“The country was flipped upside down.”
“The Saintess almost got into serious trouble as well.”
The situation at the Imperial Palace was left unanswered, but others believed the Queen had declared rebellion.
“Oh my gosh. How dare they plot a rebellion.”
Count Michael suffered a great deal, and the Queen’s family was destroyed. Except for the Queen’s second cousin, whom Kyle hired to assist with this mission.
“Only the baby was pitiful for dying with her in her stomach. Really.”
Daisy sighed slightly.
The Queen’s body was immediately incinerated, and no one knew the truth. It was also claimed that the child in her womb was a lie.
It was a decision made by the imperial family, who feared that if the fact became public, the country would be overthrown once more.
“I heard that His Majesty was bedridden because of it, so it’s not okay.”
The Queen’s faction was uprooted, as were the priests who had internal communication with them. Most of the priests sent to the Imperial Palace were all treated as per strict divine law.
The new priests’ results indicated that the Emperor had been poisoned for quite some time.
In addition to Cronia, the Queen used many other dark drugs to manipulate the Emperor.
Following the Queen’s death, the Emperor lay in bed after learning everything that had happened.
I tried using divine powers to heal the Emperor, but it turned out that divine powers could not cure heart sickness. No matter how much divine energy I poured into his frail body, he didn’t have the will to properly absorb it.
“Have you not gotten a message from the High Priest yet?”
Daisy nodded sullenly at what I said.
It’s been a fortnight since that incident.
The day after returning to the temple, Reyhas received a letter and hurriedly left for somewhere.
With only Dwayne accompanying him, he said he had something to investigate.
“High-ranking priests are demanding an explanation for this situation… I’m really mad. The person who is having the most difficulty right now is the Saintess. They should give you some space to unwind.”
Daisy continued to talk,
“The High Priest is really… It’s a shame he’s away for 10 days at a time like this.”
“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”
I walked with Daisy down the hall, hoping that everything would work out.
Priests and priestesses passing by stopped and bowed their heads when they saw me.
In the distant garden, the White Rotunias swayed.
I kept walking and came out of the temple. And it was when I took a few more steps to see the Rotunias.
I heard a familiar voice,
“Ariel.”
I slowly turned my head.
In the light breeze, red hair fluttered. The color of his eyes under the sun looked a little darker than usual.
Yet, his hard shoulders, tall stature, and the longsword scabbard hanging from his waist still created the same sense of intimidation.
I noticed a man behind him, but I turned and bowed slightly to Kyle.
“May the Nine Gods bless you, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
My dress moved and made a sound.
His bloodstained and outraged face briefly merged with his clean face, but I shook the afterimage away.
He was now acting as the Emperor’s proxy instead of the Emperor himself, who was recuperating. Now he had control of the entire country.
“I came to see you.”
He suddenly approached me and slowly raised his hand.
His fingers caressed the tip of my blonde hair. I was alarmed by the itchy sensation that almost touched me.
Soon after, his clear red eyes met mine, and he said,
“I want to ask you something. That day, why didn’t you save her?”
His words lingered in my ears.
I opened my mouth while looking at the swaying petals of Rotunias,
“You really didn’t know?”
He stared at me with his eyebrows hardened. He had eyes that didn’t seem to be able to make any guesses.
Kyle was uninterested in the romantic lives of women. But if Rosé had said that much, he should’ve had at least a glimmer of understanding…
“What do you mean?”
“The Queen…”
“……?”
“Haa. No.”
He seemed to be a man without a sense, so I decided not to talk.
In the end, it was all in the past, and knowing the truth won’t make a difference, so maybe I should keep this as a personal secret.
“I didn’t save her because it was God’s will.”
“…God’s will.”
Kyle’s eyes became more complicated and nuanced.
“I’m a saint. My first priority is to follow God’s will.”
Because Odyssey depicted such a flashback scene, God’s will is correct.
Although it was regrettable to see the Queen die gracefully after doing such terrible things, it was still the dying’s last wish.
“I see.”
Looking through his finely folded forehead, I continued,
“How is His Majesty doing?”
“Still not good.”
A pleasant wind blew.
It was a gentle breeze as if the terrible events of that day were a lie. We were perilously poised between a rolling head, blood, and dread.
“Don’t blame yourself. It is because of the Queen that His Majesty is in bed.”
I looked up at Kyle and said,
“It’s not Your Highness’s fault.”
His brows twitched.
“You have to be sure who is at fault.”
After a few moments of staring at me, a faint smile crossed his lips and then disappeared.
After a while, I heard his voice,
“…I’m glad you looked brave too.”
I nodded and smiled.
I possessed a self-rational personality and a firm will.
“A strong wick is a quality suitable even within the Imperial Palace.”
Even his jokes are scary.
It’s enough for me to be temporarily housed in the temple.
I spoke up to change the subject,
“The weather is really nice today. The blue sky over there…”
[Ciel, the God of Destruction, plays tricks]
At that precise timing, the sky became cloudy and darkened.
“……”
After a moment of awkward silence, Kyle glanced up at the sky and continued,
“Thank you.”
Hearing the unfamiliar words made my face tickle. My mouth was parched.
“For letting her die. For… preventing me from turning into a real monster.”
I blankly stared at him as he spoke.
He looked different from usual. Like a lonely, untamed beast.
“…It’s nothing.”
I moved my gaze away from him and wiggled my hands.
“Also, I…”
Kyle’s voice became low,
“I think I’ll be visiting the temple more frequently in the future.”
Hearing that made my heart pound for some reason. But then the chat window began to flash.
[An emergency meeting of the gods is held to discuss the adoption of Kyle Alexis Ilyde as a son-in-law]
[Monde, the God of Art, is adamantly opposed]
[Hesed, the God of Knowledge, belittles those who wield swords, claiming that they aren’t a big deal in reality]
[Ciel, the God of Destruction, bites Hesed’s leg]
[Odyssey, the God of Love, eats corn snacks]
[Oman, the God of Benevolence, ascends the podium and requests for their attention]
[They propose taking all three as concubines for the sake of fairness]
[The majority of the gods agree]
“Stop it!”
I unknowingly screamed while staring at the chaotic flickering chat window. At this rate, I expect that things will get even weirder.
Kyle asked with a frown,
“Are you talking to me?”
“Oh.”
Only then did I regain my composure and look up at Kyle.
“No. Not you.”
“……”
“Anyway, now that Her Majesty the Queen has passed away, the reason why you will often visit the temple…”
But his voice pierced my ears,
“From some point on, something comes to my mind whenever I see you.”
“Yes? What is it?”
The end of my voice unconsciously trembled a little.
“Everything has a reason.”
His voice coldly dug into my abyss. His eyes touched me.
“There must be a reason why you changed so drastically.”
His cool voice pierced my heart.
[Oman, the God of Benevolence, is interested in Kyle’s sharpness]
“I’m very curious about you.”
Because Sword Masters are skilled in auras, they have high sensitivity.
“Even if our common enemy is gone, how would you react if I was still interested in you?”
I stared blankly at his red lips and barely came to my senses.
It’s time to put an end to this increasingly dangerous conversation.
“I-I… need to go inside now. I’m dizzy because I haven’t been out in the sun in a long time.”
“You’re making excuses to run away again.”
Looking away from his gaze silently staring at me, I calmly spoke out,
“Your Highness, please return now. Don’t you feel uncomfortable going on an outing like this when you have a backlog of national affairs?”
He let out a sigh.
“You’re always like this.”
I’m already anxious enough.
The original story’s real relationship needed to be enhanced with the positive aspect. But I’m not sure if the original story still has any meaning.