Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 116

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* * *

The Kingdom of Eseah was, on the surface, an ideal country.

There were no slums where people couldn’t even afford a meal.

Even when winter came, everyone could withstand the harsh cold.

At least, that’s how it looked in fragments.

King Eseah was truly a king for the nobles. The kind of king the nobility so desperately wished for.

A king who gave even more to those who already had plenty.

One who even supported slavery…just that kind of king.

While Alois was busy trying to calm the now-noisy nobles, I slipped away toward Reneben’s room.

Reneben rose from his seat as if he’d been waiting and greeted me.

“You’ve worked hard.”

He glanced cautiously behind me as I stepped into the room and asked,

“How was the meeting?”

“The meeting? I’d say it was fun.”

I replied while recalling what had happened earlier and Reneben’s eyes widened in confusion.

His reaction wasn’t strange.

He had assumed attending a nobles’ meeting would be troublesome.

“Alois surprised the nobles today.”

“…Huh?”

“He stopped acting like the kind, obedient prince.”

Pushing Alois into the midst of the nobles left me feeling a little refreshed.

I knew that Alois would manage fine on his own.

I told Reneben about what happened in the meeting room and shared what Alois did.

But the more I spoke, the more Reneben’s expression darkened.

“…Lady Emilone.”

As I neared the end of my tale, Reneben called my name hesitantly, his face full of confusion as if he didn’t know how to process what he’d just heard.

I paused while stretching and turned to him.

“I truly thought Prince Alois was a kind man.”

“Mm, he is.”

Reneben’s answer was unexpected.

Alois was kind.

He had never been cruel or malicious, not by nature, and not even when wearing his mask.

“Alois is kind.”

“No…that’s not what I meant.”

He shifted his eyes, searching for the right words, and finally sighed deeply.

“I don’t know if His Highness is truly a good person.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s someone who can hide what he really thinks.”

I could understand that worry.

Ever since seeing Alois’s true self, Reneben seemed confused.

I thought hard, wondering how to respond.

In the end, I had no choice but to ask what kind of person Alois had seemed to him.

“Then, what kind of person do you think Alois is, Reneben?”

Reneben shut his mouth.

From the temple’s perspective, Alois was practically ideal.

He never delayed temple matters and looked after the weak.

He stepped forward to protect others.

Just as I had spent a long time with Alois, Reneben had been with us too.

He couldn’t not know what kind of person Alois was.

“I think he’s a good person.”

“Right?”

“But Lady Emilone, His Highness is also someone who can deceive the nobles of Eseah. It’s possible everything he’s done so far was just to win your favor.”

Reneben spoke calmly, without changing his expression.

“Reneben, didn’t you say just yesterday that no matter what happened, you would be on my side?”

I reached out toward him.

For some reason, he looked nervous, like he had just heard something unsettling.

“So why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“…”

“I believe in Alois. Enough to make him my companion. Can you trust my judgment?”

I stared into Reneben’s violet eyes.

He met my gaze, then looked away. He had definitely heard something.

“Who said something to you?”

Reneben lowered his head, so I gently lifted his chin.

When our eyes met, I saw his eyes trembling miserably.

Then, as if confessing something, he began to speak.

“King Eseah came to see me.”

“Hm?”

“While you and the high nobles were in the meeting.”

No wonder.

All the high-ranking nobles had gathered, yet the king was nowhere to be seen.

So that’s when he must have pulled Reneben aside to whisper in his ear.

“He told me things about Prince Alois—”

“Reneben.”

The king had insulted Alois even in front of me.

Considering his conduct, there was nothing he wouldn’t have said to Reneben.

“I’m about to depose King Eseah and place Alois on the throne.”

“…What?”

“Of course, it’ll be difficult. The people will be confused, and the political situation won’t be stable. Things will get busy for a while.”

“What do you mean—”

I shrugged.

Honestly, the problems that came with a shift in royal authority weren’t mine to worry about.

All of that would be handled by Alois.

There was no way he hadn’t already considered the consequences.

All I had to do was place my hand where he wanted it.

“King Eseah, in my opinion, isn’t a good person.”

“…”

“And he’s constantly trying to bring Alois down, no matter what.”

Jealousy turned to suspicion. He had come to fear his own son.

Watching Reneben slowly fall into gloom, I opened my mouth.

I defended Alois who was getting very misunderstood and spoke of the plan we’d kept quiet about until now.

