Chapter 18
The temple’s pride was its vast rose garden, where blossoms spread in breathtaking abundance.
More than a thousand varieties of roses displayed their beauty, while the Fountain of Compassion, connected by elegant pavilions and wooden decks, was one of Elium’s greatest landmarks.
In three weeks, the Elium Rose Festival would begin. Once the temple gates were opened to the public, every corner of the sacred grounds would be overflowing with visitors.
Inside a marble pavilion overlooking the gardens, two men sat across from each other with a tea table between them.
Under the bright afternoon sun, Reyhas’s golden hair gleamed even more brilliantly, and the same was true for his golden eyes.
Dressed in the High Priest’s immaculate white uniform, he held a teacup filled with black tea in one hand.
Seated opposite him was a man with jet-black hair and deep navy-blue eyes.
Cass Lloyd.
The acting head and heir of the Lloyd Merchant Guild.
He was a strikingly handsome young man with refined yet masculine features and a sharp jawline.
Looking completely at ease, Cass leaned back comfortably in his chair.
His lazy gaze rested on three black hunting hounds tied to a marble pillar nearby. Every one of them was a fierce beast.
“I paid quite a fortune to acquire them,” he said in a bored tone.
“It’s a shame.”
“I never expected them to treat a Blue Wing as prey and slam it around like that.”
Blue Wings were intelligent birds that were extremely difficult to capture and tame. Each one was worth well over a thousand francs.
After taking another sip of tea while a gentle breeze passed through the pavilion, Reyhas quietly set down his cup.
“It seems they require training not to bite what belongs to their master.”
Cass’s lips curled slightly.
“Is there such training?”
“I’ve never done it with dogs.”
“But I have done something similar several times.”
Reyhas smiled gently.
“And did it work?”
“Who knows…”
The face of Annieāthe maid who had died by his own hand not long agoābriefly crossed his mind.
“At the very least…”
“They never bit again.”
I assigned her to assist Ariel properly, yet she dared to overstep her place.
“I see.”
Cass nodded.
He could roughly imagine the fate of whatever the High Priest had “trained.”
After all, he was one of the few people in the empire who understood Reyhas better than anyone.
Picking up his teacup, Cass finished the now-lukewarm tea in one swallow. Its rich yet bittersweet flavor lingered on his tongue.
After quietly watching him for a moment, Reyhas finally spoke.
“Thank you for obtaining the White Rotunia. Elium will not forget Lloyd’s contribution.”
The White Rotunia was an exceptionally rare white rose.
“I merely wished to show a small gesture of sincerityāas Lloyd’s acting guild master and as a citizen devoted to the Holy City.”
Soon, Elium’s grand festival would begin, drawing people from across the continent into the empire.
In exchange for acquiring the White Rotunia, Lloyd would receive special privileges throughout the festivalāa period every merchant guild eagerly anticipated because of the enormous profits it brought.
“The White Rotunia is an exceptionally delicate flower. You’ll need to hire a dedicated gardener.”
A single White Rotunia bloom could sell for as much as five hundred francs. It was an extremely valuable species whose natural habitat was completely unsuited to the empire’s climate.
“I’ve already built a greenhouse and hired gardeners.”
Hearing that, Cass realized just how much preparation Reyhas had made to cultivate the flower.
A man whose emotions are drier than the desert suddenly develops an interest in flowers…
His curiosity was piqued, but he chose not to ask.
Just thenā
A sharp chirping sound rang through the air.
Something came flying toward them.
“…”
In the blink of an eye, it landed softly on Cass’s shoulder.
Reyhas raised an eyebrow before the corner of his lips curved into a faint smile.
“I heard the dogs threw it around.”
“It seems perfectly healthy.”
Cass gently held the bird in his hand, staring at it in disbelief.
His brow furrowed.
He had personally watched the hunting dogs seize its wings and repeatedly smash it against the ground.
Its wings should have been shattered beyond repair.
No…
Flying wasn’t even the issue.
By all rights, the bird should have died within ten minutes.
Yet there wasn’t a single trace of injury left on the Blue Wing’s wings.
For a moment, he wondered whether it was a different bird.
But the small red marking on the top of its head removed all doubt.
