Chapter 6
MUCH OF THE GRAND BASILICA was deserted. Rishe’s footsteps reverberated off the silent halls. Now dressed, Rishe peeked into the cathedral hall nearest the guest building and found it just as empty. Up until yesterday, the place had been packed with bishops offering prayers to the goddess and monks busy with festival preparations.
There’s no one here. It’s not just Mistress Millia and Duke Jonal…I don’t see Prince Arnold or Oliver anywhere either.
Had they all headed for the cathedral? Regular worshippers were forbidden from attending the festival rite. Not even Arnold was permitted inside the cathedral right now.
Why am I so uneasy? Rishe’s mouth was a tight frown as she ran toward the cathedral. In the future, Emperor Arnold Hein burns churches and priests. Right now, Prince Arnold shouldn’t take such drastic actions…but why did he order the Church personnel to stay away from me?
There had to be a reason for his future enmity. In her past lives, Rishe assumed he’d gone after the Church simply because it was a nuisance. People all over the world relied on the Church’s authority. It was nothing but an eyesore for someone who wished to rule over those people, and he had no reason to permit its existence.
Still, I’m sure that’s only one of his reasons.
In the distance, a bell rang, signifying the beginning of the festival. Rishe lifted her skirt to dash faster, but a moment later…
“Ah! Leo!”
A boy jumped out in front of her and Rishe skidded to a stop. Leo stood and looked her in the eyes.
She gulped. I really didn’t hear a thing. I didn’t sense him coming at all!
Observing her, Leo cautiously asked, “You’re going to the cathedral?”
“Yes. The festival’s about to start, isn’t it?”
Leo scowled. “If not for the urgent meeting Arnold Hein just called with the archbishop.”
“Prince Arnold? I can’t imagine the archbishop agreeing to such a thing right before the festival.”
“I’m sure he used their treaty. I hear the Church can’t refuse when Galkhein requests a meeting with them.”
Rishe’s eyes widened. I didn’t know Galkhein and the Church had a treaty.
The boy snorted when he saw her reaction. “You had no idea.”
Even if they do have a treaty like that, there’s no way they’d prioritize it over the festival. The meeting isn’t Prince Arnold’s motive, then.
Rishe grimaced.
It’s making the Church break their treaty.
She was certain of it.
I don’t know the consequences for breaking the treaty, but it’s possible that Prince Arnold will use that as an excuse to intrude upon the festival.
A chill crept down Rishe’s back. Even if she couldn’t trust in Emperor Arnold Hein, she’d assumed the nineteen-year-old Arnold she knew wouldn’t needlessly antagonize the Church. Maybe that assumption was wrong. Galkhein and the Church had some sort of agreement. If the Church broke their end of the agreement, it would be easy for Arnold to act against them. He must’ve asked for a meeting he didn’t even want because he was looking to position himself at the ready.
Prince Arnold has the perfect justification for his actions as long as he’s saving Mistress Millia.
Arnold would actually gain the support of believers worldwide if his mission was to protect the royal priestess from the Church.
He’s such a kind man. That’s why he’s able to go to extreme lengths to protect someone.
Rishe was certain he would try to rescue Millia to fulfill her wish…by any means necessary.
“I have to go.”
She had to save Millia, but she also had to prevent Arnold from doing anything too drastic. Much as she didn’t want to believe she’d been mistaken to ask for his help, she also found herself cursing her hastiness.
Rishe tried to hasten on, but Leo’s small body blocked her path. “I can’t let you get any closer to the cathedral.”
“Leo.”
“I can’t take my eyes off you for a second, so I have no choice but to give you a warning. If you’re allied with Arnold Hein, then I can’t let you go.”
Overcome with sadness, Rishe clenched her fists. “I can’t be Prince Arnold’s ally.”
Leo blinked, wide-eyed.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Leo…but I’m sorry.” Rishe looked right at him and told him, “There are things that I have to do at his side even if it means becoming his enemy.”
“I warned you!”
Rishe made to run, so Leo leaped in her way to cut her off. He tried to grab her wrist, so she swiftly dodged. She stepped back, putting distance between herself and Leo, and tried to steady her breathing.
Leo immediately closed the gap.
He’s fast!
She didn’t even have the time to let her surprise show. Leo’s hand shot toward her collar. The moment he touched her dress, she whirled out of his reach. He reached for her again, so she lightly struck his wrist.
Hand knocked away, Leo sprang back. “You really are a lousy body double. The way you move, it’s completely obvious you’re not the real princess.”
“And I suppose you don’t need to play the part of the normal boy anymore, do you?”
“There’s no point with you two. Not with you watching my every move and pointing out everything I’m trying to hide!”
He charged her, but Rishe dodged at the last second. Leo kept up his attack, going for Rishe’s wrist, then trying to sweep her legs when she avoided him. Rishe was playing keep-away, but every time she dodged, he got right back up next to her.
Ugh! I don’t even have time to breathe!
Now that she thought about it, she’d always been up against bigger opponents. She barely had any experience fighting someone smaller, like Leo. It was throwing her off and putting her at a distinct disadvantage.
He’s so quick! If I let my attention waver for a moment, he’ll get me!
Leo reached for her again. She avoided him, struck at him, tried to pull away. The moment she considered running past him, he closed in on her once more. Leo’s arms, slender and flexible, sped to capture her.
I’m not used to fighting like this, so…
Rishe took a breath and then reached out to Leo herself. She gripped his wrist and tugged it backward. When he lost his balance, she swooped in behind him, grabbed his clothes, and pulled him toward her. Leo clicked his tongue and tried to get low to the ground, but Rishe was anticipating it.
This is my only way out!
“Agh!”
Rishe used Leo’s movement to pull him to the ground herself. He tried to regain his balance, but Rishe swept his legs out from under him and threw him down.
“Damn it!”
If he has one, he’ll use a weapon here!
While on his back, Leo threw something he had hidden in his sleeve at Rishe. She dodged it on reflex and realized it was a small stone. Rishe flipped Leo over and reached for her skirt’s hem. She bound his hands behind him with the rope she kept fixed to her thigh.
“Let me go!”
Ignoring his cries, she looped the rope around his wrists and tied it with a difficult knot. She didn’t plan on keeping him tied up for too long, so she didn’t need to break his bones.
“I can’t believe this! You know all my moves?!”
“Of course I do. I’m well versed in how to fight with a small build.”
Leo’s technique was top-class, but that made him easy to read. He wasted no movements and aimed with complete precision, so Rishe could anticipate his moves exactly.
“Long-range weapons lack stopping power: stones, throwing knives, and even arrows.” Rishe stood and dusted her dress. “They’re challenging to use, and they’re not very lethal. It’s so hard to kill with them, in fact, that you must coat them in poison to be sure you take your target out.”
“So what?”
“You have the poison on you, don’t you?”
Leo’s strawberry-red eyes glared up at Rishe.
“If you’d used it just now, you might have been able to stop me. So why didn’t you?”
“Very funny coming from someone who didn’t give me a single chance to hit her,” Leo said bitterly, but he was lying. After all, Rishe was rapidly losing stamina. Although she feigned composure, her bandages were soaked with sweat.
I’m so exhausted. I feel faint and dizzy, like I’m anemic… Our skirmish was awful on my body. My stamina’s so drained from the poison.
Rishe wanted to head for the cathedral as soon as possible, but she couldn’t run until she caught her breath. She trained every morning but found it difficult to build stamina. Concealing her belabored breathing, she looked down at Leo.
“You didn’t use a poisoned weapon because you were worried about me, right?”
“No.”
“Oh no, I think I’m right. You’re a sweet kid; you’re not suited to killing people.”
“Stop it! Stop talking like my family or sister or something when you’ve only known me for a few days!” From the ground, Leo glared at Rishe. “I needed to stop you. Even if I died here or had to kill you.”
“Oh, Leo…”
“Why?!” Leo’s small shoulders shook, causing her to gasp.
It couldn’t be!
Kneeling before him, she sat him up and looked into his eyes. “Leo.”
He said nothing.
“Who is your enemy?”
All this time, she’d been wrong. What she asked him now, she asked to determine if her hunch was correct.
Leo seemed to be enduring something for a moment, and then he drooped, resigned, and sighed as if he were much older. “My enemy is Galkhein.” Leo looked up into Rishe’s eyes. “And the bishops of the Crusade.”
She’d been wrong about Leo—wrong about why he’d learned to fight, why he’d been hastily taken under the duke’s employ, and why he’d accompanied them to the festival as well.
Leo’s not here to kill Mistress Millia. He’s here to protect her!
In her sixth loop, Leo had made a mistake at his former job. Rishe had assumed that mistake was failing an assassination, but if Leo was a guard and not an assassin, then his mistake would have been failing to protect Millia and her father. That was why Leo had always seemed angry about something in that life. What if he had been angry at himself for failing in his mission and letting the duke get hurt?
