All the water in the basin seemed to fly into the air, falling right on Alois’ frame.
“…I’ll step out for a bit to change my clothes.”
A sigh fell from Alois’ lips. Since he was closer than me, he was soaked.
I could only nod.
“Fel, Marien.”
Once Alois left the bathroom, I grabbed the two rascals and glared at them.
When I fixed my eyes on them with my hands on my hips, they suddenly became timid as if they realized their mistake after flipping the basin.
“You can play on the bed after you wash your feet.”
I softened my tone, losing the sharpness in my voice when I first called their names, and their ears perked up.
I guess these little guys were also experts at only hearing what they wanted to hear.
“If you don’t wash your feet, I won’t let you back inside, so let’s go wash up.”
While Alois was changing his clothes, I figured my clothes were already wet, so I just squatted down and grabbed the two.
“I told you I’m not letting you in if you don’t wash.”
I scrubbed their feet as they fussed constantly about the water which was baffling to me since they weren’t even cats.
By the time I was drying them with a towel, Alois returned to the bathroom, and our eyes met.
He was taking so long that I was wondering if he was doing it on purpose but apparently, there was a reason.
“…What are you wearing?”
“It seems to be the attire of the Kingdom of Vermont.”
“I see that…”
The dark uniform was dripping with jewels. Alois looked down at the obscenely, jewel-ridden outfit and sighed.
“I didn’t bring any additional clothes, but I assume Your Holiness did.”
“…I did bring another priest robe.”
“Please wear that.”
I was already going to even if he didn’t ask in such a dejected tone.
I glanced at him with pity, knowing he was going to have to wear this the whole day, and he looked away, more than aware of what he looked like.
“If I could, I’d cut off all these jewels.”
“I wonder if the aristocrats of Vermont think this is beautiful.”
I paused while drying the monkeys with the fluffy towel, and they thought it was their chance, and dashed into the room. I covered myself with a fresh towel while Alois lowered his gaze like he was having a headache.
“This Kingdom never used to be wealthy. As the saying goes, those who grow up in darkness are often fascinated by sunlight.”
“But they do not know that staring into the sunlight is bound to destroy their eyes.”
I could hear the water dripping from my soaked clothes.
“Which way is the dressing room?”
“There’s a door shaped like a lion’s mouth next to the standing mirror.”
Even though I was drenched with warm water, I felt a slight chill when I stepped out.
I walked into the dressing room and stared the fresh priest robes neatly arranged by the maids.
“…But which one do I wear?”
With all the extravagance I’d seen on the people here, I might just fade into the background if I wore something too simple…
There was a stand that was somewhat similar to a mannequin, so I used it to check each outfit, one by one. I probably had Reneben to thank for this, but it seemed all my clothes from the temple had come along.
Since the difference in design was so subtle, I just went with my usual pure-white robe but threw a sheer lace on top.
“…??”
Unlike aristocratic dresses which needed many people to help tighten the corset, a priest robe was very easy to wear by yourself. That was one of the reasons why I liked wearing them.
“…What is this?”
Just as I was about to finish dressing, the unpleasant feeling I sensed earlier crept in through the open window.
I wrinkled my nose and turned my head to look outside.
The bright and clear sky was settled cozily in the window frame. I blinked and for a moment, the clear sky looked black, and the bright sun seemed to be rotting away, causing me to narrow my eyes.
I straightened the lace embroidered with golden thread and slowly approached the terrace.
I pulled back the half-drawn curtains and stared out into the clean landscape.
“Even with my good eyes, I can barely see outside.”
The sky looked spotless, as if what I saw earlier was just my imagination.
In the end, I leaned against the window, with half of my body over the ledge and looked around.
Once my gaze moved past the large backyard, I caught a glimpse of a makeshift settlement that seemed to be where the commoners lived.
To even see it, I had to go through a garden that was so big it made even the imperial castle seem small. Whether it was the outer castle walls or the fences, it all seemed clean and spotless, like it had just been built.
“How…lavish it’s become.”
I leaned against the terrace railing, mindlessly running my finger over my lip.
I wasn’t biting my nails though, since I knew how hard my handmaids worked to get them done a while back.
After staring outside for too long, my eyes began to sting.
“…The disgusting smell.”
I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose again and frown at the unknown, ominous smell.
I patted my dress down to straighten out the creases caused by leaning over the terrace then I turned to head outside.
Right before I left, I craned my neck over the terrace to check the view again, but it was useless. The only thing there was the cozy scenery.
“Alois.”
As I stepped back into the room, I spotted Alois, once again drenched and running his hand through his hair.
His forehead was creased, and his red eyes were fixed on the floor.
“Again…? Why?”
I nonchalantly asked why he was wet again, and he shook his head.
“I guess they really don’t like me.”
