Chapter 27
“Ha ha. What do you mean all of a sudden, High Priest Prion?”
Hylus hastily grabbed Prion’s sleeve as he suddenly stepped forward, but Prion easily broke free from his grasp.
Then he approached Alice’s side.
“Ah…”
As Alice looked at Prion with surprised eyes, he gave a slight smile.
As if to say, trust only me.
But why?
Surely Prion had seemed reliable until just before Kylus woke up, but strangely now, even with his smile, her uneasiness wouldn’t subside.
Because of the unusual gaze she felt from the front, looking past him at her.
Her ominous premonitions had never been wrong before.
“…You just called her my wife, but now you say she’s not the duchess?”
Prion turned to face Kylus.
“Your Grace. The duchess possesses holy power. As you know, even if married, those with holy power can choose to become priests according to their own decision.”
“…Are you saying the duchess has chosen to become a priest?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Hmm.”
Kylus let out a low, incomprehensible sigh.
“Nonsense! High Priest Prion, I told you! The duchess will absolutely not become a priest!”
Lady Quillian shouted, her eyes flashing fiercely.
“I also told you. That is not for Lady Quillian to decide.”
“You!”
Just as Lady Quillian was about to point an angry finger at Prion’s calm reply, Kylus’s voice rang out.
“I understand what you’re saying, but I’d like to end this here for today. As you know, High Priest Prion, I’ve just regained consciousness after 7 months.”
“But…”
“I’m extremely tired. Surely you don’t want to torment a patient who’s just woken up, do you? High Priest.”
Kylus stared at Prion with cold eyes. He wasn’t giving Prion a choice now.
It was an order to quietly get out.
“Ahem, High Priest Prion, the duke is right. Now doesn’t seem to be the time to discuss the duchess’s priesthood.”
Hylus approached Prion and whispered softly.
Even so, when Prion didn’t easily back down, Hylus looked at Alice.
“Duchess, now that the duke has awakened like this, is there really a need for you to become a priest? Even if you don’t become a priest, the gods will always watch over the Dearrut Duchy.”
“No, that’s…”
Alice wanted to grab his pant leg and beg him to please let her escape from this savage duchy, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
‘I will become a priest for the duke’s sake! I’ll become a priest and pray for the duke and mother’s well-being for life!’
She had said those words with her own mouth just minutes ago.
Why did I do that?
I should have said I wanted to be a priest since childhood.
How could I have known Kylus would suddenly wake up!
Damn you, gods!
She regretted it, but she couldn’t take back words already spoken.
“High Priest Hylus. How can you expect the duchess to answer comfortably when you speak like that? We must not carelessly judge someone’s sacred intention to become a servant of God.”
As Prion spoke with a stern face, Hylus swallowed a cough in embarrassment.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Duchess, I will only follow your decision.”
A look in his eyes promising to keep his word to help her.
Alice also felt courage rise at Prion’s gaze.
I need to take this hand now.
“…I—”
“Come back in two weeks’ time.”
But unfortunately, Alice’s first words were completely swallowed up by Kylus.
Alice whipped her head toward Kylus.
“In two weeks, you say?”
Hylus asked Kylus in a bright voice, as if trying to change the atmosphere.
“Yes. In two weeks, my physical condition and the duchy’s situation should have settled down somewhat. So let’s hear the duchess’s decision then.”
“Oh, good idea! It’s too chaotic now… Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for the duchess to go to the temple in two weeks as well?”
No, not comfortable at all!
Alice felt like hitting Hylus on the forehead as he laughed carefreely.
At that moment, Prion carefully asked her, out of Hylus’s earshot.
“…Will that be alright with you?”
Alice answered, holding back the words of denial rising to the tip of her tongue.
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
It really wasn’t alright, and she wanted to leave immediately, but there was no choice.
As Hylus said, the duchy’s situation was too chaotic right now, and Kylus hadn’t completely blocked her from becoming a priest either.