That’s why he wanted Prince Arnold to train him so he could become stronger. It wasn’t so that he could kill better, but so he could protect someone better.
Rishe’s fists tightened as she masked her alarm. “Are you Lady Millia’s guard?”
“Not after how badly I screwed up. I took my eyes off her, put her in danger, and on top of that, you were the one who saved her.”
“You said the bishops of the Crusade were your enemies. Does that mean it’s the archbishop and Bishop Schneider who are after Lady Millia’s life?”
Leo didn’t answer, averting his eyes. But there was something else he’d said that she couldn’t ignore.
“Why do you say Galkhein’s your enemy?”
“Because the Church…” Leo took a short breath. “At this rate, Galkhein will wipe us out.”
Rishe’s breath caught. He spoke as if he knew the future.
Does that mean the Church already knows why Prince Arnold will attack them?
That cleared up one of her remaining questions. Arnold had warned the duke that Millia was being targeted, yet the duke had handed her over to the Church for the festival without suspicion. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Arnold’s warning.
It was the opposite. He perceived it as a threat!
If the very person who had a reason to kill his beloved daughter told him that she was in danger, the father would be on his guard and rush to finish their business as soon as possible so that they could leave.
If Prince Arnold had predicted even that last night, then he was speeding the festival along so that he could pick a fight with the Church as soon as possible!
But what reason did Arnold have to go to such lengths? The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. What was most important now was that she had to hurry.
“I’m sorry, Leo.”
“Are you sure you just wanna leave me here tied up? It’ll take a while, but I can get out of it.”
“That’s fine. I’m not your enemy.” She was breathing a lot easier now. With just a bit more time, she would be able to move again no matter how incomplete her recovery had been. “I want to protect Lady Millia. And I want to prevent Prince Arnold from clashing with the Church too. As such, our interests align.”
Leo frowned and muttered, “Are you serious? Are you really Galkhein’s crown princess?”
“Not until I can annul my engagement ceremony properly. I can’t do that if we start a fight with the Church.”
“…”
“You know, Leo.” Rishe smiled, remembering her sixth loop. In that life, Leo had always looked angry. He never interacted with people as he watched their training from afar, and Rishe hadn’t been able to leave him alone. She’d taken every opportunity to talk to him, even though he drove her away as if she annoyed him each time. She did that for almost five years, so she couldn’t help acting like a concerned sister, just as he’d said. “There was a boy a lot like you whom I always thought of as a little brother. So when you told me not to talk like your sister earlier, it made me a little happy.”
“Wha…?”
“If we can, I’d like to talk to you some more later,” Rishe told him before she left.
“The Goddess Tower!” Leo called out to her as she walked away.
She wheeled around in surprise.
Leo lowered his head and told her, “The archbishop and Millia aren’t in the cathedral.”
“What?”
“The cathedral is for large events with big crowds, but real holy ceremonies take place at the Goddess Tower in the innermost part of the Grand Basilica.”
Rishe recalled the mental map of the Grand Basilica from her fourth loop. In the future she knew, there was no such place as the “Goddess Tower,” but there was a tower deep in the Grand Basilica that was off-limits.
“Thank you, Leo.”
“You believe me? What if I’m lying?”
“It’s all right.” Rishe grinned. Rather than the ladylike smile of a noblewoman, it was the boyish smirk she would’ve worn in her life as a knight. “If you truly lied to me, I bet you’ll shout ‘Wait, I lied!’ before I’m out of earshot.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Rishe apologized, somewhat flustered by his outburst, and took off for the Goddess Tower.
“What a strange lady,” Leo muttered to himself, left alone in the hall. The knot around his wrists was awfully complex. He didn’t think it’d be completely impossible to get out of, but it would take considerable effort. “Damn it! If she’s really not in the same business, then what is she?”
After clicking his tongue, Leo looked off in the direction that Rishe had gone. “The future empress of Galkhein, huh?”
Rishe ran to the innermost area of the Grand Basilica, taking care not to get dizzy. Leo’s revelation was whirling in her head.
Leo said Galkhein was one of his enemies. He didn’t mention Prince Arnold but named the country itself. Why?
The full picture was getting clearer, but some core pieces of the puzzle were still missing. It was causing her no small amount of anxiety.
I’m guessing the duke pulled me away from Mistress Millia because he didn’t want me realizing she was the royal priestess.
Still, it felt a little unnatural.
It’s like he specifically didn’t want me to find out.
The events of the day before yesterday came to mind.
When I first met Mistress Millia in this life, Prince Arnold gave her the coldest glare. The duke also grew nervous the moment Prince Arnold named himself.
Was there anything else that had struck her as strange?
Something I heard here at the Grand Basilica… Something about Prince Arnold, about his childhood.
One possibility emerged in Rishe’s mind.
No way!
She could hardly believe what she was thinking as she finally arrived at the tower and barged through the doors. The chamber inside was the size of a chapel. There was an entrance hall just inside the doors with twin staircases to the left and right. Rishe ascended one of them and spotted someone else when she got to the third floor.
“Oliver!”
“Oh, Lady Rishe.” Oliver turned around casually, but Schneider was lying at his feet. The bishop appeared to be unconscious, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Rishe was startled, but he didn’t seem seriously injured. It looked like he’d just been taken out with a single well-placed hit. “Well, this isn’t good. I could have sworn I sent a monk with a message telling you to rest in your room, Lady Rishe.”
“Was this Prince Arnold’s doing?”
“Yes. My lord is a few floors higher, pursuing the archbishop.” Oliver pointed upward with a smile.
She swallowed hard. Oliver never batted an eyelash at anything Arnold did, but seeing him like this admittedly scared her a bit. “I’m going after him.”
“I wouldn’t if I were you. My lord is in a rather foul mood. You were injured, after all.”
Rishe blinked, surprised. She got the feeling that Oliver had donned a liar’s smile, however. “Thank you for the warning! But if Prince Arnold isn’t thinking clearly, then that’s all the more reason someone has to stop him!”
She headed upstairs, shoulders heaving, out of breath again even though she’d just rested. When she had nearly reached the sixth floor, she finally noticed something out of place: an arrow lying on one of the steps.
This is one of the sacred tools used in the festival!
Plucking it from the step, she looked up and saw several more arrows scattered on the stairs. She bit her lip when she saw the accompanying bow.
Mistress Millia reveres the goddess. She would never leave the sacred tools on the ground if she dropped them. Either she wasn’t in a situation where she could pick them up, or she wasn’t in any condition to—
Scooping up the bow and arrows, Rishe ran until she reached the seventh floor.
“Prince Arnold!”
Arnold slowly turned to face her, his sword drawn. Instinctively, Rishe shuddered in fear. The man in front of her was the very picture of the emperor who had slain her in her sixth loop. Unlike then, the monks lying around were still breathing, and the look in Arnold’s eyes as he stared at her lacked that too-familiar icy bloodlust.
“What is it, Rishe?” Arnold reached out to her, gaze strangely gentle. “You’re out of breath—and so pale.”
“Your Highness, you…”
“I’m sure you pushed yourself to get here, didn’t you?” He stroked her cheek, his hand reeking of blood. “I’ll save the priestess girl. You don’t need to worry about anything.”
Rishe flinched.
“Just be good and wait.” He spoke coaxingly, but his tone brooked no argument. “You can do that, can’t you?” Arnold fixed his sea-colored eyes on Rishe. The light in them was dark and sharp like a blade.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you first.”
Why had Arnold wanted the people of the Church to stay away from Rishe? She remembered the day they arrived at the Grand Basilica. Rishe and Arnold had talked on the balcony, but before that, Rishe had spoken to Bishop Schneider.
“That’s why only a woman born to the priestess’s bloodline can be chosen for the position.”
“There are a few men in the family, so the goddess’s precious bloodline has not died out completely.”
“The late royal priestess was highly proficient. I doubt we’ll ever see someone of her fluency again.”
Rishe inhaled deeply. Millia was her mother’s only child. After her mother died, Millia became the only female descendant of the royal priestess. That was why she was raised in secret.
But what if there was another woman whose existence was hidden?
Just like the Church concealed Millia.
If someone who was supposed to be dead was really alive…
Arnold’s language lesson played back in her mind. “That whole line would be read as ‘the girl with hair the color of flowers.’”
She stared at him. As he stood there before her with a heavy sword in hand, looking down at her, he was so beautiful it was like he’d stepped out of a painting.
“What color was your mother’s hair?”
Several seconds passed before a serene smile appeared on Arnold’s face. His eyes were still dark—a fathomless color, like the sea at night. Quietly, Arnold answered, “Faint purple, like violet.”
Rishe gasped. The previous royal priestess hadn’t died. She had likely been offered up as a hostage. The Holy Kingdom of Domana had given her to Galkhein, to Arnold’s father, to prevent him from invading them.
“Your mother was the royal priestess who was supposed to have died…” In other words, Arnold himself inherited the blood of the priestess.
