CH 99

While Ellie set out to the temple, a guest appeared to Duke Croft.

“Hail His Majesty the Emperor, Empire Sun.”

“Duke, rise your head.”

“I was thinking of visiting Your Majesty, but you came just in time.”

“So you and I share the same thoughts.”

Raymond smiled briefly.

“But why did you visit me today?”

“I came to make sure that you are doing well once you have returned to work. If not, I’ll just leave you for compulsory treatment.”

Hearing Raymond’s joke, the Duke laughed.

Raymond continued after seeing the Duke’s favorable reaction:

“I actually came to share an important story.”

Raymond’s playfulness vanished immediately as the Duke’s expression became serious.

It was probably about Marquis Sios. So the Duke suggested.

“I’ll take you to the office.”

“Yes. Oh wait.”

His gaze darted to all corners, searching for Ellie’s discreet silhouette.

“But Duke, Ellie is not here. The case is also related to her.”

“Ah… She’s now…”

The Duke was embarrassed and couldn’t answer right away.

Raymond was instantly alarmed at this.

Perhaps she sailed away again without even saying anything?

Raymond’s fingertips were already cold, but then the Duke spoke:

“Ellie just went to the temple.”

“To the temple, then?”

He was relieved to learn that she wasn’t gone forever.

“Ellie’s large donation to the orphanage caught the attention of the High Priest. And he sent a letter.”

“So she went to meet him?”

“Right.”

Raymond’s face contorted at the Duke’s calm response.

This old garbage invited Ellie to dine?

After losing the war for influence, he decided to quietly take revenge on me through Ellie?

It was the High Priest who periodically spread rumors to the crowd that my Empress wouldn’t be able to bear a healthy child.

There were times when he reproached her for a lack of faith, and blamed every misfortune of our family on it.

I issued a warning to the temple, so that more like this wouldn’t happen again. But Ellie nevertheless endured more and more humiliation and slander at every opportunity.

And now she goes to visit him?

I was going to tell the Duke an important matter about Sios, but now I just can’t pretend not to care about her visit to the temple.

What if the High Priest told her bullshit again?

I don’t want to see Ellie put up with humiliation anymore…

“I’ll wait for you tomorrow at the palace.”

Raymond turned and left the mansion without even hearing an answer.

* * *

The Luminas Church in our capital was represented by ten large buildings, like a small imperial palace.

And among them, the central temple, where the High Priest was, was the most secret place.

As I passed the huge columns and reached the main building, a gray-headed priest approached me.

“Haven’t seen you in a long time, Lady Croft.”

Familiar face.

His dignity was a little lower than the High Priest himself.

“The High Priest is waiting in the dining room.”

The door opened, I stepped into the room, and froze from what I saw.

There was a long table in the room, and there was more than one High Priest waiting for me. The priests on both sides of the table, they just flooded this place.

And again the temple called me to spoil the mood.

Has nothing really changed over the years?

Pouring poison inside, I confidently stepped in the room.

“Long time no see.”

“Welcome, lady Croft.”

The High Priest with a tiara on his head rose from his chair and greeted me.

“Your sudden invitation made me uncomfortable. But now, when I see what kind of banquet you have laid here… I think I did the right thing, that I came.”

“I’m glad to see the young lady is confident. The Empire was still making noise about the fate of Duke Croft… I was very worried that your father didn’t please the God.”

The High Priest naturally criticized our family, but passed it off as genuine concern.

If I had met him for the first time, I would have been mistaken or misunderstood.

But this isn’t our first meeting.

I have not forgotten how cunning this bloke is.

And then I said, looking him straight in the eyes.

“I was also very worried about the temple. I was afraid that the glory of the God had left you, because the criticism of the temple is struggling day by day.”

The High Priest’s face twitched slightly. It seems that he thought that I would silently nod my head like before.

I added with a smile on my lips:

“I was afraid that the God would leave his champions forever.”

Finally the young priest jumped up and shouted:

“Lady Croft! Are you getting rude?”

“I’m just saying that I’m concerned about the fate of the temple. Wasn’t the High Priest worried about the will of the God forsaking Duke Croft?”

