STE 09

Chapter 09

“Um, Your Highness, should I tell all visitors to the Empress’s Palace that they must make an appointment before coming?”

At Dalia’s cautious question, Tethys nodded.

She had not even changed out of her comfortable indoor clothes into a formal dress. She had not intended to meet anyone.

What she had taken issue with today was the abuse of authority by Baroness Aegis and the maids. In truth, Tethys herself agreed with turning away visitors who arrived without an appointment.

She did not want to give the impression that she was desperate for company by meeting every person who came to see her from the day after the banquet.

And besides…

“I’m a little tired.”

After traveling all the way from the monastery to the Imperial Palace in an old carriage, she had spent several days without proper meals or adequate rest.

Her condition was not what it had once been.

“Ah, you must have been exhausted by your schedule, Your Highness. And on top of that, you even went to the temple every night while avoiding people’s eyes…”

Tethys was devout, and even after returning from Armus, she had never neglected her daily prayers.

However, because everyone’s attention was focused on her after the oracle, Tethys could only secretly visit a nearby temple late at night, after the maids had retired.

Knowing this, Dalia thought for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Um, in that case, how about asking the Holy House of Argen to send the chief priest to the prayer room of the Empress’s Palace?”

“To the prayer room?”

“Yes. Traveling back and forth to the temple must be quite troublesome for you.”

Tethys understood what Dalia was worried about, but that could not be the solution.

“Until I find another way, I think it would be better for me to visit the temple myself.”

“Pardon? May I ask why?”

“His Majesty keeps his distance from the temples. Since his intentions are so clear, I should avoid doing anything that might give rise to unnecessary rumors.”

Only then did Dalia seem to understand and nodded.

“That makes sense… His Majesty would be uncomfortable if priests were constantly coming and going from the Empress’s Palace. I was thoughtless, Your Highness.”

“There’s no need to say that. Topics that attract such intense attention tend to lose their novelty more quickly. Things will quiet down soon.”

Even if it was somewhat inconvenient, enduring it for the time being would be better in the long run.

The inconvenience of personally traveling to the temple would only be temporary, but Romain’s negative feelings toward Ariaism—indeed, calling them hostility would be more accurate—were not something that had appeared overnight.

He had always been unusually reluctant to visit temples.

“Listening to the teachings of a god who feels so distant is less useful to me than studying knowledge I don’t know in the Imperial Palace library, Tethys.”

That had been his excuse once or twice.

Because she had loved him so dearly, her eyes had inevitably followed his every move, and Tethys had naturally come to realize that Romain was not favorably disposed toward religion.

But even after ascending the throne, his attitude had not changed.

If anything, it had become even more blatant.

He had even forced Tethys to go to a southern sanatorium for patients with incurable diseases because he disliked the idea of her going to the monastery in Armus.

‘Come to think of it, why?’

None of Romain’s actions made sense to her, but his hatred of temples was particularly strange.

As an Emperor whose legitimacy was lacking, it should have been even more advantageous for him to use the religion shared by everyone.

The Goddess of Will, Aria, had been worshiped since the founding of the Empire, and in return, the goddess had bestowed the Imperial Power upon the Imperial Family.

Through that power, the Carnes Empire had established itself as a mighty nation whose fame resounded throughout the continent of Para. As a result, there was hardly anyone among the Imperial citizens who did not believe in Ariaism.

Even House Argen, one of the four founding families that had contributed greatly to the establishment of the Empire, was a Holy House that had produced the archbishops who led Ariaism for generations.

Politics and religion were therefore inseparable in the Empire, yet…

‘Even if it’s because he didn’t inherit the Imperial Power, I still can’t completely understand it. Not when it comes to Romain.’

Traditionally, immediately after the coronation of a Carnes Emperor, a secret ceremony known as the Succession Ceremony was held, in which the Crown Prince inherited the Emperor’s power.

