Chapter 74

#074 As Long as It's Not Me (4)

[Being so shameless...]

"Exactly as you say. You often request Aether, and when you do, you ask for too much at once. It’s really difficult... I told you I couldn’t handle it anymore, but the princess said, 'Why can’t you do it?' and the duke just sighed. Hmph..."

Sant buried his face in my handkerchief. I couldn't find the words and closed my eyes for a moment.

So, Princess Christel and Prince Sedric were treating a young priest like a communal charger, tormenting him.

I couldn't believe it.

How could they act so confidently when I met them in the palace, after behaving so badly?

[Well, um. Have you spoken to Cardinal Boutier?]

I realized my mistake only after I asked the question.

Sant wouldn't have been able to tell him, of course.

Cardinals are powerful figures who lead the Vatican and are called 'Princesses or Princes of Faith,' but Aurelia Boutier was also the godmother of the prince and the emperor's partner.

Even if we set aside the vast difference in status between a priest and a cardinal, Sant couldn't have gone to her and said, 'Your godson is a personality disorder.'

"Ugh, how could I..."

Sant looked at me with his eyes drooping, as if he were in pain.

I felt sorry for him and patted his shoulder lightly.

[Understood. But didn't Sir Heins just stand by and watch?]

I asked. Sir Johann Heins was the knight instructor for both of them.

If they were behaving improperly as knights, he should have been the one to correct them the most.

Knights and priests are supposed to be equal partners, not one exploiting the other.

"Heins... Sir Heins was... not very attentive during class..."

Sant averted his gaze and trailed off.

Suddenly, the conversation I had with Gaëlle in the reception room of the Juliette Palace came to mind.

'It’s just a sparring session, so it should be fine. And there’s the teacher from the Vatican, so he’ll handle it.'

'I thought so at first, but it seems he can’t handle it either.'

The situation quickly became clear. I asked, though I found it hard to believe.

At this point, it really seemed like something no one else should get involved in, so I released the seal and lowered my voice.

"So, they just spar every day, take the Aether they need from the priest, and Sir Heins just watches?"

"Um, yes..."

Sant sniffled and answered softly. I couldn't help but frown.

I hadn't heard any rumors about this in the palace. Didn't the duke or the princess raise any objections?

"Sir Heins and I haven’t been here long... I guess they think we’ll start teaching when the time comes. And it seems they both enjoy the sparring sessions."

The young priest, who must be around twenty, tilted his head and dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.

I barely managed to suppress a sigh.

I didn’t know what Sir Heins was thinking, but he shouldn’t have let this continue.

As someone in the same profession, it was hard to see a priest treated this way.

"Ah, Prince... The reason I came to confess is... I want to run away. I even packed my bags last night. Hic. I know I shouldn’t..."

Sant tried to steer the conversation back to his confession.

I nodded silently and listened to his story.

But the turmoil inside me was overwhelming.

If I had lived my whole life with my eyes closed, I might not have known, but now that I did, I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see it.

There’s a limit to ignoring something just because it’s not my problem.

*

After escorting Prince Yesser to the temporary confessional, Christel de Sarnaise wandered around the annex without a clear destination.

While it would have been enjoyable to chat with the attendants from the ducal household, today she felt a strong desire to enjoy the fresh air.

That’s why she turned her steps toward the small forest behind the annex.

Thanks to the attendants she left behind in the Muté estate, she was enjoying a rare sense of freedom.

The clear and warm Aether of the prince still seemed to linger around her.

Perhaps that was why she didn’t notice Sedric Liester sitting in the pavilion she was heading to.

"I see His Grace the Duke."

"..."

Christel was a bit flustered but managed to bow gracefully without showing it.

The young duke, as always, only acknowledged her with a nod.

He was a man who always seemed to be at the peak of his game, no matter when you met him.

It looked like he had brought some documents from his office to review outdoors.

He must have needed a change of mood, just like her.

She had no choice but to turn and head for the pavilion on the opposite side.

Neither of them was the type to suppress their Aether out of consideration for the other.

She thought, 'Why should I, if he doesn’t?'

So, avoiding each other outside of class was better for maintaining peace.

She couldn’t afford to cause another incident so soon after being scolded by the emperor.

"Ah."

If only there were a long sofa in that pavilion, she could take a nap.

Christel stopped in her tracks, suddenly remembering her conversation with Prince Yesser.

