For a moment, her mouth fell silent. It was because what the Duke said just now sounded easy to misunderstand. Didn’t it seem like he’s worried about her and was asking her to stay close to him? It was a time when she was filled with strange emotions that she could not define.
“Get down now.”
The Duke glanced toward the carriage door.
“Ah yes.”
As soon as she got off the carriage, the same majestic temple she saw the last time came into view. Several priests were waiting for them, as if they had received a message in advance.
“Welcome, Your Excellency the Duke.”
“What about High Priest Loud?”
“There are guests here, so you’re in the living room.”
“You must have sent the message the day before?”
“It’s because your visit was unexpected, so I couldn’t help it. I can only apologize to Your Excellency.”
“Who came?”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed. The priest looked at him briefly and then opened his mouth.
“Marquis Dior has visited.”
“…Whoa. You’re talking about someone who goes in and out of the temple every time. But, isn’t it just a coincidence that it coincided with the time I visited?”
As the cool eyes turned towards the priest, the priest’s face became contemplative.
“It will be over soon, so please wait a little longer…”
“There’s no need to do that, so guide me.”
“Then I’ll go and add the message. Just wait a moment…”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
As the frost-like voice fell, the priest guided him to come this way in a hurry.
“Wait here for a moment. It won’t take long.”
“Okay.”
She nodded and the Duke followed the priest without hesitation. She stood still with the knights and looked around from a distance. It hadn’t changed since the last time she came. While thinking about that, she was about to look away. A familiar-looking bird glimmered in my sight. A strange bird whose entire body was white. Just yesterday, she heard that bird chirping and even saw its tracks. Even though a bird flying in the distance approached me and circled around her, there was no reaction from the knights. Something was strange,
“Richard.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Can’t you see anything in front of me?”
She pointed to the white bird flying around in front of her.
“No, there’s nothing.”
“…Then what about Jade?”
“No, why do you do that?”
It became clear when she saw the two people giving her questioning looks. The white bird in front of her was currently only visible to her eyes.
“No, nothing.”
She shook her head and kept her eyes on the white bird that was still hovering next to her. Did it stand that long? Footsteps were heard from far away. When she looked up, she saw the Duke walking towards her. At that moment, the white bird suddenly turned and flew somewhere. Then, it looked back at her, made a small chirp sound, and then completely disappeared. It was an action that she couldn’t figure out what it meant. It seemed like he wanted her to follow him like before.
She urgently asked the Duke who approached her.
“Are you finished talking?”
“Yes.”
“So, are we going to leave the temple right now?”
“Is there a place you want to stop by?”
She didn’t know exactly where the bird went, but there was one place she could guess.
“Yes. I want to go to the central chapel. It’s a place I liked when I visited it with Ladiana before.”
“Then let’s just stop by and go back to the mansion.”
“Thank you.”
As she followed the turning Duke, she hoped that the bird would be there. As soon as she entered the central chapel, she looked around, but there was no bird in sight. Didn’t he come here? She looked around for a moment and then walked to the statue. She put her hand to the statue, wondering if she could see it like last time, but nothing happened. However, it felt a little strange. It felt like the sacred energy flowing from the statue had decreased compared to last time. An unpleasant sensation rises from my fingertips. Why did she feel this way? It was a time when she blinked at an ominous premonition. Something white flickered on the floor nearby. She walked over there, lowered her head slightly, and looked at the floor. There was none other than a small feather lying on the floor.
She reached out her hand, picked up the feather, and looked at it closely. Strangely enough, some of the fur that should have been completely white was stained black. Why was this color…?
“Is there something there?”
At the sound of the Duke’s voice, she hurriedly hid the feather inside her clothes.
“No. It’s nothing. Let’s go back to the mansion now.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“I suddenly got hungry. I want to go and eat something.”
“Okay, I get it.”
It was time to leave the central chapel with the Duke and head outside. As she was passing through the hallway, a dark hallway caught her eye in the distance. That place was a place with a prayer room that only the high priests could enter, which she felt was strange before.
“Duke, it’s inside that hallway over there. I heard that only the high priest can enter. Are you in the same room too, Duke?”
“Yes. I heard that High Priest Loud goes into the prayer room inside there several times a day and prays.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the hallway where the prayer room would be. She felt this way last time too, but she felt like she had to go into that prayer room at least once.
“Duke, can I come to this temple often in the future?”
“Why?”
“I want to pray at least occasionally in the central chapel. Why not?”
The Duke, who was silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.
“On the condition that I accompany you.”
Did that mean he wanted to go with her?
“Wouldn’t it be a hassle?”
“Okay.”
“Then I understand.”
“However, let’s just go once a week. It would be difficult to come too often.”
“Yes.”
While nodding his head, the Duke suddenly seemed to have remembered something.
“Well, it won’t be possible to stop by the temple at the end of this month.”
“Why?”
“The seasonal festival opens in four weeks.”
“Seasonal festival?”
“It’s an event that takes place before the seasons change. Now is the time when fall transitions from winter.”
“…Then there will be hardly any people in the temple during those three days?”
“It’s probably because the ceremony is held in a far away place, not here.”
