The Person Who Doesn't Find Me Disgusting #2
When had he come to this world? Roughly four years ago, by his reckoning.
One thing he could state with certainty was that being dropped into a pre-modern society made instant adaptation impossible.
The differences in ways of thinking and core values, especially, were not easily bridged.
“May the Lord grant you strength when you are weary and lift you when you fall. Lord Alon, I pray that peace walks ever at your side. And, of course, with your family and all of Iredain as well…”
The fact that Emil’s occupation was that of a priest meant he had to memorize and recite the scriptures of a religion he had never known in his previous life if he wished to survive.
Without the ‘helper’ who had taught him the culture, history, customs, and common sense of this world, adapting would have been impossible.
“Thank you, Priest. You may go.”
Lord Alon Ricgard seemed unmoved by the blessing and waved a dismissive hand, clearly telling him to disappear.
Damn that bald, pot-bellied bastard. Who the hell wants to celebrate your birthday?
To keep his irritation from showing, he lightly brushed Lady Cately’s backside with his fingertips as he withdrew. She gave a small, startled shiver.
What a lewd woman.
With a silent sneer, he retreated.
He was not permitted to sit at the lord’s table.
Emil was not of noble birth, after all.
In truth, custom dictated that priests be offered seats regardless of origin, but Lord Alon Ricgard had no desire to share a meal with a tiresome priest, so Emil was forced to eat at the servants’ table.
Well, it isn’t so bad. Even the lord’s table offers nothing more than medieval-level fare. Besides, I can’t drink myself into a stupor in front of him.
“Priest, please accept my wine.”
“Thank you, Watt.”
One advantage of the servants’ table was that here, he was treated like a superior.
Damn it, I deserve to enjoy the class system too.
He emptied the servant-poured wine repeatedly, letting the warmth of intoxication rise.
Yes. Tonight, perhaps he would seize any woman who caught his fancy and enjoy a brief tryst.
Emil possessed absolute confidence in his ability to seduce anyone he desired.
He had an appointment with Lady Cately later that night, but until then, a secret rendezvous with a maid among the bushes was entirely possible.
Of course, I won’t be paid for it…
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
Startled by the voice behind him, he turned to find Daisy Ricgard, the lord’s daughter, standing there.
“Lady Daisy? What brings you here?”
“What do you mean? You weren’t at your proper seat, so I came looking for you, Priest.”
“This is my proper seat.”
Daisy frowned and glanced around. The servants who had been eating and drinking with Emil quickly lowered their heads and averted their eyes.
“Why are you sitting in a place like this? Come eat beside me.”
“Today is the lord’s birthday, is it not? On such a day, how could I possibly share a table with you, my lady?”
Daisy pouted, lips pushed out in displeasure.
“Where is such a ridiculous rule written? Hmph. I’m going to complain to Father.”
“Please don’t. It would only make things difficult for me.”
Truthfully, this table was far more comfortable than the lord’s, but Daisy clearly disliked the arrangement. She dragged a chair over and sat down.
“Then I’ll sit here too.”
Every servant at the table wore a look of pure panic. Though he couldn’t see his own face, Emil suspected his expression was much the same.
“Are you truly serious?”
“Of course. Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”
“There are many reasons. First, this is the servants’ table.”
He shrugged and gestured to the two servants beside him.
“Look at Tep and Watt here. Tep has dirt under his fingernails, and Watt reeks terribly. Their language is coarse, and I guarantee that after a few more cups they will belch in front of you and begin cursing the lord.”
“Burp—hey now, Priest. That’s a bit harsh.”
“No need to prove my point immediately, Watt.”
Daisy refused to yield.
“You two, go eat somewhere else. Problem solved.”
“My lady, must you really?”
“Do either of you object?”
Tep and Watt shook their heads vigorously and fled without another word.
“There. Now it’s no longer the servants’ table. No problem, right, Priest?”
Daisy smiled playfully.
He had no choice but to surrender.
“Very well. But please return before it grows too late. The lord will not be pleased if you leave your seat for long.”
“I don’t want to hear about Father. Tch.”
His secret rendezvous with a maid seemed ruined. Nothing to be done.
He tore into a piece of chicken. Rich juices flowed from beneath the crisp, roasted skin.
In this world without hamburgers, pizza, ice cream, or cola, the chicken at least remained delicious.
“Give me a bite of that too.”
He looked down in confusion. Daisy was pointing at the very piece of chicken he had been tearing apart.
“The chicken? This is what I’ve already been eating. Shall I fetch a fresh portion from the hall?”
“No, that’s fine. Feed it to me, Priest.”
Daisy stretched her neck forward, opened her mouth, and made an expectant “Ah” sound.
With no other choice, he tore off a clean portion and brought it to her lips. Daisy smiled mischievously and bit down on both the chicken and his finger.
“Ouch! My lady?”
“Did I surprise you?”
Delighted by her successful prank, Daisy burst into bright laughter. She laughed so hard her face flushed scarlet.
“My lady, please breathe.”
“Hehe, heh… I’ll let you off with that much for now.”
After laughing for quite some time, Daisy finally spoke again.
“Hee… If you become my personal priest, I’ll tease you all day long. Just wait and see.”
Personal priest.
That was something Emil desired as well.
