PRKE 45

CHAPTER 45…………………………

He hid his true feelings, selfishly pursued his own gain, and instead of embracing those beneath him with generosity, he dismissed them.

As the heir to a declining family of scholars, the weight he bore must have been considerable.

I understand his circumstances. That’s separate from how I feel.

Come to think of it, Aris the priestess must have been a necessary existence for him—to further solidify the count’s position.

In the past, I believed he truly loved and cherished Aris, but looking at it now, too many things felt off. Still, when I considered Hubert’s ambitions, it made a certain amount of sense.

If something happened to Aris, he’d be in trouble too.

Watching the rain-invocation ritual proceed smoothly, I wrapped up my thoughts.

Today was the day of the rain ritual. Just as Princess Larat had hinted beforehand, the royal family hastened the ceremony, and each noble house that received the message also moved up their ritual schedules. I did the same.

Because preparations were rushed compared to previous years, the past few days had been hectic, but so far, everything was going smoothly.

On the altar, the ceremony was in full swing.

The apprentice priests—still in training—dressed in blue from head to toe, shook out their wide sleeves as they finished their dance, and applause burst forth.

The remaining order of events went as follows.

After the apprentice priests’ dedicatory dance to Marta, the senior priests would lead a group prayer.

After that, a priest who had purified their body would offer a prayer to the heavens, and blessed rain would fall.

Generally, rain rituals followed this sequence.

I stood to one side of the rear seating, watching to make sure the ceremony proceeded without issue.

Riorsa had historically been rich in water.

The era in which I was born was said to have been the height of abundance, with noble storehouses overflowing with food.

In such times, rain rituals were closer to events meant to display the royal family’s authority and divine favor.

Though religious ceremonies were sacred by nature, such a solemn atmosphere as this was rare.

That was because the royal family wanted to calm the unsettled public sentiment caused by the drought.

The ceremony is going well.

I glanced at the king seated in the place of honor. His face, stiff with gravity when he first took his seat, had relaxed considerably. He seemed pleased that the ritual was proceeding without a hitch.

That’s a relief.

Now all that remained was for Aris to do her part.

Still… I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

“Here you are.”

“…!”

I nearly screamed at the sudden voice.

I whipped my head around, eyes widening.

A man wearing a deeply pulled-down black robe—like those worn by monks of the temple—stood with his arms crossed, gazing at the altar where prayers were being offered.

Though his face was hidden, I immediately knew who it was.

That build is practically an ID.

“…What’s with that outfit?”

“Didn’t you say it’d be uncomfortable for us to be together unless it was an official date? That’s why, like at that suspicious café before—”

“Ah, I get it, I get it.”

I raised a hand to stop him before he could say anything stranger.

Giovanni let out a small laugh.

“What?”

“It suits you, just as I expected.”

“…?”

“You smell nice.”

Only then did I remember the perfume I’d sprayed on without much thought that morning.

It was the perfume Giovanni had given me that day. Well, technically, it had been payment for a job.

Still, I liked it.

“I should stop by again sometime.”

At his words, something—my head or my heart, I couldn’t tell—felt faintly ticklish.

It wasn’t as if he’d said he’d give me more perfume.

I changed the subject for no reason.

“Right now, Your Highness looks extremely suspicious.”

The jaw visible beneath the robe twitched.

“Why is that?”

“You’re really asking?”

“I went through a lot of trouble to get something priests wear.”

“……”

At his genuinely puzzled tone, I was momentarily speechless.

“Sure, it’s something priests often wear, but…”

So he’s disguised himself as a priest?

His head tilted slightly toward me, as if listening closely.

“Your Highness should really consider your own physique.”

I was waiting for a response, but since he didn’t answer, I muttered softly.

Even wearing the same clothes, Giovanni and the priests could never look the same. They didn’t even look similar.

“Your Highness, your body itself guarantees your status.”

“My body?”

His unusually low voice seemed to scrape against my ears, making it hard to keep talking.

“…You’re bigger than most people.”

“I see.”

“……”

He fidgeted with the black fabric. For some reason, it felt like the eyes hidden beneath the robe were directed at me.

I awkwardly looked away.

“Are all desert people as big as you, Your Highness?”

“Of course not. Those who are starving can’t grow very large.”

“That makes sense.”

“And to survive, they have to move constantly.”

It was a little surprising to hear such words from Giovanni, who seemed like he would have lived a life of leisure as a prince.

Despite his noble blood, he didn’t look down on the people. Instead, he spoke of their lives from the same eye level.

That’s probably why I don’t resent being used by him.

It was because I belonged to that position—the starving people under the rule of someone like him.

Setting those thoughts aside, I asked,

“How did you get here?”