Bishop Schneider’s words came back to her then: “You must not marry Arnold Hein.”
If the Church wanted to kill Millia because she’d inherited the priestess’s blood, then it would make sense that they’d also want to prevent any new children in the bloodline.
That’s why Prince Arnold told the bishop I was nothing but a trophy wife!
He was saying that he had no intention of having a child with Rishe who could qualify as a priestess. His words were intended to prevent the Church from doing any harm to his future wife.
It was all to protect me.
In fact, the whole reason Arnold accompanied her to the Grand Basilica might have been to give the Church a warning. Yet Arnold had never spoken a word of that to Rishe.
“My father is likely behind the assassination attempts on the priestess.”
Once again, Rishe gasped as Arnold spoke indifferently about Millia, his cousin. He then turned around and headed up the stairs. Rishe didn’t sense Millia or the archbishop on this floor, and Arnold had likely noticed the same thing.
“You believe your father is involved in the assassination?”
“Not directly, but he’s the cause of it.”
Rishe followed Arnold, heading upstairs with him.
Without turning back to her, Arnold continued, “In exchange for not invading them, Galkhein formed a treaty with the Holy Kingdom of Domana twenty-two years ago.”
“A treaty…”
The emperor of Galkhein hadn’t spared the Holy Kingdom of Domana from invasion because he was a devout believer in the Church. He just used his military power to force them into a secret agreement. The Holy Kingdom itself became the emperor’s hostage, along with the royal priestess who married him and Arnold, who’d inherited her precious blood.
“Part of the treaty was that any person qualified to become the priestess in the next twenty years be handed over to Galkhein.”
“Then the reason Millia’s been kept hidden is…”
“Not to protect her from the world at large but from my home country.”
They passed by the entrance to the eighth floor and continued up the stairs toward the ninth. Rishe was almost winded, but she tried to keep Arnold from noticing.
“My father has made it clear he will destroy the Church if they break the treaty. The existence of the priestess goes against their agreement.”
“That’s why Leo said Galkhein would wipe out the Church!”
Arnold whirled around when he heard that. “So Leo was the priestess’s protector, not her assassin?” There was no emotion in his voice. He spun forward again and muttered, “The Church isn’t a monolith. Guess there’s one faction trying to keep the royal priestess alive and another trying to kill her before Galkhein finds out about her.”
“Is the archbishop trying to kill Lady Millia so that Galkhein has no reason to invade?”
“It’s rather shortsighted of him to think they can murder her beneath our notice.” His tone deliberate, Arnold went on, “They’re holding the festival so he could call the priestess here and get her away from her guards.”
Rishe’s heart throbbed. She felt sick and dizzy, her anemic state worsening. Part of it was because of all the moving around, but there was another obvious cause right in front of her.
So much bloodlust!
The bloodthirstiness radiating from Arnold triggered an instinctive fear in Rishe. Her body was telling her that he was dangerous—that she had to get away from him as soon as possible. An unpleasant sweat welled up on her skin.
“The traps in the forest were made to look like some nearby hunters had put them there, but they were also attempts on her life. After all, the young priestess was likely the only person who would enter the forbidden forest.” Arnold stopped in front of the door to the ninth floor. “But those traps almost cost you your life.”
She shuddered at Arnold’s low voice. “Your Highness! Please calm yourself! You’re liable to create unnecessary victims at this rate.”
“Unnecessary? Why?” Arnold headed for the door, saying, “The Church broke the treaty and openly displayed their will to resist. If they’re going to come after our lives, I don’t see how they could complain if we do the same.”
“You just said yourself that they’re not a monolith! They may all belong to the Church, but they don’t all think the same way!”
Arnold’s only response was to raise his leg and kick the heavy door open.
Instantly, arrows fell upon them like rain. Before Rishe could even put her guard up, Arnold stepped forward. He repelled all arrows with a single sweep of his sword.
He blocked them all in one swing!
There were a dozen or so bow-wielding monks in the large hall, guarding the altar behind them. They were completely panicked, but Arnold’s eyes weren’t even focused on them. He was looking only at the archbishop, who was dragging an unconscious Millia to the altar.
“There he is.” Arnold’s eyes were like a carnivorous beast’s. “He’s not going to kill the priestess on the altar, is he? That’s almost funny.” Arnold laughed, sounding truly amused. “Does the old man truly think that’ll justify his actions? Ridiculous.”
“Your Highness—”
“You stay here,” he ordered. “Oliver.”
“As you wish.”
Rishe started; Oliver had crept up behind her at some point during their conversation.
I didn’t even notice. Is my condition so bad that my senses have dulled this much?
She squeezed her fists. Before she could even call out to Arnold, he rushed into the room. Though she wanted to follow, Oliver’s hand was clamped firmly on her shoulder. She faced him but had no energy to shake him off.
“Oliver! His Highness is going to kill the archbishop!”
“I’m sure he will. I wouldn’t worry about it, though.” Oliver smiled, the picture-perfect attendant. “The Church elders will doubtless excommunicate the archbishop if he does.”
“But—”
“The existence of the royal priestess, their hiding her, the assassination attempts… I imagine they’ll foist it all upon the archbishop and offer him up to the emperor to atone. Then they’ll hand Lady Millia over to Galkhein and say, ‘It’s a little late, but our treaty still stands,’ and that’ll be that.”
Rishe’s head pounded. Bile rose in her throat.
“I’m sure this would have happened sooner or later. The emperor’s interest was piqued when they announced they would resume the festival, you see. I think this will be a much more peaceful way to end things than the emperor going to war with the Church over Lady Millia’s existence.”
“Peaceful?!”
“However…” Oliver’s perfect smile faded from his face, replaced by one that seemed forlorn. “If my lord kills several people in order to save his cousin, Lady Millia, I’m sure he’ll only end up carrying more burdens.”
“Oliver, you…”
“I’d quite like for you to help him if possible. Presumptuous of me to say so, I know, considering my lord doesn’t wish for the same thing.” With that, Oliver’s hand left Rishe’s shoulder.
Arnold charged toward the altar, avoiding and deflecting the monks’ arrows. The closer he got, the more accurate their shots were, but that didn’t slow him down.
He’ll be there soon, but I’ve got other fish to fry!
The archbishop hoisted Millia up onto the altar.
I have to save Mistress Millia!
Arnold was fast, but he wouldn’t make it in time. Rishe tightened her grip on the sacred tools in her hands: the royal priestess’s bow, the holy artifact that should have been used in the festival rite.
I’m sorry, Mistress. Rishe took a deep breath. Please let me borrow your sacred tools.
“What are you doing?!” Oliver’s eyes nearly popped out as Rishe nocked an arrow. “You’re being reckless! The altar is too far; even a trained archer would have trouble making that shot!”
“This is all I’ve got.” She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and lined up her shot, aiming for the archbishop’s legs. An arrow in the leg wouldn’t kill him, but it would pin him in place and cause a lot of pain. If her arrow met its mark, he wouldn’t be able to harm Millia.
“Lady Rishe, please!”
We’re indoors, and there’s no wind. No trees or brush in the way, and my target won’t scurry like a wild animal.
Rishe took several deep breaths, honing her concentration to a fine point. She shut out all the sounds and voices around her, pulling the bowstring taut. Her hand hovered by her ear. She steadied it.
He’ll be an easier target than the game in my fifth loop—my life as a hunter.
She didn’t need to watch butterflies or birds to read the coming weather, climb trees to hide, conceal her presence, or track prey through mountains. At the end of her arrowhead, the archbishop was reaching for Millia.
Now!
At just the right moment, she let the arrow fly. It sped past Arnold, who whipped his head back at her for a second, then faced forward immediately after. A second later…
“Aaaahh!” The archbishop tumbled down from the altar, clutching his thigh.
Behind Rishe, Oliver gasped. “He was over a hundred meters away, but that shot was so accurate!”
“Take care of this!” Rishe thrust the sacred bow at Oliver and sprinted for the altar herself. For now, she had to pretend she wasn’t sluggish and sick.
I’ve stopped the archbishop. Just one more thing left to do!
Arnold sauntered toward the archbishop, sword in hand. His sharp, clacking footsteps were amplified by the chamber’s strained air. The bow-wielding monks scattered in all directions.
“Prince Arnold!” Rishe called, but he ignored her.
Doubled over on the steps leading to the altar, the archbishop cowered before Arnold, holding his injured leg. “Stay back!”
“Silence,” Arnold snapped, his voice ice-cold. Rishe couldn’t see his face, but she could see the archbishop’s expression as he attempted to crawl away from Arnold. “I haven’t permitted you to speak.”
The archbishop wheezed in terror. Just what was he was seeing? His face was tense, pale, and twitching.
Arnold took a single glance at Millia atop the altar and said with disinterest, “The previous priestess’s sister was supposed to be of poor health, wasn’t she? It was deemed difficult for her to bear a child, so she wasn’t subject to the treaty.”
