The Saintess's Exclusive Guardian
The moment that voice reached my ears, it carried an unusually somber melody, quite unlike her usual tone. For a split second I wondered who it could be, but a person's natural voice doesn't change that easily, and the altered pitch wasn't enough to hide her identity. Still...
Why is she like this?
Seeing something unfamiliar layered over a face I knew so well, it was only natural for a giant question mark to pop up in my head. An eyepatch. No, judging by its size, it was practically a mask. It covered every part of her face except her mouth. I felt like I'd seen something similar in a game from my previous life. What was it called again? That pumpkin lady from some Souls game or other. Anyway, the nun had covered most of her face with an eyepatch almost identical to the one that character wore, and to me—who had grown used to her beautiful bare face—it felt strangely unfamiliar.
I knew full well that a man criticizing a woman's fashion choices was generally frowned upon. But a change this drastic felt like it would be more rude not to mention it. After some internal debate, I finally opened my mouth.
"Is this some new trend?"
"There are circumstances. I will be covering my face for the time being. Please understand."
Why does she sound so angry?
With her expression hidden behind that eyepatch, reading her emotions was impossible. But the way she was openly grumbling and radiating pure irritation made it impossible not to notice that she held some kind of grudge against me.
I quickly ran through my recent actions, trying to figure out what might have upset her. As I fell into this sudden bout of introspection...
"Sister. I apologize for the interruption, but Father Reygis was in the middle of a conversation with me. To suddenly thrust a blade into a discussion whose undertones you could not possibly know, and then steal away the very subject of our talk—don't you think that's rather excessively rude?"
Lady Rosevelt, whom I'd momentarily pushed to the back of my mind, let out a sharp, piercing voice that laid her displeasure bare for all to see.
"I deeply apologize for my sudden discourtesy, Lady Rosevelt."
The nun's response was swift and perfectly appropriate. She gracefully lowered herself onto one knee, bowing her head with utmost sincerity as she recited her apology. The entire sequence of movements flowed like water.
"Hmph. If you've recognized your error, then that will suffice. However, I would ask that you refrain from such lawless behavior in the future. You may leave now."
"I am most grateful for your merciful judgment."
Sensing that the situation was beginning to calm, I decided this was my chance. I carefully pulled the fork the nun had stabbed into the table free, then began frantically shoveling the remaining food on my plate into my mouth, desperate to create an excuse to escape this place. That was when it happened.
"However, I must ask that you hand over custody of Father Reygis to me."
"What!"
"Cough!"
The nun's words were like throwing oil on a fire that had just begun to die down. I nearly spat everything in my mouth across the table.
"D-did I mishear you? Perhaps?"
"You heard correctly. I ask that you relinquish Father Reygis to me."
How dare you!?
Lady Rosevelt looked as though she were about to spit out some perfectly scripted line of outrage. Her face twisted hideously with humiliation before she hastily covered her mouth with her hand. Meanwhile, the nun remained kneeling on one knee, head piously bowed toward the floor, and continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"It may be presumptuous of me, but it is nearly time for the Saintess's meal. Attending to the Saintess's dining is a sacred duty permitted solely to her exclusive guardian priest. Therefore, Father Reygis has both the obligation and responsibility to prepare immediately to accompany me in attending upon the Saintess."
"Ha! How strange! From what I understand, the Saintess's mealtime is still a full hour away!"
"Due to unavoidable circumstances, we have decided to move all existing schedules forward by one hour for today only. I truly apologize for the inconvenience."
"Wh-what! Are you seriously asking me to believe that!?"
It was an impossible situation. I couldn't take either side, yet I couldn't simply ignore it either. The awkward atmosphere that settled around us easily surpassed the discomfort of walking in on your friend arguing with their mother while visiting their house. Rather than mediate between them, I had to watch their every move, afraid that even breathing might be considered an annoying noise.
"This is rude! Incredibly rude! How can you possibly be this rude? You cannot possibly be unaware that I am the daughter of the Rosevelt family, yet you subject me to such uncouth treatment!?"
"I apologize. I will most certainly make amends for this rudeness at a later time. For now, I must ask that you hand over custody of Father Reygis to me."
"Ha!"
The verbal battle, which felt like lava colliding with the sea, continued for several minutes.
"What do you think! Father Reygis!"
The sparks had finally flown in my direction. It was like a child dumping the judgment of a playground dispute onto the nearest adult. Lady Rosevelt, so worked up that she hadn't even noticed her makeup around her eyes had smudged, suddenly thrust the judge's gavel at me to decide the outcome of this trial.
"Hehe! That's right! I've had a wonderful idea! How about this! We let Father Reygis decide whether he wishes to continue our conversation or follow the sister!"
Excuse me, who asked you?
Judging from Lady Rosevelt's smug smile and the sly look she was shooting me, she seemed to have already decided in her heart that I would naturally take her side in this contest.
"Lady Rosevelt. While it may be presumptuous, the fact that the guardian priest chosen by the Saintess attends to her every move is a sacred duty passed down through the noble regulations established when our order was first founded. To treat such a responsibility like a wager at a gambling table..."
"Hehe! It seems you lack the confidence to be chosen!"
"......"
Oh, she just held back a sigh.
Her expression remained hidden behind the veil, but I caught the slight twitch of her shoulders. Moreover, while she maintained her usual calm, her tone crackled with irritation she couldn't quite suppress, like static electricity. It wasn't hard to guess that the nun was just as furious.
The nun getting irritated. Now that was something new.
Perhaps I was too distracted by this rare and precious sight.
"Now! Please choose! Which will it be! Father Reygis! Of course, if you choose me..."
"Ah, I'll go with the sister."
The words sprang from my mouth like a spinal reflex. I was so shocked I nearly fell over. I could only imagine how they felt.
"Pardon?"
"Huh?"
"Ah."
I don't think I need to explain how a silence colder than a midwinter wind descended upon me and the two women, leaving us all as mute as if we'd swallowed honey.
"Haa... Just what were you thinking...?"
"No, it wasn't even my will..."
A small reflection session unfolded in the corridor. Neither the nun nor I could lift our heads.
Right after my slip of the tongue, Lady Rosevelt had flown into a rage like the protagonist of a monster movie. She'd spat out a perfectly clichéd "Just you wait!" before storming off. Thanks to that, we'd avoided the nightmare scenario of me getting sandwiched between the Rosevelt lady and the nun, but in doing so, we'd lit the fuse on an entirely different disaster. In the end, it was all for nothing.
"How could you cut it off so cleanly like that? There were so many ways to handle it smoothly—you could've at least pretended to think about it, or said you'd need time to answer, or..."
"I'm sorry. That... the perfume smell clouded my judgment..."
"I wash my hands of this. That person is already infamous for having a fierce personality that ignores people's wishes and tries to claim talented individuals as her own the moment she sees them. And now you've gone and earned her outright grudge. Keep in mind that from now on, you might as well avoid walking anywhere the sun touches."
"Yes... I'll keep that in mind..."
But wasn't it you, Sister, who approached that dangerous person first?
I barely managed to clamp down on my careless mouth before another slip of the tongue could escape. And honestly, when I'd actually said those words earlier, she'd been biting her lips to hold back laughter. Talk about unfair.
"By the way, what exactly were those unavoidable circumstances that made you move all the existing schedules up by an hour? It didn't seem like something you just made up to get out of the situation."
"That is neither something you need to involve yourself in nor something you have the right to be curious about. I would appreciate it if you stopped concerning yourself with it immediately. It is simply that a few distinguished guests have suddenly arrived."