Cardinal Bella's Gambit
“I still object. Supporting her won’t make Princess Reciel one of ours.”
“Do not worry. Princess Reciel will become a staunch ally of the Holy Empire. If she truly desires the throne, that is only natural.”
“I wonder if we’ve chosen someone with too little foundation. Princess Canaby seemed far more capable from what I saw…”
“I heard that woman fled because of a man.”
“Surely that cannot be true. It was Prince Loras who spread that rumor. In any case, if not her, there is still the youngest prince under the Empress’s protection.”
Supporting a princess with no remaining ties to the imperial family did not sit well with everyone. Quite a few voiced quiet opposition. Yet no other member of the imperial family was in as desperate a position as Princess Reciel.
“The Empress already has a solid backing. She does not need our help, and even if she accepted it, the effect would not be as great as supporting Princess Reciel.”
“What sort of person is Princess Reciel? Is she easy to handle?”
“I’ve heard she grew up like a sheltered flower under Princess Canaby’s protection. As for her personality, I cannot say. Perhaps Cardinal Bella will be able to discern that.”
“If the reports saying she resembles her sister are accurate, she won’t be easy to manipulate. Still, she’s only a child.”
Once the Holy Empire decided to intervene in the Deltrack Empire’s succession by backing Princess Reciel, it had no intention of doing so half-heartedly. The Holy Empire felt an acute sense of crisis. Until now, no one had dared to challenge them, allowing them to act freely. Now that they knew other nations could unite to pressure them, they could not let it pass.
“Keeping the Deltrack Empire as a vassal state would be convenient for any unforeseen circumstances.”
A priest wearing a satisfied smile brought up another topic.
“All that remains is dealing with Prince Loras.”
“They say he’s a demon. What do you intend to do about that?”
“A demon, is it…”
Scattered chuckles rose at the word “demon.” It sounded like something out of a children’s tale.
“Whether he is or not, what does it matter? Even if he isn’t, we can make it so.”
“Exactly. After considering every angle, turning him into a demon seems advantageous. The fact that a mere prince who isn’t even the heir apparent dared to provoke the Holy Empire proves he harbors extraordinary malice.”
It was still unclear why he had suddenly targeted the Holy Empire.
“If he had nothing to hide, he could have come and undergone verification himself. The fact that he escalated the matter suggests he has something to conceal.”
“Prince Loras, who refused our inspection request, must never be allowed to become emperor.”
If he was already this hostile toward the Holy Empire, what would happen if he ascended the throne? They had to crush him before he grew stronger and make an example of him to everyone.
“Through Prince Loras, let us show the world that the Holy Empire is not to be trifled with.”
The discussion among the priests who served the Sun God was steeped in malice, yet no one pointed out the incongruity.
“We can continue the rest once Cardinal Bella returns.”
“By the way, why did we send Cardinal Bella?”
“From what I understand, she volunteered to go herself. She said she was curious about Princess Reciel.”
“It’s Cardinal Bella we’re talking about. She has a rather unpleasant history with the Deltrack Empire. I worry she might let her emotions get the better of her.”
Several priests looked puzzled, apparently hearing for the first time that Cardinal Bella had a poor connection with the Deltrack Empire.
“It seems many of you are unaware. Is it really necessary to bring that up? Watch your words.”
“Ahem, I merely wished to express that the personnel selection seemed flawed.”
“Cardinal Bella is not the sort to let emotions cloud her judgment. Let us trust her and wait.”
“Still, it’s strange that she insisted on going…”
Aside from the one who voiced doubts, everyone seemed eager to pretend they knew nothing about matters concerning Cardinal Bella. In the end, the topic fizzled out without resolution. As long as Cardinal Bella completed her task properly, it wouldn’t become a problem, so they decided to wait and see.
“Is something troubling you? You’ve been silent this whole time…”
One of the cardinals and priests cautiously addressed the Pope, who had remained quiet throughout the meeting with a grave expression. The Pope swept his gaze over the room, taking in everyone’s cautious looks, then smiled benevolently.
“It is nothing. I am simply more fatigued than usual today.”
“Oh dear, if His Holiness is tired, let us end the meeting here.”
“Yes, let’s do that!”