“I told you to stay away!”
“So then…” Arnold took his final step forward. He regarded the archbishop and quietly asked, “What is her daughter doing here?”
Deathly pale, the archbishop tried desperately to explain himself with wild gesticulations. “I was always against it!”
“Oh?”
“It’s utter folly to defy Galkhein! Twenty-two years ago, I offered our precious royal priestess to your country to express my loyalty!”
Rishe’s lips thinned into a line as she darted toward the altar. The archbishop continued to babble, ignoring Arnold’s steely silence.
“But I couldn’t just go against the cardinals. I only pretended to agree, and I waited ten years for this opportunity! If we let Millia live, we won’t be able to avoid conflict with Galkhein. That will lead to another war—the violent disruption of peace all around the world!”
“…”
“I may have gone against the cardinals, but I never intended to betray Galkhein! My decision to get rid of her was out of loyalty to you and your father, Your Highness!” The archbishop clasped his hands in front of his chest. “It was all for the sake of global peace!”
“…”
The archbishop prayed not to the goddess but to Arnold, voice quivering. “I beg you, please understand!”
One of the most prominent religious figures in the world was pleading with Arnold. His response was curt. “And why should I have to listen to your insipid prayers?”
The archbishop gaped at Arnold.
“I have no interest in any world of your creation. Unlike my father, I’m perfectly content to end you.”
“Ugh!”
“This is extremely convenient.” Arnold must have been smiling; Rishe knew it from the look on the archbishop’s face. “The treaty gives me a legitimate excuse to get rid of you.”
“N-no…!”
At last, she reached them. “Your Highness!” Rishe grabbed Arnold’s sleeve and called out to him, out of breath. But Arnold didn’t answer; he didn’t even look her way. She said his name once again, as if in prayer. “Prince Arnold.”
After several painful seconds, Arnold turned around, scowling. “Rishe. Don’t tell me you’re about to beg for his life.”
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I beseech you, please put your sword away!”
Arnold sneered at her. “You’re just saying that because you were the only one who nearly died from all this.”
“I…”
“You’re too indifferent to your own safety. You act as if you’ve forgotten your own mortality.”
On the inside, Rishe was sweating, but she made sure not to show it on her face. She looked Arnold in the eye and pleaded with him. “You cannot kill this man. Even if you save Lady Millia, killing the archbishop of the Crusade will inevitably spark strife with the Church!”
“Why should I care?” Arnold growled, shaking off her hand.
“Ah!”
She wanted to use her whole body to stop him, but any force she could muster probably wouldn’t even slow him down. If she leaped in front of the archbishop, all Arnold had to do was push her aside.
He can’t kill him. I don’t want Prince Arnold to think that he can only use the same methods as his father to accomplish things.
If she let him kill the archbishop here, it would all be over. Rishe knew the future, after all. Arnold wasn’t the sort of person who believed murder was the best way to solve a problem, yet he still moved toward the archbishop.
I’ll have to distract him! I need to get him to stop thinking about how much he wants to kill the archbishop! How can I pull his attention away from his anger, even for a second?!
Arnold adjusted his grip on his sword to get it into position. The archbishop was completely petrified with fear. Rishe rifled through her thoughts for a solution.
What can I do? Think! What shocked me the most recently?
What had completely distracted her from everything she’d been thinking and feeling previously? The moment she asked herself that question, a vivid memory replayed in her mind.
Yes! That’s it!
Now that she had a plan of action, there was no time to waste. She ran up to Arnold and reached for him. “Prince Arnold!”
Rishe threw her arms around his neck and used her weight to pull him closer, her eyes locked on to the exposed nape above his high collar. Then she brought her lips down on it.
“What are you—?!”
She opened her mouth wide and bit down hard on Arnold’s neck.
“Huh?!” Arnold’s dumbfounded voice was right in her ear.
The large room went completely quiet. Arnold’s bloodlust wavered. At the same moment, his hand went to her hip, and Rishe released Arnold’s neck with a gasp. Arnold’s blue eyes considered Rishe from up close.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a glare. Although he didn’t seem nearly as murderous, his face was somehow more frightening.
Oliver and the archbishop watched, mouths agape.
With Arnold’s hand around her waist, Rishe blinked. “What am I doing?” A beat. “Oh no, did it hurt?!”
“I didn’t say anything about that!” Arnold raised his voice uncharacteristically, and Rishe flinched in surprise.
As long as it didn’t hurt him, then it’s fine.
With a sigh of relief, she reached up to touch Arnold’s cheek. She peered up at him in earnest and said, “I was just trying to make you look at me.” Holding his face in her hands, she looked deep into his blue eyes. They were so close she could see herself in them. “The archbishop’s plan ended in failure.”
“…”
“As long as you’re here, his fear will immobilize him. There’s nothing he can do anymore.” Rishe side-eyed the archbishop, who flinched in terror. He was completely frozen and probably wouldn’t even be able to stand.
Still, Arnold narrowed his eyes. “There is no justice in anything this man said.” His voice was even lower than usual. “I already know he’s distantly related to the priestess. Killing her direct descendant would benefit him. Do you think a saint who kills a child for his own selfish reasons deserves to live?” He gently placed his hand over Rishe’s. “If we tell the cardinals of the Church about this, they’ll happily offer him up to us. Even if some of the cardinals were involved in the assassination, they’ll cut him off and feign ignorance.”
Arnold gently interlaced their fingers in hers and drew her hand away from his face, but Rishe didn’t break eye contact. Feeling a little despondent, she said, “Even if that’s true, then it’s all the more reason not to. You shouldn’t have to kill anyone if it’s not what you want.”
The prince’s brow lifted in surprise. “I do want to kill this man.”
“No, you don’t,” Rishe asserted. “You aren’t even angry for your own sake. It’s for me and Lady Millia, I’m sure of it.” And perhaps his mother too.
Rishe knew the Arnold in front of her well. He was both the brutal crown prince who was feared on battlefields in the past and the cold-blooded tyrant who was dreaded in the future.
“You said that I was too indifferent to my own safety. Well, to me, it seems as though you’re too indifferent to your own emotions, Prince Arnold.”
“What are you—”
“Please,” she said gently, stopping him. This time, she didn’t touch his cheek. She looked down, reached out to the hand grasping his sword, and gripped his sleeve. “I don’t want a kind person like you to keep acting as if killing people doesn’t affect you.”
While she could no longer see Arnold’s expression, she knew that if she raised her head now, her voice would start to shake.
I can’t. She was making a one-sided demand of Arnold, but she couldn’t let herself act so pathetic before him.
Rishe took a shallow breath to calm her wavering heart, then met Arnold’s eyes. “If you kill him, it will all be over here. It will be much more difficult to ascertain the full extent of his plans and everyone who was involved in them.”
“…”
“But since we have him right where we want him, it’s more like you to make effective use of everything you have at your disposal. Isn’t that right, Prince Arnold Hein?”
Arnold held her gaze and asked, “Do you really think he’ll confess to all of his schemes?”
“Yes, I believe he will.”
“Just what about him is so trustworthy to you?”
“It’s not him I trust, but you, Prince Arnold,” Rishe said.
Arnold’s brow furrowed ever so slightly before he heaved a deep sigh. He turned back to the archbishop, transferred his sword from his right hand to his left, and swung it down.
“Eek!”
The sound of crumbling marble filled the room. Arnold had embedded his sword into the floor next to the archbishop. Rishe knew he no longer intended to kill the man, but even she shuddered.
Arnold studied the archbishop, who was quaking and unable to speak. “In deference to my wife, I’ll spare your life. Never forget what you owe to her.”
“I…I-I under—”
“I hope you’re not under some foolish misconception that you’ve been completely spared, though. I’m going to squeeze every single piece of information out of you no matter what it takes.” Arnold went down on one knee and loomed over the archbishop. “I’m going to make sure you wish you’d died today.”
Beside him, goosebumps erupted across Rishe’s skin. Arnold exuded more bloodlust than when he was holding his sword. She found herself rooted to the spot.
Arnold stood, wrenched his sword from the cracked floor, and sheathed it. At that moment, a dozen or so people stormed up to the entrance.
More Church soldiers?! Rishe wheeled around right as the big doors swung open. Standing at the front of the pack was Bishop Schneider, who should have been unconscious on a lower floor. What is he doing here? No, there’s no time for that. We must deal with this before Mistress Millia wakes up!
As Rishe tensed, Arnold held a hand up. “Prince Arnold?” she asked, confused.
Ever composed, he replied, “He’s not working with the archbishop. I suspect they’ve been enemies for quite some time.”
“Erm… Enemies, you say?”
Schneider looked around the room and called out to the monks behind him. “Look! His Highness Prince Arnold of our allied nation of Galkhein has saved the royal priestess!”
The monks raised a cheer.
