes.

I didn't know the exact reason, but Natalie, the cardinal's attendant, had come to the Palace of Juliette to inform us.

I suspected he was dealing with the aftermath of the 'Great Beast Purge' where the 'Mars' sword was offered as the prize.

It wasn't a significant loss for me.

The class could be made up later, and it was better not to see Cristel or the prince.

"There's nothing else on the schedule except for the confession this afternoon. And this month's dignity maintenance fee and pension have been deposited into the vault."

"I see... Really?"

My voice naturally rose at the mention of a concept I had never heard of since I was possessed.

I have money?

"The dignity maintenance fee and pension?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I mentioned it to you the morning after you entered the palace."

Bengjamin, standing opposite the table, answered politely.

I tried to recall my first day of possession.

But all I could remember was my own image, eating enthusiastically, even having snacks, and burying my nose in a notebook.

I must have been so flustered by the sudden possession that my ears temporarily went down.

To leak such important information...

"Does that mean... I receive money regularly?"

"Yes. The royal family provides one million francs monthly for the prince's dignity maintenance, and another million francs as a pension for the resident priest at the palace."

"So, two million francs a month."

"Yes."

If 'francs' are the currency unit of France.

I thought the names of the empire's people were just given a French patch, but it seemed they had even standardized the currency.

At this point, I wondered if the Theban New Kingdom used euros.

"I don't have a sense of how much two million francs is. The prices in the New Kingdom must be quite different."

Of course, I asked a practical question. I guessed it might be around two million won.

It would be convenient for the author if the value of the currency in the novel was the same as real money.

All I did here was listen to people's confessions, study, eat, and play with Demi.

There was no deposit or rent, and the attendants took care of meals, cleaning, and laundry. With two million francs a month, it was not just a break-even situation but like winning the lottery.

"Hmm, hmm. Two million... You could buy a grand mansion on the outskirts of the capital. Though a place with a lake would be difficult."

At Ganael's answer, my mind went blank for a moment.

"What?"

"If you built it yourself, a place near a lake might be possible."

Thinking I was disappointed that I couldn't have a mansion with a lake, Bengjamin quickly added.

I was confused about how to react.

Honestly, why would they give so much cash to a hostage who just eats and does nothing?

Especially since it was prepaid, and four million francs for two months were already in my vault...

I had no use for it.

If I were in a situation where I needed to hide in a distant territory with a lot of money or make a big profit by investing in real estate before the war, it might be different. But my goal was to return home.

"...The Rieste royal family is really wealthy."

In the end, all I could say was a sigh of admiration. Ganael laughed out loud.

"Calling you the 'Empire's Best Heir' is no exaggeration, Your Highness."

I nodded.

After all, if you're the main male lead in a novel, you shouldn't just have a good height and face.

"Ah, by the way, can I transfer my money?"

At my question, Bengjamin looked troubled.

I immediately realized what he was misunderstanding.

"Of course, not to the New Kingdom. There's no one to receive it there."

"Then...?"

"I want to send it to the Baron de Belang."

Ganael and Bengjamin fell silent.

I thought of the twins who had been sent to assassinate me, disguised as attendants from the New Kingdom.

Thinking about the story of the 'real' Belang twins, who were killed, made my chest tight even in my sleep.

I didn't know them, but they had lost their lives at a young age because of something related to me, and I couldn't feel at ease.

"I don't think money can comfort the hearts of parents who have lost their children. But... the Belang twins were hired to serve me. I want to contribute to their funeral expenses, even if it's late."

Bengjamin slowly nodded, indicating he would proceed as I wished.

"Three million five hundred thousand francs should be transferred to the baron couple."

Ganael covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. I smiled bitterly.

To me, it was just empty money, and more would come next month. But it might be meaningful to the baron couple.

That was enough.

Demi silently approached and rubbed against my feet.

*

"What do you think? I had the wooden window in the prince's seat opened as you requested."

"Really, Maxim. Thank you."

I added, "Good job," and the royal carpenter scratched his head and smiled shyly.

Maxim had made the 'Priest Absent' and 'Confession Available' signs at my request a while ago.

He was also a friend of Agnes, who worked on the back mountain of the Palace of Juliette.

"The window doesn't even make a sound when opened."

"I put a lot of effort into the hinges. It's those small details that make the difference between premium and regular."

He explained proudly.

I marveled at the wooden window in the confessional that Maxim had neatly fixed.

After the spring ball, the royal carpenters, including Maxim, had been frequently coming in and out of the royal chapel to repair the confessional.

I had made a somewhat unreasonable request to have the wooden window openable from the priest's seat, but they had responded with a casual, "Just leave it to us."

They didn't seem to question whether a priest could face the confessor directly.

From my perspective, it was fortunate.

I had made this request for Sadi, who might come at any time.

The other day, the carpenters had removed the broken wooden window and discussed, "It looks like it was cut with a knife," "Surely not a knife."

