CHAPTER 54……………………………………………
It seemed I had fallen asleep resting on his thigh.
Startled and stiff, I heard his muffled voice ask:
“How’s your body?”
I was taken aback by the question. Until yesterday, my body had been in a critical state, but now it didn’t feel bad at all—if anything, it felt refreshed.
Suddenly, a warm hand touched my forehead. Giovanni’s hand was warm, though not burning like the early morning.
“Hm, I guess this is okay.”
“…….”
“Time to get up. I’ve been hearing voices for a while now; it’s been quite some time.”
I lifted my head again and looked at the window. The gentle morning sunlight was shining.
‘At this time…’
It was when people would be saying their morning prayers.
If anyone happened to see me…
My hair stood on end.
I jumped up, but my legs went numb and I staggered. Giovanni quickly caught me.
My chest pressed against his arm. Memories of the early morning flashed rapidly through my mind.
After a few seconds of stillness, Giovanni helped me stand properly.
‘I can’t bear to look him in the eye.’
While straightening the wrinkles of my wet-then-dried dress, I noticed a bandage wrapped around my calf—the calf I had injured while saving a child.
‘Did he treat it?’
I glanced at Giovanni.
He seemed calm.
Unlike me, who was startled as if even a trivial touch could ignite a fire after yesterday’s events.
‘I can’t just stand here like this either.’
Ahem. I cleared my throat and faced him properly.
“Sorry for last night.”
“…….”
“And thanks for my leg.”
Giovanni gave a small, amused smile, picked up the cloak that had fallen to the floor when I got up, and draped it over my shoulders.
“Let’s move.”
He walked a few steps toward the door, then stopped.
“Ah, the rain has stopped while you were asleep.”
“…….”
“I don’t know what you did, but it seems it worked.”
The rain stopped?
Before following Giovanni out, I glanced back.
Through the small window of the prayer room, the sky was perfectly clear, as if yesterday’s rain had been a lie.
After leaving the prayer room, I carefully surveyed my surroundings, stepping lightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Being careful.”
“…Like that?”
I clicked my tongue at Giovanni’s reluctant expression.
“The prince doesn’t know, but the kingdom’s social circles are terrifying. Really.”
He stressed the word really.
“If you slip up even once, in less than a day, even the lowest palace maids will know.”
“You seem to care a lot about other people’s business.”
“Is the empire’s social scene any different?”
Glancing at him, Giovanni scratched his chin and tilted his head.
“I’ve heard plenty of stories about women who fought one day and released scorpions and poisonous snakes into each other’s rooms the next.”
“…….”
I was lost for words.
At that moment…
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of footsteps made me immediately alert. I quickly turned and pressed myself against the wall.
Giovanni gave me a bewildered look.
Shh, shh.
I put a finger to my lips and gestured for him to come closer. He walked toward me slowly, but one step too late.
“Who’s there?”
I pressed my back against the wall again and clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘I’ve been caught.’
The fortunate thing was that only Giovanni had been spotted. Depending on how he handled it, we might be able to avoid trouble.
“Ah, the prince of the empire, I see.”
I tilted my head listening to the voice of an older person.
‘Where have I heard that voice before?’
“Haha. Somehow I felt I’d meet a welcome guest, and here you are, Prince.”
The warm, gentle tone overlapped with a voice from the past that spoke of human decency.
‘High Priest Urenas.’
I swallowed hard.
He was one of the managers of the central temple.
“But what brings you here so early?”
“The rain has stopped, so I came to pray.”
“Yes, it’s really fortunate the rain has stopped. Though the citizens are worried…”
Despite his advanced age, High Priest Urenas was known for regularly undertaking ascetic practices. He trailed off, perhaps concerned about the flood damage.
“What prayer will you offer? I will join you.”
“My subordinate is sick. I wish for his recovery.”
“I will pray as well, that your subordinate may recover, Your Highness.”
Giovanni naturally guided the conversation.
I quietly exhaled in relief. Their conversation continued.
“I plan to depart for the village of Liore this evening. Being near the waterway, the recent floods must have caused significant damage there.”
“Good luck.”
“May God bless your journey, Your Highness.”
‘A people who worship fire seeking Marta’s blessing?’
I thought this while waiting for the high priest to pass.
Then suddenly, a voice reached me.
「Can you hear my voice?」
I unconsciously pressed my finger to my ear.
‘An auditory hallucination?’
「It’s not an illusion.」
My mouth dropped open.
Someone was speaking, not into my ears, but directly into my mind.
I was familiar with this method—Leo had done the same.
‘Could it be… Leo?’
Could this be the clue to Leo that I had never found, even when searching remote temples?
‘Where? Where are you speaking from?’