She slowly turned her head to look at the duke.

His face, holding a piece of paper, looked unusually serious.

She didn’t like to interfere with someone’s work, but today was a special day for the prince.

Her curiosity also peaked.

"Your Grace, didn’t you forget that today is Prince Yesser’s birthday?"

Her gentle voice held no malice.

However, the duke ignored her as if it were the most natural thing to do. Oh, what a rude brat.

'Hamjin' muttered a curse in her mind and turned to leave.

She managed to hold back her rude comments, but her temper finally got the better of her.

"You might end up being hated."

This time, she laced her words with a hint of malice. Of course, Prince Yesser wouldn’t hate the duke.

He was naturally kind and had a soft spot for animals and children.

The duke could be a beast or a child, depending on his Aether levels, so the prince would never treat him badly.

But Christel wanted to give this young man a piece of her mind.

No matter how childish, that was just who she was.

"You can’t control people that way."

"Excuse me?"

Christel spoke through her teeth.

Even if he was a young man with ink still wet on his birth certificate, she didn’t expect to have to teach him how to make friends.

"Prince Yesser is a person. A very good person. You can’t win his heart with such methods."

"Are you telling me—"

"The relic in the bell tower. It was so difficult to calm it down, wasn’t it? Without me, it could have been a disaster. How much more difficult do you think it is for a human?"

"..."

"Prince Yesser is kind and reasonable. You know that."

The duke’s amber eyes darkened. Christel continued.

"He’s already a hostage. If you threaten him, he’ll only feel fear and anxiety. Is that the kind of response you want to his goodwill?"

She concluded firmly.

"Show some sincerity. Then you might get closer."

She brushed off her dress and stood up.

She felt a bit cool today.

It was satisfying to give life advice to a twenty-four-year-old, but it was also frustrating to think about how he had grown up.

"Then, I will take my leave."

Christel bowed gracefully and left.

"..."

The clean northern wind swept through the forest, the grass, and the man’s black hair.

He looked down at the document in his hand for a moment.

Soon, the paper burst into flames.

*

"Feeling better? Refreshed?"

- Squeak

- Beep beep

I smiled and spoke to the divine beasts.

It took an hour and a half to bathe them and then myself.

While Demy loved water, Lea and Perry were quite vocal about their dislike.

Demy’s fur had thinned out, but he didn’t seem to mind the experience and was busy chirping and running around.

I wrapped my robe loosely around my waist and dried each of them with a towel.

Even though they were divine beasts and usually clean, they seemed even more refreshed after the bath.

"Perry, come here. I didn’t dry your tail properly."

- Squeak

Perry perked up his black ears and darted away.

Lea followed him.

It was cold at night in the north, so I needed to dry them properly to prevent a cold...

Wait,

"Did I leave the door open when I came in?"

I noticed the balcony door was wide open.

I left the divine beasts and walked to the balcony, where the curtains were fluttering, and locked it securely.

Demy hadn’t left the room, so it seemed he wanted to sleep with me tonight.

A birthday perk, maybe.

"…What should I do tomorrow?"

I muttered.

After hearing Sant’s confession today, I had a lot of thoughts.

After receiving confessions from the annex residents for a couple of hours, I headed straight to the cardinal’s office.

If Sant couldn’t speak up, it seemed right for me to tell the story since I knew about it.

However,

"Prince, I am very sorry, but His Grace is currently very busy with work. If it’s not too much trouble, could you come back a few hours later? I will personally escort you."

"Is that so? No, I will come another time."

I had a conversation with the cardinal’s attendant, Natalie.

She was worried that the cardinal hadn’t even been eating properly.

Natalie herself didn’t look well.

I sent a portion of the cannelés I received as a gift to the cardinal’s office instead of visiting.

She mentioned that she was swamped with preparations for the prayer meeting next month.

It was a bit hard to ask such a busy person, 'The kids are bullying someone else’s precious child, please scold them.'

- Squeak, squeak

"Why, do you want to go down?"

Demy, who had climbed onto the bedroom table, was whining.

As I picked him up, I noticed an unfamiliar box where he had been sitting.

A small card was also attached to it.

Both the box and the card were adorned with gold and jewels, dazzling to the eye.

Despite my shock, I calmly opened the card. The message was brief.

'Always carry it with you.

-C. R.'