At the mention of fatigue, everyone hurriedly wrapped up the meeting in surprise. In truth, the Pope had paid no attention to the discussion from the very beginning. Even after leaving the conference room, he remained lost in thought for a long while.
“This won’t do.”
The reason he couldn’t focus on the meeting. The Pope seemed to have made up his mind and spoke to a waiting attendant.
“I have somewhere to go.”
“I will prepare at once.”
At his command, people began moving without question to fulfill his wish. The Pope’s secret outing had begun.
* * *
Cardinal Bella, who had been expected to inspect Princess Reciel and return immediately, had instead expressed great interest in the Labyrinth and decided to stay. She wouldn’t remain long since she had her own duties to attend to, but even that short period would throw the temple into chaos. A bishop was already intimidating enough—now a cardinal was declaring she would stay?
After deciding to remain, Cardinal Bella’s first action was, naturally, to tour the temple. She made a surprise appearance at the Holy Knights’ quarters and turned the place upside down, then visited the treatment center and put the priests on edge. The tension didn’t last long, however. With her astonishing sociability, she quickly won everyone over and soon had people following her around like an idol.
‘As expected of a former saintess. Her way with people is extraordinary.’
Still, it was better to see everyone liking her rather than walking on eggshells because of the cardinal, so I left her be. The only side effect of the process was…
“Cardinal Bella! I-I like you!”
A priest had confessed.
“Oh my! Thank you.”
The priests whispered among themselves at Priest Chillan’s bold confession.
“Ugh, I can’t watch this.”
Some slipped away, anticipating a gruesome outcome. As expected, the result of that courageous confession was—
“I’m sorry. There’s someone I like.”
—a rejection.
“Kugh…!”
Rejected so firmly without the slightest opening, Priest Chillan returned to us with a wounded heart.
“Are you… all right?”
“I already knew I was far inferior to Cardinal Bella. There was never any chance of us being together in the first place. Still, now that I’ve confessed, I think I can let go without any lingering attachment.”
Even as he said that, it was obvious he was struggling not to cry, so no one knew what to say. He seemed to think he was being incredibly cool about it, but no one failed to notice how desperately attached he still was.
“……”
“……”
His attempt to act nonchalant made it impossible to offer comfort. Realizing he had ruined the atmosphere with his confession, Priest Chillan quietly slipped away. Only after he left could the priests finally breathe again.
“I thought I was going to suffocate.”
“Why would he suddenly confess like that?”
“Didn’t they say there’s about a four-year age gap? Looking at their faces, it seems more like fourteen years.”
Cardinal Bella was so beautiful and youthful that, appearance-wise, it wouldn’t have been strange to mistake them for father and daughter.
“Cardinal Bella really is something. How could she not show even a hint of displeasure? If it were me, my face would’ve crumpled immediately. She’s been following him around for days now…!”
Thud— Even though she wasn’t the one who received the confession, the priest who had become deeply invested in the incident clamped her mouth shut after noticing the others’ glances. She seemed to realize she had gone too far with her criticism.
To prevent the matter from turning into mockery of Priest Chillan, I spoke up.
“Perhaps he simply has the heart of a young man. There’s no sin in love.”
“Yeees~”
“Yup~”
“Everyone, please don’t go around gossiping about this. As priests, spreading rumors about others is nothing to be proud of.”
After that warning, no one would carelessly spread the story. Of course, I couldn’t stop gossip that happened where I couldn’t hear it. Still, now that they knew it was something they shouldn’t do, those who attempted it would inevitably feel uneasy.
The weight on one’s conscience differed between attempting something while aware it was a “sin” and attempting it without that awareness. This was all I could do for Senior Chillan.
While the incident had been quite rebellious from our perspective, it seemed far less significant to Cardinal Bella.
“Isn’t anyone going to lunch?”
With her usual bright smile, Cardinal Bella suggested we eat together. I couldn’t understand why she was trying to include me when she already had so many people around her.
“You seem to have plenty of company. I’ll join you another time.”
“I’m planning to go with all of them.”
“…With all these people?”
“Wouldn’t it be more fun to eat together? It’s lively, so no one feels lonely.”
If she were truly a kind and gentle person, wouldn’t she have shown at least some concern for Priest Chillan’s confession? Cardinal Bella hadn’t stayed here simply because she was genuinely curious about the Labyrinth. There had to be another reason, and not knowing what it was frustrated me.