Through this ceremony, the Crown Prince inherited the power possessed by the Emperor, and the people of the Empire repeatedly celebrated their young and powerful ruler who possessed the complete Imperial Power.

But Romain was a usurper.

No Succession Ceremony had been performed, and he did not possess the blood of the Carnes Imperial Family.

Therefore, he had no Imperial Power either.

Was it natural for Romain to be wary of the growing power of religion?

Tethys did not think so.

Even without inheriting the Imperial Power, the believers of Ariaism could form a strong bond through their shared faith.

That was why it seemed unlike the calculating and cunning Romain to casually cast aside such a reliable ally as the temple.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a knock at the door interrupted Tethys’s thoughts.

“Your Highness, this is Martha Aegis.”

“Come in.”

After Tethys’s order to turn away visitors earlier that afternoon, Baroness Aegis could no longer throw open the door to Tethys’s room as casually as before.

Even now, after finally entering, her expression was clearly uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“I am preparing dinner. Would now be a suitable time? If not, please feel free to tell me, and I can have it served a little later.”

“Dinner…”

After a moment of consideration, Tethys shook her head.

“I don’t feel well today, so I have no appetite. Baroness, make sure the attendants of the Empress’s Palace have enough to eat with the ingredients you prepared. You may dismiss everyone for now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once Baroness Aegis closed the door and left, Tethys turned toward Dalia.

“Dalia, from now on, whenever I go to the temple, conceal my movements so that no one notices where I have been.”

“M-Me? How…?”

“That will be easy.”

Tethys’s gleaming golden eyes focused on Dalia’s frightened face.

“Until now, the Empress, who has been under excessive stress, has had an upset stomach and has not been eating properly. And today, she skipped dinner as well.”

Tethys affectionately looked over the freckles across Dalia’s nose as she kindly explained.

“Even after that, the Empress’s discomfort did not improve, so she went out for a walk. However, instead of walking through the gardens of the Empress’s Palace, she went to the central garden. The sky was overcast, and night fell earlier than expected, so she lost her way.”

“That is why it took her much longer than usual to return from her walk.”

“Besides, the Empress had only recently returned from the monastery in Armus, so she became even more confused about the paths.”

“Do you understand what I mean?”

Only then did Dalia seem to grasp the meaning behind Tethys’s careful explanation and nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. Leave it to me!”

“You’re reliable, Dalia.”

Dalia Bujatra.

She was the daughter of Lady Bujatra, who had been Tethys’s wet nurse, and had grown up alongside Tethys as a young maid who kept her company during her childhood.

In recognition of Lady Bujatra’s service, Dalia had been granted the honor of remaining at the Princess’s side despite being the daughter of a baron.

She was now the Empress’s personal maid, but…

“So, Dalia, I intend to visit the temple again now.”

“What? But wouldn’t it be better to skip it today? You’ve become so thin over the past few days…”

“The oracle was bestowed upon me, after all. At a time like this, it is my responsibility to properly offer my thanks to God.”

Tethys lied without hesitation even to the loyal Dalia.

Sigh.

“I suppose it can’t be helped. With how devout you are, everyone at the monastery must have respected you as well, right?”

“I’ll be back. Can I leave this to you?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Tethys took a dark-colored robe and approached the door.

Dalia opened it, looked around, and then nodded.

“No one is around. Ah, but Your Highness, now that I think about it… Other than the night the banquet began, I never called a carriage for you separately. How did you travel back and forth?”

“I told them to have the same carriage return to the palace at the same time every night.”

“Ah, I see. I was worrying for nothing. Then, please be careful.”

Tethys gave her a slight nod and turned around.

The sound of the door clicking shut came from behind her.

The smile disappeared from her face in an instant, leaving it completely expressionless.

It was not because she felt guilty or sorry for deceiving Dalia.

After all, Tethys had etched one truth so deeply into her bones that she could never forget it:

She could not trust anyone.

Not after the day when the man she had considered the closest person to her had taken everything away from her.