Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Whether Happy or Sad (3)
"The Church proclaims that the Saintess is God's firstborn daughter, the embodiment of Lord Radiance's light descended as a symbol of salvation. She is the proxy of God incarnate in this world and the focal point for all believers. So how could you, with such a noble body—the one and only sacred vessel—offer yourself to a secular man outside the Church's will? This act gravely undermines our doctrine, which promises equal salvation and mercy to all believers. From a practical standpoint as well, it would shake the Church's foundations and sow confusion and division among countless faithful. We absolutely cannot..."
"Haa... I get it."
I cut off Yoanna's tirade with a sigh.
The girl widened her eyes and tried to persuade me once more.
"For the Saintess of all people to become someone's fiancée—it could corrupt the believers' faith in the Church—"
"Yeah, I said I know. I already told you I'm turning it down anyway."
This back-and-forth had been dragging on for hours now.
'The engagement news must have really shocked her.'
I swallowed another sigh at the girl's unyielding attitude. She showed no sign of letting it go.
"Achoo..."
Of course, Yoanna's efforts had been indispensable in growing the Church this big. She'd handled as much work as I had—maybe even more—so it was natural she'd worry about something silly shaking things up.
But somehow, it felt like there was more resentment there than just that... Was I imagining it?
"This is such a critical issue that I can't emphasize it enough, Sister! Are you even listening to me?"
"Yeah, yeah... I am..."
In any case, I'd been putting up with this for quite a while.
Yoanna's reaction was a bit annoying, but still cute enough to brush off.
The real problem weighing on me right now was...
Whirr—whirrr—
"......"
I stared down at the communication terminal vibrating endlessly on the table with weary eyes.
[Eve. Where are you right now? Pick up the damn phone.]
Dozens of messages and missed calls flooded the screen, no matter how many I deleted.
Of course, I hadn't ignored Celestina's calls from the start.
I'd tried to explain the situation over a call, but she was too worked up to listen.
"....."
So real communication hadn't happened, but I figured it'd be fine.
'She can't come looking for me right away anyway.'
Just that morning, she'd told me she had an important meeting on another continent.
'By the time she finishes work and flies back, her emotions should have cooled off...'
Right then, the cathedral door slammed open.
"....!"
The person who burst in was someone who definitely shouldn't be here right now.
"Ms. Celestina...?"
The platinum blonde beauty strode right up and glared at me with her scarlet eyes.
She muttered in a voice thick with suppressed fury.
"Eve, explain yourself properly. Engaged? What the hell does that mean?"
I stammered in confusion.
"Wait, how are you even here...? What about your meeting?"
Her face was stiff as she replied.
"The second I heard, I canceled everything and flew back on my private jet! Anyway! Do you think that matters right now?!"
'Doesn't it...?'
But I couldn't say that out loud. Her eyes flashed so menacingly red, her intensity overwhelming me. Celestina huffed as she continued.
"What kind of mangy dog bastard... Excuse me. What sleazy creep tricked a foolishly naive girl with sweet talk into spouting nonsense about engagement? I held back, but if it's real... I absolutely won't forgive it..."
"......"
Grind— The sound of her grinding her teeth carried all the way over here.
She was seriously pissed.
'Wasn't that evaluation a bit too harsh...?'
Before I could dwell on it, Celestina grabbed my shoulders and pleaded desperately.
"Eve, you don't need to marry that guy. Whatever you want, I'll give you something even better—right now, I'll handle it all. So... just come with me for now."
Somehow, she'd already snatched my wrist.
And before I could say anything, she started dragging me out of the cathedral.
"Wait, hold on..."
I tried to stop her but gave up.
Considering her temperament, if I didn't play along now, it'd only cause bigger headaches later.
'No helping it.'
I let out a small sigh and spoke to those left in the office.
"Uh... I'll be right back."
"Lady Eve."
Esty reflexively started to follow.
But I gestured for her to stop and said firmly.
"No, Esty, stay here. I'll go alone."
"Pardon?"
A flicker of bewilderment crossed her expressionless face. It felt oddly satisfying.
She was the one who'd blabbed to everyone and left me cleaning up the mess.
Even I was a little mad.
"Hmph."
I snorted deliberately and turned away.
For a split second, hurt flashed in Esty's eyes as she watched me.
Like a big dog who thought it was going for a walk, only for the front door to shut in its face.
Seeing that softened me a bit, but I forced myself to ignore it.
No matter how she looked at me, I wasn't forgiving her easily this time.
For the time being, we'd stick apart.
Leaving Esty behind, I let Celestina lead me away.
"......."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rattle—
The head chef wheeled in a cart himself, lifting the silver cloche with gloved hands to present the main course.
"This is a tenderloin steak from a six-month-old calf raised in a biodome pasture perfectly replicating the Old Continent's highland environment—never once touching contaminated soil since birth. From one cow, only two such chateaubriand cuts are yielded. We've cooked it for 72 hours with low-frequency vibrations to tenderize the muscle fibers, elevating the texture to perfection."
True to his word, a mouthwatering steak sat on the plate.
Perfectly medium-rare: crispy exterior, juicy pink interior.
"The accompanying sauce is a raspberry coulis made from wild alpine strawberries—harvested within six hours and airlifted—from the same environment. We used a proprietary strain whose seeds are patented, released in tiny quantities to market each year."
Antoine, the star chef hailed as Omega Detroit's best, drizzled the wine-red sauce onto the plate with balletic grace to finish the plating.
With his final flourish complete, the chef bowed politely to the VVIP table and withdrew.
"Enjoy your time, ladies."
The door clicked shut, leaving only the savory, umami-rich aroma of meat and the sweet-tart scent of wild berries.
As faint classical music played, I cut a small piece of steak and popped it into my mouth.
Celestina, wearing a confident smile, immediately asked,
"How is it?"
On the way here, I'd managed to clear up her misunderstanding.
I'd firmly told her I'd already rejected the engagement.
But Celestina insisted that whatever I wanted, she'd make it happen without any engagement nonsense, and with utmost confidence, she'd brought me to what she called the city's finest restaurant.
And honestly, the food was incredible.
The fat and meat melted like snow on my tongue, wrapped in deep umami balanced by the fresh tang of wild berries.
As always, I gave my genuine praise.
"Mmm, delicious!"
I'd never been disappointed at the city's top restaurants Celestina took me to.
With prices running thousands of credit dollars per meal, the taste was a given—but the thrill came from ingredients unimaginable in my old world and the chefs' elaborate explanations of their techniques.
So I offered honest praise this time too, but it didn't seem to be the reaction she wanted.
Celestina's smile faded ever so slightly.
"Hmm..."
Maybe because it was the "city's best," and she got the same response as usual.
But... truth be told, I had pretty average taste buds.
Even indulging like this, once food hit a certain level, I couldn't really tell the differences anymore.
'It's just 'really good,' 'super good,' or 'mind-blowingly good'—that's it...'
Hard to express more than that.
Still, since she'd treated me to this extravagance, I hurried to add what she might want to hear.
"No, I mean... it's truly an amazing dish. The tenderness of the meat, the complex sauce—it's on another level. Yeah, really... I've never tasted anything like it."
But the subtle disappointment lingered on her face.
'She boasted it was the city's best, so maybe she hoped for some unprecedented awe?'
My plain old tongue just found it all delicious.
A bit embarrassed, I scratched the tip of my nose.
Celestina then smoothed her expression, as if determined not to pressure me.
After we'd finished even dessert,
She dabbed her lips with a faint smile and rose gracefully, as if nothing was amiss.
"Well, the course has plenty more to go. Next up is shopping time."