Julia came out of the banquet hall and walked down the long hallway.
Both her body and mind were exhausted. As she was walking helplessly, she stopped when she suddenly felt pain.
Perhaps because she was wearing high shoes, her ankle, which she thought had recovered, suddenly started throbbing.
As she stood still, sighing, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
“uh… .”
Julia raised her head and widened her eyes. A priest was walking slowly across the hallway from her.
It was a priest named Mateus whom she had met not long ago when she went to mass with Veronica.
“Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
Matheus, who had stopped to talk to her, immediately looked at her swollen ankle.
“It looks like you’re hurt.”
“Ah yes… .”
Julia stared at him with her puzzled eyes. When she saw him in his priestly attire in the central palace where a banquet was in full swing, she felt a little unfamiliar.
Mateus must have noticed that gaze and smiled slightly.
“I got lost while taking a walk. “The imperial palace is so large and complex.”
“ah… “You said that.”
Even priests get lost… . As she blinked, thinking about something strange, Mateus gently got down on one knee.
“Can I take a look at it?”
“Oh, no. It’s okay… .”
Julia revealed her embarrassment as she saw him suddenly kneeling down on his knees. Mateus spoke calmly, as if to reassure her.
“I can use my holy power to heal your injured ankle. “I am confident in my healing, so you don’t have to worry.”
Mateus’ easygoing tone somehow inspired trust. Julia nodded her head slightly.
“then… “Please do me a favor.”
Mateus lightly held her ankle with one hand. Soon blue light leaked out and circled around his hand.
It felt refreshing, as if She had dipped her feet into cold water. She could vividly feel his holy power seeping into her ankles.
“Would you like to try moving?”
When she moved her ankle slightly, surprisingly, she felt no pain. Julia opened her eyes wide and let out her exclamation.
She just squeezed it lightly, so how could she get better all at once? It was new to her, but Mateus in front of her seemed like a very great person.
“Thank you. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Mateus slowly got up, smiled slightly, and then lowered his head.
“Okay then, I’ll just go.”
As he was about to turn around as if he had finished his work, Julia suddenly caught him.
“I have something to ask you, priest.”
“Yes, you say it.”
Mateus stopped and waited leisurely for her to speak. Julia, who hesitated, carefully opened her mouth.
“… Have we ever met?”
During the last mass, he asked her if She knew him, something that bothered Julia the whole time.
If She had met such an amazing person in the past, there would be no way I wouldn’t remember it.
Mateus paused for a moment and then obediently nodded his head.
“Yes, but it goes without saying that you don’t know me.”
“… “Why?”
He smiled meaningfully as he looked at her questioning eyes. Her curiosity grew as she saw that.
As Julia pursed her lips and waited for his answer, Mateus continued speaking in a soft tone.
“At that time, you were just a newborn baby.”
“… yes?”
Julia froze. Her eyes were blank and she wandered around his face.
No matter how you looked at him, he looked like he was about the same age or even younger. But how can one remember oneself as a newborn?
Seeing her frozen, Mateus let out a small laugh. Soon his kind voice continued.
“For some priests, when their holy power is overloaded, their appearance stops aging.”
“Then, priest… .”
Julia’s eyes were full of doubt.
“I was fifteen when I first saw you. “Was this the answer?”
“ah… .”
Julia nodded her head with a dazed expression on her face. Although he was not as old as I thought, he never looked his age.
Julia, who had been studying his face blankly, soon came to her senses.
“Well, where did you see me? And, how on earth did you recognize me? .”
Her curiosity soared endlessly. Julia fidgeted with her hands, showing her impatience.
Mateus smiled leisurely. And at that moment, a commotion was heard from the end of the hallway.
Several people were seen leaving the banquet hall.
“You probably have a lot of questions, but I have to go now.”
“Ah yes… .”
Julia nodded her head with regretful eyes. Looking at her with such tenderness, Mateus whispered softly.
“Let me tell you one thing. You are a very special person to me. “I always want you to be happy.”
His voice was so warm that it made her heart ache. His sincerity was deeply evident in his words that he wanted her to be happy.
“Soon, we will meet again.”
Finally, Mateus smiled lightly and disappeared down the hallway.
As if his bright light enveloped her for a moment and then disappeared, her heart became empty.
* * *
After the hectic founding ceremony, there was only silence on the way back to the territory.
Julia looked at her window, lost in her thoughts. Her meeting with Mateus never faded from her mind.
She still couldn’t believe that he had seen her back when she was a newborn and had no memory of her.
‘Then perhaps he knows Julias mother?’
She had never seen her mother since they separated when she was seven years old. She had no idea where she was or what she was doing.
Her marquis would occasionally mention her mother and threaten her to listen to her, but it seemed that she herself did not know where she lived.
Her mind was so confused.
Mateus said they would meet again soon, but when would that be… .
‘I guess I should have asked which temple they belong to.’
Julia sighed a little at her belated thoughts.
Julia looked away from her window and stared blankly at her ankle. After bouncing her feet aimlessly, she lifted her head and made eye contact with Fernan.
He immediately looked away. The side of his impassive face remained silent.
Julia moved her lips to say something, but then pursed them. If she try to talk to him, she will be told that she is annoying.
Except for the occasional rattling noise, there was silence throughout the carriage.
It took half a day to reach the castle.
Julia got off her carriage in the dim darkness and headed straight to the bedroom.
Then, she noticed a vase she had never seen before on the table and tilted her head.
The transparent glass bottle was filled with white lilies of the valley.
Although puzzled, Julia approached the table and brought her face closer to the vase.
The pleasant scent permeated her mind.
“Ah, Her Highness. “Are you here?”
As she turned her head, Melissa, who had just finished cleaning her dressing room, approached her.
“Melissa, did you bring these flowers?”
When she asked vaguely, Melissa smiled shyly and nodded.
“It seemed like Her Majesty liked flowers, but she couldn’t bring them because she had some work to do in the downtown area the other day. That really bothered me… .”
Julia looked at Melissa with her eyes wide open. I just bought flowers again because I was worried about that.
Her heart was filled with gratitude for a moment, but at the same time, she felt a little complicated.
“hmm… , don’t you like it?”
When Melissa asked sullenly, Julia quickly shook her head.
“No, it’s because I’m grateful. however… “I have nothing to give back to you.”
“Oh my, this is not what I expected! Never mind.”
From the beginning until now, Melissa has always been a warm person. She did not know how she should repay this favor.
“… “Thank you for your hard work, Melissa.”
I felt bad that I could only say thank you. Melissa gently patted her on the shoulder.
Melissa didn’t say anything, but she seemed to comfort herself with a warm hand. Her weary heart seemed to relax a little at the touch of her hand.
* * *
After the founding period ended, time passed quickly.
At the estate where summer was over, the weather was colder than before.
It was a morning like any other, and a gilded letter brought by a servant was placed on the table in front of Julia.
The sender was, of course, the Marquis Elodie.
“ha… .”
Sighing heavily, Julia opened her envelope with a reluctant look on her face.
The content was obvious even without reading it. There will be text asking if there is any news about her pregnancy and pressuring her to have a child as soon as possible.
Her relationship with Fernan has completely broken down due to the poison her father gave her last time. In this situation, how can she carefree and think about not having her child?
And despite all that, Julia still didn’t feel like having children.
‘… This is a man who hates me so much, but will he like me as a mother of his child?’
