CH:14
In the end, Ivan did not come before the bell rang to signal midnight. Even after waiting long past midnight, it was the same. That night, Amelia had no choice but to return to her bedroom empty-handed.
“……”
Why didn’t he come?
Even after four more days had passed, Amelia still couldn’t understand the reason. It was Ivan who first suggested they meet again next week. Of course, Amelia had planned to say the same, but Ivan beat her to it.
“Priestess.”
Didn’t that mean Ivan also wanted to see her again?
“Priestess?”
Amelia, lost in thought while gnawing on her fingernail like she had done early that Saturday morning when Ivan failed to show up, flinched and looked up.
“What were you thinking about that startled you so much?”
Louis asked with a puzzled voice. Naturally, it must have seemed like strange behavior.
“Oh, nothing.”
Amelia mumbled vaguely, trailing off.
“Please don’t bite your nails. You’re supposed to be a role model in this temple.”
Louis’s sharp gaze briefly landed on Amelia and moved away. The message was clear: don’t behave in an undignified manner where everyone can see.
“Okay.”
Amelia obediently replied and turned her gaze forward. There, along the path to the noble’s prayer hall in the west wing, a large number of priests could be seen.
“……”
Could Ivan be among them? The thought made Amelia’s gaze sweep restlessly through the crowd. But even by the time she reached the door of the prayer room, she still hadn’t found him.
“The Priestess has arrived.”
Why is it so difficult to see someone who lives in the same palace? The thought crossed her mind, but upon reflection, it was only natural. Ivan liked going out and even frequented taverns—he was considered a “fallen” priest in the temple. There was no way he would faithfully attend daytime worship services.
“Priestess.”
Still, she couldn’t stop her eyes from searching for Ivan. Until Aaron quietly called out to her.
“Are you looking for someone?”
“N-No.”
Amelia quickly denied it. Aaron must never learn any of her secrets—especially not if Ivan was just an apprentice priest whose fate could change with a single decision from him.
“Let’s go in.”
Aaron’s voice gently urged her forward. Amelia walked calmly, passing through the nobles who were watching her.
Although the Priestess usually offered prayers alone to the gods, sometimes she would join commoners or nobles in their prayer halls. Of course, those were mostly performances with ulterior motives or acts to flaunt the Priestess’s presence.
“There’s a sick child.”
Finally reaching the steps leading to the platform, Amelia turned around. At the same time, a child burst into tears. It was clear that a parent had pinched the child’s tender skin or otherwise caused some shock to provoke the crying.
“This way.”
The child’s mother approached Amelia. Amelia silently looked down at the baby in her arms. Red blotches were visible across the child’s face.
“……”
They were fake. Just realistically drawn marks. Unlike the fever-stricken child Amelia had once willingly blessed by placing her hand on its forehead, this was an act.
It was all part of today’s performance. The previous blessing on a commoner’s child hadn’t looked so beautiful, and there had been few witnesses aside from the priests.
“In the name of Merif, the Lord.”
They only asked things that wouldn’t endanger her health. Worthless beings who wouldn’t be helped weren’t even considered human. No one cared if they died. It was a revolting duty.
“For health and blessing…”
Amelia lifted her gaze. Her eyes met Aaron’s, who stood smiling gently. He seemed satisfied with the way Amelia was moving like a puppet on strings, following the script.
“Why didn’t you go to meet the Priestess?”
Rodan asked. Ivan, who had been flipping through a book absentmindedly, turned his gaze to Rodan.
“I wasn’t in the mood.”
He replied simply. Ivan was known to act on impulse, so it wasn’t an unbelievable answer.
“Do you plan not to go this week either?”
Ivan slowly rolled his eyes at Rodan’s question. He hadn’t acted impulsively last week. Whether he would meet Amelia this week or not—he hadn’t thought about it yet.
“We’ll see.”
Ivan answered briefly. He would go if he felt like it, and wouldn’t if he didn’t. That was all it was.
“It might be time to put things in order.”