That distinctive mark had been the very reason Cass had chosen this particular Blue Wing in the first placeāit stood out more than the others.
“It seems some compassionate high-ranking priest healed it with divine power.”
As he gazed at the bird resting in his hand, Cass murmured quietly.
A faint divine aura still lingered around its body.
He stared at the fragile creatureāwhich seemed as though it would crumble with the slightest pressureāfor a long moment before releasing it.
The Blue Wing fluttered its wings and, exactly as it had been trained, returned to Cass’s shoulder.
“It appears the God of Compassion has blessed it.”
Smiling faintly, Reyhas observed the bird perched on Cass’s shoulder.
Even he found himself slightly intrigued.
When Cass Lloyd discarded something, it was only because it had become completely unusable.
Yet someone had restored it to perfect condition in such a short time.
He briefly thought of several priests known for possessing unusually powerful divine abilities.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped somewhere beyond the pavilion.
“…”
Noticing the subtle change in Reyhas’s expression, Cass turned to look in the same direction.
A blonde woman in a snow-white dress was walking gracefully through the sea of blooming roses, accompanied by a woman who appeared to be a temple priestess.
Her golden hair, falling softly over her chest, shimmered like strands of spun gold.
Her pale blue eyes were as fresh and vibrant as the sea itself.
The moment their eyes metā
Cass’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
This situation…
Was far from ideal.
I had simply come out for a walk to escape the suffocating atmosphere inside the temple.
The last person I wanted to run into was Reyhas.
He seemed to be having tea with a black-haired guest.
The moment I spotted him, I instinctively froze and tried to turn around as though I hadn’t seen anything.
Unfortunately…
Reyhas was faster.
“Did you come out for a walk, Saintess?”
Suppressing a small sigh, I reluctantly approached them.
After climbing the short marble staircase leading into the pavilion, I stopped before them.
Both men slowly rose from their seats.
Neither of them is even standing against the sunlight… so why do they both look like they’re glowing?
It’s like standing in front of two ridiculously handsome movie stars with perfect physiques.
Looking up at the much taller Reyhas, I calmly greeted them.
“May the blessings of the Nine Gods be with the High Priest.”
“And with our honored guest who has come to Elium.”
Reyhas gestured toward the black-haired young man beside him.
“This is Cass Lloyd, acting head of the Lloyd Merchant Guild.”
“You may address him as Marquis Lloyd.”
Cass Lloyd…?
Recognizing one of the original novel’s male leads, I was inwardly startled.
Outwardly, however, I remained perfectly composed.
“I see.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marquis Lloyd.”
Jet-black hair.
Deep sapphire-blue eyes.
His elegant, noble appearance was exactly how I had imagined him while reading the novel.
“May the glory of Elium’s Nine Gods shine upon you, Saintess.”
Cass greeted me like the perfect gentleman.
But things were different now.
When I had read the original novel, I had viewed him through the heroine’s affectionate perspective.
Now…
I was Ariel.
The fake Saintess.
The story’s villainess.
“Welcome to Elium.”
Offering him a faint smile, I shifted my gaze toward Reyhas.
Fortunately, his complexion looked healthier than when he had barged into my room the other day.
“Did you come to admire the rose garden, Saintess?”
Though…
His cheeks still seemed slightly redder than usual.
“If you had informed me beforehand, I would have escorted you myself.”
His words made me smile brightly.
“You’re far too busy, High Priest.”
“I couldn’t possibly trouble you.”
“I was simply taking a short walk nearby with Daisy.”
“Please continue enjoying your tea…”
I had greeted them.
Now it was time to excuse myself.
A brief encounter with the male leads is more than enough.
I’ll leave the rest of their screen time for the heroine.
Just as I was about to leaveā
A priest suddenly rushed over to Reyhas and whispered something into his ear.
My sentence was cut short.
A moment later, Reyhas turned toward us with a slightly hardened expression.
“It seems there’s a problem with the construction work on the western building.”
“I’ll need to go there for a while.”
“It shouldn’t take long.”
Startled, I opened my mouth to speak.
But Cass spoke before I could.
“Understood.”
“I’ll keep the Saintess company until you return.”