“I was curious what a kingdom’s rain ritual would look like.”

“A priest will offer a prayer later. You’ll get to see the rain fall again.”

“Did you prepare all of this?”

When I nodded, Giovanni stroked his chin. I glanced at him, slightly uneasy.

“Why?”

“You’re good at this kind of thing too.”

The praise was more ordinary than I expected.

“You’d be useful in the empire as well.”

I tilted my head. Somehow, it sounded meaningful.

Wasn’t our unspoken deal that I’d help him in the kingdom, and he’d help me in return from the empire?

“That’s a compliment, right?”

“I’ll be honest. When I leave, won’t you come to the empire with me?”

Giovanni said this while looking at the altar.

“Your abilities would be put to good use there.”

I snorted without realizing it.

“You mean my ability to steal things?”

“And your hidden abilities as well.”

“I haven’t shown you those yet.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“……”

“You’ve never once failed to bring me what I wanted. You’re sharp, quick-handed, and excellent at carrying out orders.”

He seemed serious. When I didn’t reply, he tilted his head toward me.

“For reference, I’m quite a merciful superior. Ask Kichef if you don’t believe me.”

“As if he’d explain it kindly.”

I smiled wryly, thinking of how Kichef still couldn’t hide his discomfort whenever he looked at me.

I hesitated briefly. Being personally recruited by a prince of the empire was certainly moving, but still—

“The desert seems too hot for me to live in.”

“Hm. Refusing already, when the future is uncertain?”

“No matter how good the pay is, I’m not interested in unstable jobs with no guaranteed future.”

I was impressed by his willingness to respect my free will. But that was as far as it went.

Going to the empire would mean entrusting my fate entirely to him, and that was dangerous.

If I stayed in the kingdom, even if something happened to him, I could at least keep my life.

Besides, I still had things to do here.

I hadn’t even begun to grasp what Leo’s words truly meant.

Giovanni said bluntly,

“My adjutant’s position wouldn’t be inferior to being a nobleman’s daughter.”

“And wouldn’t that also vanish into thin air if the superior falls?”

“……”

“As Your Highness’s adjutant, I’d have to share your fate. I can’t stake my life just for better treatment.”

“…Your tongue is quite sharp.”

I burst into laughter at his displeased expression.

Then, suddenly, he muttered,

“But isn’t the rain ritual already over?”

“What?”

I stopped laughing and turned toward the stage where the ceremony was being held. My face stiffened.

The platform where prayers should have been offered was empty—everyone was gone.

“Didn’t you say rain would fall?”

“The priest hasn’t offered the prayer yet.”

By the order of events, this was when Aris should have appeared.

She liked being in the spotlight. Had her terrible case of protagonist syndrome flared up again?

“We should wait a little longer.”

But even as time passed, Aris didn’t appear.

“Bring Lady Aris here, Jenny.”

“I already sent someone.”

Before long, the servant Jenny had dispatched returned. His confused expression sent a chill through me.

As expected, he reported in a fearful voice,

“Lady Aris is nowhere to be found.”

“Ha…”

I ran a hand through my hair.

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.

I knew something felt off.

I’d expected some kind of retaliation, thinking she’d felt humiliated at the princess’s tea party—but I never imagined she’d cause an incident this big.

“Seems there’s a problem.”

Giovanni, who had been watching, said that, then added,

“If you get fired from the count’s household, I can take you in.”

“Fired? I don’t recall planning on that.”

“The king looks furious. You might be unemployed soon.”

“Please don’t inspire such irreverent thoughts in me, Your Highness.”

People were beginning to murmur. Before the confusion grew, I gathered my skirts and walked toward the altar.

Then someone blocked my path. It was Lady Emerne.

“Madam, please step aside. Right now, Lady Aris—”

Smack!

Before I could finish speaking, a burning pain slashed across my cheek.

Lady Emerne exploded in suppressed fury.

“How could you handle things so poorly?!”

“……”

“Aris has disappeared. What were you doing, not protecting her?”

“……”

“I knew it from the moment you started talking about inviting some famous apprentice priest—such pointless nonsense. The most important thing is Aris’s safety! I knew something like this would happen the moment you started acting recklessly, trusting that pitiful position of yours!”

“……”

“Find Aris immediately! Something terrible must have happened!”

I lightly rubbed my cheek with my open palm. It burned and stung.

I probed the inside of my cheek with my tongue. The taste of blood suggested my teeth had cut it.

I turned my head slightly. Giovanni was still standing there. Because of the ridiculous outfit, I couldn’t see his expression, but his arms were no longer crossed.

Was he a little shocked?

Ah… how embarrassing.