I looked around, but all I saw were walls.
‘No way…’
I peeked slightly. Giovanni and the high priest were visible. I scanned the area.
‘Nothing stands out.’
Everything looked ordinary.
Except for the aquamarine necklace around the high priest’s neck, which shone unusually bright.
‘Why is that sparkling so much?’
Squinting, I focused on the gem. Suddenly, my mind reverberated.
「Yes. It’s me! Look at me!」
The aquamarine glowed brilliantly.
It might have reflected light, but the gem flickered every time the voice echoed in my mind.
‘My goodness.’
The gem could speak…
‘Am I sick or something?’
「You are painfully slow, aren’t you.」
The tongue-clicking sound was sharp. If this were truly a hallucination, I’d be in serious trouble—mental illness of this magnitude wouldn’t be ordinary.
Not long after, Giovanni finished his conversation with Urenas and approached the wall where I was hiding.
“You can come out now.”
“…….”
“Why are you still like that?”
I lowered my hands from my head. Giovanni gave me a reluctant look.
“Go ahead. I don’t think I should move yet. I have something to do first.”
“…….”
“Of course, I won’t refuse if you help me. As a close partner in our cooperative relationship.”
“…….”
“You said not to act tough. Didn’t that mean you’d help me?”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just realized you’re more troublesome than I expected.”
“And before that?”
“A clever talent.”
“So your opinion has changed?”
“Now….”
He stopped speaking, looking at my face. A strange expression flashed in his eyes.
The silence that followed embarrassed me.
I could have broken it with playful words like, “Why worry so much? Isn’t it unnecessary now?” But that trivial phrase got stuck in my throat.
Memories of the early morning flashed before my eyes.
Could he be thinking the same thing?
This kind of silence felt strange.
Fortunately, it didn’t last long. Giovanni returned to his usual stoic expression and asked:
“How should I help?”
One hour later.
I was still inside the temple, pressed against the wall, watching the entrance and the adjoining white corridor.
The massive marble door was still quiet. Inside, the priests were likely bathing.
Urenas said all temple priests were gathered in the prayer room, continuously praying.
Praying earnestly for Liorsa’s safety after the floods. No wonder the temple was so quiet.
They had been praying throughout the storm, so their bathing time had been long.
I kept my eyes fixed on the unmoving marble door and whispered quickly:
“You know what you need to do, right?”
“…….”
No answer.
“Your Highness?”
I glanced back.
Giovanni, silent as ever, slightly furrowed his brows.
“I said I wanted to help.”
“…….”
“But I didn’t expect to be involved in theft.”
“Ah, it’s not theft. It’s a verification task, a verification task.”
“What kind of verification?”
“That aquamarine might be a sacred relic.”
Giovanni fell silent, a complicated expression crossing his face.
“This is the first time I’ve considered the dignity of a prince.”
I scratched my chin awkwardly.
“You get used to it as you go. I’m the expert, after all.”
“Hmm, as long as it’s not discovered.”
I gave a thumbs-up.
“Good mindset. You might have a knack for this.”
Giovanni’s eyes narrowed.
“I can’t say much since I was the one who told you to retrieve the relic first.”
“…….”
“Soon, I’ll have to fix your moral laxity…”
“Wait! Someone’s coming!”
I raised my hand and peered outside.
It might have been a false alarm—the marble door was still quiet—but I spoke quickly just in case.
“We need to keep watch carefully. If it were dark, I could do it alone, but it’s too open here.”
With a slightly gloomy expression, Giovanni nodded.
“Hurry, before you’re seen.”
He gestured as if to say he would help.
‘This guy… has a funny side.’
I stifled a laugh and entered the wardrobe room.
The priests’ clothes were organized in individual baskets.
‘Which one belongs to the high priest? They all look similar, hard to tell.’
The priests’ attire in the temple was uniform. I had no choice but to search through each basket.
There were about ten baskets. Searching them wasn’t a problem.
‘As long as he didn’t take the necklace into the bath.’
It’s common to remove jewelry while bathing to prevent damage, though some priests never removed their symbols. I felt a bit uneasy.
The first basket had a necklace, but nothing special. Passed.
The second basket had no necklace.
The third basket was like the first.
The fourth basket was next.
Inside the folds of the clothing was a necklace. The aquamarine was brilliant and beautiful, but it was too pristine for a high priest.
‘Could he really have taken it in?’
I checked the bathroom entrance.
“Pft…”
I quickly pressed my lips together.
Giovanni, arms crossed, silently watched the bathroom door.
‘Living long enough to see this…’
Not a kingdom noble, but having the empire’s prince keep watch.
As unusual as a talking necklace itself.