“Oh.” Rishe couldn’t help but gape. Frankly, she’d been beside herself with worry. After all, Millia was unconscious, the archbishop was in a terrorized stupor, and Arnold had wielded his sword left and right, knocking out all the attacking monks on his way here.
I was afraid they wouldn’t believe that we’re trying to save Mistress Millia and we’d make an enemy of the Church. I suppose I have Bishop Schneider to thank?
The monks ran over and tied up the archbishop. One after the other, they expressed their gratitude to Prince Arnold.
“Your Highness! We were only able to save Lady Millia thanks to you!”
“I don’t know how we could possibly repay you!”
After frowning in deep discomfort, Arnold wordlessly glanced at Schneider. Beside him stood Leo, who must have freed himself from Rishe’s binds. He met her eyes, sheepish.
Rishe sighed with relief. Bishop Schneider must have assigned Leo to protect Mistress Millia.
Another man scrambled into the room, white as a sheet. “Millia!”
“Please wait, Your Grace.” Schneider grabbed the duke by his arm. “The archbishop may still have some minions lurking about. You should stay—”
“Sorry, but please let me go!” The duke jerked out of Schneider’s grip and took off. He didn’t even notice Arnold or Rishe. He dashed straight to the monks who had lifted Millia and scooped her up in his arms. “Millia!”
Millia slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at him. “Papa…?” After a few seconds, her eyes finally focused, and she threw her arms around the duke’s neck. “Papa!”
“Ah, you poor thing! That must have been terrifying! Are you hurt, my darling?!” Holding Millia close, the distraught duke apologized over and over. “I’m such an idiot! I didn’t even know who to trust! I believed the archbishop and handed you over! You’re more important to me than my own life, and I couldn’t protect you! I’m sorry!”
Millia sobbed into her father’s chest.
“I’m a failure of a father. There’s no way you can stay with—”
“No! No, no!” Millia shook her head. The duke looked down at her, confused. “I had a dream after the archbishop gave me that medicine. I dreamed I was here at the Grand Basilica and a bunch of dangerous things fell on me and you saved me, Papa.”
“I did?”
“You got hurt because of it, but then you lied about it forever after, saying it was ’cause of an old illness you had. See? You protected me, even in my dream!” Millia clung to the duke, sobbing uncontrollably. “I knew I would be safe ’cause I was dreaming of you, Papa. So…so…please don’t cry!”
“Oh, Millia!”
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Papa. But…” Millia’s voice was ever so quiet and forlorn. “I promise I’ll be a good girl, so please keep being my papa.”
“Of course I will!” the duke shouted to assuage his daughter’s fears. “I never want you to forget, no matter how naughty you are, that I’ll always love you and be on your side!”
“Papa!”
Millia’s sobs echoed through the room. In Rishe’s fourth loop, she worked hard to keep Millia from crying, but now she felt only relief upon seeing the tears on the young girl’s face. She glanced at Arnold. “That’s an awfully complicated face you’re making.”
“The duke and the priestess aren’t even blood relations, are they?” Arnold, who was Millia’s blood relative, frowned as he watched them. “Why is he so concerned with the priestess’s well-being? I don’t understand it at all.”
“Oh? Didn’t you say on our way to the Grand Basilica that ‘blood ties have nothing to do with how well two people get along’?”
Arnold challenged her with his eyes. At the time, Arnold meant that blood relations didn’t mean two people would bond, but Rishe had flipped his words to mean the opposite.
“You were exactly right. Blood ties have nothing to do with it.”
“…”
“They may not be blood-related, but those two are, without a doubt, father and daughter.”
Arnold looked dissatisfied for a few seconds, then exhaled. “Whatever. Oliver!”
“Yes, my lord. I’m prepared to receive my punishment.” The silver-haired attendant slipped over with a sunny smile. Usually, Oliver only referred to Arnold as his lord when there was no one to overhear him. “I was ordered to hold Lady Rishe back, but I let her go. I apologize. With all due respect, however, I believe my decision was the right one.”
“…”
“I could never have imagined the way Lady Rishe would stop you. Hee hee hee hee…”
“…”
“I only regret that I couldn’t see your face when it happened. Such a pit—oww!”
He kicked him! Rishe went wide-eyed as Oliver hunched over his shin. Arnold had wordlessly given him a vicious kick. She was reminded that Arnold only seemed to act like a young man of nineteen around Oliver.
“Are you all right, Oliver?!”
“Let’s go, Rishe. You need to rest immediately. I don’t care about anything else.”
“Huh? But, um, Oliver looks like he’s in a lot of pain.”
“Leave him be. If you won’t come with me, then I’ll carry you.”
“Eep!” Rishe gave Oliver a silent apology and followed Arnold. Then her legs gave out from under her.
Seeing Rishe collapse, Arnold immediately bent down.
“Ack!” This situation was a familiar one to Rishe, so she yelped, “N-not the princess carry, please!”
“No?”
She thrust her hands out at Arnold in protest. “I can walk by myself; I’m fine! If I just rest for a minute, I—eek!”
Rishe blanched as she was lifted into the air. Your Highness, noooo!
“You just don’t want to be carried sideways, right?”
She thought she deserved an award for not screaming. Arnold carried her upright, unlike the last time. He had his left arm under her butt while his right arm supported her back. Rishe was forced to clutch his shoulders to steady herself.
His Highness is slim, so why does he have so much arm strength?! And is it just me or are there more parts of us touching this way? It’s actually even more embarrassing than being carried like a princess!
Since he was lifting her up so high, she naturally had to look down on Arnold—which should have been a nice change, but she was too flustered to enjoy the moment. The monks too were downright flabbergasted—their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Rishe’s cheeks burned from the attention.
“Prince Arnold!” she pleaded. “I’m really fine, so could you just…please!”
“I’m not putting you down.”
“Arrrgh!”
Rishe was helpless; she knew Arnold would not be dissuaded. Her head was on a swivel in search of someone who could save her, but Oliver, the only one likely to even comment on the situation, was still doubled over on the floor. If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have abandoned him.
While Rishe stewed in her regret, Arnold walked off, indifferent to her discomfort. Plus, he was irritated. “You ran around without waiting for your stamina to recover. You’re always pushing yourself.”
“Wh-whose fault is that this time?!”
Arnold huffed and muttered with self-derision, “Mine.” At that, Rishe felt a twinge in her chest.
Bishop Schneider cut off their path. “Prince Arnold, do you have a moment?”
“As you can see, my wife is in rather poor health. Anything you wish to say to me can wait.”
What do you mean, “As you can see”?!
The prince headed straight for the stairs. He made it clear that he didn’t intend to stop, so Schneider didn’t follow him. Instead, he gave Rishe a serene look. His warning came to mind.
“You must not marry Arnold Hein.”
Rishe clung to Arnold and set her jaw, making her resolution clear. The bishop’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he bowed deeply to Rishe.
“What is it?” Arnold asked. Rishe couldn’t see his face anymore.
“You might lose your balance on the stairs if I don’t hold tight, and that would be dangerous.”
“Hah!” Had he seen through her lie? Oddly, Arnold sounded amused. He patted her lightly on the back as if soothing a child. “I won’t let you get hurt no matter what happens, so don’t worry.”
“H-how about you worry about your own safety!”
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”
The exchange rubbed her the wrong way, but she couldn’t argue in this position. She was too distracted by the thrumming of her heart and the burning in her cheeks.
Rishe stroked the mark she’d left on Arnold’s neck, attempting to be casual about it. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed all the way down the stairs for Arnold to put her down soon.
Arnold carried Rishe all the way to her room and heaved her into bed. Normally, he was very good about granting Rishe’s requests, but this time he ignored each and every one of them, be it “I’d like to help clean up a bit” or “Could I see how Lady Millia is doing?”
Having no other choice, Rishe behaved herself and rested. Her stamina had recovered by the next morning, whereupon she accompanied Arnold to see Bishop Schneider.
“The Church cardinals have always been divided into different factions.” Schneider’s gray hair was combed back neatly, but he also had heavy bags under his eyes. It was clear that he’d been hard at work since yesterday.
“One faction raised Lady Millia in secret, trying to keep her from Galkhein. The other feared Galkhein and tried to erase Lady Millia, like the archbishop.”
Rishe frowned at this distressing news. “So there were several people who sought to harm Lady Millia.”
“Yes. They were by far the minority, however. The royal priestess is the heir to the goddess’s bloodline and the object of our faith.”
That was a relief, but she still couldn’t completely trust Schneider. Arnold seemed to feel the same way.
“Sure seems like you allowed the object of your faith to act as bait.”
Seated beside Rishe on the couch, Arnold was resting his chin in hand on the armrest. His sword was nearby, propped up against the other side of the armrest, when it should have been left outside the room with Oliver.
“If you really wanted to protect the priestess, you shouldn’t have summoned her to a place within the archbishop’s reach. If the majority truly wished to raise her in secret, then it should have been easy to keep her out of the public eye.”
