T/N: FMH is finally done! This week will be my off-week and ETL will officially be 2/week starting January! Enjoy~
–
“Alois. You kissed my feet before, didn’t you?”
Alois turned to look down at me.
His gaze held a strange charm that sent a chill down my spine.
The kind of charm that makes you say things you shouldn’t say to the other person.
“Do you know what that means?”
His feet came to a stop. And I stopped too.
Standing just a step away, I cocked my head and waited for him to response.
“Submission.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right?”
“My…I didn’t think you knew the answer.”
“Because I did it, knowing the answer.”
Others might not know but every word he spoke was filled with indescribable allure. Filled with the illusion that I would be whole as long as I don’t let go of the hand in my grasp.
“It meant I will submit to you.”
“…”
“I said it, didn’t I? That I will of great assistance to you.”
I remember him talking about assisting me in front of the crown prince, was it then?
“Do whatever you want. Whatever you wish to do, whatever pleases you, follow your desire.”
“Hah?”
“Whatever happens afterwards, I’ll talk care of it.”
“Whatever I want, huh…”
His lips curled meaningfully.
His creased eyelids curved in a large arc, making him appear innocent but beneath it, was a strangeness that only I could discern.
“Those words.”
“…”
“Do not regret it.”
* * *
By the time we arrived at the dining hall, Reneben was already there. Meanwhile, the king stood there, looking pale, as though he had been waiting for quite some time.
“Lady Emilone.”
Ignoring the king’s state, Reneben came over to me and took my hand. I settled into my seat and looked around.
“I prepared this joyous feast once I heard of Your Holiness’ arrival.”
Even after looking around, all I could see were numerous aristocrats. I remember agreeing to dinner, but I don’t recall agreeing to a feast.
Right as dinner was about to kick into full swing—.
“Come to think of it, Your Holiness, what made you decide to leave the Empire?”
The King remarked and gestured for a servant to pour him wine, his eyes flickering like a snake.
“Is there perhaps some grievance with the Empire or…”
“King Vermont.”
“…I’m here.”
Sensing the greed in his eyes, I called him with contempt.
At my call, his face lit up with delight and I couldn’t stand the sight so I turned away and asked for wine as well.
“I prefer to dine in silence.”
“Pardon? Oh, yes! Yes! Of course! Anything Your Holiness desires! Silence in the hall!”
My glass was filled with clear wine. I picked up the glass full of round ice, twirling it in my hand.
Like that, the dinner restarted.
Since I wasn’t going to get drunk anyway, I downed the wine to my heart’s content. Frankly, I was only chugging the wine because none of the food served was what I liked.
“Um…Your Holiness, is the food not to your liking?”
I was about to disagree out of politeness but then, I realized this King wasn’t worth my courtesy, so I swallowed the meat I was chewing and set down my spoon.
“The seafood is fishy, the vegetables are undercooked, giving it a rather unpleasant texture, and it doesn’t taste great either. Most of all, this is a terrible food combination.”
I glanced at Alois, and he put down his fork and knife as well and looked at me.
For the person on the receiving end, it might sound like a pointless nitpick, and it was not like me to be nitpicky, but I figured I’d give it try.
Normally, I wouldn’t dare say such words because I was worried about the chef’s safety. But since Alois told me to do whatever I wanted…
I went ahead with the mindset that he would take responsibility for my words. And it looks like I was right because Alois looked unfazed.
The round ice had shattered at some point, and I threw one into my mouth, crunching on it.
“Your Majesty. The Saintess prefers her meat partially done rather than fully cooked. As for the vegetables, please find ones that pair well with meat.”
…He actually knew my tastes.
How did he even learn this when we haven’t even had that many meals together? Or maybe he looked into it beforehand?
“Ah, I see. I shall have them prepare it again.”
How does that saying go again? You hate the sister-in-law who pretends to help you rather than the mother-in-law who actually strikes you.
The King was stumbling over his words, while Alois had an innocent look on his face like he was just advising the king without ill intentions.
Objectively speaking, it was just a prince giving advice to a king. But with me standing behind this prince, especially with all the rumors swirling about us, the king had no choice but to grit his teeth and tread carefully around Alois, a mere prince.
I felt like I could see why Alois chose me.
“For your reference as well, the Saintess prefers red wine over white,” Alois added with an innocent smile.
He said he wanted me to use him as a long-term pawn.
But in reality, it was the complete opposite.
I was the one being helped, and I was the one walking down the path he created.
In a nutshell, he had chosen me.
As a stepping stone to achieve his own goals.
“And while the Saintess does enjoy seafood, for food with a distinct fishy flavor…it’s a little…it’s not something Her Holiness would be entirely satisfied with…”
On paper, it read like a sarcastic insult but when he said it with his innocent fawn-like eyes, it didn’t sound like an insult at all.
“I shall have that redone too…”
Then again. This was Alois’ weapon.
Someone unbound by status, standing at the very pinnacle.
Someone with outstanding ability, who can incite people to show off their ability.
Someone who brings no risk and only benefits when befriended.
That was me.
Unless God descended himself, as long as he stood behind me, no one could penetrate the shield I represented.
