After completing the ritual of blessing the relics, Anais briefly exchanged greetings with John and left the temple, but Malek had a separate meeting with John.
John treated the prince, who was little more than a son of the emperor’s mistress, with the same gentleness with which he had treated Anais, the imperial princess, in his office.
“Did you have any inconveniences during the relic blessing ceremony today, Your Highness?”
“No. It was an honor to see in person the most sacred relics of the Temple of Pavelo. I was a bit surprised that it was smaller than I expected.”
“All the old urns were about that size. So it was almost thrown away with the other urns.”
“The fact that that small, ordinary-looking urn caught the High Priest’s eye probably means that the High Priest was chosen by Bara.”
“hahaha! I feel embarrassed when you say that.”
He almost burst out laughing at the ‘humble’ appearance of John, who was carrying out a fraud using a fake urn, but Malek faithfully played the role of the kind and affectionate Prince Abel.
He knows that John is on the side of Sasha and Abel, and in the religiously powerful Calais Empire, having John on his side is quite useful.
“Why did you start such a great event only now? I wish I had been able to see the holy relics earlier.”
Malek took out a thick envelope with ‘Offering’ written on it from his pocket and held it out to John.
“This is an offering to a holy relic. Since it is a sacred object that protects the empire and an offering made to it, I think Bara will pay more attention to my wish. haha!”
John’s eyes quickly turned greedy as he looked at the offering envelope, which was clearly a large sum.
Because what he wanted most when unveiling the sacred relic was an offering.
He made an excuse, stuffing the offering envelope into his arms.
“We also had a lot of worries. Since it is an old item, I was worried that it might break while being released to the public…”
“And yet you decided to reveal the sacred relic.”
“Actually, it was the idea of one of the saints. It would be nice if many people could receive the blessings of holy objects. Thanks to her, I also gained courage.”
“I see. Who is the saint who came up with such an amazing idea?”
“Ah…she is Elaine Newt, a member of the Newt family.”
Malek’s eyes sparkled at those words.
“Elaine Newt…? Are you talking about Count Newt’s niece?”
“Yes. Do you know that saint?”
“Ah, I visited Count Newt’s house this spring. At that time, I heard that the count’s niece had entered the Temple.”
Malek pretended to be unconcerned, but inside he was happy to hear that name.
‘I was already trying to find her, but now I have an excuse to call her like this.’
The reason Malek met John separately today was not just to hand him an offering. The purpose was to find the girl who disappeared with Count Newt’s dragon magic stone and find out the identity of the strange dragon energy.
This conversation was very pleasant for Malek, who was trying to find the girl for some reason.
He said with a subtle smile on his face.
“Is it possible for me to meet that saint? I should also praise the saint who allowed me to see the holy relics in person.”
“Yes? There is no need to do that….”
“Wouldn’t that make a good story to showcase my faith, and one that the High Priestess could use to promote today’s ritual?”
Only then did John smile broadly as if he knew what he meant and agreed to his request.
“Then please wait a moment.”
John ordered the priest outside to bring Elaine.
And as John and Malek were finishing their cup of tea, Elaine with a puzzled expression entered the room.
“May Bara’s blessing rests upon the imperial family. I am Elaine Newt. I heard you were looking for me.”
“ah…! Are you Elaine Newt?”
Malek had not forgotten the expressionless girl he had met for a moment as he entered the hall of the holy relic blessing ceremony.
‘Her eyes are strange. Even though it might be scary to be in front of the royal family, she doesn’t flinch at all.’
Elaine showed all manners in front of the royal family, but she did not look afraid.
However, it didn’t seem like she was trying to impress him, nor was she blushing.
‘She was just calm. Like it doesn’t matter who’s in front of her…’
Of course, if you are a child of a high-ranking noble family with power comparable to that of the royal family, that is possible.
However, Elaine was a disgrace to the Newt family whose very existence was hidden until she was seven years old, and as a result, she grew up receiving all kinds of abuse even before she came to the temple.
Such children are usually wary of the world around them and tend to easily fall into fear.
But Elaine showed no such sign at all.
‘The illegitimate son of Count Newt’s half-sister, who turned seventeen this year.… .Apparently, it looks like Count Newt enrolled her in the Temple with the intention of getting rid of her right in front of his eyes.….’
Considering that fact alone, there was absolutely no reason for Malek to be interested.
But the dragon energy that was felt in Newt’s house until the end of February suddenly disappeared from March, and the only change that occurred in Newt’s house during that time was Elaine’s admission to the temple.
So Malek naturally believed that Elaine entered the temple carrying the Dragon Magic Stone.
‘But it was strange. I don’t feel the dragon’s energy.’
No matter how much he concentrated, he couldn’t feel any magic.
‘Is it because this is a temple?’
The temple was a place where it was difficult for magic to flow because it was surrounded by layers of divine power barriers.
A dragon might be able to break through the barrier and use his magic, but if it was the magic power of a small dragon magic stone, it could be suppressed by divine power.
‘Even so, I thought I would feel the presence of the Dragon Stone.’
Malek, who had thought he would be able to feel the energy of the dragon stone in the same space, even inside the temple, felt a little disappointed and was about to sigh when he suddenly felt a strange feeling.
‘It’s rare to find a person who makes me not feel any energy like this.…’
Even if it is not magical power or divine power, all living things generate unique auras.
To the dragon, it was so insignificant that it couldn’t be felt, but even if he concentrated his mind, he couldn’t feel the aura of Elaine.
Malek smiled softly at Elaine without any doubt.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Elaine.”
“Yes…”
“So, lady Elaine was the one who suggested the holy relic blessing ceremony?”
“It was just a simple thought. The person who actually made it happen is the High Priest.”
“How humble you are!”
Malek fingered the silver rosary he was holding in his hand and carefully examined Elaine from head to toe.
Looking at her appearance, she was an ordinary girl who was only a little pretty. The noble daughters of this size filled and overflowed the empire.
However, Malek, who had accumulated information about humans for a long time, felt that Elaine was quite precocious from the few words she had just exchanged.
He even had the feeling that a full-grown woman who had gone through all the hardships of childbirth was sitting inside the body of a seventeen-year-old girl.
From the moment she entered the High Priest’s office until now, there was nothing to criticize about Elaine’s attitude or words.
The fact that a young girl meeting the royal family for the first time was so perfect meant that there was something strange about it.
“I am extremely happy to receive the blessing of the holy relic. So, I would like to give a gift to Lady Elaine as well. If there is anything you wish for, please do not be afraid to ask.”
“This is too much for me who only said a word about this. It is enough for me to have seen your highness like this.”
“Are you going to make the prince bite the words he once said?”
Malek said in a half-teasing tone to the embarrassed Elaine. Still, he thought Elaine wouldn’t be able to ask for something properly, but Elaine, who had been hesitant for some reason, bit her lips and made an unexpected request.
“Well, then, just once, can I get a chance to see the Marquise of Habron?”
“hmm? My mother?”
It was a request that Abel had never expected.
“Please forgive me if I’m asking too much. I don’t know what I’m asking… I just wanted to meet the Marquise, who everyone looks up to, just once.”
“No, no. Although it’s unexpected…Well, it seems like there are quite a few young ladies who want to see my mother.”
Malek nodded, remembering the women who were trying hard to meet Sasha.
Additionally, it was a good opportunity for Malek, who was interested in Elaine, to meet her in person and talk to her.
“Okay. I’ll send you an invitation soon, and since you’re meeting my mother, let’s take a tour of the Imperial Palace.”
“Oh! Thank you, Your Highness!”
* * *