It was exactly as Arnold said. As the archbishop’s aide, if Schneider had caught wind of his plans, then he never should have let any of this happen.
“One faction wanted to raise the priestess in secret and another wanted to eliminate her. I’m still not clear on which you belong to.”
“Actually, I don’t belong to either.”
“Oh?” Arnold said, though his face bore not a lick of interest.
Schneider clasped his hands over his knees and leaned forward. “I know that my plan put Lady Millia in danger, but I needed to swiftly remove the archbishop from the picture. To that end, I had to prove that he was actively planning on eliminating Lady Millia. I needed decisive proof.”
“And that’s why you let the archbishop attack Lady Millia in front of all those monks?” Rishe asked.
Schneider hung his head. “Frankly, I didn’t account for the possibility of the crown prince of Galkhein visiting during this period.” He seemed genuinely dejected. “I considered the archbishop our enemy, but I thought you were our enemies too. Even if I could uncover the archbishop’s plot, everything would still be over if Galkhein’s crown prince found out about the royal priestess.”
“Is that why you sent Leo to stop me?”
“He reported to me that you likely had some sort of martial training, Lady Rishe. I didn’t think you’d defeat the most talented child from my ‘orphanage’ quite so handily, though.” Schneider’s smile was rueful as he said, “He still has a long way to go.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed Leo had been telling the truth when he’d said the bishop wasn’t like a father to him. Schneider was more like a teacher watching over his student. The archbishop must not have known about the orphanage’s true purpose.
“Why was Leo in the forest near the traps?”
“To inform me where the archbishop had set them. I couldn’t easily enter the forest myself since the archbishop had declared it off-limits.”
Leo’s actions could be written off as simple, innocent mischief. Everything Schneider said seemed reasonable, but Rishe couldn’t bring herself to accept the man’s words wholeheartedly.
“The archbishop thought Lady Millia might enter the forest, being a bit of a troublemaker, and left the traps there to make her death look like an accident,” Rishe mused. “Lady Millia did end up in danger in the forest. Knowing it could happen, why did you leave the traps there?”
“Leo should have protected her before she was in any danger. He took his eyes off her, so Lady Millia entered the forest and put herself in danger.” Schneider gazed at Rishe for a moment before continuing, “If the worst had happened, I would have punished Leo myself and offered up my own life to the goddess in apology.”
Rishe’s face tightened. In the future, when Leo had been beaten so badly that he’d lost an eye, there was no one named Schneider among the leadership of the Church and someone else had been archbishop. That must have been the aftermath of the worst-case scenario.
“Save your excuses,” Arnold told Schneider, voice low. “What you need to explain is why you set up this whole situation, including your plans for the priestess and your stance on my father.”
“You would hear what I have to say?”
“Drop the humble act. You’re going to be the next archbishop, aren’t you?”
“That depends entirely on you, Your Highness.”
Arnold knit his brows.
“As I said before, there are several factions in the Church. One wanted to keep the priestess alive and hidden from Galkhein; the other wanted to kill her before Galkhein discovered her identity. Originally, I was in the first camp, but that’s no longer the case.”
“What exactly is it that you want, Bishop Schneider?” Rishe asked.
“I would like for us to form an alliance.” Schneider chuckled at Rishe’s look of surprise. “Not with Galkhein and His Majesty the Emperor, but with you two—Prince Arnold Hein and soon-to-be Princess Rishe.”
“I…”
“I’d very much like for Lady Millia’s existence to remain hidden from His Majesty. I would also like to repay you in whatever way I can if I become the next archbishop.”
Rishe found all this quite unexpected. The only reason she’d visited the Grand Basilica when she had was to meet Millia. She thought she could avoid the future war if she formed a relationship with the Crusade Church, which had influence all around the world, or Millia, who would be its royal priestess. She just wanted to avoid the future where Arnold burned down churches and tried to kill Millia.
In all the lives I’ve lived up until now, Prince Arnold has been against the Church. If we can really forge an alliance with them now, it’s sure to change the future. But…
Her gaze flicked to Arnold, who was regarding Schneider with a look of absolute disgust.
“An alliance? You don’t know your place, Schneider. No matter what you people wish for, I already know about the priestess.”
“It’s exactly as you say.”
“The Church’s power means nothing to me. Meanwhile, this is a matter of life and death to you. If you really have the time to make such laughable propositions, then you should be spending it groveling a little more sincerely, don’t you think?”
“Prince Arnold,” Rishe said, but Arnold didn’t spare her a glance.
The bishop’s face paled. “As I said, my fate depends on you, Your Highness.” He bowed his head as if offering his neck. “If lowering my head will convince you, then I don’t mind if it separates from my body and falls to the ground. I leave the decision to you.”
“It would be a good show of bravado if you weren’t trembling. That goddess of yours isn’t going to save you, you know.”
“I exercise my faith not to receive salvation from the goddess but to serve Her. If I can save the goddess’s child with my life, then it has served its purpose.”
Arnold prepared to retort just as the door flew open.
An adorable girl poked her head in. “Lady Rishe!” Millia burst into the room, a white flower crown atop her head and her eyes positively sparkling.
Arnold glared at Oliver, but the attendant just bowed and stepped back outside.
“Lady Millia! The festival is about to start! Are you all ready?” Rishe asked, embracing her.
Millia’s smile resembled a flower in full bloom. “Yes, everything’s perfect!”
Even after her harrowing experience, Millia had asked Schneider and her father if the festival could continue. The duke initially refused, but Millia dug her heels in. Apparently, when her father explained her heritage, this exchange had followed:
“I’m the real royal priestess, right? Then I need to perform my duty.”
“Millia…”
“I want everyone to see that I can do it—that includes Mama and you too, Papa, since you’ve protected me all this time.”
The duke had broken down after that, and the festival was scheduled to resume shortly.
Millia now donned the royal priestess’s white dress.
“How are you feeling?”
“I was really sleepy yesterday, but now I’m fine! I heard that as soon as the festival ends, you’ll be having the annulment ceremony for your previous engagement, and then you’ll be returning to Galkhein.”
Rishe nodded with a sad smile. “Yes, we’re ready to head back as soon as I’m finished.” Her trip to the Grand Basilica had been quite unreasonable in the first place. They still had a lot of wedding preparations to attend to, and she couldn’t keep eating up so much of Arnold’s time.
“I’ll miss you, Lady Rishe!” Millia hung her head tearfully, and Rishe felt a twinge in her heart.
“And I you, Lady Millia.”
I always knew I wouldn’t be able to spend this life at Mistress Millia’s side.
In her heart, Millia would always be Rishe’s little mistress, whom she loved and respected deeply. Although she could be a stubborn little troublemaker, the girl was adorable and incredibly kind. Rishe had watched over Millia from age eleven until she was married at fifteen. All the while, she had loved the girl like a sister. But I can’t go back to that life, no matter how much I may miss her.
“Say, Lady Rishe?” Milla squeezed Rishe’s hand with her tiny fingers. “Even if we can’t see each other much after this, um…”
“Yes?”
“Can I think of you like a big sister?”
For a moment, Rishe was worried Millia noticed her astonishment. She bent down to hide a joy so big, she was teary-eyed. Then she stroked Millia’s cheek, red with embarrassment, and beamed brightly.
“I’d be delighted to have a sister like you, Lady Millia.”
“Oh!” Millia exclaimed as Rishe wrapped her up in a hug. When she pulled back again, they mirrored each other’s happy grins.
Millia then turned to Arnold. “Your Highness!”
Arnold just stared at her, but Millia didn’t flinch. She pinched her dress’s hem and curtsied before telling him, “Papa—I mean, my father—told me that you saved me, Your Highness. Thank you so much.”
Rishe’s gaze slid to Arnold, and she felt herself sweat. Millia was Arnold’s cousin. She didn’t know that, but Arnold was bound to feel something about it.
I do think he was concerned for Mistress Millia in his own way, but he most likely has no intent to reveal that they’re family.
Eyes still frosty, Arnold told Millia, “I was merely granting my wife’s wish. Nothing more.”
“I see.” Millia’s shoulders slumped, but she quickly brightened at a sudden realization. “You’re going to marry Lady Rishe, though, aren’t you?!”
“What about it?”
“Then you’ll be my big brother!”
Arnold’s face morphed into a full-on scowl. Rishe burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just think Lady Millia’s exactly right! After all, you’re going to become my husband, aren’t you, Your Highness?” Rishe stroked Millia’s hair and gazed into her honey-colored eyes. “Please think of us as family. Me and Prince Arnold.”
“Yay! I’m gonna do my very best during the festival rite!” Millia hopped in place, giddy, and smiled at Arnold. “Please come and watch too, Prince Arnold!”
“…”
“Anyway, sorry for interrupting!” Millia chirped before she scurried out of the room. Leo could be heard scolding her beyond the door, but his voice gradually faded.
