Handsome Villain Prince 4

*Ah. Can Melia’s Holy Eye see the true form of my soul?*

Soichiro really was an “uncle,” so the little girl’s choice of address did not surprise him.

Even before awakening as the Saintess, the Melia of the original novel had manifested several unusual abilities. Her sacred eyes, which could perceive the truth, were not called Mystic Eyes but the *Holy Eye*. The power to distinguish other people’s lies had helped her survive her cruel childhood.

Remembering this, Soichiro removed the cloak from his shoulders, wrapped it around the slender girl, and lifted her gently into his arms.

“Y-Your Highness! What do you intend to do with that child…?!”

Lude rushed toward them. Every one of the Royal Guard knights beside the carriage had gone pale.

*There is no need to be so frightened. All she did was call me “Uncle.”*

It was a familiar form of address to Soichiro, though admittedly it did not suit Zephal, who was only in his twenties.

Melia remained quietly inside the cloak, still wearing her flat, suspicious expression. Soichiro leaned close to her ear.

“Would you keep the ‘Uncle’ part secret for a little while?”

“Secret?”

“Yes. A secret between you and me.”

“If you give sweets, okay.”

“Thank you. I will give you plenty.”

After considerable effort spent calming the flustered knights, Soichiro returned to the carriage.

* * *

“Melia! I already told you, this is not your room!”

“Shut up. Hate Raficel. Go away.”

“Your manners are terrible! Do not eat sweets on the bed! And get off Lord Zephal’s lap!”

*How lively.*

It was the following morning.

Melia and the white cat brought back from the church had spent the night in Zephal’s chambers. From the moment he arrived that morning, Raficel had been scolding them.

Of course, taking Melia away from the church had not been a simple matter.

Priestesses dedicated their lives to the gods, so one should never have become pregnant. Yet Melia’s mother had conceived a child.

That meant Melia had a father, but no one knew—or admitted—who he was.

*Nine times out of ten, it was probably some high-ranking priest.*

A forbidden romance would almost have been preferable. The truth was nothing so kind.

Soichiro had no intention of exposing every festering abuse produced by the temple’s antiquated system or judging everyone involved. Open hostility would accomplish nothing.

But he did intend to take Melia and her mother away.

One step at a time, he would do what lay within his reach. Helping the people close enough for him to save might eventually lead to greater change. At the very least, it was better than doing nothing.

And so Soichiro had made full use of the authority belonging to the villain prince Zephal.

*The High Priest turned white as a sheet. I hope this keeps him quiet for a while…though it will probably be only a little while. Men like that never learn.*

When dealing with moral harassment or sexual harassment, speaking to the offender privately was often most effective.

Upon arriving at the temple, Soichiro had exchanged a few words with the High Priest, then taken him into a separate room and negotiated until he secured the release of Melia and her mother.

He did not become emotional. He stated the facts calmly, guided the other man toward acknowledging his actions, and never abandoned the sympathetic posture of saying, “I understand how you feel.”

* * *

A child conceived by a priestess was someone the temple believed must not exist. It would naturally wish to conceal the very fact that she had given birth.

When Soichiro pointed out that Melia’s troublesome existence would disappear from the temple altogether, the High Priest had been unable to object.

Before moving to General Affairs in his previous life, Soichiro had worked in Human Resources.

When the general affairs manager approached retirement, the women in the department had all refused the managerial post, so the company’s attention settled upon Soichiro.

The title came with an allowance, but the female administrative employees had no desire to shoulder a manager’s responsibilities on top of their ordinary duties. Soichiro fully understood their feelings and accepted the transfer without complaint.

A general affairs manager’s work covered an enormous range. In some respects, he was the person who cleaned up every internal problem in the company.

He interviewed employees whose mental health had deteriorated because of bullying from a senior and accompanied them to appointments with the company physician. He listened not only to the employee whose conduct had caused the problem but also to the people around them.

The purpose was not simply to determine who was at fault.

He had to consider what would allow everyone to continue working with peace of mind.

