Chapter 147: Word of Mouth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 147: Word of Mouth
“I told you, there’s no need for so many of you to follow me…”
Standing in front of the Guest Castle, I pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead as I looked at the long line of knights trailing behind me.
I had only come out to meet Prince Lucion after hearing the sudden news of his arrival, but in the short distance from the Main Castle to the Guest Castle, two entire knight divisions had attached themselves to me as escorts.
“Today is the 9th Division’s turn for escort duty.”
Tiern looked back at Norton with a sarcastic smirk.
“...So why on earth is the 1st Division out here?”
“Your Highness, are you not feeling the heat? You there, bring a parasol.”
Norton ignored him entirely, changing the subject.
“Sir Perel, don’t you think this is a bit much?”
I turned to Perel with a worried expression. The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like they were planning to throw Prince Lucion into a dungeon the moment he arrived.
Understanding the implication of my words, Perel tightened his lips.
“Well, this much should be fine.”
After all, the other party was the one who acted rudely first.
‘A royal from another country showing up at the castle without any prior agreement.’
The aide’s eyes had been twitching as he told me how he barely managed to talk the Grand Duke out of kicking the Prince out immediately, reminding him that the man was still royalty.
‘Anyway, why is he taking so long?’
Loik had gone out to the second wall himself to meet Prince Lucion.
‘Though Perel added a footnote that, technically, it was more of an interception than a welcome.’
I was standing there idly, as the wait was taking longer than expected, when I saw another group of knights moving beyond the garden in the distance.
‘Are they going to training?’
I thought they were headed toward the training grounds, but the division suddenly made a sharp turn and began marching straight toward us.
“What is it this time?” Tiern muttered, his voice laced with annoyance.
Before long, the leader of the group came into view, his ash-gray hair cut neat and short. It was Gamon, the Commander of the 3rd Knight Division.
As soon as he reached me, he dropped to one knee without hesitation.
“I greet Her Sacred Highness the Consort.”
The knights behind him followed suit, kneeling in unison.
Wait, I think a very strange word was just tacked onto that greeting.
“...S-Sir Gamon, it’s been a while.”
When I stammered out a greeting, Gamon lifted his head, a look of slight surprise in his eyes.
“You remember my name?”
“Of course. we were introduced during the formal greetings.”
It wasn't surprising that Gamon was shocked. While I had met all the division commanders back then, I rarely had the chance to see them unless they were assigned to my direct escort.
The commander spoke with a look of admiration.
“Allow me to introduce myself formally once more. I am Gamon Beneturias, Commander of the 3rd Knight Division.”
Gamon stood up and brought a fist to his chest in salute.
“High Priest Cadias, who was the most faithful servant of the Goddess in history, hailed from our Beneturias family.”
“...Ah, I see.”
Watching Gamon suddenly bring up a High Priest, I swallowed a sigh of embarrassment.
‘So even the knights know.’
Despite my efforts to keep things quiet, it seemed the rumor that I was something akin to a Saintess had already spread throughout the Grand Duke’s Castle.
‘Of course, I didn't think I could stop the rumors entirely, but...’
It seemed like no one had any intention of keeping the secret at all!
It had started the very day after I returned from the temple. In the morning, when I was about to have my washwater taken away after washing my face, Reta lifted the basin high, level with her forehead.
— “Reta? What are you doing?”
When I asked why she was carrying the water like that, Reta replied with a dead-serious face.
— “...I once saw a priest do this when transporting holy water.”
— “Holy water, my foot! It’s just washwater!”
Even as my ears turned beet red, Reta’s gaze remained solemn.
— “Do not worry, Your Highness. I know nothing.”
No matter how much I asked what it was she didn't know, Reta simply nodded in silence.
It wasn't just Reta. The few maids allowed into my room were incredibly careful when gathering the linens or pillowcases, handling them as if they were transporting holy relics.
The servants I encountered in the hallways began to look at me with overwhelming intensity. There was even a maid who discreetly drew the sign of the cross as I passed by.
Since things were like this, even the knights who hadn't accompanied me to the temple had quickly caught wind of the rumors.
“All those in the knights' order with deep faith are gathered in the 3rd Division. Loik here, a high-ranking knight, even comes from a temple background.”
At Gamon’s words, a knight with dark brown hair standing behind him offered a polite bow.
“I expect we will be serving Your Highness frequently in the future, so I wished to pay my respects in advance.”