* * *

“Did you enjoy that?”

At night, a completely exhausted Alois arrived.

I closed the file I had been working on and lifted my head.

Alois asked, and I greeted him with a bright smile.

“I was waiting for you.”

“…”

“Although, I didn’t expect you to return after midnight.”

“The nobles wouldn’t let me go that easily.”

I pushed the documents aside.

In a day or two, I was scheduled to visit the temple of the Kingdom of Eseah, and these documents were related to that.

“So what did you do?”

“Hmm…it was just an ordinary conversation.”

He looked worn out as he sat down on the sofa near me.

The moment he sat, I stood up.

“Any regrets?”

“About what?”

I liked the tapping sound of my heels.

When I approached Alois, he opened the eyes he had half-closed.

“Revealing your true self in front of the nobles.”

“Regrets? Not at all. I only feel like… finally.”

I dropped onto the table right in front of him.

His face looked refreshed and seeing that lifted my spirits too.

“Things might get troublesome going forward, but at least no one will underestimate me anymore.”

“That’s good.”

“As the Saintess’s companion, it’s more than enough.”

Alois looked up at me while I sat on the table.

He held my ankle, removed my shoe, and pressed a kiss to the top of my foot.

The entire motion felt slow.

He raised his head, still pressing the kiss.

His red eyes peeked out from under his light brown hair and they looked unstable.

“I plan to work hard from now on.”

“…?”

“If I’m to take the throne in place of my father, I have no choice. If I seize the throne by forcibly borrowing the power of the Saintess, there’ll be a lot of hassle.”

I believed Alois would be prepared for that.

And that belief was right.

Alois would never have asked me if he hadn’t already thought it through.

“Lady Emilone.”

He took my hand.

I was dazed, staring into his eyes, and finally came to my senses.

“When I finished everything—”

He gently pulled my wrist.

I leaned in slightly, following his lead.

His lips came so close they almost touched mine.

He stopped just at the edge of my lips and asked,

“As a reward… will you kiss me?”

“…”

As a reward, he said.

What a cute request.

I saw no reason not to. I smiled softly.

Seeing that smile, Alois pulled back as if that was enough of an answer.

I watched his retreating face.

“That gives me strength.”

“But if you fail, you’d better be ready. You’ll get nothing.”

“…”

Alois looked slightly startled, his eyes widening.

I shrugged and hopped off the table.

I dusted off my white priestess robes and reopened the file I had closed earlier.

I pulled out one with a golden border and handed it to Alois.

“Do you know how to perform the companionship ceremony?”

It contained plans for my visit to the temple tomorrow.

Alois blinked as he checked the document I handed him.

“Naturally, becoming the Saintess’s companion wouldn’t that easy.”

“So, there’s a separate ceremony?”

To think there were things even Alois didn’t know.

TO be fair, hardly anyone knew information about becoming the Saintess’ companion.

Even I had only found out after doing some research following Alois’s question.

“For four days, you won’t eat or drink anything. You’ll enter the prayer chamber.”

“…You, Your Holiness?”

“Of course not. You. You’re the one who’ll suffer, not me.”

At the beginning, I had to drop a single drop of my blood into holy water.

And Alois would have to drink that but well, I chose not to mention that part.

“For those four days, you’ll think only of me. You’ll pray to God.”

“And after that?”

“There’s a secret room inside the temple. You’ll perform a cleansing bath there and wait for me.”

He asked again.

And after that?

I debated whether to say it.

“I’ll kiss you.”

I didn’t mention that he’d have to drink more of my blood there, too.

“After that, you’ll become my companion.”

“And what changes?”

“There will be changes. Over your heart, on the left side of your chest, the temple’s crest will appear. Poison won’t affect you. Wounds will heal quickly.”

Alois looked down at his bare chest, where there was nothing.

“You must not commit betrayal. And for the rest of your life, you must only look at me.”

Alois, who had been listening with a blank expression, finally smiled.

He answered with a grin.

“That doesn’t sound difficult at all.”

He spoke like he truly meant it.

Translator’s Corner:

** I kept flip-flopping between companion and consort for Alois’ title because consort makes more sense as a title but the word being used is what people use to refer to their partner or other half.

This chapter made me settle on companion so I plan to change the previous chapters and moving forward, his title will be ‘Companion’.

*Let me know if you have a different opinion. I’m curious.

*.*.*

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