“…Ah, even after you named them. Our kids are a little fierce, aren’t they?”
“Our kids?”
Apparently, the two monkeys had knocked over a flower vase and spilled a glass of water.
I spread my arms wide and approached the snarling two, telling them it was okay. Once Fel and Marien were held tightly in my arms, I started making excuses about how scared the gentle creatures were.
“They’re not normally like this but maybe it’s because you fought them when they were demons.”
“You fought them with me, Lady Saintess.”
“Mmm…I know but…”
I gave an awkward smile while the two little guys that I was supporting were nuzzling me with kisses on the cheek.
“Well, this is good. I wasn’t fond of this outfit anyway. I’ll get changed while I’m at it.”
Although he said that, there wasn’t much of a change.
Alois went into the dressing room and came right back out with a scowl and a tight grip on the square jewel on his wrist.
“…Maybe I should just rip it off.”
I already noticed that all the designs were similar when I went into the dressing room earlier. So, I wasn’t surprised when he came out, looking about the same.
I looked him up and down, taking in the design that was so garish it was hard to tell what was different from before, then I nodded.
“It might be better to just tear it all off.”
The maids called to clean up the fallen vase and water glass walked in at that moment and looked at us strangely like they were baffled by what they overheard then they quickly looked away like they were flustered.
“…?”
“…?”
Both of us could easily read their gazes.
“Rather than such hassle, wouldn’t it better to call a tailor to alter it?”
“That might be a good idea. I had heard of the Kingdom’s unique uniforms, but I’d never seen any images, so I didn’t know they were so strange.”
Alois’ eyes curved in an arc as he spoke, and it was obvious that he was sounding out the maids.
The two women who were picking up the pieces of glass brought their heads close together and began to whisper.
“Strange, he says? As expected of a royal of Eseah…”
“If I had even one of those jewels, I wouldn’t be working here.”
“That thing is beautiful.”
Their voices were so soft that even Alois could barely hear it.
He leaned against the bed, supporting himself with both arms. Then he leaned back slightly and fiddled with the buttons of his wrist before glancing at me.
“His Majesty spent quite some effort on that outfit though…”
“He’s not actually going to remove the jewels, is he?”
“No one would remove something so precious. They’d be asking for a huge mess.”
Alois crossed his legs and went on to crack his knuckles.
Rare and scarce things were always considered precious.
After all, when something is scarce, its rarity makes it become precious…
“If His Majesty got wind of this jewel removal talk, it’ll be a disaster.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Isn’t it the Grand Chamberlain who dropped a jewel while moving it last time and got whipped and kicked out?”
Just because they whispered didn’t mean I couldn’t hear. This is why people always say be careful with your words.
As the saying goes, the birds hear words spoken by day, while the mice hear the ones spoken by night.
“Now that I think about it, Lady Emilone, you must be getting hungry.”
“I certainly am, would you like to head out to the dining?”
Ah…how cruel.
For a King to whip someone just for dropping a jewel.
I felt like if I saw the King right now, the first thing out of my mouth would be venomous.
It was just so ridiculous.
A mediocre king who thought material possessions were worth more than a human being.
That’s not the kind of ruler I want.
If hearsay was this bad, one could only imagine what was hidden beneath the surface.
Suddenly, even the crown prince seemed like an outstanding person.
He might seem like a tyrant at first but in reality, he was simply finicky about playing by the rules.
Of course, he did have a tendency to lose his temper, raise his voice, and show excessive favoritism but.
It is what it is.
Alois held out his hand, and I took it, rising from the bed. I slowly looked Alois up and down.
“What’s with the look?”
Alois asked in a far tender voice than before, perhaps due to the eyes around while escorting me out the door.
The monkeys tried to follow me out and I sent them back to the room, telling the maids to keep an eye on them then I curled my lips.
“Just thinking it’s a selfish world, that’s all.”
“Hmm?”
Since he was escorting me and our bodies were next to each other, I had no choice but to look up at him.
My body felt a little cold, probably because I got so drenched earlier.
“I was just thinking that it’s selfish of His Highness, born the 4th Prince of Eseah to set his eyes on the throne so I said that.”
And I took a step back since I didn’t like that the jewels were hitting me for no reason.
“I don’t think that’s something I should be hearing from you, Lady Saintess.”
“Who can say. Unlike you, there’s many things I lack.”
He had the looks, the strength and the brains.
He had the talent to draw people in, the boldness to take action, and a vast array of knowledge to wield.
“You shouldn’t say such disheartening words.”
“It is the truth.”
“I’m afraid Your Holiness is the most captivating woman I’ve ever met.”
He lifted my hand and kissed my fingertips.
“That makes my heart flutter.”
“It would hope so.”
“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.
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- 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
Tysm for the update miss Ruby!
Excited to see where this story is going.