“Being born as the priestess could only be a burden for her, and yet…” Arnold muttered.
Perhaps in response, Schneider told Arnold, “I must confess, I told Lady Rishe the other day that she shouldn’t marry you. I didn’t think she knew the truth of your parentage.”
I didn’t exactly hear about it; I pretty much figured it out myself.
To be honest, she hadn’t the faintest idea at the time, so Schneider’s assumption was correct. She didn’t need to amend that point, though.
“You should not bring children with the goddess’s blood into this world without knowing. It will one day lead to great upheaval. If you happen to have a girl, the Church will be prepared to go to war to get their hands on that child.”
“Hmph.”
“It would be cruel to be the mother of such a child without knowing the truth. But the future crown princess of Galkhein is made of much stronger stuff than I was expecting.”
Rishe was unsure how to take the compliment. “I’m afraid you give me too much credit.”
“If possible, I would like to forge a new relationship between Galkhein and the Church with the two of you. That way, children of the priestess’s bloodline do not have to shoulder such a burden—not just Lady Millia, but any future children as well.”
“Is that so?” Rishe murmured. She studied Arnold again, but there was no change in his expression.
Prince Arnold will set the Church aflame in the future. But how does he feel about it right now?
Was it hatred of the Church that drove his actions? Rishe couldn’t answer just by puzzling it out. She still knew nothing of what happened between Arnold and his mother.
A knock on the door interrupted her musings.
“Bishop Schneider, I apologize for the interruption, but it’s almost time for the festival.”
“Wait! Your Highness, please.” This was Schneider’s last stand. If he let Arnold return to Galkhein, there would be no further chance for negotiation.
Arnold clicked his tongue and stared down at Schneider. “What do you want? If you’re needed elsewhere, hurry up and go.”
“But, Your Highness, I—”
“I’ll keep the priestess a secret from my father,” he said, and Schneider gasped.
Rishe was equally stunned. “Really?!”
“That was always my intention. I don’t want him making a mess over her existence.” Irritated, Arnold added, “It’ll be easier to prevent that if I cooperate with the Church leadership.”
Schneider opened his mouth, but whatever he intended to say must’ve gotten stuck in his throat. Some color was finally returning to his face; Rishe found herself sighing with relief as well.
“Is that all right? As you said earlier, you don’t stand to benefit much from the agreement.”
“I’ll benefit. I don’t need the power of the Church, but if I have it, I’ll find ways to use it.”
“Then…?”
“We don’t need to go into details here.” Still scowling, Arnold repeated his earlier words. “Did you not hear me? Hurry up and go.”
A monk’s voice came from outside. “We really should start preparing, Bishop.”
Schneider stood and bowed once more to Arnold. “I will not forget the kindness you have shown me. May the goddess bless the both of you.”
“Keep your blessings. I don’t want anything to do with them.”
Schneider’s wry smile returned, and he addressed Rishe. “Then may you have His Highness’s blessings as well, Lady Rishe.”
Smiling back, Rishe accepted. “Thank you, Bishop Schneider.”
When Schneider left the room, Rishe and Arnold were alone.
Adjusting her position on the couch, Rishe asked, “You’re not pushing yourself, are you?”
Arnold scrunched his face, puzzled. “I’m not.”
“Well, good.”
“Why would you ask that? You’d prefer to have a relationship with the Church too if it means a relationship with the priestess, right?”
“Well, of course, but…” Rishe pursed her lips. “I don’t want you to do anything against your will.”
Arnold huffed and leaned on the backrest. “I’m not totally against it.”
“Seriously?”
“I said the same thing to the bishop, didn’t I? Being in the Church’s good graces means nothing to me, but I’m content to make use of it.”
I just hope you won’t make use of it for war.
Although she wasn’t entirely happy about Arnold’s decision, Rishe considered it a small victory. Arnold wasn’t the only one who would use whatever was at his disposal to his advantage. Rishe now had a connection to the Church as well, and she intended to make good use of it to avoid the war.
“Good. I think Lady Millia will be happy about this too.”
Arnold’s mouth bent in a frown. “I don’t like children.”
“My, Oliver will be upset if he hears you say that.”
“Why?”
“He seems to think you shouldn’t say such things to your future wife.”
“Hah!” Arnold laughed goadingly. He tilted Rishe’s head in his direction. “I didn’t think you had the resolve for that.”
“Hnnh?!” Rishe hadn’t expected this turn of conversation and made a strange noise in her consternation. “Wh-what do you mean, ‘resolve’?”
“You’re talking about an heir, aren’t you? Schneider was just talking about our future children as well.”
Rishe squeaked, and her mind went blank at the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere.
Arnold chuckled. “You really didn’t get it.”
“No, I-I did! I mean it, really!”
“Oh yeah?”
She had known the bishop was referring to their children; she just hadn’t been considering it in such practical terms. It was a mere hypothetical in her mind.
The prince smiled at her, drinking in her fluster. “You knew, yet you set up different rooms for us in the detached palace.”
That’s where I went wrong?!
Arnold had just pointed out a rather distressing truth, but she couldn’t let him know the extent of her panic. Sight spinning, she desperately fished for rebuttals.
“That’s because you promised at first not to lay a finger on me, Prince Arnold!”
“And you annulled that agreement several days ago, so I am no longer under such an obligation.”
“Ugh…”
Arnold’s finger traced the band around her left ring finger.
Wh-wh-what do I do?!
“I’m teasing you too much.” Arnold snickered, seeing how beside herself Rishe was. “Don’t worry.” He mussed her hair a little and said, “Even after we’re married, I won’t take advantage of you.”
“Huh?” Rishe blinked, scrutinizing Arnold’s sea-colored eyes. “You won’t?”
“I won’t.”
When he stated his intentions so plainly, she realized, That’s right. Prince Arnold proposed to me with some sort of ulterior motive in mind. She took a deep breath when she remembered that. He’s not looking for me to play the role of a real wife.
Oddly enough, the thought both relieved and gnawed at her. Rishe tilted her head in confusion as a dull ache settled in her chest.
Oblivious to Rishe’s consternation, Arnold leaned back once more and loosed a yawn.
Seeing him act so defenseless, Rishe decided to put her own emotions aside for the moment. “Are you tired?”
“Yeah.” His tone was gentler than usual.
He made sure that I got enough rest, but Prince Arnold has been rather busy, hasn’t he?
The night before last, she’d made him sleep in the same bed as her too. Arnold was very sensitive to other people’s presence, so he likely hadn’t gotten a proper night’s rest then.
“Would you like to nap until the festival starts?”
Arnold looked at her for a time. “I suppose so.” He then stretched out on the couch, laying his head on Rishe’s lap.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“Lend me your lap. I’ll take a nap here.”
Rishe gulped. She didn’t mind, per se. They were just a bit close, and Arnold’s head was resting on her thighs, which felt strange—but what was even stranger was that she wasn’t bothered by it at all.
“If you don’t want me to, I can move.”
“I-It’s not that, I just…have to tell Oliver.”
“Leave him posted in the hall outside.”
“Just leave him there?”
“He’s been disobeying my orders too much lately.” So he said, but Rishe was fairly certain that everything Oliver did, he did for his lord. “Is that your only issue?”
“Th-there’s one more. Won’t I make an uncomfortable pillow?”
“Why do you think that?”
“I just do.” She couldn’t say more than that. Thinking of yesterday morning embarrassed her.
Arnold must have remembered the same thing. He looked up at Rishe and said, “I slept well the night before last.” Then he blinked more languidly than usual. “I didn’t have any strange dreams. That’s rare.”
“Goodness…” She couldn’t argue with that. Really, he should get to sleep in a real bed, no matter how brief, instead of napping here. By himself! However, Rishe was unable to muster up even these reasonable suggestions.
The prince gazed at her as she made an awkward face. “What were you dreaming about?”
“What?”
“Late at night, I was checking your condition, and…you rubbed your cheek against my hand and smiled.”
“Huh?!” Rishe knew exactly what she’d been dreaming about. Even though she always dreamed of her past lives, that had been the first time since her loops began that she had a different sort of dream. She’d dreamed of this life, her life after meeting him.
“Hmm?”
Rishe let out a tiny squeal in response, screwing up her face. She couldn’t possibly tell him the truth. “I-It’s a secret.”
“A secret, eh? I’m jealous.”
“Don’t lie.” She sulked, covering Arnold’s eyes. Since his eyelashes were long, they tickled against her palm. “Please rest already.”
“Got it.”
Only five minutes or so later, Arnold’s breathing slowed. After ensuring he was truly asleep, Rishe removed her hand. Then she brushed her fingers against Arnold’s lips.
There was that ache in her chest again.
The festival rite was executed with dignified grandeur. A beautifully dressed Millia stood before the altar, where Schneider served in the archbishop’s place. Millia offered the sacred bow and arrow to the goddess and sang a beautiful song of dedication. She looked at once adorable and impressive, and she performed even more wonderfully than she had in her rehearsal. Rishe was fervently applauding the girl in her mind. Arnold, who watched from beside her, neither praised the affair nor made pithy gripes. For that, Rishe had to smile.
