Chapter 61

#061 Leave it to me (2)

Sure.

There's no need to be surprised or bewildered.

I greeted the prince and maintained a calm demeanor even as he ignored me.

No matter how much I tried to avoid it, we were living in the same space, so encounters were inevitable.

When several families live in one house, all sorts of incidents are bound to happen.

Just look at the stories that come up in the media.

*Under One Roof*, *High Kick: The Return of the In-Laws*, *Parasite*...

"Your Highness."

"Yes, Duke."

Duke François Dume, who was preparing for the ceremony to begin, approached me and whispered.

"His Highness the Prince has a message for you."

A message? I glanced at Prince Cedric, who was standing some distance away.

As always, he had an unlucky, expressionless face.

The prince and I were standing apart, with a single priest, who had come as a witness, between us.

The two parties who were to make the 'Twin Star Vow' were placed in the center, and the three witnesses formed a semicircle.

"I was the first to receive the request to stand as a witness here."

"......"

"He said that 30 seconds ago."

"Who did you ask?"

Oops, my inner thoughts slipped out.

I pretended it was nothing and quickly wiped my face. The duke blinked a few times.

"Excuse me?"

"No, no, it's nothing. You don't need to relay that message."

"I see. Understood."

He smiled softly with his light pink eyes and stepped back.

I looked back and forth between him and the prince, feeling exasperated.

The shock of the prince's sudden appearance had completely subsided.

So what if he was invited first?

The one who asked to pass on such a childish message and the one who actually passed it on were both ridiculous.

"Then, let's begin the Twin Star Vow. This is not the union of two humans, but the process of two vessels forming one ritual object. The witnesses will vouch for the faith of the contractors, and the Lord will test their faith. First, Antoinette Dume, the daughter of the Lord, please step forward..."

The duke began the proceedings smoothly.

Although it was the opening of a sacred ceremony, his words didn't seem fabricated, and it was impressive that he could recite them without looking at a single piece of paper.

I shook off my stray thoughts and watched Duke Dume's sister, Antoinette, make her vow.

Soon, one of the duke's attendants carefully stepped forward and placed a single flower between the contractors.

It was a striking purple tulip.

A scene flashed through my mind.

"Spring is coming, and the royal gardeners are very busy. Since you're from the Holy Kingdom, I'd like to show you the purple tulips..."

It must have been about a week after I possessed this body.

A gardener at Juliette Palace had said this to me with a very regretful look.

At the time, I hadn't given it much thought, but now it seemed that the purple tulip had a religious significance and was used in the vow.

The vow was a custom unique to Liester, not found in the Penethian Holy Kingdom.

I could understand why the gardener wanted to show me the purple tulips.

"Swear in the presence of the Lord's will."

The duke said.

Antoinette knelt at the priest's feet, and the priest unfolded a small sanctuary that only the two of them could enter.

The two contractors had been childhood friends since they were four, so even as they made the vow, they couldn't help but giggle whenever they made eye contact.

It was quite amusing to see them trying to maintain their composure after seeing each other in every possible situation.

"Hmm, hmm. In the name of Antoinette Patrick Dume, the first princess of the Dume family, I request this vow from you."

Antoinette's almond-shaped eyes flickered with embarrassment.

I see, they even use middle names during the vow.

"You will be my guardian saint, and I will walk the same infinite path as your soul."

"Ugh!" She mouthed her discomfort.

The priest, who had been listening attentively, also twitched his fingers and looked uncomfortable.

Indeed, it would be embarrassing and awkward to hear such words from a close friend.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Even on sleepless nights and days when you can't run..."

"Ahem."

The priest, who had received the vow, covered his face with both hands.

"Don't laugh, Marie!"

"I can't help it."

The priest, 'Marie,' answered with a trembling voice.

Duke Dume also continued with the next part, his voice dramatic.

The vow was said to be a very sacred ceremony, but the atmosphere was quite light because the two people couldn't be serious.

"Antoinette Dume. As the master of the vow, do you promise to devote yourself to the well-being of your guardian saint?"

"Of course. I've been filling Marie's empty stomach all along!"

"Antoinette?"

"I promise."

Antoinette bit her lip.

I thought her personality would be similar to Duke Dume's, given his dramatic tone, but she seemed to have a sense of shame.

It was funny to see her blush so much.

I read that the two contractors in the vow were called 'guardian saints' or 'guard saints' for short.

The royal family and their collateral branches were called 'vow masters' or 'allies' because they were the ones who initiated the vow.

However, the vow could not be established without the priest's consent, and if the distance between the contractors grew, only the vow master would suffer.

It was a strangely balanced system.

"Now, please stand. The two of you, close your eyes..."

The vow was nearing its end. It had only taken about 20 minutes, as they had said it would.

There was no collection of gifts or reception, and it was nice and tidy.

"By this, the two of you have become religious companions. May the Lord bless you."

The duke declared with a joyful face.

Then, Priest Marie released aether over his sanctuary. As a result,

*Whoosh...*

The purple tulip began to break apart into tiny particles of light.

It was the most astonishing sight I had seen today.

Priests, unlike holy knights, cannot kill living beings with aether and cannot even give divine guidance to non-living things.

Yet, just now, a fresh tulip had disappeared inside the sanctuary.

I stared at the golden particles ascending into the air. So this is...

"The Lord has acknowledged your vow. Congratulations, my sister. Marie."

The duke's affectionate voice enveloped the two contractors.

