Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 63

Previous | Toc | Next

I fed Fel a small piece, noticing the pretty dot on its ear, and gave another piece to Marien, who was eagerly wagging its tail and constantly shaking its leg.

It was cute to see them munching while hugging it with both hands.

“Your Holiness.”

“Hm?”

“There are also people who hold deep loyalty and their hearts never change.”

“…?”

“I hope that you find someone like that.”

I patted the two creatures’ bottoms, telling them to eat, and shrugged my shoulders.

“I am pretty blessed.”

“…”

“I already have a lot of people like that.”

***

When my seasickness hadn’t improved after four days, Reneben became restless.

He held the monkeys’ tails from afar, stopping them from getting closer to me and I had to tell him not to worry.

“…We’ll be there soon so I’ll be fine.”

“That is correct. We should start preparing to disembark.”

“…Alois.”

“Are you alright?”

I wasn’t, but hearing that made me feel a littlebetter. Knowing we were finally getting off made it impossible to feel bad.

My stomach churned from seasickness, and I staggered to the bow, only to be greeting with the draft of a cold wind.

People greeted me and I wasn’t in the frame of mind to tackle whether I knew them or not so I simply responded with a light nod.

Feigning calmness, I caught my breath and moved to a spot with a good view of the ocean.

The moment my hands touched the railing, I finally felt like I could breathe.

As I quietly stared at the sea, Alois walked up to me. I could tell who it was without even turning around because of his signature quiet steps.

“The Kingdom of Vermont.”

“…?”

“That’s the first country we’re visiting.”

“What kind of place is it?”

“Who knows… the best description I can give is…you can say the Royal Palace is a very beautiful place.”

The railing was high enough that it reached my chest so I wasn’t worried about falling over if I leaned on it.

I crossed my arms over the railing and listened to him while the cold air calmed my stomach.

Then I noticed something off about Alois’ words and pointed it out.

“Just the Royal Palace?”

“Who knows.”

That was the same thing he said when I got on the ship and he asked if I wouldn’t mind stopping by another country.

A country with a beautiful royal palace.

“It seems we’ve arrived. If you feel better, would you like to get off now?”

“…I want to touch the ground first.”

I was clearly standing on a flat deck but everything was spinning. I wanted to feel the ground under my feet.

“That is wise of you.”

“…I beg to differ. I’m starting to think I was unwise from the moment I stepped onto this ship.”

“When we get off, I’ll help ease the discomfort.”

“…If it’s another weird drug, I’ll have to refuse.”

He waved his hand in denial and laughed.

“I’ll massage your shoulders. I was going to do it on the ship but I figured the massage might just make you throw up if we did it on the ship.”

“…A massage?”

“It’s possible if you want.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?”

“I can do everything except what I cannot.”

“…”

“And I think that all I know how to do will be helpful to you, Saintess.”

The ship stopped, and the door opened, with the stairs slowly appearing in the gap.

Reneben was tussling with the monkeys and ordering a few servants to move our luggage this way and that.

“Well…”

Alois confidently placed his hand on my shoulder, and I swatted it away with the back of my hand, giving a wry smile.

“Only time will tell if that clever mind of yours will be helpful to me or not.”

I turned my back on him and started walking away.

For some reason, I felt like Alois would be laughing at me so I didn’t look back and quickly walked towards Reneben.

The Kingdom of Vermont he said…

I could have gotten more information if my seasickness wasn’t so bad so it was a bit of a shame.

I stared at the floor, lost in thought, then I raised my head and immediately locked eyes with Alois who must have been staring blatantly at me.

He gave an awkward smile.

“Shall we get off? I’ll escort you.”

“Am I supposed to be the first one to get off?”

“You may not know, but it is etiquette for the highest-ranked person to disembark first.”

“…I was not aware of this etiquette.”

“I doubt people like us have many chances to board a ship.”

I was a little worried that they would find the red monkeys strange so I placed Fel on my shoulder and let Marien follow closely behind.

Fel lay still around my neck like a scarf, its tail wagging gently.

Then again…

Who would say anything when the Saintess was the one bringing animals around?

With a little more confidence, I took Alois’s extended hand.

“Reneben.”

After grabbing his hand, I couldn’t turn my neck because of Fel, so I called Reneben softly.

Reneben, who was standing to my side but behind me quickly responded politely.

“Did you call?”

“Don’t go too far. Stay close.”

“Of course.”

Alois laughed right next to my ear. Maybe because we were holding hands, I could feel his body shake with laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Look ahead.”

“Hm?”

I was looking elsewhere because the monkeys were distracting me but at those words, I turned my head to the front, looking down the stairs in front of me.

