Chapter 14
“If you don’t want to get hurt, please stay quiet.”
I lowered my voice as well and issued a sincere warning.
What if I couldn’t hold myself back and ended up pouncing on His Majesty’s body?
If, by some chance, His Majesty’s guard was slow and I ended up touching him…!
His Majesty would feel unpleasant in his own way, and I’d spend the night unable to sleep, wracked with guilt.
And then what about dealing with the aftermath?
[You will need to leave the imperial palace.]
The trip to the Temple of Nysephoriel might end up being one-way instead of round-trip.
“……”
The carriage was silent.
Had he understood my warning? I wondered.
“……Ha…….”
Every now and then, the sound of breathing slipped from His Majesty’s lips.
It sounded like he was holding something back.
…Holding back?
“Your Majesty, you’re not holding in laughter right now, are you?”
I asked just in case—but as if that question had pulled the trigger, laughter burst from His Majesty’s mouth.
“Hey. Don’t laugh right now!”
This was too much.
That refreshingly clear laughter, as if someone had poured a hundred liters of ion drink straight down his throat.
Never before had His Majesty felt so cruel.
I can’t see right now!
‘What is it? What’s so funny?! I’ve never heard laughter like this before!’
What part of this dire situation had possibly hit His Majesty’s funny bone?
He’d smiled plenty of calculated smiles before, but this kind of unintentional, genuine laughter was a first.
I wanted to rip off this blindfold covering my vision immediately.
But…
“Can I really deal with what comes after…!”
The words slipped out in a near-crazed mutter. I clutched my head in anguish.
‘Should I just look? Can I hold back? What if my body moves on its own? No—look for just 0.1 seconds and then cover my eyes again. But would that really satisfy someone like me? Ugh. I can’t trust myself.’
Right. If I can’t hold back, then I shouldn’t look.
But His Majesty’s stifled laughter shook my flimsy resolve.
Was this how it felt to hear the siren’s song that lured ships onto reefs? Right now, I was the sailor holding the helm. My enchanted body muttered on its own.
“0.1 seconds should be enough……”
Just as the single, hair-thin strand of reason snapped with a sharp “tck,” someone knocked on the window.
It was Captain Henkel on horseback.
“We’re entering the imperial capital now.”
“Understood.”
His Majesty was a professional.
True to his reputation as a genius of acting, he spoke with the captain in his usual manner, as though he’d never laughed at all.
A moment later, the window closed.
“So, we’ll soon be in the capital. There’ll be many people gathered, so even if it’s stuffy, it’s better not to open the window—are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“No. I’m praying to the gods that this journey ends safely.”
Squeeze.
I clasped my hands tightly together, placed them on my thighs as if sealed, and bowed my head, pretending to pray.
If the captain had been even a little later, it would’ve been dangerous.
As expected of Henkel Levarthen—the man who wore abstinence like a second skin.
“Praying? You, Saintess?”
“Yes. I thought I’d try being a bit more devout starting today.”
“Hah.”
A sound of disbelief escaped His Majesty.
“You really do have a talent for making people laugh.”
“……You’re teasing me again, aren’t you?”
“It’s a compliment.”
“Don’t lie.”
“How could I ever lie to the Saintess?”
“Tsk. That’s sarcasm. Your personality is really awful.”
After that, a brief back-and-forth squabble followed, and silence settled over the carriage.
Silence was dangerous. Better to sleep.
I was about to lean my head lightly against the window frame when His Majesty spoke.
“This is your first time leaving the imperial palace since being summoned, isn’t it?”
“I think… so?”
Was it? It felt like it might be.
All the banquets and events had taken place inside the palace.
There hadn’t really been a reason to go out.
The ultimate fan-service environment was already inside the imperial palace—why would I leave?
Even if only my soul had been summoned, I’d surely have followed His Majesty around and become a permanent palace ghost.
“Have you heard anything about the Temple of Nysephoriel?”
It seemed His Majesty was trying to tell me about the temple we were heading to.
“I heard a bit from Priest Raul. He said it’s where the emperor candidates of Zendal are trained?”
“That’s right. Every ten years, Zendal gathers children under the age of twelve with high divine power from each region through the local lords and brings them to the capital. From there, ten children are selected in order of divine power and educated at the temple.”
It sounded like a boarding academy for the elite.
When Priest Raul had said, ‘The children can’t leave the temple for ten years,’ I’d swallowed unconsciously.
“The candidates of the current generation have been there for five years now.”
“This generation?”
“The emperor candidates are replaced every ten years.”
“Then there are children who don’t even have a chance of becoming emperor, right?”
Ten years of confinement, only to end with a contract termination and no debut opportunity.
‘That’s… cruel.’
“That’s true. The next emperor is chosen only when the current one dies. Why—do you feel sorry for them, thinking they devote their lives without even receiving compensation?”
Of course not.