A 'Wow' of amazement escaped me.

The direct expression of the Lord's will was that tulip.

In the world of *Retired Duke*, there is an unquestionable single deity, and her power is manifested daily through the aether across the continent.

But knowing that and seeing the invisible absolute being accept a tulip to reveal her will were two very different things.

I got goosebumps. It was a truly new realization that the Lord really exists.

I looked up at the ceiling, where the symbol of the Lord's faith, an arrow pointing downwards, filled the space.

"This is the first time we've met here."

At that moment, a familiar, smooth voice whispered in my ear. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned my head.

Duke Dume's siblings and Marie were hugging each other tightly, and the other priest who had served as a witness was already preparing to leave after offering his greetings.

Only the prince and I remained on the platform.

His eyes, like orange-flavored Fantas, were fixed on me.

"Yes, that's... right..."

No, that's not right. My brow furrowed slightly.

Although this was the first time I was seeing him as a grown-up, I had met 'Saidy' several times here.

Why would someone who knows this confuse me with such a statement...

It was obvious. He was testing my claim that I knew nothing about the prince. What a jerk.

"That's right. Even when we meet at the temple, it's not a new experience."

"......"

"Then, I'll go in first."

I left the platform without looking back.

It seemed like the prince clenched his fist, but it was probably just my imagination.

Violence was strictly forbidden in the temple.

"Your Highness, thank you for serving as a witness today. The Dume family will never forget your grace!"

Duke Dume bowed to me with a moved expression.

Antoinette and Marie also bowed deeply.

The two friends were grinning, finding something amusing.

"It wasn't a difficult task. I wish you both a happy religious life."

I chose my words carefully and responded.

Bengjamin and Kanael, who had been waiting in the pews, were already preparing to leave.

I had seen something incredibly fascinating, and it seemed the three of them were also pleased, making my weekend morning feel fulfilling.

I gave a quick nod to the prince's attendants, especially David, who were sitting on the opposite side of the pews, and left the temple.

*

"Holy knight, holy knight, holy knight..."

I crouched in a corner of the royal library, rummaging through the bookshelves.

The weather seemed to be getting warmer, so I had unbuttoned a couple of buttons on my shirt and rolled up my sleeves.

I had already obtained enough information about divine artifacts from *Bang! Eve's Great Adventure*, so today I planned to look for books about holy knights.

Since the two main characters of *Retired Duke* had awakened as holy knights, I couldn't ignore this aspect.

"I might as well ask Kanael. There's not enough material here."

I sighed.

The royal library had countless books and a vast amount of information, but it seemed there were few that met my needs.

It wasn't because the library's collection was poor, but because this was the Liester Empire.

Until recently, not a single holy knight had been born in the empire, and the priests were, to put it mildly, another power bloc.

Moreover, the empire had severed ties with the Penethian Holy Kingdom 30 years ago.

Books that discussed the education and growth of holy knights, or the relationship between holy knights and priests, were hard to find even if I searched with my eyes wide open.

*Ethereal Self-Assessment - Become a Holy Knight in 6 Weeks*, which Kanael had managed to find, was a book published 40 years ago in the Holy Kingdom. It was a dead end.

"Ah..."

I slumped to the floor.

I had considered asking the librarian for help several times, but I didn't want to reveal my interests to the people of the imperial palace.

I must have been searching for about two hours. Was there any chance a secret manual would just fall out of nowhere?

*Thud!*

"Ah!"

Startled, I looked up. A thin book had fallen at my feet.

Had I spoken aloud just now?

"Fairy tale...?"

On closer inspection, the book looked very familiar.

I slowly picked it up.

*Bang! Eve's Great Adventure - Eve Blanquer and the Phoenix Holy Knight Corps*

Why is the subtitle like this? Is it a plagiarism?

'Grand Duke Evelyn wrote this for his beloved child.'

The exquisite handwriting on the back cover was still there.

I stood up and flipped through the pages.

The large, considerate text and the meticulously colored, cute illustrations were the same as in the book about divine artifacts. However, this time,

'Eve, a holy knight needs a priest companion.'

'Bullshit.'

'No, really. Without a companion, a holy knight will struggle due to a lack of aether.'

It was about holy knights!

The story was so faithful to the subtitle that I felt a bit guilty for suspecting plagiarism.

I quickly glanced at the shelf where the fairy tale had been placed. Had I missed this section?

"Hello, Your Highness."

"Ah!"

My heart felt like it had dropped into a free fall.

I jumped back in shock and bumped my head on the opposite bookshelf. *Thud!*

"Ouch!"

"Oh, you must have been very surprised."

Christel looked very concerned.

Of course I was surprised, you idiot! There's a blue-eyed person on the other side of the bookshelf!

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to... perform like that..."

"I didn't perform."

"Yes, Your Highness is right. I pushed the recommended book for you because I knew you were looking for a book about holy knights."

She answered with a voice full of amusement.

I rubbed the back of my head and tried to steady my breathing.

Indeed, romantic movies on TV are not to be trusted.

Meeting the protagonist in a library and feeling a flutter in your heart is something that just doesn't happen.

I almost had a heart attack.

"It's been a while since we met. Have you eaten?"

"Yes. Have you eaten, Lady?"

We naturally inquired about each other's stomachs.

The conversation about books followed.

"I didn't know you were interested in holy knights. You've never attended any of my or His Highness's lessons."

...There seems to be a hidden meaning in her words.