The Priestess' Affair [Books 1 &2]

𝐋. 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭

"Can we get inside one of those?" I asked him as he showed me another of their ships under construction. More than a hundred people were working on a single ship. It was always a wonder for me how they could make such huge things float on water.

"Not in these," He answered, "But you'll be inside one soon," He assured. I almost hopped behind him in joy like a child. I was breathless when we reached the last ship. Structurally, it was ready, but I could see that many people were still working on it.

Apart from the size of the ship, the figurehead really stole my breath.

"It's..." I breathed, unable to believe my eyes as I looked up at the figurehead.

"Qromeda," He completed, stepping behind me while I was busy admiring the skill used in carving the figurehead.

"Qromeda is a sea goddess associated with us exclusively. Why would you have it on a ship?" I couldn't help but ask him as I took a last glance at the goddess.

In response, Viscount laughed, "I will leave it to your reasoning. Let's go on board," He offered. The inside of the ship was huge, having hundreds of cabins along with long passageways and huge rooms.

He led me through the ship's insides before we ended up at the deck. The sea seemed to look more beautiful from there. He showed me the captain's cabin and the ship's features, but he briefly disappeared to meet the person in charge of this ship's construction.

I took this opportunity to climb on top of the captain's cabin leading to the very front edge of the ship, which provided a breathtaking view of the sea. I bent down the railing and admired the electric blue water, finding the ship's height surreal. I had missed the sea these days.

I used to hate the sea before I was taken to the shrine. Though, at the shrine, the sea was hard to ignore. The sound of water was always there at the shrine, murmuring with the sun in the day and whispering lullabies at night. It often filled me with a fear of being alone while gazing at the horizon. The world felt empty.

Though, I had gradually gotten used to it. The fear slowly turned into calmness when I realized that the sea wasn't as empty as I used to think. It had a life, and it had its secrets.

In the palace, I would glance out the window, expecting to be met with blue water, only to be disappointed.

"I hope you're enjoying your day so far," He commented after returning.

"Oh, I'm loving it," I grinned, "Where are we headed next?"

"The market," He told me before we headed there. It was ages since I had been there, so I was delighted to be there, but at the same time, I couldn't believe how things had changed there. Viscount took me to some shops and bought me some things. After lunch, we visited a couple of local shrines. I didn't want the day to end, but I could do nothing to stop it.

Viscount visibly seemed to have had a good time with me, mainly because we shared the same interests— art, food and visiting new places. However, I had to filter my words because I didn't want to give him an impression.

Though now and then, I would often forget it and expect him to recognize me as Theresa. However, I soon remembered that it wasn't possible anymore. Vittoria had erased my face from everyone's memories except a few people. What remained were fragmented memories of a person without a face.

Nonetheless, he seemed to have enjoyed my company immensely.

"We should get out again soon," He told me on our way back.

"I would love that, but I am not sure if I would get the time," I sighed, looking at him contently. He nodded in an understanding way.

"I hope the Emperor stops this soon," He muttered, looking out the window.

"That would be too bad," I yawned, feeling tired, "I would have to go back to the shrine," As soon as I said that, his head snapped at me with lightning speed.

"Yeah... that might be an issue," He muttered, looking at me with an unfamiliar emotion. He opened his mouth but shut it abruptly and looked away. He licked his lips and clenched his jaw. He looked hesitant for a bit, his body slowly tensing up.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked after a long silence.

"Yes,"

"Have a priestess ever—"A ground-shaking thunder pierced his words, and instantly it started to rain heavily.

"We have to take shelter," the carriage master announced. Viscount looked at me before sinking back in his seat, looking slightly disappointed. The rain was falling in thick white curtains. The palace was far away, and there was no way we would make it in this rain.

We ended up taking shelter at a Guild Member's house who turned out to be a very good friend of Viscount. That's when we learned that we weren't the only guest the guild member was hosting that night under the rain.

_

The next 3 chapters are free on Inkitt. Read the complete book on Patreon. The Links are in my bio.

Also available on Patreon: His Scarlet Match, Saint (coming soon) and many other stories. 

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