After the festival ended, Rishe continued where she’d had to leave off in her engagement annulment ceremony. She started before noon, and around two in the afternoon, her engagement with Dietrich was officially annulled. She had a light meal afterward, rushed to get ready for the ride home, and set out for the carriage. Arnold stood waiting by the carriage door.
“Thank you for waiting, Prince Arnold!”
“You don’t need to hurry so much,” Arnold said, but the inn where they would spend the night was two hours away. If they didn’t leave soon, they would still be in the thick of the woods at sunset.
All their Imperial Guards were present as well. They’d been staying in a nearby village for the last four days, since they couldn’t enter the Grand Basilica. While Rishe greeted them, she noticed a red-haired boy.
“Leeeo!” she said in a singsong voice.
“Ack!”
“What’s up? Did you decide to come with us to Galkhein after all?”
Leo grimaced. “No. I just wanted to learn about Galkhein’s fighting style up until the last possible minute.”
It seemed Leo had been asking Arnold’s Imperial Guards for advice. There was a small piece of gauze pasted to his face.
“How was Prince Arnold’s training?”
“It was amazing.”
While Rishe performed the engagement annulment ceremony, Arnold summoned Leo and gave him the promised sword lesson. The prince was plenty busy himself, but he’d still found time to teach. Leo had gotten a full lesson, but he didn’t seem worn out at all; in fact, he seemed more energetic than Rishe had ever seen him.
“I’ll absorb everything he taught me. Even after you guys leave, I’ll get Schneider to give me more training.”
“Hee hee hee. Motivation suits you.” All the anxiety Rishe felt toward Leo evaporated. It helped that the reason he wanted to be strong wasn’t to kill but to protect. She knew it wasn’t her place to worry about him, but she was glad to have her fears dispelled anyway.
“Take care of yourself, Leo.” Rishe knelt and met his stare, sincere in her wish. “Don’t get hurt. Learn a lot, meet a lot of people, and expand your horizons.”
In Rishe’s head, she saw the Leo from her sixth loop. That Leo had escaped from Schneider and fled to another country, always seeming so angry at himself. The eyes with which he watched Rishe and the other knights train were those of someone whose goals were out of reach.
“I’ll be thrilled if you keep on smiling even after you grow up.”
Leo’s brow bunched in confusion. “I don’t really understand the things you say,” he said, eyes downcast. “But practicing with Prince Arnold made me happy, and so did walking in the forest with you.”
“Oh, Leo…”
“Not that much in the forest, though.” He averted his eyes, and Rishe laughed. She was glad to hear that he wasn’t suffering in his training to be a strong bodyguard.
“I must go. Just ask Prince Arnold if you ever decide you want to be a knight.”
“No way. I want to be freer than a knight.”
“Freer?” He must’ve been referring to a knight’s social status. True, it’s probably a lot easier to get around as someone’s bodyguard rather than a knight.
With a huff, the boy declared, “I’m gonna be someone who travels freely through thick forests with a rope and fights with throwing knives and bows and arrows!” He stuck his tongue out at Rishe, face tomato-red, then bowed to Arnold and ran off.
And he’s gone.
“Rishe.”
“Oh! Yes!” She stood when Arnold called her and stepped up to the carriage. Arnold took her hand and led her inside, then boarded and sat across from her. After that, the carriage began to move.
“I take it there were no issues during your ceremony.”
“Yes. Sorry it took so long, but it’s finally done with.”
“Good.” Arnold set his chin in his hand and casually watched the Grand Basilica through the window.
Rishe looked not at the scenery outside but at Arnold. How did he feel, looking at that place that had so much to do with his late mother?
I wonder if I dredged up some unpleasant feelings by bringing him here.
Knowing what she did now, she fully believed Arnold had come to protect her. He was worried that the Church would do something to his fiancée, so he’d gone so far as to order them to keep their distance outside of her ceremony.
Even though I’m trying to get in the way of his plans.
In a way, she was working against him to try to prevent the war. If Arnold knew, how would he feel?
Since she was staring at him so openly, Arnold returned her gaze. His slender fingers reached out to her as well. He brushed her bangs away and touched her forehead.
“My fever’s gone,” Rishe said tentatively.
Nonchalant, he replied, “I’ve decided not to believe your evaluations of your own health.”
“Urk!” That wounded her. It wasn’t like Rishe was trying to lie. She frowned and hung her head, studying Arnold through her eyelashes. “What is your evaluation then, Prince Arnold?”
“You seem fine. Your complexion has improved.” Arnold withdrew his hand and looked out the window once more. His expressionless face was even more unreadable than usual.
“Um, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
Wanting to make her thoughts a reality, Rishe asked, “Do you mind if we sit next to each other, rather than across?”
Arnold was taken aback.
Rishe’s chest throbbed with pain, and she blurted, “N-never mind, across is fine! Right, I’m sure you have paperwork to do again, like on our way here!”
“No.” Arnold let his gaze drop and patted the seat next to him.
At that, Rishe’s eyes lit up. She stood carefully and Arnold held out a helping hand. With his assistance, she spun around and plopped down next to him.
“What are you scheming this time?”
“Well, you see…” She tucked Arnold’s hair behind his ear. The moment Arnold’s attention was focused on her left hand, she performed a trick with her right. “Ta-da!”
A pink flower crown appeared right before Arnold’s eyes. Judging by his expression, she had succeeded in stunning him. With a satisfied smile, Rishe adorned his head with the flowers.
“Did that surprise you?”
“It did.”
“Good! I was so frustrated that you saw through my trick on the way here, I practiced at the Grand Basilica.”
The flower crown suited Arnold’s beautiful features well—though she was sure he’d scowl if she told him that.
“The flower crowns they hand out during the festival are supposed to be blessings from the goddess.”
“Oh, come on.”
“I’m sure you’d be quick to spurn the goddess’s blessing, right, Your Highness? That’s why I made this one myself.”
Rishe didn’t think this would serve as an apology for dragging him out here, but she wanted to be of help to him in any way she could. She hoped the beauty and sweet aroma of the flowers might comfort him.
“This is your blessing, then?”
“Ugh… I’m not sure that you could call it anything that overblown.”
Arnold huffed a laugh. Seeing him smile up close caused a sharp throb in her chest. But before she could reflect on that, Arnold said, “I just can’t beat you.”
Rishe blinked. She didn’t understand. “I don’t think I’ve ever won against you, Prince Arnold.”
“That’s not true. You just don’t know it.”
“What?” She was even more confused now, yet Arnold smirked beside her. He removed the crown and put it on Rishe’s head instead.
“It looks better on you.”
“Hey!”
“I’ll take the blessing, though.”
At least it wasn’t a complete bother to him. Rishe smiled, relieved. “It looked quite lovely on you as well, Your Highness. You look so cute with flowers in your hair.”
“Spare me.”
“Oho, there’s a face I don’t see too often. I mean it! You were cute.”
He snorted. “You are a fearless one, aren’t you? I suppose you couldn’t have bitten my neck if you weren’t.”
“Argh, you’re bringing that up now?!” It was already becoming an embarrassing memory for Rishe. She hurriedly made excuses for herself. “You did it to me first!”
“I was saving your life. You had plenty of other options available to you.”
“Ugh!” was the best retort she could muster. Arnold laughed again, amused. “You’re proving my point about my string of losses.”
“I told you, you’re wrong about that.”
Arnold ruffled Rishe’s hair, apparently not intending to elaborate any more than that. She wanted to press the point, but she was far too distracted by the up-close view of his eyes.
I feel strange…
The pain in her chest was only getting worse. She couldn’t help remembering their kiss in the chapel, and what Arnold had said to her then.
“You don’t need to be resolute to become my wife.”
Rishe clutched at her skirt and exhaled. There was a dull ache in her chest every time Arnold touched her. Why was that?
He once ran through this heart, and now it hurts.
It might even hurt more now than when he’d stabbed her. Arnold had whispered something to her in the last moments of her life as a knight. The memory was shrouded in dense fog, and she desperately wished to recall exactly what he’d said.
Rishe closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Arnold’s arm. She didn’t want him to see her face, but she had to be natural about hiding it.
“What is it?”
“Just let me do this for a bit,” she pleaded, almost a prayer. “I’m sleepy, so please lend me your shoulder, Your Highness.”
Had Arnold realized she was lying? Even if he had, he said, “All right.”
She sighed, leaning against him. He ran his fingers through her hair as if comforting a child.
Prince Arnold really is kind.
However, it didn’t serve to alleviate her pain. It would have been nice if she’d actually gotten some sleep, but it wasn’t to be. In the end, all Rishe could do was let the faintly sweet ache in her chest continue to torment her.
To be continued…
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