Hmm…I might call it an impenetrable shield, but sometimes, I lowered that shield myself.
“If it’s like this next time, I think it will be hard to share another meal, King Vermont.”
For example, if Reneben came and said he wanted a hug, I would readily remove my shield.
Of course, the same would go for Jessie and my little monkeys. Weren’t they cute? My arms would be wide open.
My thoughts were beginning to wander so I reined them in and spoke.
“It won’t take long to prepare another one. Please wait a moment.”
I nodded indifferently while the King wiped a sweat from his brow.
The room settled into a still silence for a moment, only to be broken by a young noble miss at the dining table. She had been nervously fidgeting with her fan and finally opened her mouth like she had made up her mind.
She was behaving so anxiously that even I noticed.
Hearing her question, I tilted my head and looked at her inquisitively, and when our eyes met, she flinched and lowered her head.
She didn’t seem like the type to bring up a topic like this of her own volition.
“Who knows…”
I replied vaguely like I was uninterested in the topic, and I was about to turn away but when I noticed her nervously clenched hands and puffy cheeks, a sigh escaped my lips.
It looks like she couldn’t stop without gaining anything. Just as I was about to say something, she asked me another question.
“T-Then, can you tell me how your leaving the Empire came about?”
Her demeanor was like a teddy bear, yet her question was like a cat.
I unconsciously grew serious then I softened my expression. I closed and reopened my eyes, pretending to ponder before answering.
On the other side, Alois was subtly shaking his head, but could I really ignore the question of such a cute young lady with her round, chubby cheeks? That wouldn’t be polite.
“I’m not the Saintess of just the Empire, so I simply wanted to visit the temples of other countries as well.”
“I… I see!”
“Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
“Ah! Yes… of…of course.”
This time, another young miss directed a question my way.
“Lady Saintess, will your last destination be the Kingdom of Eseah?”
“Hmm?”
“Ah… since the Eseah kingdom is where Prince Alois resides, I was…wondering…”
Oh my.
Her face turned red, and she bowed her head deeply, reminding me of those innocent yet calculating young misses I had seen at the Empire’s party not long ago.
“It won’t be my final destination. But I do plan to stay in Eseah until I return to the Empire.”
“…I knew it!”
She blushed and lowered her head again.
‘I knew it’?
Despite the king’s presence, the noble ladies were asking questions without pause, making it plainly obvious that the King was behind it.
From time to time, the young lords seemed to want to ask their own prepared questions, but their attempts were overwhelmed by the surge of questions from the ladies.
“Lady Saintess, how did you first meet Prince Alois?”
“Is it true that you met His Highness while walking down a flower- path, and His Highness said he mistook you for a flower?”
“Oh my, Lady Wisteria! From what I heard, it was the Saintess who spoke first to His Highness!”
“Well, I heard His Highness was drunk under the moonlight, and Lady Saintess…”
“My, my, what are you talking about? I heard His Highness was stranded on a wrecked ship and the Saintess—!”
“You must have heard wrong, Your Ladyship! Her Holiness was almost hurt during the demon attack, but His Highness saved her and…!!”
Faced with an impromptu debate right in front of the very people involved, I couldn’t help but pause for a moment.
Reneben looked visibly flustered, while Alois lowered his head slightly, stifling a chuckle.
As for me, I simply stayed in my seat, listening attentively to their conversation, marveling at how every story sounded like something out of a novel.
“Um… Your Holiness. Which one is it?”
“Dear me, is that what you’re curious about?”
I smiled softly and tilted my head, looking at their faces brimming with romantic daydreams.
The lively atmosphere seemed to freeze immediately, and they quickly adjusted their expression, wondering if they had overdone it.
Honestly, I was just smiling yet this was the reaction I got.
“Um, then, Your Holiness…”
Since I was replying to the young ladies, one young lord opened his mouth to try his luck.
He looked to be in his mid-teens, his voice yet to deepen, and his shoulders shook slightly with nervousness.
The moment I saw him, I instinctively covered my mouth with my hand.
He looks like Fel.
In other words, he looked like a monkey.
Seeing his flushed face and the repeated opening and closing of his mouth as he struggled to speak, I almost wanted to ask the maid to bring him some water.
“Was there perhaps some discord in the Empire?”
Regardless of how adorably he spoke, a sensitive question was still a no.
“Of course not.”
“Then… why did you leave the Empire?”
“Young lord. I believe I’ve already answered that question earlier. Must I repeat myself solely for your sake?”
“Ah…that…I-I, I’m sorry.”
Translator’s Corner:
**The raw for this particular chapter has a lot of errors and an omission.
**Reneben’s name was mixed up with Alois. Jessie was called Jenna (I just realized this typo was made in Chapter 61 as well, so I’ve corrected it). The young miss asked the saintess a question, but the author forgot to type the question…so I have no way to translate it. Even the comments on the Kakao are saying the same thing.
***This is an ongoing problem with this novel that I’ve tried not to bring up but I wanted to make note of it for anything who is confused.
Support on Patreon for advanced chapters.
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 67 - December 21, 2024
- Forget My Husband, I’ll Go Make Money – Side Story 21 - December 14, 2024
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 66 - December 14, 2024