Chapter 20
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“So, the Emperor visited this place this afternoon. And your Grace the Viscount knew nothing about it?”
“Y-yes. Priestess Bella. He said he stopped by on his way down for an inspection of the Southwest, but it seems he came here expecting the Saintess to be staying here.”
“Why on earth are you only telling us this now? We sent someone over earlier! You should have said something then!”
“I-I apologize. I truly apologize. I was short-sighted. Please forgive me…….”
“Forgiveness what? Just tell us right now how you plan to manage this situation!”
Viscount Odeur bowed his head to Bella and Elena with a face that looked about to cry immediately. Watching that made her even more irritated. Her expectations for a luxurious rest had become very high while chatting with Bella in the carriage, and now it was all ruined.
It was also a problem that her instinct had, coincidentally, proven right in a bad way again.
Why the Emperor, of all people, and why now, of all times?
‘Anyone would think I was deliberately avoiding the Emperor. Even though I gave him several chances, he didn’t show even a strand of his hair.’
The Emperor had just announced his intention not to attend the public mass held on the day of her farewell ceremony. After kicking away that opportunity, he was now chasing her all the way to this remote place.
“Saintess. Should we look for another place right now?”
While she was lost in thought, having left Viscount Odeur to Bella, Sir Zenobio quietly approached and suggested they move to another location as an alternative. Elena shook her head without hesitation. It was already close to evening. Any lodging that Sir Zenobio could quickly secure with his resourcefulness at this hour would obviously be nothing more than a shabby inn or the village chief’s house.
‘Whew. Let’s think of this positively. It’s better to meet him and reach a conclusion rather than feel uneasy about the Emperor all the time.’
Elena, having reached a conclusion, deliberately let out a loud sigh. Viscount Odeur, in response to the Saintess’s reaction, trembled like a lightning-struck tree and bowed his head low.
“It can’t be helped. Viscount.”
“Y-yes, yes. Saintess!”
“I haven’t had time to recover since leaving Wellington. I trust that your Grace the Viscount will be considerate enough to let me focus only on rest.”
“Is there any doubt? I will do my utmost to ensure you can stay and leave in comfort.”
Viscount Odeur loudly claimed he would prevent even a single mouse from venturing near. Elena just smiled, and Bella glared at him with a face that plainly said she couldn’t trust him.
“Leave him be, Bella.”
“Then, instead of that idiotic Viscount, can’t I go make the escort knights smarten up? Haa. I truly don’t understand what’s in their heads that they didn’t think to send someone ahead to check the Saintess’s intended place of stay. I really should have handled everything myself…….”
“You’ve been busy right next to me the whole time. Since what’s done is done, leave them be too, and let’s first take a bath and then think about what kind of compensation we should extort from them.”
The reason Elena mentioned compensation was because the only people who could have leaked the information about her plan to stay at Viscount Odeur’s estate were either the people of the Viscount Odeur household—who were supposed to prepare for her arrival—or the escort troop led by Vice Knight Commander Zenobio.
And whose fault it was between the two… wasn’t Elena’s concern. She would simply make it the fault of both.
“Bella. Did you know? On some island in the South, they mix honey into the bathwater until it’s sticky.”
“Honey? That sounds like something only those overflowing with money in the South would do. Then, following the creative luxury of the Southerners, should we demand about forty jars of honey each as compensation from these betrayers?”
“It’s too cheap a price for the sin of daring to deceive the continent’s one and only Saintess, but since I am a benevolent Exorcist, let’s agree on that much.”
Perhaps he was a person with some sense of propriety, the Emperor did not request a meeting with the freshly arrived Elena. Thanks to this, after enjoying the dinner prepared by the Viscount Odeur’s household, she relieved her fatigue in a bathtub filled with roses grown without a single blemish and gold dust.
And while resting briefly after her bath, an unwelcome guest came to her bedroom.
“Saintess. H-His Majesty, is at the door right now.”
Elena pushed the Viscount Odeur’s daughter, who was trembling while delivering the message, ahead of her, opened the door, and stepped out. Viscount Odeur, who had boasted so loudly, was nowhere to be seen, and the Holy Order of Knights led by Sir Zenobio were currently fighting the Imperial Knights with their tongues instead of swords.
In the middle of that farce stood Emperor Lowell Bavaria.
“I seem to have forgotten to see you off.”
Fingering the collar of his red velvet clothing, the Emperor looked down at the Saintess with eyes that were utterly arrogant.
“Since it will be the last time, I couldn’t possibly skip it.”
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