“Even the King of Vermont who can’t be bothered to stand has come out to welcome you. You command quite the effort, Your Holiness.”

“Don’t make it sound bigger than it is. It’s simply the king of a country coming out to greet me. It’s only natural that he would seize the honor of welcoming me.”

I replied to Alois’ exaggerated remark, straightening my shoulders for no reason and Alois gave a hum of admiration.

“Dear me, I didn’t expect you to think that way, given how lenient you always are with the Crown Prince.”

I looked up at him with a wry smile.

“That’s because I cherished the Crown Prince quite a bit.”

“It sounds like you don’t cherish him anymore.”

“Of course not, I still cherish him very much. It’s just that my interests have changed.”

You can say it’s changed from Ronella and her men to Alois.

He took in my gaze and turned his head back to the front.

“…It seems I should be worried then. I better behave so I don’t fall out of your favor as well.”

Once the stairs were fully set, I took a step down. My light priest robes fluttered so much I wondered if I should have worn something else.

If he wasn’t escorting me, I might have just fallen over.

“If King Vermont wishes to welcome you, will you accept?”

“It almost sounds like you hope I won’t.”

“Of course not.”

A soft floral scent wafted into my nose, making me freeze for a moment. Of course, only for a brief moment. I quickly resumed walking down the red carpet like nothing had happened.

When I finally felt the ground under my feet, I wanted to jump for joy, but I had to restrain myself with so many eyes on me.

The four days of seasickness had been so horrible that I wanted to forget them and I dabbed my tears internally.

“I greet God’s blessing. I, Osvio Vermont, King of Vermont, welcome you, Lady Saintess.”

“May God’s blessing be upon you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Emilone.”

Just as I was basking in the joy and about to take in the scent of flowers, someone spoke to me.

I turned around to see who spoke and found a well adorned King, who appeared to be in his fifties.

He was dressed so lavishly that I could understand why Alois only had one word to describe him: extravagant.

He wore a uniform that looked like a peacock throwing a party, a sleuth of jewelry that I wouldn’t wear even if they were gifted to me, and a fluffy red cloak that he draped over his shoulders.

The red cloak, a popular style among emperors, could have looked grand all on its own, but it was cluttered with all sorts of ornaments, making it look messy.

Even his long hair was heavily decorated and twisted around and around.

…I didn’t like it.

If I sold all the jewelry on his body right now, I could probably buy the entire line of buildings in my sight.

“As of late, our kingdom has been establishing orphanages and academies based on the solid education foundation you’ve promoted, Lady Saintess.”

“…Hm? Oh…Orphanages…”

“To envision a place that accepts commoners without any fees, I can’t expect less from the one set to lead this world…! I have been wanting to meet you and it is such an honor to have you visit.”

“It is I who is grateful for the hospitality. I will make sure to visit the orphanages and academies you mentioned once I get a chance.”

I appreciated the warm reception, but I didn’t like the extravagance. Just one of those jewels could feed the poor for a very long time…

Ever since I started building orphanages and funding them through the temple, I managed to erase the slums of the Empire. Now that the Empire’s slums were gone, I had hoped other countries would follow suit.

As I thought that, I glanced at the large ruby pinned like a rose on the King’s chest.

“Will you?! Your presence alone is more than enough and now this…we will hold on to this honor for the rest of our lives.”

The nobles behind him were also just as lavishly dressed.

Perhaps Reneben was also displeased because he kept clearing his throat and looking away.

When people’s eyes turned to him, he started brushing Fel and Marien’s hair to calm them down as they were growling softly.

“And this is…oh, Prince Eseah.”

“It is a pleasure, Your Majesty, King of Vermont.”

Alois spoke smoothly, his gentle and harmless like a deer, instantly making a good impression.

“I’ve heard stories about you from Royal father, but you are even more beautiful than I’ve heard.”

“Oh, nonsense! To this King, you are far more marvelous than this King imagined. You are truly worthy of the Saintess’s favor.”

Favor… Favor, he says…

Of course, it looks like that to other people but when no one is around, this man makes my head spin with that flowery mouth of his.

Alois lowered his head slightly, his earlobes turning red.

“Oh dear…”

I always knew his looks charmed both women and men alike but seeing it again like this really confirmed it.

The King of Vermont swallowed hard, despite trying to hide it and regretfully released Alois’s hand after shaking it.

To women, he was a sweet, caring man who looked after them with tender care. To men, he was a delicate, gentle man whose appearance surpassed most noble ladies…

I couldn’t help but wonder if these self-centered features were a family trait.

Previous | Toc | Next