I couldn't manage my expression, even though I hadn't done it.

I resolved to correct the child's bad habits if I met him again.

"The call rope needs to be replaced. It's not under my jurisdiction, but the person in charge said the entire rope needs to be replaced. It might take some time."

"I understand."

I smiled awkwardly in response.

Actually, I had kept the cut part of the rope and could sew it back together to make it look new, but I couldn't bring myself to say that.

Then I would have to explain about the little guest who was with me at the time.

"I'll take my leave now. May you stay healthy, Your Grace."

- Creak

As Maxim gathered his tools into a leather bag and bowed, Demi, who was in my arms, whimpered softly.

I saw Maxim off with Bengjamin and Ganael, then returned to the front of the confessional.

It was time to start the afternoon confessions.

"Demi, stay here for a moment."

- Whimper

I handed the panda to Ganael, who had become quite adept at holding her, and received a picnic basket full of food from Bengjamin.

After confirming that the two and the panda had entered the priest's room and closed the door, I checked again to make sure no one was in the chapel and hung the 'Priest Absent' sign.

Then,

- Creak

I entered the empty confessor's seat, not the priest's seat where I usually sat.

"Let's see..."

The interior was somewhat dark, making it hard to see the seams in the wooden walls.

I used a circle instead of my phone's flashlight, which I regretfully didn't have.

Golden aether poured out, drawing a circle on the floor.

As I took a deep breath, the area of the sanctuary shrank.

"It should be around here."

I sat on the floor and checked near the chair where confessors sit.

Today's goal wasn't anything major.

It was just a curiosity that didn't need to be resolved, so I felt light-hearted.

I pressed the floor under the chair, but there didn't seem to be any secret door.

- Tap

I even knocked, but there was no hollow sound.

Not the bottom, then.

"Maybe the back?"

The confessional was a large wooden rectangular prism attached to the wall, so there was no way to enter secretly from the sides.

If it wasn't from below, there must be a passage in the back wall.

I pushed the chair slightly and pressed the wall behind it.

A scene from a spy movie I watched with Eunseo flashed through my mind.

In the movie, turning or pulling some decoration would make a door slide open, but here, in the chapel, there was nothing like that...

- Creak

"..."

The door to the confessional opened behind me. I clenched my teeth in embarrassment.

No, even if I put up the 'Priest Absent' sign, someone always comes in like this...

"What are you doing here?"

It was a familiar voice. I slowly turned my body.

Come to think of it, the first time we met, this kid had asked me a similar question.

"...Why are you coming in normally today?"

Sadi snorted at my question.

His eyes, which I met, were the same orange color as the prince's from a few days ago.

*

"Let me check for a moment."

I reached out to touch the child's forehead to check his condition.

Fortunately, he had a slight fever.

Seeing that he wasn't breathing heavily or sweating, I knew he hadn't overused aether.

Sadi, sitting in the confessor's chair, only observed what I was doing without any reaction.

"Don't you need a priest partner?"

"..."

"Or do you already have one and you're just wandering around?"

"..."

I don't know why he's being so stubborn and not answering.

If he doesn't like heavy questions, I'll start with light ones and work my way around.

Like asking a six-year-old what snack they had today, even if they won't answer why they fought with their friend.

"Did you come through the main door of the chapel?"

"I came through a path you don't know about. Let's drop it."

There, a direct answer.

"Did you eat? Do you want to eat something? Floinard is here."

"Have you been starving in the New Kingdom?"

A chuckle escaped me. I decided to raise the level of my questions a bit.

"Did you tell your father you were coming out?"

"..."

"What?"

The boy frowned as if he had heard an absurd sentence.

Before I could lower my voice and ask more specifically, the heavy sound of the chapel's main door opening hit my ears.

But there were no footsteps following.

Someone must have opened the door and peeked inside. Sadi's eyes narrowed.

"It's fine, I put up the 'Priest Absent' sign."

The child let out a short sigh.

I didn't mention that the 'Priest Absent' sign had been ignored twice already.

I dissolved the sanctuary to avoid being seen from outside and gently grabbed Sadi's elbow.

When I changed the method of aether transfer to physical contact, the boy's eyes widened slightly.

It was definitely more efficient; I could feel the aether draining from me.

I spoke almost in a whisper.

"Do you want to take this much today? There are other people here, so it's dangerous for you..."

At that moment,

- Click

"Ah!"

The doorknob of the confessional moved. I reflexively grabbed it.

Thankfully, the door didn't open, but I could tell someone was on the other side. My heart pounded in shock.

"How...?"

I muttered. There had been no sound until just now.

The chapel door had opened earlier, but there had been no sign of anyone...

"Shh."

Sadi whispered faintly. His lips clearly formed one word.

'Wizard.'

- Rattle

The visitor outside twisted the doorknob again.