Inside the church of the Imperial Palace, a solemn prayer space.
The 3rd Princess, Solana, was deeply engrossed in prayer. Beside her was
Priest Tom, practically her secretary.
"…She will surely become the hope of the empire."
"Indeed. Sun God, are you listening?"
Solana prayed, and Tom responded.
"Is there any other woman who possesses both overwhelming status and
martial prowess like the 1st Princess? Every time a crisis arises on the
continent, her title will become even more renowned."
"Indeed. Sun God, are you listening?"
"That title is probably the greatest fox on the continent…"
"Indeed… Huh? Excuse me?"
Tom inadvertently opened his eyes and glanced at Solana's profile. Solana
was sweating slightly, as if offering a difficult prayer.
"Hmm! Ahem, ahem!"
Solana cleared her throat.
Did he hear wrong?
Nah, he must have heard wrong.
Calling the 1st Princess the greatest fox on the continent…
"Ahem, ahem…"
Solana asked the priest in her usual tone.
"Tom, what prayer were we offering?"
"You were praying for the other princesses, and now it was the 1st
Princess's turn."
"That's right. Indeed."
Solana refocused on her prayer.
"Goddess of War and the Queen of All Weapons… She has immeasurable
value. Her mere existence is a threat to enemies and a justification for
imposing peace. There is a reason the Emperor has poured so much Sun
Water into raising her."
"Indeed! Sun God, are you listening?"
"But why invest in such a fox…?"
"Indeed… Huh? Excuse me?"
"Ah, these demons keep clinging to me."
As Solana steadied her breathing, Tom doubted his own ears. The things the
3rd Princess had been saying… they were simply unbelievable.
Solana finally opened her eyes.
"Brother Tom, making the world peaceful is indeed the will and wish of the
Sun God, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
"Then what is an irreverent act? All things that threaten the peace of the
world are irreverent. Isn't that so?"
"Indeed."
"Good. We will never overlook irreverent things. The 1st Princess is about
to do something that threatens world peace, so we need to block her."
Priest Tom quietly nodded.
Of course, he still had some doubts.
"Excuse me, 3rd Princess."
There was a slight hint of puzzlement in Tom's voice.
"The 1st Princess is believed to be capable of anything. The Sun God also
encourages childbirth according to doctrine, so wouldn't it be better if she
got married?"
"Irreverent words!"
Solana exclaimed firmly.
"There is no doubt about the 1st Princess's power. But marriage becomes a
weakness. How will the 1st Princess, who only needed to protect herself,
manage if she has a family?"
"Ah."
"The 1st Princess must have as few weaknesses as possible until all the
evils threatening the continent are gone."
"I understand."
"So, until the day we can say complete peace has arrived, it would be okay
to keep Jaekiel in the church. While ensuring his safety."
Tom nodded.
"Think about it. What if Jaekiel stays here for his entire life?"
"Oh, Princess…"
Tom clasped his hands respectfully.
Ensuring the absolute safety of a particular person for an indefinite period
was truly an enormous task.
Wouldn't there be people targeting Jaekiel just because the 1st Princess was
interested in him? Yet, this church would bear all that risk.
To eliminate all irreverent acts in the world, for a beautiful world, the 3rd
Princess was devout today as well…
"…How great would it be if that really happened?!"
"Excuse me?"
Solana no longer made excuses about making mistakes or demons clinging
to her… She didn't even offer such explanations.
"Complete peace… is there such a thing in the world? Rather than letting
him be taken by the 1st Princess, it's better to lock him in the church and
make him stay with me forever…"
Denying complete peace?
Uh, you shouldn't do that…
The Sun God's doctrine proclaims complete peace…
"Yes, if it seems like complete peace is coming, then the Sun God will
become a disaster. At least that much for me, who has been praying so
hard…"
Solana's body was trembling.
As a result, Tom's body also started trembling.
"Tom!"
At that moment, Solana suddenly turned her head.
"Yes, yes!"
The Angel of the Empire, the 3rd Princess Solana.
Yes, the Angel of the Empire…
Even though her eyes were glaring white right now…
"One fortunate thing is that Jaekiel is not interested in marrying the 1st
Princess."
Tom's eyes widened.
"Really? It's a chance to change his life."
"Think about it."
"Yes?"
"If he becomes the 1st Princess's man, how heavy would the burden be?
Just thinking about it is troubling."
"Ah!"
Tom nodded.
If Jaekiel, who had nothing, were to marry Ether, the 1st Princess of the
empire, even if they were fine, those around them would not leave them
alone.
"Jaekiel is righteous enough to think about the peace of the continent. He
sees the bigger picture, so he would refuse."
"I didn't know. He truly is a great person."
"Of course. With his steadfast heart, he even wrote a proposal letter to the
woman he has liked since he was young… Ah, it's such a romantic thing!"
