The One Who Doesn't Find Me Revolting
“Priest, could you hold my hand?”
“Gladly, my lady.”
“Thank you. Hehe, it’s so warm…”
“I’m happy that it pleases you.”
It felt like bliss.
“Priest, my legs hurt.”
“Oh dear, did we walk too long? Shall we head inside now?”
“No. Just carry me. Is that alright?”
“Of course. I’d be delighted.”
It was far too blissful.
“Thank you, Priest.”
“Not at all, my lady.”
Daisy Ricgard was incredibly happy right now.
She had endured several days that felt like hell.
The dinner where she had expected Emil to become her personal priest had been completely ruined by that stinking illegitimate girl.
No matter how much she threw tantrums, her father Alon—who usually granted her wishes with a smile—remained stubbornly unmoved when it came to that child.
‘I don’t want that! You can’t take the priest away from me!’
She had skipped meals and protested for days, but Alon’s resolve was ironclad.
In the end, she had locked herself in her room and cried until her mother Cately came to comfort her.
Cately had approached the sobbing Daisy and gently reassured her that Priest Emil wasn’t leaving her side forever, so there was no need to be so sad.
In that moment, her usually stern mother felt warmer than her ever-gentle father.
‘While you stay like this, would it be alright if that child spends time with Priest Emil?’
That was what Cately had said, and it turned out to be true.
Emil hadn’t left her—he had simply been assigned to another duty.
Yet being shut away in her room meant she couldn’t see him at all, which felt even more heartbreaking.
So she had finally come outside.
The maids all breathed sighs of relief, and Cately praised her for making the right choice as she soothed her.
According to the maids, Emil seemed to be doing well. Daisy was relieved to hear it, but on the other hand, the news that he was fine without her sparked a surge of jealousy.
She was also angry at the way the maids giggled and chattered.
They said he stayed by that girl’s side all day despite the stench, that he even fed her cake by piercing it with a fork…
She found herself newly impressed by Emil’s diligence and sincerity, but naturally, that only fueled her jealousy even more.
After all, that should have been her place.
‘Lady Daisy… what brings you here?’
So she had gone to find Emil.
He looked surprised to see her, and that reaction stung a little, but he still welcomed her warmly.
Emil was so kind.
Even though the stench was nauseating, he acted as if it didn’t bother him at all. In fact, he was the one looking after that girl.
‘My lady, if you’ve finished eating, would you like to take a short walk outside?’
As expected, Emil—Priest Emil—treated her with the same gentle kindness as always.
And that made her incredibly happy.
Daisy Ricgard was a happy girl.
“Your back is so wide, Priest. It’s really comfortable to lean on. And it’s so warm.”
“I’m glad you find it comfortable.”
Emil smiled softly.
The laughter that reached her from behind his back filled Daisy’s heart with boundless happiness.
“Priest… um, am I not too heavy?”
“Well, you might be about as heavy as the plums you ate earlier.”
Daisy pondered the meaning for a moment before bursting into laughter.
It meant she weighed practically nothing once you subtracted the plums. He really was such a sweet priest.
“Hehe, you smell so nice, Priest…”
“Ah, I don’t sweat much, so that’s probably why.”
No, Priest. That’s not the reason.
It’s because it’s you. That’s why you smell so wonderful.
“Mm, even my mother who puts on perfume every day doesn’t smell this nice.”
“Is that so? I’m not sure, but… if you say so, my lady, then it must be true.”
Daisy buried her face in the nape of Emil’s neck and breathed in with delight.
But there was no fragrant scent at all.
Instead, a rotten stench wafted from somewhere.
A wave of nausea suddenly threatened to rise.
“Priest, don’t you… smell something strange somewhere?”
“A strange smell? Hmm, all I can detect is a sweet fragrance…”
Emil trailed off, then suddenly seemed to realize something. He quickly set Daisy down.
“P-Priest?”
“I’m sorry, my lady. Something urgent has come up—I must go!”
While Daisy stood there in confusion, Emil shouted a single phrase and immediately ran off somewhere.
“Priest…”
Daisy stood dazed for a moment, thinking about the smell. Then it hit her.
She knew that smell.
There was no other stench quite so revolting.
‘It must be that girl.’
It was the smell that came from Leni.
Though it had never been strong enough to reach this far outside before… something must have happened. That was probably why Emil had run off.
To worry about her.
‘…What am I even thinking? It’s only natural for the priest to worry about her. He has a warm heart toward everyone, and besides, he’s her personal priest…’
Personal priest.
The moment she thought of those words, tears suddenly welled up. Afraid someone might see, she quickly wiped them away, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
‘He left me behind…’
That was the truth.
If something happened to that girl, it was only right for him to run to Leni even if it meant setting Daisy aside.
Because Emil was Leni’s personal priest.
It was only natural.
“Ugh… hic… sob…”
But the truth hurt Daisy so much.
She cried because it hurt so much.
In that moment, she resented Emil more than she ever had.
* * *
Daisy had said it smelled terrible. But to Emil, it was nothing but a sweet fragrance.