“Your Highness, are you certain it was wise to leave the temple as it is?”

Lude was also present in the room.

Only he and a handful of the escorting knights knew everything that had happened the previous day. Since Lude appeared concerned for both Melia and Raficel, Soichiro had specifically appointed him as his guard that morning.

“Do you believe the High Priest will attempt something?”

“Yes. The man is notorious for his schemes…”

Melia’s “friend,” a white cat, lay belly-up across Soichiro’s lap. The animal was a young male, and Melia said they had remained together ever since meeting in the forest.

Soichiro stroked the head of the contentedly purring cat and smiled.

“However devious he may be, he cannot reject a royal donation on his own authority. Nor can he ignore the construction of a knights’ station within the Holy District when it is proposed as a public-safety measure.”

“Th-That is true, but…”

The white cat rolled over on Soichiro’s lap, its long triangular ears twitching. Its narrowed golden eyes opened with a snap.

“After all, he was told that a girl living within the Holy District had been injured. If the matter grew serious, people would begin asking who had been hurt and whose child she was. He had already gone pale when I criticized the district’s poor security.”

The claim that Melia had been injured was a lie. Soichiro had merely allowed the High Priest a brief glimpse of her tunic, which had been dyed bright red by raspberry juice.

On the surface, he had asked to place Melia under royal protection while her “injury” was treated and its cause investigated.

“Have the knights observe the temple for the time being. No matter how minor something seems, I want it reported.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Still looking confused, Lude knelt and bowed.

*He must wonder why Zephal would do any of this. Still, now that I have begun, I must see it through.*

The previous day, Soichiro had made a substantial donation in Zephal’s name to fund a large-scale renovation of the aging temple.

The money would not be placed at the temple’s free disposal. Royal engineers would design and build the new facilities. They would, of course, interview the temple’s residents about what was needed, but the completed complex would have properly separated areas for men and women and genuine security measures.

A permanent knights’ station would also be established within the Holy District.

That alone, Soichiro believed, would deter a considerable amount of crime.

He had expected resistance from the priests, yet none had come. The temple truly was in desperate condition. Many of its buildings were badly dilapidated, and it was obvious that operating funds had been used for little besides lining someone’s pockets.

*They could not afford to refuse, however much they may have wanted to.*

Perhaps Soichiro had taken advantage of their circumstances, but he had never gone there to decide a winner and a loser.

He had only wanted to protect Melia.

*Come to think of it, the Goddess is enshrined at the temple.*

He had not entered the grand cathedral the previous day. If the deity worshiped there was the same Goddess who had thrust this impossible task upon him before his reincarnation, perhaps he ought to greet her at least once.

As Soichiro considered the matter—

“Nougat!”

A piece of nougat packed with nuts and dried fruit was thrust before his face.

Soichiro blinked his vermilion eyes.

“Melia!” Raficel cried.

“Shut up. Uncle and me eat nougat.”

“You called him Uncle again!”

A vein stood out upon Raficel’s forehead.

Soichiro smiled wryly and started to reach for the offered sweet—then remembered that he had been petting the cat.

After a moment’s hesitation, he opened his mouth.

Melia placed the nougat directly between his lips.

“—!”

Lude released a tiny, strangled cry. Beside him, Raficel turned bright red and began trembling.

As Soichiro chewed the firm confection, Melia climbed onto his lap. The white cat voiced an aggrieved “Mrrrow.”

“Give one more.”

Her usually impassive eyes sparkled as she gazed intently up at him.

“Why do we not all share them? We can make some good tea to go with them.”

Soichiro’s eyes softened as he smiled.

That evening, Lude reportedly returned to the Royal Guard station in a daze, looking as though his soul had left his body.

According to a knight who observed him, he clutched his head and groaned:

“No… That cannot be right. No…it must be an act. Why can I not get it out of my mind?!”

“Aaargh!”

The other knights watched him from a safe distance. None of them yet knew that, within a matter of weeks, they would all be suffering through the same inner conflict.