"That woman must be very happy."
"Of course! And above all, he has good taste. There's no way he'd fall for a
fox with a bear-like build…"
"…"
Tom swallowed dryly.
He couldn't shake the suspicion that the evil spirits, which the Inquisitor
exorcises, were currently attached to the 3rd Princess.
After a while, the real Solana finally spoke.
"Tom, you are about to be promoted to high priest, right?"
"Yes."
"It won't be easy to compete among faithful people. You'll need a lot of
achievements."
"I intend to try my best."
"That's a good attitude. I would like to offer you, a brother with a good
attitude, an opportunity to gain tremendous achievements."
Solana looked at Tom.
"After Jaekiel wakes up, the princesses cannot approach the infirmary room
for three days, but there is no clause preventing others from approaching.
Do you get it?"
"…"
"Brother Tom, you should stay by Jaekiel's side and let him know. The
church is always open to Jaekiel, always a haven for him."
Tom hesitated for a moment.
After much deliberation, he made a decision.
"It seems like such a critical task for me to take on…"
"…Huh?"
Her eyes narrowed fiercely.
"I will definitely succeed and return."
Tom answered spiritedly.
The Imperial Palace, Hedera's office.
The sound of pages turning.
As usual, the sound of pages turning filled the room. Hedera was
meticulously reviewing the piles of reports, as always.
"…"
The secretary, Tether, quietly observed.
It was a great honor to witness this scene.
The sight of the 2nd Princess intensely handling her work in an instant was
truly an exemplary posture that anyone would greatly admire.
Yes, that's right.
Normally, it would indeed be an exemplary sight…
"…?"
The sound of pages turning.
Tether, who resembled a rabbit, blinked involuntarily.
'She keeps looking at the same page?'
It was as if she was stuck on a certain section, repeating the same actions. It
was an awkward sight, never before observed in Hedera.
At one point, Hedera added sugar cubes to her tea.
This, too, was an exemplary display of elegance. Who in the empire could
execute etiquette so gracefully and proudly?
"…"
But this time, Tether tilted her head in confusion.
'How many has it been?'
It seemed she had already added at least ten…
"Uh…"
Tether carefully spoke.
"Princess, are you troubled by something?"
"Troubled?"
Hedera, with a mask hanging on her chin, elegantly sipped her tea. Seeing
that she didn't care about the taste of at least ten sugar cubes, Tether was
convinced.
She truly was deeply troubled by something.
"Do you think I have troubles? Handling any matter quickly and easily is
my way."
"Yes, indeed."
"Well, just a few bothersome things, perhaps."
Tether immediately showed respect.
"May I dare to listen?"
"It's nothing special. The continent is vast, and there are many people, so it
seems there are those with insect-level intelligence who think I overwork
the Auditor."
Hedera sighed deeply.
"Tether. I have a task for you."
"A task, you say?"
"Yes, the Auditor will soon wake up in the infirmary. Make sure he can't
help but stay in the Tower for life; make him like it. Persuade him
somehow."
Hedera and Solana had initially created the three-day reprieve for this
reason. After blocking Ether's access, they planned to proceed with
persuasion in another way.
"Hmm… Persuasion, you say…"
"The other princesses will send people too, but that's fine, right?"
"…"
In fact, it wasn't fine. She wasn't confident in her speech skills.
Tether slightly pretended to be distracted.
"I don't have much authority in the Tower. I think all I can do is say sweet
words…"
"I'll give you temporary authority. Explain the advantages of the Tower as
much as you can, and what we can offer him."
"I'll try my best, but…"
"It's fine. The Auditor is already deeply infatuated with me."
How could she be so sure?
But Hedera's expression was full of confidence.
"There is one advantage you must emphasize."
"What advantage is that?"
"The advantage that the Tower Master is beautiful. That she's pretty. That
no princess can compare to her."
"Hmm…"
Tether cleared her throat.
The beauty among the princesses was hard to compare. It was essentially a
matter of taste.
Meanwhile, Hedera frowned.
"I'm the most beautiful among the princesses, aren't I?"
That elegant frown deepened gradually.
"…Isn't that right?"
"O-Of course, you are the most beautiful!"
Tether looked out the curtain as she spoke.
"Even the sun hides in shame at your beauty, Princess! But look at the
cheeky moon! How dare it rise with such audacity, harboring feelings for
you?!"
"…Hmm, right. Yes."
Hedera finally nodded.
Tether, sweating profusely, thought to herself.
This task.
It would be the most difficult task she had ever undertaken…
Deep inside the church of the Imperial Palace, in the infirmary.
"…"
Finally, the man woke up.
'Ah, I feel refreshed.'
Jaekiel opened his eyes feeling refreshed.
…Strange. Why do I feel so refreshed?