Chapter 55. Sunflower (9)
Then, a woman with a warm, friendly appearance quickly raised her voice toward someone she didn’t know.
“Hey! You there! Don’t be greedy. Soon, you’ll bring rain for us too!”
“Yeah, yeah. Appeasing the wrath of the gods isn’t easy, you know? We have to pray even harder!”
The crowd scolded them as if they had heard blasphemy.
“…Really, do you think so?”
Reina murmured softly, but this time, no one heard her words.
“Looks like I lost you when the crowd suddenly surged.”
Ilena spoke toward Reina, who was lying on the bed, leaning back with an expression of apology.
“Sorry.”
She felt uneasy knowing that she had left someone unwell wandering alone in the streets.
“…It’s okay.”
Reina seemed exhausted from the walk back to the palace, her complexion pale. She mustered a faint smile at Ilena.
Seeing that, Ilena felt even more uneasy and hesitated to speak, but Reina quickly stopped her.
“Really, it’s fine.”
“…Really?”
Reina smiled brightly, like a sunflower turning toward the sun.
“Yeah. I’m your older sister, Ilena.”
Donna grew at an astonishing pace day by day.
Caring for her had quietly become one of Ilena’s most important daily routines.
The war had receded once more, and peaceful days, like the calm before a storm, continued.
On a warm, sunny morning, Ilena first fed Donna and then had her own breakfast in her room.
“When will he return?”
“Huh?”
Ilena, sipping the rich morning tea André had served, widened her eyes.
“I mean… the friend from the north. It seems his wounds have healed…”
André carefully placed some fruit and bread on her plate and asked.
“Well… I’m not sure.”
Ilena replied awkwardly, taking another sip of tea.
As André said, the doctor had declared Reina’s wounds fully healed. However, the large scar on her abdomen remained. The doctor mentioned that with consistent ointment, it would gradually fade.
Reina brushed her hand over her abdomen while looking in the mirror and forced another bright smile.
Remembering that, Ilena shook her head slowly and said,
“…I’ll make sure she stays as long as she wants to.”
“Yes, Lady Ilena.”
Without protest, André busied himself preparing Ilena’s breakfast quietly.
Because of his calm diligence, Ilena forced herself to finish her bread and tea again that day.
“So, will you visit your friend after breakfast today as well?”
“Yes… I should.”
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Yes. Come in.”
The one who entered was Utter.
“Utter? What brings you to the palace so early?”
“Is something wrong?”
Ilena immediately stood up. Normally relaxed since opening up her heart, Utter’s face was stiff today.
“I have something to convey to the Priestess. That is…”
He paused to choose his words, then continued.
“All the ministers are gathered in the council room.”
“Meeting this early?”
André tilted his head in confusion, and Utter, face still rigid, explained.
“A notice about the Priestess was posted in the square…”
Grand Elder Nathaniel looked at the Priestess who had appeared in the council room with a worried expression.
One particularly clueless elder sighed heavily.
“After threats of terror, now this notice… why does it always—ugh!”
He whimpered in pain after Nathaniel jabbed him sharply in the side with his elbow.
“What, what’s wrong? Ow, it hurts.”
Nathaniel remained silent, staring ahead with concern.
The other elders in the council also watched the Priestess nervously, who was staring at the notice as if it were about to attack her.
The letters were written so large that even from a distance, the crudely scrawled crimson words were clearly visible:
“The Priestess is a fraud!
The Priestess is a fraud! She cannot control the weather!
The Black King who paid a fortune to bring a broken Priestess is incompetent!
If these words are false, prove it by bringing rain!”
“….”
As always, the Priestess’s expression was unreadable.
Then, a low, menacing growl filled the room.
“Who dares post such trash on the walls? In my capital, no less.”
The room seemed to drop several degrees in temperature; everyone flinched.
It had been a long time since the King had looked this angry.
Nathaniel could not look ahead, bowing his head in fear.
‘Lately, His Majesty seemed unusually cheerful…’
Then, cutting through the tense air, the Priestess spoke calmly:
“It’s alright, Your Majesty.”
“One…”
Nathaniel lifted his head, marveling at the calm composure of the Priestess soothing the Black King. Despite the slander plastered across the capital, her face did not flinch in the slightest.
“If it were me, my heart would be pounding, and I’d have locked myself in my room crying for days!”
“She would have wailed the moment she saw the notice.”
“I even took a sedative to come to the meeting today.”
The elders whispered to each other with sparkling eyes.
Regardless, the Priestess, expressionless, asked indifferently:
“How did people react when they saw the notice?”
“Well… that is…”
The elders exchanged cautious glances before speaking.
“Some are asking… if it rained in the desert, why hasn’t it rained in our region?”
“Humans are always like that. Get one thing, and they want three more.”
The Priestess simply nodded as if that made sense.
Seeing her composure, the elders grew more agitated and shouted:
“Where in the world is that law written?”
“Isn’t it already enough that she made it rain?”
“Exactly. We didn’t even ask her to control the weather. Honestly.”
“People who don’t know gratitude can’t feel joy or happiness!”
A faint look of curiosity crossed the Priestess’s otherwise unreadable face. Sometimes she appeared bewildered by obvious behaviors.
Whenever this happened, the elders felt a strange warmth, like they wanted to guide a child just beginning to understand the world.
The King, sitting with a stern expression, spoke in a low voice.
“Yes. No one will let this pass. …We already have witness reports that someone wearing a cloak was seen posting the notices early this morning.”
“‘Someone’? Alone?”
The King nodded quietly in response to the Priestess.
“Yes. It seems to be an individual act, not organized.”
“Hm.”
The Priestess said only one word with her expressionless face, as if pondering whether it was worth investigating a solo act.
But the King had no intention of letting it slide.
“They must be caught and lawfully punished.”
Nathaniel immediately shouted:
“That’s right, Your Majesty!”
“Those scoundrels should taste black bread in prison!”
Other ministers echoed in agreement.
Amidst them, the Priestess spoke calmly:
“But even so, many people have already seen the notices. Dissatisfaction and suspicion may have already spread.”
“That is…”
“Once suspicion grows, it doesn’t disappear easily. It hides, then strikes at the critical moment to destabilize organizations.”
Speaking as if from experience, the Priestess remained calm.
“So it must be eradicated completely.”
“…Then, how about this, Your Majesty?”
Nathaniel, deep in thought, cautiously raised a hand. He wanted to show her that not all people were so wicked.
“Speak.”
He carefully suggested:
“How about having the Priestess preside over the upcoming founding ceremony’s sacrificial rites in a week?”
The King, who had worn a solemn expression, slightly widened his eyes at the proposal.
‘He must have thought it a good idea and was surprised.’
Nathaniel, pleased with his suggestion, smiled.
“…Sacrificial rites?”
Ilena answered calmly.
The elder who proposed the idea clearly thought it brilliant.
“Yes! Normally, the twelve grand elders take turns presiding over the annual sacrificial rites, but this time, the Priestess herself will lead!”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Another elder quickly voiced support.
“This will show the royal family’s trust in the Priestess and restore the people’s faith. And… also…”
He continued cautiously.
“Of course, we know that controlling the weather is a divine ability, unique to the Priestess, Ilena. But…”
Swallowing hard, he hurriedly added:
“If, even a little, you could show your power during the sacrificial rites, wouldn’t that calm the people’s doubts?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Iago’s eyes anxiously turned to Ilena.
Yet Ilena remained indifferent.
After a brief moment, she closed and opened her eyes thoughtfully, then said without hesitation:
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“…!”
Iago, staring intently at Ilena, subtly widened his eyes.