Rodan spoke softly. As Ivan’s servant and a vassal of the emperor, Rodan couldn’t let him act only when the mood struck.
“Put things in order?”
“The Priestess.”
Rodan no longer wished to take any more risks. Ivan might feel safe simply because his identity hadn’t been exposed yet, but Rodan couldn’t help but worry about the slim chance of danger. It was a time to avoid full-on conflict between the temple and the royal family.
“She doesn’t mean much to you anyway. If so, then now’s the time to end it, don’t you think?”
Contrary to his grandiose claims, Ivan hadn’t gotten any particularly useful information out of Amelia. If things hadn’t changed by now, they probably never would. Rodan didn’t have high expectations. Ivan was likely feeling the same way by now.
“I’ll send someone to meet with the Priestess at the appointed time. Someone discreet who won’t leave a trace.”
Perhaps he had simply wanted to kill her after hearing her talk about divine revelations.
“……”
Rodan believed he was right. Ivan, who usually had clear opinions, didn’t argue with him. He even seemed to be considering it.
“Do as you like.”
Ivan replied belatedly. He was essentially agreeing to Rodan’s plan.
“I’ll make the preparations.”
Rodan bowed his head and left Ivan’s office. Left alone, Ivan glared at the closed door as if it had offended him. It was because he felt an urge to contradict Rodan. Part of him was uneasy about the decision he had made.
Ivan’s gaze moved to the book on the table. It was a compilation of journals left by previous emperors.
Year 30 of the Escliff calendar, July 31st. A woman appeared claiming to be the agent of God.
The day the Priestess first appeared. The moment she rose to power and took control of Escliff. When the revelations began. The woman who healed the sick, survived plagues, and saved dying citizens—a woman of myth.
We sent assassins to kill the Priestess but failed. Sympathy toward her rose, and more followers gathered—an undeniable failure.
The royal family of Escliff tried to eliminate the Priestess but failed. When rumors spread that the royal family had sent multiple assassins, the people turned on them.
The pitiable agent of God. A Priestess persecuted by a power-hungry royal family.
As long as she held divine authority, it was a terrible image for the monarchy. Since then, the royal family had pretended to maintain peace with the temple. They couldn’t kill her outright. Over time, some even began to believe in the Priestess’s divine role.
“They should’ve just converted if they felt that way.”
Ivan muttered, thinking of the 8th emperor and empress—how they handed power to the temple like love-struck fools.
The temple had seized that moment and spread like a web inside the palace. That influence continued to this day. Emperors grew lethargic and lost control, allowing many to remain under the temple’s shadow. The temple should have remained merely a counterbalance to the throne—not a rival force.
This root must be destroyed so that such things do not happen again.
Ivan’s eyes stopped on the final line written by his father, the 14th emperor.
“Ivan.”
At the same time, he instinctively recalled the harmless smile of that woman.
“It can’t be helped.”
But that face did not sway his decision. His thoughts alone determined his actions.
“……”
His brief hesitation had been due to his failure to use Amelia as he’d intended. That part was unfortunate.
But as long as the Priestess disappeared, it would be enough. Those claiming to speak for God would lose their anchor, and unless they replaced her, they would naturally fade away. It was better to eliminate her while pretending the royal family had no part in it.
“I’m glad I met you.”
Ivan, as if trying to erase her soft voice, deliberately closed the thick book with a loud thud.
“Because we could never live under the same sky anyway.”
If Amelia died, they could call it a tragic affair caused by a rogue priest and a heretic.
“……”
That would be the end. Nothing special.
But even though he thought that way, why was he here?
Ivan sighed, his face tired. He couldn’t understand why he was opening the door to the prayer room.
“Ivan.”
Just as he closed the door behind him, a familiar voice greeted him.
“You came…!”
Amelia, who had been sitting on the platform, stood up in joy and ran toward him. With every step she took, light seemed to fall upon her in scattered beams. Ivan’s eyes remained on her brightly smiling face with a meaningless gaze.
As Amelia approached, her white skirt billowed and swept across the floor.
