The One Who Always Returns to Me #6
A knock sounded on Leni’s door, and moments later, someone entered.
“Pardon the intrusion. I apologize for disturbing you both, but I have something to say to Priest Emil…”
The one who stepped inside was Roen Bloodfire.
She had opened the door with care, but the moment her eyes met Emil’s, her face froze in shock.
It was only natural. Emil and Leni were lying together in the same bed—Leni wearing nothing more than a thin chemise that might as well have been underwear.
She paused as if choosing her words, then nodded with the same deadpan expression she always wore.
“My apologies. It seems I truly have interrupted. I will make sure no one else enters, so please, enjoy yourselves.”
What the hell is she even saying?
Emil didn’t want to imagine what kind of scene Roen had conjured in her head.
Careful not to wake the sleeping Leni in his arms, he called out in a desperate whisper.
“Hey, Roen. I don’t know what you’re imagining, but it’s nothing like what you’re thinking, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Of course I haven’t misunderstood. It’s simply inappropriate for a third party to intrude on matters between a man and a woman…”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you that this so-called ‘matter between a man and a woman’ is a misunderstanding! Just come in already! I’ve cured the princess’s curse!”
Roen stood there awkwardly for a moment before stepping inside with a slightly uncomfortable expression and closing the door behind her.
Then she looked at Emil and tilted her head.
“Huh? You’re not naked?”
“Damn it, what exactly were you imagining?”
“I assumed that if the two of you were enjoying each other’s company, you might have a taste for showing it off as well.”
“You’re going to drive me insane. We are not in that kind of relationship, and the princess is still young. What the hell is going on inside that head of yours?”
Emil spoke with clear disgust.
Roen’s eyes brightened as she replied.
“I understand what you’re saying, but I wouldn’t recommend saying such things while the princess is awake. She would be deeply hurt.”
“I said we’re not in that kind of relationship. Of course I love the princess. But not in the way you’re thinking…”
“No, not that part. The latter part.”
The latter part? What is she talking about?
Roen glanced at Leni’s sleeping face before lowering her voice.
“The part where you called her young. If she heard those words from your lips, she would be terribly upset.”
“Really? She has grown a lot, but to me she still feels like a child…”
“Exactly.”
Roen cut him off firmly.
“That’s why I’m telling you to be careful with those words. The princess is an adult now. If not for the curse, she would have been married long ago. Treating her like a child will not please her.”
“…I see.”
Emil accepted it without argument.
When he thought about it, she was right. The only women who liked being called young were those who had already aged.
Women’s hearts were truly complicated. Girls wanted to look like adults, while adults wanted to look like girls.
“Anyway, I must point out that your imagination is quite strange. Would any person with common sense imagine that a priest and a princess, reuniting after several years, would immediately climb into bed together?”
“Yet lying in bed while embracing a princess wearing only a chemise is already quite an unusual sight, is it not?”
Damn it. She had him there.
Emil let out a sigh and tried to explain.
“First, I treated the princess’s curse. After that, we talked… and then she suddenly burst into tears again. While I was comforting her, somehow we ended up in bed. She eventually grew exhausted and fell asleep. As for her state of dress… damn it, did you really think she would have changed clothes knowing I was coming?”
“Hmm. The phrase ‘somehow we ended up in bed while I was comforting her’ sounds exactly like the excuse a man would give after a one-night mistake.”
Emil glared at her.
“Just what do you take a priest for? If I had taken the princess’s virginity, it wouldn’t end with just my head being cut off.”
“Forgive my bluntness, but for maidens who crave love, there are other ways… such as using the rear…”
“Good heavens, Roen!”
Emil shouted so loudly he forgot Leni was sleeping right beside him.
No, seriously. What in the world.
How could this woman spout such nonsense with a straight face? Had she lost her mind?
“My god, are all the knights of Rosdea this vulgar? The rear… good heavens.”
Emil let out a long sigh and slowly pulled his arm out from under the sleeping Leni’s head.
“Wait a moment. Let’s continue this conversation after I get up.”
Leni stirred slightly,
but she didn’t wake.
Emil breathed a sigh of relief, rose from the bed, straightened his clothes, and said,
“Enough of this ridiculous talk. Roen. So why did you come? You said you had something to tell me.”
“Ah, yes. I was supposed to show you to your quarters, and there are many other matters regarding your position as the princess’s exclusive priest… but first, Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you.”
Queen Alena.
At that name, Emil tensed.
‘The queen, huh. This is directly tied to wealth and power. Maybe she’ll reward me for curing Leni’s curse? Or perhaps I could seduce the queen herself. If that works, I could enjoy truly immense riches and glory…’
Emil pushed the thoughts aside and asked,
“By the way, like this? I wiped myself down, but after such a long journey I’m still quite dirty. Shouldn’t I at least bathe?”
“Her Majesty is exhausted. She has just returned from a campaign. It would not be wise to keep her waiting.”
Then you should have said that instead of wasting time on those filthy assumptions. Damn it.
Still, she was right.
It was better not to keep someone of her station waiting just to make himself look presentable.
Emil grumbled inwardly and nodded.
“Understood… Let’s go right away.”