My love for humanity wasn’t strong enough to be realized at the expense of my favorite (body).
Our Majesty—please don’t even think about a next successor. Stay right there for a long, long time.
Come to think of it, it really was impressive.
To reach the throne of emperor, you needed both ability and luck.
Maybe His Majesty wasn’t even human.
“They’re not in such a pitiful position.”
“Pardon?”
“When the children leave the temple, they’re appointed as high-ranking priests once they reach adulthood. It’s an achievement most people can only attain in their forties at the earliest.”
“Oh. An elite course that even guarantees employment.”
High-ranking priests were given the authority to manage an entire temple.
Zendal was a theocratic nation, and all imperial citizens believed in the god Seikan, so—
“They won’t have to worry about making a living for the rest of their lives. That’s nice.”
“Nice?”
“Of course. A job that even guarantees your old age is the best.”
“I didn’t expect the Saintess to be so interested in Nysephoriel.”
“Eh…?”
“If you want to enroll, I could try to arrange a spot.”
Somehow, I’d had a bad feeling since the latter half of this conversation.
Just a moment ago, he said he’d let me laze around—and now he was talking about enrollment?
Could it be that the real purpose of this outing was to leave me at the temple…?
‘No. That can’t be—!’
I pretended not to hear His Majesty and calmly changed the subject.
“Then everyone who studied with Your Majesty must’ve become high-ranking priests too, right?”
“…….”
But His Majesty stayed silent.
Had the answer already been decided, and was I supposed to say that I’d go to the temple?
As I held my breath and read the room, there was a soft rustle—the sound of something brushing past.
Then my stifled vision brightened, and light took shape.
I stared blankly at the stunningly handsome man who appeared before me, then quickly realized the situation and bowed my head deeply.
‘Ah! My defense barrier!’
The ribbon—my one and only lifeline—was in His Majesty’s hand.
“……?!”
And that wasn’t the end.
His Majesty pulled my left hand and placed it atop his own palm.
He was clearly trying to kill me.
“Ughhh……”
It hurt, but it was blissful.
Blissful, yet my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
A fleeting moment stretched on like eternity.
“It’s better not to cover your eyes after all.”
Using that gentle tone right now was cheating.
That honey-sweet, smooth voice, like he’d set up a beehive in his vocal cords.
Before I could collect myself, His Majesty lifted my face.
“…….”
Seeing His Majesty’s face again, I hurriedly lowered my eyes—then gasped.
My blindfold was tied around my left wrist in a butterfly knot.
“This is better than covering your eyes, isn’t it?”
“Uh… uh….”
I repeated the same sound, like someone who could only say “uh.”
‘W-where did you learn something like this?!’
That perfectly symmetrical beauty.
That butterfly knot that looked like it might spread wings and fly off elegantly at any moment.
Who taught His Majesty something like this?
If he started flaunting such playful charm on top of that face—
‘I can’t… I can’t handle this.’
My ribbon-bound left arm trembled.
I was terrified of a future version of myself I couldn’t trust.
“The Saintess has beautiful eyes.”
I suppose this is where I’m meant to lie down.
If I had to guess, my face right now was surely red and mushy, like an overripe tomato about to burst.
“Don’t untie it.”
With my head going hazy from the heat, I nodded vigorously.
I couldn’t even remember what conversation we’d been having anymore.
Only the words ‘Don’t untie it’ kept replaying in my ears on an endless loop.
Rrrk. Thud.
‘Someone, please make that sound stop…….’
Even time that felt eternal had an end.
‘F-finally.’
Clinging to the doorframe as it opened, I felt like I was escaping.
When His Majesty reached out as if to disembark behind me, I quickly jumped down from the carriage and stepped aside.
“…….”
Against the backdrop of a grand building, an elderly gentleman in an impeccably tailored suit greeted us.
“I am Hazel Roiken, the one in overall charge of the Temple of Nysephoriel. To think I would behold the Saintess in person—at last, the blessing of the god Seikan has descended upon this place as well.”
Hazel led us around the temple, introducing its major facilities.
One main building composed of two wings, with five annexes.
Considering there were only ten children, the scale was quite large just in terms of buildings.
“We assign two instructors per subject. History, art, literature, physical training, etiquette—there are at least fifteen subjects in total.”
As Hazel’s tour continued, my steps gradually drifted farther away from both His Majesty and Hazel.
His Majesty looked no different than usual—listening attentively with a warm smile, the image of a gentle emperor—but that only made me want to keep my distance more.
I slowly edged backward until I ended up right beside Captain Henkel, who followed at a set distance for protection.
The captain looked at me with a questioning gaze.
“Captain, could you pass a message from me to His Majesty later?”
“I will.”
The two of them conversing beneath the arched outdoor corridor.
For some reason, it kept looking like a school principal and a guardian discussing a transfer.
I whispered softly, just loud enough for Captain Henkel to hear.
“I oppose unfair admissions.”