Gamon spoke with eyes full of zeal.
“I will soon offer a formal introduction of the entire 3rd Division as well.”
“...And why exactly would the 3rd Division be serving Her Highness?”
Tiern, standing behind me, suddenly interjected.
“There are already two escort divisions here for Her Highness.”
“The 3rd Division is already in charge of all missions involving the Grand Temple anyway, is it not?”
Gamon replied in a stiff tone that suggested not even a needle could pierce his resolve.
“Now that Her Highness has become a Saintess...”
Perel, who was beside me, cut him off with a frantic cough. Gamon quickly caught on and chose his words more carefully.
“...In any case, our duties regarding Her Highness will inevitably overlap. I thought it might be better for the 3rd Division to take over the escort duties entirely.”
“The 1st Division has been in charge of Her Highness’s escort since she first arrived in the North.”
This time, Norton made his displeasure clear.
“But wouldn't those with a deeper faith in the Goddess be able to serve Her Highness better?” Gamon said earnestly.
I’m sorry to break it to you, but this 'Highness' has absolutely no faith in the Goddess.
“It’s not like this is some Holy Knight Order...”
Tiern curled his lip and slammed his scabbard against the ground with a thud.
“The 9th Division doesn't worship things like goddesses.”
“How blasphemous.”
“We only worship Her Highness instead.”
At those words, the faces of Gamon and the 3rd Division turned a pale shade of blue.
Excuse me, could you please not forget that I am standing right here?
My face burned as if it were on fire at such cringeworthy words.
“For once, we are in agreement,” Norton said in a low, sinking voice. “I don't know why you're prattling on about the Goddess in front of Her Highness in the first place.”
“That is obviously because—!”
Gamon’s voice rose, but he exercised patience and clamped his mouth shut. Finally finding a gap to speak, I called out to him softly.
“Sir Gamon.”
“I understand the 3rd Division’s intentions, but I have no plans to change my escort for the time being.”
Gamon’s expression remained stoic, but the tips of his ears turned red. He seemed flustered by the rejection, which was firmer than he had expected.
“I will accept the sentiment, however.”
I had worried he might be as stubborn as Tiern used to be, but he simply bowed his head with dignity.
“The 3rd Division is always ready. If you give us the chance, we will never disappoint you, Your Highness.”
The knights standing behind him couldn't hide their disappointed faces as they turned to leave.
Holy power or whatever, I don't even know how to use it.
Just as I was rubbing my temples, worrying about how exhausting my life would become if the Grand Temple actually got involved, I heard the clatter of hooves. A carriage was approaching the Guest Castle from afar.
“One goes, and another one comes...” Tiern grumbled, his annoyance plain to see.
“It has been a long time, Your Highness.”
Prince Lucion stepped out of the carriage with a bright smile. Dressed in white attire embroidered with gold thread, his silhouette was as beautiful as a figure out of myth.
“Prince, welcome to the Grand Duke’s Castle.”
“I am glad to see Your Highness welcoming me so warmly.”
Lucion stepped closer without hesitation, completely unfazed by the hostile atmosphere radiating from the knights lined up behind me. He took my hand, his lips lightly brushing the back of it before pulling away.
“The Grand Duke told me to ‘get lost back to your own country’ the moment he saw me.”
Loik, who had belatedly hopped down from a massive black horse, furrowed his brows.
Honestly, telling him to ‘get lost’ was a bit much.
When I shot Loik a look, he glared at the Prince as if to say he was just telling the truth.
“That bastard—I mean, the Prince—used even harsher language than I did.”
Loik muttered under his breath that he was only holding back because he didn't want to foul Annette’s ears.
“Of course I should welcome you.”
I gave Lucion a bright smile.
“I only wish you had sent word in advance so we could have been better prepared to receive you.”
“Well, I didn't intend to be so rude, but the situation turned out this way...”
The Prince said, his eyebrows drooping slightly.
“It seems Your Highness will have to take responsibility for me.”
In that instant, the air around us turned ice-cold at Lucion’s words.
“What did you just say?”
...I take back the word 'cold.'
The air around Loik began to shimmer and warp, as if heat were boiling over. However, Lucion himself acted as if nothing were wrong, flashing a beaming smile.
“I’ve been kicked out.”
The Prince’s eyes curved beautifully as they met mine.
“Please, give me a place to stay.”