* * *
The corridor was quiet. Candlelight flickered between plain walls and pillars adorned with golden bands.
The guards lowered their heads and stepped aside as he approached.
Roen entered first to announce his arrival, and soon the door opened.
“Please enter. Her Majesty is inside.”
Following Roen’s guidance, Emil stepped over the threshold with refined steps.
He could almost hear himself swallowing.
The room felt private and hushed.
Instead of a throne, there was a tall table and chair. The windows were closed, and a cold silence hung in the air.
The queen was seated there.
He wasn’t sure if she was looking at him expressionlessly. The queen was clad head to toe in armor as if she had just returned from the battlefield, even wearing her helmet, so her face was completely hidden.
Did she usually greet people while fully armored?
Emil was taken aback but didn’t show it.
Come to think of it, there had been rumors that almost no one had ever seen the queen’s face.
So that was what it meant.
“Are you the priest Emil?”
Emil bowed politely.
“Yes, it is the greatest honor to meet Her Majesty the Queen of Rosdea, whom I have only heard of through rumor. I am Emil, a priest from Tyssos.”
Alena gave a small nod,
but with her expression hidden, it was impossible to read her reaction.
“I received a report about you from Sir Neil. He said you claimed you could cure my sister’s curse.”
“Yes. It is difficult to explain in detail… but that much is true. If you find it hard to believe, please check on the princess. The stench should no longer be present.”
“I have no intention of doubting you. Irenie told me herself. She would not lie.”
Her tone was dry.
There was neither admiration nor suspicion. It sounded like nothing more than a routine confirmation.
“Yes, however, it is not permanent. The curse must be cleansed periodically…”
“There is no need to report such details to me. Isn’t that your job? I trust you will handle it well.”
Alena cut him off curtly.
It seemed she wasn’t particularly friendly.
Emil smiled awkwardly, at a loss for words.
Alena continued in the same emotionless manner.
“First, I must thank you for rescuing Irenie from Iredain. I have instructed the chamberlain to set aside ten thousand gold coins in your name. Collect them at your convenience. Of course, this is separate from your salary as her exclusive priest.”
Ten thousand gold coins!
Yet Emil did not show his joy.
It was far more than he had expected, but upon reflection, it was only natural compensation.
After all, he had rescued a princess who had been held hostage by rebels. That alone was worth such a sum.
“And if you are concerned about your lodgings, choose any room you like within Myrdin Palace. If you find the palace uncomfortable, we can prepare a residence outside the castle walls, but it would be better for you to stay close to Irenie if possible.”
“Yes, of course.”
Rather than feeling reassured, Emil grew uneasy.
It was partly because her helmet hid her expression, but her tone was utterly devoid of warmth.
“I see. Is there anything else?”
Alena added.
Emil spoke carefully.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This may be presumptuous, but…”
“What is it?”
At her prompting, Emil hesitated for a moment,
then finally spoke.
“I wish to speak about the princess’s curse.”
“Go on.”
“Yes. Before coming here, I met with the princess… She was longing for her older sister, Her Majesty the Queen. Now that the princess’s curse has been resolved, if Your Majesty would go see her, I believe she would be overjoyed.”
The moment Emil said those words, he felt the queen’s body flinch.
Then a stiff voice flowed from behind the helmet.
“…Irenie was longing for you.”
What did that mean?
Emil tried to read Alena’s face, but of course he could see nothing past the helmet.
“Yes, it is an honor.”
“No, that is not what I meant.”
Emil had responded with modest courtesy.
But Alena’s reply was ice-cold.
“Doesn’t Irenie have you? So even if I am not there, you can take my place. Isn’t that your duty?”
At those words, Emil felt his chest turn to ice.
In short, she was telling him to mind his own business and not overstep.
For a moment, curses rose in his throat.
He remembered the way Leni’s voice had trembled when she spoke of her sister,
and how her face had lit up with joy at the thought that she could now see her more often now that the curse was gone.
‘You want me to take your place? You’re saying that’s my job? Damn it, where in the world is there someone who can replace family! Is it really that hard for you to show your face to that poor girl even once?’
“Do you have anything more to say?”
Though nausea threatened to overwhelm him,
Emil forced it down and answered.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Then you may leave. I need to rest a little.”
Damn it.
That damn queen.
It made him sick.
Emil had no idea what expression he wore as he left the audience chamber.
He even refused Roen’s guidance out of sheer irritation,
and strode back the way he had come.
That was fine—until…
“…Damn it.”
Naturally, he got lost.
Myrdin Palace was far larger than the Iredain estate, and wandering through it while blinded by rage was the perfect way to lose one’s way.
He had been on a clear path just moments ago,
but before he knew it, he had wandered into what looked like a garden.
No, it wasn’t even a garden.
If the one at Iredain had been a true garden,
this place was so vast it could only be called a forest.
“If someone died here, they probably wouldn’t find the body for a whole day…”
Emil muttered darkly and irritably scanned his surroundings.
Then he thought he heard the sound of water.
It was probably the garden’s water source.
Lost and without any better idea, Emil walked toward the sound.
And there,
in that place,
“…Ah.”
A woman of breathtaking beauty,
was bathing.