It was definitely Leni. There was no doubt.
What worried him was that the scent had traveled all the way outside, far beyond her room.
Until now, no matter how strong the fragrance was, it had never been detectable from a distance.
‘I feel bad for Daisy.’
He had taken her out for a walk to lift her spirits… she was probably upset with him again.
But if the source of Leni’s stench was her curse, then the current situation was clearly dangerous.
‘Of all times, when Pidea isn’t here… damn it.’
The moment he reached the door, he heard Leni’s voice.
It was faint, but he could hear it.
“Ugh… ugh… uuuugh.”
Leni was in pain.
“My lady! Are you alri—”
“—Don’t come in!”
As he tried to open the door right away, Leni screamed as if in a panic.
“Don’t come in, Priest. If you do, I’ll get angry!”
“But, my lady…”
“Listen to me! Haa… Priest. It’s nothing. There’s nothing wrong, so don’t come in.”
Leni spoke in a trembling, sobbing voice.
What should he do? Should he force his way in?
Leni shouted another warning.
“Got it? Don’t come in! If you do, I’ll tell Lord Alon to remove you from your position as my personal priest. Do you understand?”
“Please calm down first. Can’t you at least tell me what’s happening?”
“I said there’s nothing—ugh!”
Damn it. There was no way he could just stand by.
If she wanted to get angry, let her. If she wanted to kick him out, then so be it.
“—I’m sorry, my lady!”
“……!”
When he opened the door and stepped inside, Leni was clutching her ankle and moaning.
Cold sweat poured down her like rain,
and though her eyes glared at Emil, tears streamed from her tightly squinted eyelids from the intense pain.
“I-I told you not to come in…”
And the ankle she was gripping
was dyed pitch black.
This wasn’t a metaphor.
It was literally pitch black.
Leni’s leg—her living flesh—was stained with a colorless darkness that no living being should ever possess.
“My lady…”
The moment he saw it, an eerie voice seemed to echo inside his head.
The voice was screaming:
‘Revolting. Revolting. Revolting.’
What the…
His head throbbed painfully, but this was no time to worry about that.
Leni’s well-being was far more important.
‘Disgusting thing. Disgusting thing. Disgusting thing.’
Shut up, damn it.
Emil staggered toward Leni.
At that, Leni sobbed and begged.
“Ugh… Priest. Don’t come closer. Please don’t come closer! Don’t hate me too. Please, please. If even you hate me… then no one will love me anymore.”
What did that mean?
When Emil approached the suffering girl and placed a hand on her, Leni flinched violently.
“I’m sorry, Priest. So please… don’t hate me. Don’t curse at me. I’m begging you, Priest. Really…”
Why was she acting like this?
Leni pleaded as she struggled to sit up.
“Priest… please don’t hate me. Please…”
“Lady Leni, please calm down.”
Emil slowly soothed her.
Leni blinked with a dazed expression.
She seemed unable to process the situation before her.
“Priest. How… um, you’re not bothered at all?”
“Other than hearing a strange voice, I’m perfectly fine. Are you alright, my lady?”
“I-I’m fine. It only hurts for a moment. That’s why I told you not to come… but more importantly, Priest, are you really okay? Doesn’t it disgust you?”
“Why would it? Why are you saying such things?”
Leni kept blinking her tear-soaked lashes, stammering for words.
“Y-You’re lying. That can’t be. How could you… Aren’t you scared? Doesn’t it give you the creeps? Isn’t it horrifying? Doesn’t it make you nauseous, revolted, sickened, disgusted, horrified? Right? Isn’t it loathsome?”
It was truly bewildering.
Had Leni ever revealed her emotions this intensely before?
“My lady, please calm yourself. No. It’s not like that. How could you possibly disgust me?”
“Really… is that true? You’re really not bothered…? Even when you look at my body, at my leg?”
“Of course I was surprised. However…”
“No—do I look the same as I did before?”
Leni’s voice trembled.
“You don’t look any different.”
“You don’t find me revolting, hideous? You don’t want to jump up and run away right now?”
“No.”
Leni suddenly grabbed Emil by the back of his neck and pulled his face close.
He had lost count of how many times he had been caught off guard today.
“Even like this?”
“…Yes.”
Leni stared into his eyes from so close that he could count her eyelashes.
Her gaze shook.
She looked at him with trembling eyes, as if she couldn’t believe it—as if she fully expected him to push her away and flee at any second.
“Priest.”
“Yes.”
“Priest Emil, you really… you’re really not bothered at all?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh… you really… don’t find me revolting? Is that true? You won’t call me a monster? Really?”
“Of course not, my lady.”
At that, Leni buried her face even deeper into Emil’s chest and began to cry.
"Sob… ugh… uuuu…”
"Waaaah… huuuh…”
It was incredibly bewildering.
He almost wondered if this was really the same cold Leni he knew.
One thing was certain: she was so small, so fragile—just a child.
As he gently held the sobbing girl in his arms, that was all he could think.