“That…”

The priest’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Six years is not so little time. Lady Croft seems to have changed a lot.”

“And I suspect you are not. But hasn’t dining at the temple always been a quiet event?”

If you look around, there were a dozen more priests in the dining room who were ready to take a bite from me.

Besides, my place was in the middle of them.

“Ah, I invited Lady Croft, who made a large donation to the orphanage. I apologize for not telling you in advance.”

“I understand everything clearly.”

Even if you weren’t a noble, it would be very rude to arrange such a dinner.

Inviting 10 more outsiders without asking your desire. It was a game that even commoners with no manners wouldn’t fall for.

Whether he was blinded by my generous offering, or his judgment clouded with age, the High Priest was now openly displaying his stupidity.

I gathered my courage, because I planned to enter into an open confrontation with this priest.

Just as I was about to get up and walk straight towards him, the dining room door opened.

“High Priest.”

This voice…

The sound of footsteps grew closer.

So.

What a company gathered here…

“I wonder if your necks are jammed or something? Or have you forgotten my face after so many years?”

Raymond’s cold voice rang out in the room.

At that moment, the dumbfounded priests stood up and bowed.

“Your Majesty.”

Since they bowed to the gods, the Emperor wasn’t prepared for a deep bow.

But why are you here? I turned to him, embarrassed, but Raymond saw only the High Priest before him.

“High Priest, I haven’t come to see you for a long time.”

“Yes… we haven’t seen each other for a long time. But did Your Majesty come to the temple incognito?”

“You put the question as if someone could deny me entry. Isn’t this a place where I can come whenever I want to pray to the God?”

The High Priest smiled awkwardly at Raymond’s question.

“Of course. The temple is a place where you can see the God at any time and without any notice. But that would be about the prayer room. I was just amazed that you came to our dining room.”

“Oh, I wanted to go there, but you all drifted apart. A long time ago I promised you that we would dine together.”

And Raymond looked at me.

Black eyes passed by, exuding harsh energy as if he were very angry.

“Yes, we have hosted a dinner for Lady Croft in gratitude for the large donation to the orphanage.”

“So this is what your gratitude looks like.”

Raymond glanced at the priests. The latter were embarrassed and stared down.

“I have never seen such a strange dinner in my life, High Priest.”

“We’re just…”

“Why does this look like interrogating a heretic?”

Raymond’s voice was cold.

“Sire. What kind of interrogation? It’s just unreasonable.”

“Oh, these saints. And I have never even seen you use divine power. So I sometimes get confused whether you are a priest or just a manager in a church.”

At that moment, the face of the High Priest turned red with excitement, and it was impenetrable, anger or shame.

The same was true of the priests around, who avoided Raymond’s gaze.

However, they had nothing to say in refutation. Not one has ever shown their divine power.

Raymond snorted at the tiara in front of him.

“High Priest. Today’s dinner is, from start to finish, a strange sight to me. What do you think of that?”

“…Yes. Looks like I didn’t prepare well. I apologize.”

The High Priest bowed to Raymond.

Looking at him for the last time with his icy eyes, the Emperor turned his head to me.

“Lady Croft, the only thing worth doing at this time is to leave without turning around.”

Lunch ended on that note without even starting.

Stunned by the unexpected turn, I got up and followed Raymond.

“What the hell were you thinking ?! What are you doing here?!”

As soon as I walked out the door, he yelled at me. He looked very angry.

“And what do you think? Maybe because I was invited?”

“I say, why did you come to the invitation?!”

Raymond shook his head in annoyance.

His face contorted as if it were hurting inside.

Although I was in a bad mood, I couldn’t understand why he had such a painful face.

How did you even find me?

The irritation gradually grew.

“This is not just a templar, but the High Priest himself. You know it’s impolite to refuse for no good reason.”

“Impolite? Impolite to the scoundrels who spoke inhuman nonsense when you had a miscarriage?”

Raymond, who used to shoot with his eyes like a furious beast, now hesitated. As if he brought up a story that shouldn’t have been touched.