If the temple was empty, she thought it might be a good opportunity… While thinking about this and that, she was just leaving the temple building and heading to the carriage. In the distance, she could see the Marquis getting on a carriage. Even though she was watching it from a distance, an unpleasant feeling was evident. It was a moment when she was looking at the back of the Marquis that he suddenly turned around and his purple eyes looked straight at her. She was startled because he acted like he already knew she was there.
As she watched quietly, the Marquis’ lips move slowly.
‘Soon…?’
She didn’t understand everything. While frowning slightly, the Marquis got into the carriage and disappeared.
“…ha.”
She turned her head to the husky voice. The Duke’s eyes were focused on the horse where the Marquis was riding.
“By any chance, did you understand what the Marquis said?”
“…”
“Duke?”
He dragged her without a word and put her in the carriage. Even as the carriage moved and some time passed, the silence continued. What on earth did the Marquis say that made her feel so bad? Considering that the previous words were ‘soon’, was he trying to say that he would see her later? Just as she was taking a quick look at the Duke’s thoughts, his mouth opened.
“High Priest Loud, who always goes into the prayer room and does not come out for a long time. Marquis Dior, who always visits the temple once a day. Do you think the two are related?”
“Are the two related?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think there is a connection between what I saw and what I saw?”
Instead of answering, the Duke tapped his finger on his knee.
“Actually, I was curious about that prayer room, so I asked the Duke about it earlier.”
“Why?”
“I just felt bad every time I looked at it. It was just a feeling. Anyway, you’ve never seen the inside, Duke, have you?”
“Because it’s a strictly controlled area.”
“…Well, that’s just my opinion.”
She took a moment to choose her words.
“What if the reason Marquis Dior stops by the temple is because of the prayer room? There is something in the prayer room, and that’s why he keeps stopping by…”
“It’s certainly not out of the question. But even so, if you can’t look inside the prayer room, it’s all for naught.”
“The Duke said earlier that the temple would be empty when the seasonal festival opens in four weeks. Why not aim for that time?”
“No, that’s impossible. That prayer room is sacred.”
“…Sacred?”
The Duke nodded and added an explanation.
“That barrier technique can never be solved using normal methods.”
“So the Magic Tower Lord can’t break the sacred barrier?”
The Duke nodded.
“The only people who can pass through or break that barrier are High Priest Laud and the Pope.”
Of course, they couldn’t ask for cooperation from High Priest Loud, so the only thing left is the Pope… However, according to the book, the Pope would be currently unconscious.
“It is impossible to appease High Priest Loud, and the Pope is currently unconscious.”
“…Then I guess there’s no more point.”
“For now.”
With those words, the conversation stopped for a moment. No matter what she tried to do, she got stuck and it’s so frustrating. He sighed inwardly and looked towards the window. The carriage was already crossing the capital square. Suddenly, a scene she didn’t want to think about came to mind again.
“…oh.”
She gently squeezed her faintly trembling fingertips. Why would she suddenly think of that again? Even though she didn’t want to think about it, the memories that came to her randomly made her feel a little gloomy. What if things went on like this and she ended up in a bad state due to emotional trauma? She tried to calm down by taking deep breaths, but it wasn’t working.
“Why?”
“…no. It’s nothing.”
“I don’t think it’s anything.”
He asked uncharacteristically and persistently. When she saw the dark red eyes staring directly at her, she let out a small breath.
“Actually, it reminded me of that time when I was being chased by this guy… I guess I remembered it because the place I’m passing by now isn’t far from the alley back then.”
She smiled brightly on purpose as if it was no big deal. The Duke, who was looking at her with mysterious eyes, suddenly had the coachman outside stop the carriage.
“Why are you stopping all of a sudden?”
“Get down.”
“Yes?”
“I’m saying let’s get down together for a while.”
“Where are we going?”
“Get off first.”
At theDuke’s urging, she suddenly got off the carriage. The man standing next to her looked around and suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.
“Where are we going?”
Instead of answering her question, the Duke just walked forward. Why was this happening all of a sudden? She looked at the Duke’s back in an inexplicable state and then lowered her gaze. Her wrist was held tightly by the Duke. A large hand was grabbing her wrist, but it didn’t hurt at all. Rather, he was holding it so carefully that he was barely using any strength.
Something felt strange… Wanting to forget this indefinable feeling for a moment, she played a prank on the Duke.
“But, Duke. You don’t think I’m holding my wrist lightly, do you? It’s starting to feel numb.”
“…oh.”
He stopped and let go of her wrist.
“It’s uncomfortable to hold your wrist, so let’s just hold hands.”
“…what?”
“I am the Duke. What if I somehow lose my way here and lose my mind?”
She lightly shrugged her shoulders and gently squeezed the Duke’s palm. He was slightly startled, and as he looked down at her, his eyes darkened strangely.
“What are you doing if you’re not going? Come on, let’s go.”
She pretended not to notice his eyes and urged him to go. Then the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
“…Well, maybe it’s not that bad.”
A smile that was hard to see was visible from him now. She was the one who started looking at him as if he was joking, but for some reason, it was difficult to face him. She ended up turning her head and avoiding his gaze.
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Translator Note:
Next week I will be not posting, but I will be back in 2014 so…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance!!
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on January, 7.
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