Chapter 38.2
The original story was about the terrible entanglement between the Saint of Tunia and the godson of Actilla. It was such a tearful little thing that I had to go through all this trouble. I was drenched in emotion for a moment and slowly closed my eyes.
As my eyes opened, I started to read the precious letters.
'Leave everything that's not important, and move on.'
I burned my eyes and found the important parts that I needed.
'There it is…!'
How are saints treated within the temple…
'The Saint of Tunia is the most precious existence in the denomination.'
So, it was common for the Saint not to leave the temple, and the task of contacting the outside world was left to the Archbishop.
'Well, despite being a small force, there are positions like the Archbishop.'
I was smiling while scolding myself inside. It was common for the Saints of Tunia not to leave the temple… Then, she really would not be coming, right?
I was relieved.
'Wait… wait a minute.'
After an hour and a half, I became uneasy again and bit my thumb.
'To subdue the beasts, they have to pass through the temple of Tunia, right…?'
…So, even if they do not meet here now, could they not meet there?
I ripped my hair out at the thought and became exceedingly nervous again.
…My husband could be caught by another woman. Not only that, the moment he gets caught by the other woman and cuts my neck, the story will change.
'Who—ha, hoo, ha… Calm down. This is the original story's flow. It's the flow of the original, right? So, that means that the two of them won't see each other until December!'
For a dramatic encounter on a day when the whole world became white because of the heavy snow, the two of them would not meet now! Besides, Seraphina's visuals don't go well with summer!
If I were a writer, I would not make them meet so casually! It should be more picturesque..!
Thinking that, I imagined Seraphina and Raniero meeting in the summer. The barren Tunia temple spirit that does not receive any light, Raniero Actilus, who arrived like the sun… with his blonde hair fluttering like flames…
'Aaah, it suits him…!'
Thanks to Raniero's visual, it would go well even if they met in the summer.
'No… no, no.'
They cannot meet yet!
Should I run away?
…This fast?
But, I am not ready at all?
'However, what if Raniero and Seraphina don't meet this time?'
What if he returned from the Temple while not being interested in Seraphina and found the Empress missing? That would be disrespectful to the Emperor, and an angry Raniero might follow me to the end of hell to make me pay the price…
Even after I got all the information I wanted about the Temple of Tunia, I was not at all relieved.
Falling into anxiety, I could not do anything. Then, the day before the delegation of the Temple of Tunia was to arrive, I finally made a decision.
'…I have to follow the subjugation.'
That was the only way for me to see the situation.
I clenched my fist.
'I'll follow him, and if I think Raniero and Seraphina will meet, I'll run away immediately. It's better for me to move on to Sombinia. Originally, I tried to avoid countries hostile to Actilus, but if the situation was going like that, I can't help it…'
Although there was also a way to send a messenger to the subjugation group, I would not be able to respond to what was happening in real time since speed was vital in dealing with Raniero and Seraphina after their encounter, following Raniero was paradoxically the safest.
The moment he meets his 'fate,' there will be a gap in that ghostly man. And, the moment he focused the most on Seraphina…
…I will run away faster than anyone else.
I stayed up all night trying to figure out the number of different scenarios in my head.
゚· : * ✧ * :· ゚
I sat silently in front of the dressing table and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
A complex tension surrounded me. This was the first foreign delegation I met after marriage, and it happened to be the people of the Temple of Tunia. I even skipped breakfast because I felt like I was going to get sick.
Nonetheless, it seems that Raniero had received a report about my morning.
"Why did you skip breakfast?"
…That was because I was upset due to you. Now, I am getting used to telling him off in my mind.
I shook my head slightly.
"I guess I'm feeling a little unwell."
"Then, you'd be better off not seeing the envoys."
"No!"
That was an absurd statement.
I quickly grabbed Raniero before releasing my hand swiftly. No matter how much he allowed contact, there was no way he would be happy that I grabbed him like this. In fact, was he not just staring at the forearm that was grabbed by me…?
…He did not even look at my face.
"I'm sorry I caught you arbitrarily. Ha, but I definitely want to receive an audience with them."
To the silent Raniero, I added cautiously.
"Because I'm from Actilus, too."
As expected, this excuse was the best.
At that, Raniero took his gaze from his arm and turned towards me. He was wearing an unknown expression. I was so nervous that my face heated up, and I averted my eyes slightly.
"A person from Actilus…"
Raniero repeated the words as if savoring them. I nodded my head cautiously, still not looking at him.
"Yes. You became my wife and a person of Actilus."
Ah, a lot of the reasons why I was able to be recognized as a person of Actilus have been omitted. However, there was no way I could tackle it, so I had to pass it quietly.
"Yes. I'm Your Majesty's wife… A person of Actilus."
I struck my reply apace.
A faint smile appeared on Raniero's face.
…Does he think I am funny? Nevertheless, he did not explain what his smile meant. Instead, he held out his hand. The next moment, I clasped his hand carefully. My fingertips were trembling with a maddening tension.
Raniero must have realized, too.
My face became very hot, but I could not let go of his hand. If I did, I thought he would just stop and keep staring at me until I did like the last time.
After a while, he and I sat side by side on the throne and watched the envoys of the Temple of Tunia enter.
And…
My heart sank suddenly.
'…Huh?'