Chapter 98
There was no part in the formal consecration ceremony that involved eating or drinking anything.
After all, once you’ve gone through the trouble of cleansing your body with the holy water, it wouldn’t do to defile it again by putting something impure in your mouth.
Of course, since the temple had caught fire and the consecration had been postponed, the purification rite—where one would usually submerge themselves in the so-called “holy water” (and honestly, who knew if those crooks had even prepared real holy water?)—had been canceled.
So when I didn’t take the offered cup and only stared at the hand holding it out to me, Cronen cleared his throat loudly.
“Your Highness, Princess Titania, since you have not gone through the full cleansing ritual with the holy water, this is a sacred wine created by the priests to purify you in its place.”
A faintly sour fruity scent wafted from the cup. The ripe, fermented smell was typical of southern fruit wines—but not grapes, I thought.
Something about it felt wrong, and I searched my memory.
Since moving to the Castrein family’s villa, I’d sampled every fruit grown in this southern region—at least a bite of each.
Yet I’d never seen a fruit with this scent or this deep red color, especially not one that could be brewed into wine.
And anyway, doesn’t brewing wine take time? It hadn’t even been a full month since the temple fire. Between rebuilding, re-organizing, and holding services, they’d somehow found time to brew a new batch of “holy wine”?
I glanced down at my white robe and neckline. Great—of all days, I had to be dressed in white. If even a drop splashed on me, it would be obvious. Worse yet, my clothes were lined with magic stones sewn into the fabric—if I had to change, we’d be in trouble.
“Hey, since I’m wearing the <Banner of Gloriana>, you said my power’s stronger now even without the full activation ritual, right?”
—“Yup, exactly, Contractor! ヽ(•̀ω•́ )ゝ”
“Then if I drink something weird, can it purify it automatically?”
—“Yes! If it’s harmful to your body, the artifact will automatically neutralize it!☆(･ω･*)ゞ But minor things like alcohol won’t be filtered out unless you want them to—because, you know, people drink for fun sometimes.”
“…Wait. I’m still underage, aren’t I?”
That realization made my eyes sparkle.
Even if it probably wouldn’t harm me, it was still suspicious to drink something handed over by the enemy. And now I had the perfect excuse.
Here, as in Korea, one wasn’t considered an adult until the age of twenty.
And Titania—well, she still had a long way to go before that.
Still, it wasn’t that unusual for minors—especially royals—to sip a bit of wine at sacred ceremonies. Cronen must have assumed I couldn’t refuse without looking rude.
“Why, of course, I would never ignore the effort you’ve gone through, Priest Cronen.”
I smiled as I took the cup. Seeing that, he visibly relaxed.
“However, I’m afraid there’s a small problem.”
A hairline crack formed in Cronen’s pleasant expression. I traced the rim of the silver cup with an apologetic sigh.
The crimson liquid rippled, and a drop ran down my finger. It was as red as blood.
“You see, I’ve already purified myself with holy water.”
“What? But the temple has yet to prepare any holy water! Where did you cleanse yourself, Your Highness?”
He looked startled. I blinked innocently.
“Oh dear, Priest… you haven’t heard where I’ve been staying?”
His face paled a little—bad memories, perhaps?
“I… I heard it was at the Castrein family’s villa…”
“Yes. The Castrein family, as the foremost patrons of the northern temple, are naturally well versed in all the materials and procedures necessary for the consecration. When they heard of the fire, they were so concerned for the ceremony’s sanctity that they provided me with everything I needed.”
A total lie, of course. I’d simply taken a lovely bubble bath filled with flowers and perfumed oils. The southern heat didn’t allow for steaming baths, but my skin had come out smooth as an eggshell. Debbie had been thrilled, flitting around with new dresses and makeup ideas.
Cronen stared at my polished skin as if it were mocking him.
“Holy water can only be produced within the temple! Even the Castrein dukedom couldn’t have transported it so quickly without contamination!”
Oh please. What could he do about it?
The Castrein family had money, soldiers, information, and influence that even the Imperial Court couldn’t ignore. If you thought they couldn’t do something, that just meant you lacked imagination.
I smiled serenely.
“Yes. But it’s the Castrein family we’re talking about.”
“I can’t believe this…”
“Oh my, are you suggesting that I, a princess, would lie to a priest? How rude. Besides—what a shame.”
Moments like this reminded me how nice it was to be royal.
Even a despised youngest princess was still a princess.
They couldn’t exactly grab my arms and pour it down my throat, could they?
I lifted the cup to my nose, took a delicate sniff—and then, deliberately letting my grip go slack, stumbled backward as if dizzy.
Crash!
Splash!
The silver cup clattered to the floor, red liquid splashing everywhere. I managed to dodge back just in time to keep it from staining my white robes.
Instead, it drenched Cronen.
His pristine robe bloomed with bright red stains.
Drip. Drip. Wine trickled down the hem of his clothes.
It even ran down his chin, dyeing his beard red—he looked like he’d glued a carrot to his face.
It took all my self-control not to laugh out loud.
Praising my own restraint, I spoke sweetly.
“I’m so sorry… I’m terribly weak to alcohol, you see. Even the smell makes me dizzy… Still such a child, I know. Oh, what a mistake! I’ve been fasting for purity since yesterday, so my hands must’ve been weak. I’m sure Priest Cronen will forgive my clumsiness on such an important day, won’t you?”
“……”
Operation: Smile-While-Throwing-Wine—Success!
Pretend to faint from a whiff of alcohol? Easy!
If he’d seen me sobbing over a missing sword before, he should’ve known how shameless I could be by now.
“The temple staff were only trying to do their best for me, I’m sure. I won’t hold such a small mistake against them. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
Cronen looked down at his dripping robes, his expression dark and furious.
“I do appreciate the temple’s efforts, Priest Cronen. But you really should change before the ceremony begins. If you don’t have spare garments, I can have some prepared—”
“That won’t be necessary, Your Highness. I’ll step out for a moment.”
He forced a smile, then stalked away, his footsteps loud with barely contained anger.
I whistled softly and looked around the now-empty room. Careful not to let my hem touch the wine-stained floor, I crouched to examine the fallen cup.
“Hey, can you tell what this stuff actually is?”
—“…Sorry, Contractor (｡ŏ﹏ŏ). I’m super competent, but I can’t exactly identify random food or liquid by smell alone…”
The sword’s voice suddenly glitched.
—“…Uh? Wait, what’s this—?”
“What’s wrong?”
It froze—like a machine hitting a critical error screen.