His current position was ambiguous. He was treated as a guest priest of Iredain, yet Lord Alon Ricgard cared little for the gods. Only because Lady Cately and her daughter Daisy favored him was he allowed to remain. Conversely, that also meant he could be expelled at any moment with no recourse.
But if he became the personal priest of the lord’s daughter?
Simply by looking after this mischievous child, he would be guaranteed a comfortable future. As a bonus, he could caress Lady Cately’s beautiful body every night.
“I see. If I become your personal priest, I might even be permitted to eat beside you, my lady.”
“Exactly. I’ve been pestering Father about it every chance I get.”
That was why Emil had been subtly encouraging Daisy. Lord Alon rarely refused his daughter’s requests.
Using a child like this should have brought guilt, yet it did not. Naturally.
What would he not do for a feather bed and gold coins?
Emil tore off another piece of chicken and slipped it into Daisy’s small, dainty mouth.
“Say ‘ah.’”
“Eek—yeees.”
Daisy’s face flushed with embarrassment.
She felt no shame when playing pranks, yet turned shy the moment he returned the favor. How very like a child.
“Priest, I’m thirsty.”
“Shall I bring you water?”
“No. Give me what you were drinking.”
Daisy snatched the cup from his hand.
“My lady, that is…”
“It’s fine. Father won’t scold me for a single cup of wine.”
She swirled the cup, then pressed it to her lips and drank deeply. Immediately she began coughing.
“Cough, cough! Ugh, it’s bitter…”
“That’s what happens when you drink so quickly.”
He sighed.
She was truly a girl he could not take his eyes off of—a mischievous, troublemaking child.
“If you continue behaving so willfully, Lady Cately will scold you even if the lord does not. You may even be spanked.”
“Tch. It’s not as if I’m the one getting hit anyway.”
Her words drew a bitter smile from him.
It’s not as if I’m the one getting hit anyway.
What that meant was that when disciplining their children, nobles would bring in the offspring of lesser nobles or commoners to receive the beating in their stead.
It would never do for a daughter of a great house to bear scars from a whipping.
It was a method meant to stir the child’s conscience, though its effectiveness was dubious.
For Daisy, her mother’s scolding seemed far more terrifying than having another child take the blows.
“Ugh, give me another cup!”
Before he realized it, Daisy had emptied the cup in small sips and was holding it out again.
“My lady, any more than that…”
“Daisy, what are you doing?”
Just as he was attempting to soothe her with a troubled smile, a voice called from a distance.
It was Daisy’s mother, Lady Cately.
“M-Mother…”
“I wondered where you had vanished to on your father’s birthday, and here you are tormenting Priest Emil?”
At the accusation, Daisy protested.
“Tormenting? I simply felt bad that the priest was eating alone over here…”
“So you took Priest Emil’s cup and drank his wine? To my eyes, he looks rather uncomfortable.”
Daisy hesitated, mumbling.
“No, I… that wasn’t…”
“I have always told you that a lady does not make excuses after doing wrong! Daisy, why are you behaving this way?”
Cately’s stern rebuke brought tears to Daisy’s eyes.
The sight tugged at him, so he intervened.
“Lady Cately.”
At the low, velvety tone, Cately’s body gave a visible shiver.
Emil was using the exact voice he employed when handling her in bed.
“Eek… Emil… Priest. What is it?”
“Please do not scold the young lady. She came all this way out of consideration for me, knowing full well she would be reprimanded by her mother. Is that truly unladylike behavior?”
She flinched at every word, every syllable.
“No… that’s… correct. It is as the priest says.”
Cately nodded with obedient, docile eyes.
He offered her a gentle smile, then turned back to Daisy.
“Return to your seat first, my lady. The lord may be looking for you. I shall see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, Priest…”
Daisy nodded meekly. Finding the gesture endearing, he stroked her hair. She blushed furiously and bowed her head.
“Then… see you tomorrow, Priest…”
She quickly bid farewell, took her mother’s hand, and left.
“I shall see you shortly, Lady Cately.”
“Eek… Ah… Yes. Priest Emil.”
While Daisy’s back was turned, he stroked the curve of her waist, sealing their promise for the night. She answered in a voice already moist with arousal, as though the mere touch had excited her.
The pair soon returned to the lord’s table.
Good. Then…
The banquet still had a long way to go.
Only after it ended and everyone had fallen asleep could he enjoy a secret meeting with Cately. But since Daisy had left early, time remained.
I can have a little fun first.
Emil smiled faintly.
His gaze swept across the maids.
A place with too many eyes was no good. Somewhere more secluded… There. That girl will do.
Grinning, he approached a maid eating alone and spoke.
“Lady Bella, if I’m not mistaken?”
The maid whose name he called lifted her head with a start. She had a timid, mousy appearance.
She looked like a virgin.
Two glasses of wine and a few whispered words should suffice.
“Ah, Priest… sir. But… Lady? I’m only a maid.”
“I know no other word for a beautiful girl than ‘lady.’ Unless you know a better one?”
“Ah, beautiful, you say…”
The girl’s face flushed instantly at the compliment.
Emil revised his earlier calculation. Incorrect. One glass will do.
Smiling softly, he laid a hand against her cheek.
“That’s right. I know a pleasant spot to catch some air. If you’re willing, would you accompany me? And while we walk, perhaps you could tell me what I ought to call you.”