CH 18

The vast flower garden in which roses were spread out was the pride of the temple.

More than a thousand kinds of roses boasted their beauty, and the fountain of benevolence leading to the pavilion and deck was one of the huge specialties of Elium.

In 3 weeks, the Elium Rose Festival will be held and the temple gates will be opened, and the temple will be crowded with people.

In the marble pavilion floating elegantly above the pavilion, two men were having a conversation with a table in between.

On a bright day, Reihausd’s blonde hair looked brighter, and so was his golden eyes.

He was dressed in his high priest’s pure white robe, and in one hand was holding a teacup of black tea.

And opposite him sat a man with dark black hair and blue eyes.

Cass Lloyd, the successor and the real owner of the Lloyd’s Merchant.

He was a handsome young man with a smooth and manly jawline.

Cass sat leaning back in a comfortable position, as if he was familiar with this place.

The end of his languid expression turned to the three black hunting dogs tied to a marble column. They were all wild dogs.

“I brought them in for quite a bit of money, which was a pity.”

The man’s lips rattled and a boring tone of voice flowed out.

“I didn’t expect them to see the Blue Wing as their prey and throw it at me like that.”

It was a clever bird that was difficult to catch and tame, so each bird cost more than a thousand franc.

Reihausd, who was sipping tea until a few more winds blew in, set the teacup down on the table.

“They must be trained not to bite their master.”

At Reihausd’s words, the man twisted his lips slightly.

“Is there any training like that?”

“I haven’t done it to dogs, but I’ve done it many times.” He smiled softly.

“So was it successful?”

“I’m not sure… Was it successful…?”

Reihausd remembered the face of Annie, who had just died in his hands.

“Anyway, they’ll never bite again.”

He put it up to help Ariel well, and he dared to climb it.

“I see.”

Cass nodded his head.

He had a rough idea of ​​what the end of the dog the High Priest had trained.

Because Cass was one of the people who knew the High Priest best in the country.

Cass quickly reached out his hand to the teacup and drank the cold tea at once. Its subtle yet delicate taste lingered in the palate.

Reihausd, who was staring at him, opened his mouth after a moment.

“Thank you for obtaining the White Rotunia. Elium will never forget the contribution of Lloyd Merchant.”

White Rotunia was a rare white rose.

“I was just showing a little sincerity as the owner of Lloyd’s Merchant and a believer.”

It is the Elium Festival, where people from all over the continent flock to the Empire.

In return for rescuing White Rotunia, Lloyd will be guaranteed privileges during the Elium Festival. During that period all the tops are waiting to taste the special.

“White Rotunia is a difficult flower, so you will have to hire a dedicated gardener.”

White Rotunia, a kind of rose, is a precious flower priced at 500 franc per flower, and it wasn’t suitable for the imperial climate.

“We have already built a greenhouse and hired gardeners.”

From Reihausd’s words, Cass could tell that he was quite prepared to bring White Rotunia.

‘The High Priest, which has a more dry feeling than the desert, is suddenly a flower.’

Cass was curious, yet he decided not to ask.

But at that moment.

Suddenly there was a rattling sound and something flew in.

“….”

It flew at a high speed in an instant then landed on Cass’ shoulder.

Reihausd raised an eyebrow, then slightly raised the tip of his lips.

“I heard that the dogs threw it, but it looks quite normal.”

Cass grabbed the bird’s body with his hands and he stared at the bird in disbelief.

His forehead was narrowed.

He saw the hound biting its wings and hitting the ground several times, and if it had broken that much, it would never be able to fly again.

No, flying wasn’t the problem, it was a life that would have been cut in 10 minutes or so.

However, the Blue Wing’s wings showed no signs of injury.

There was a suspicion that it was another bird, but there was a clear red dot on the crown. That was the reason Cass chose the bird among the Blue Wings. With a little eye-catching.

“It seems that a high-ranking priest with compassion has healed it with divine powers.”

Cass licked his lips as he looked at the bird in his hand.

A slight energy was felt in Blue Wing’s torso.

He stared at the bird for a long time, which would crumble if he gave it any strength, and then let it go.

The fluttering Blue Wing slid back down on Cass’ shoulder, as if it was trained.

“It appears that the God of Benevolence is looking down at it.”

Reihausd smiled as he stared at the Blue Wing that sat on Cass’ shoulder.

The bird’s condition, as if it had never been hurt, aroused some curiosity in him as well.

The owner of Lloyd’s Merchant, Cass threw it on his own the moment it was completely ruined, yet it was able to restore it to that extent in a matter of seconds.

As he recalled some priests with exceptionally strong divine power, his gaze suddenly stopped on the other side of the pavilion.

Cass looked at Reihausd, and as he sensed the unusual expression on his face, he turned to his gaze.

A blonde woman in a snow-white dress was walking through a field of roses in bloom, with a woman behind her who looked like a priestess.

Her soft hair that fell on her chest shimmered like gold, and her pale blue eyes were as fresh as if they contained the sea.

Cass furrowed his eyebrows when he met her blue eyes head-on.

***

So, this situation wasn’t very favorable.

It was just that I went out for a walk to forget the stuffiness in the temple, but I ran into Reihausd.

He seemed to be having tea with a black haired man as the guest.

I stopped when I saw him and tried to turn around pretending not to see him.

But Reihausd was a little faster.

His voice sounded slow.

“Did you go out for a walk, Saintess?”

Swallowing a small sigh, I had no choice but to approach them.

The two men slowly rose from their seats as I climbed the small marble steps and stopped where they were having tea.

They both had shades even though they hadn’t turned their backs on the sun.

‘It feels like there are two movie stars with good bodies and handsome faces.’

I looked up at the tall Reihausd and said in a calm voice.

“May the High Priest be blessed by the Nine Gods. And to the guest who has found Elium.”

Then he introduced the young man with black hair next to him and said.

“This is Cass Lloyd, the owner of Lloyd’s Merchant. You can call him Marquis Lloyd.”

‘Cass Lloyd?’

Recognizing him in the original story, I was perplexed on the inside, but spoke calmly on the outside.

“I see. Nice to meet you, Marquis Lloyd.”

Black hair like a crow, and dark blue eyes. The elegantly handsome nobleman-like face was exactly what I had imagined after reading .

“The glory of the Nine Gods of Elium to the Saintess.”

Cass greeted me like a perfect gentleman.

However, it was different from reading the original story from the female lead’s point of view. Because I’m Ariel, who is now the villain of the original story and the fake saintess.

“I welcome you to Elium.”

I greeted him with a faint smile and turned my gaze to Reihausd. Fortunately, his complexion looked better than the last time he entered my room.

“Did the Saintess come out to see the rose garden?”

Although his cheeks still seemed to be redder than usual.

“If you had told me beforehand, I would have escorted you.”

I was moved by his words.

“How could I do that to the busy High Priest? I was walking around with Daisy. Then, enjoy your tea time…”

Now that I had greeted them, it was the moment I spoke out to get out of here.

This is just enough time for me to meet the male leads.

‘A larger portion should be reserved for the female lead.’

But then, a priest suddenly ran to Reihausd and whispered something in his ear.

My words were cut off, and after a while he spoke to us with a rather firm expression on his face.

“There is a problem with the construction of the west side building, so I think I will have to visit it for a while. It won’t take long.”

Frustrated, I opened my mouth, yet Cass spoke faster.

“I understand. I will be chatting with the Saintess, so please go there in the meantime.”