If she said she couldn’t even wait two weeks when her husband had just woken up… the priests would think it strange.
Even if Prion understood, the other priests wouldn’t.
The priests had been constantly watching Kylus’s reactions since he woke up.
They were clearly more wary of Kylus than of Lady Quillian.
“…Then we’ll return in two weeks.”
“The duke needs rest, so please leave now.”
“…Yes.”
Led by Hylus, the priests bowed to Kylus and took their leave.
And when the priests had moved away, Prion whispered softly to Alice.
“If anything happens before then, please let me know anytime.”
Alice looked at Prion with slightly surprised eyes.
He gazed at her with eyes full of apology before slowly turning away.
Just as she was moved by his sincere concern for her, Lady Quillian approached her as if she had been waiting.
Or rather, rushing toward her would be a more accurate description.
Just as she reached out as if to grab Alice’s wrist—
“Mother, would you please withdraw as well.”
Kylus said.
“…Ah, yes, I was just about to take the duchess out so you could rest.”
“No, …leave the duchess here and go by yourself.”
“…But I have important things to discuss with my Alice…”
“She’s a wife I’ve just met for the first time. What could be more important than a couple reuniting?”
Couple reuniting…?
Alice felt a chill run down her spine at Kylus’s affectionate words.
Unless Kylus was planning to filet her like raw fish, there was no reunion to be had between them.
Lady Quillian stepped back from Alice with a sour expression.
“A couple’s reunion… Yes, I can’t interfere with matters between a married couple…”
No, don’t go.
Since when were you so compliant! Be more aggressive about taking me away!
A wildcat is better than a tiger.
Alice would have preferred to be dragged away by Lady Quillian’s grasp, but the usual fighting spirit was completely absent from her now.
Rather, she looked like a defeated soldier with its tail between its legs.
“Well then… Rest well, Kylus.”
Lady Quillian stared intently at Alice while avoiding Kylus’s gaze before finally turning away.
“…”
Alice wistfully watched Lady Quillian’s retreating back for the first time, then turned her eyes to Lady Meltain, who remained.
If Lady Meltain was here… it should be safe, right?
She was a female protagonist who was nothing without her sense of justice.
With someone like Lady Meltain here, dangerous situations could be avoided…
“I have something to discuss with the duchess alone, so everyone please leave.”
Alone? I don’t want to be left alone!
Kylus seemed intent on fileting her after all, as he sent away even the butler and Lady Meltain.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Yes, brother. I’ll see you later, Duchess.”
Can’t we see each other now instead of later?
Alice twitched her hand toward Lady Meltain, but Lady Meltain simply smiled kindly and left.
And so Alice was finally left alone with Kylus in the bedroom.
Was it always this quiet here?
It seemed so busy just moments ago.
Kylus and Alice.
Just the two of them in the bedroom. And breaths that sounded unusually loud.
Hearing it described, one might imagine a sensual atmosphere, but Alice’s heart was pounding for a completely different reason than sensuality.
It was the tension of fear, not sexual tension.
After all, the idea of a sensual atmosphere with Kylus was ridiculous.
There was not even an ant’s worth of reason for such an atmosphere to develop between them.
The Alice he knew was the daughter-in-law brought in by his political enemy, his new stepmother.
And through a marriage that proceeded like lightning during his unconsciousness, no less.
Anyone could see she was undoubtedly Lady Quillian’s person.
Of course, she had caused a commotion saying she would become a priest to escape her, but Kylus hadn’t properly seen that scene either.
The only fact he knew was that she was Lady Quillian’s person.
…Did he really ask to be left alone to kill me?
Is that why he sent away the priests too?
Even as she wondered if he would really kill her, the worst imaginings kept surfacing.
No, even if he doesn’t kill me, at least no pleasant words will be exchanged here.
As Alice stared intently at the innocent floor pattern, unable to face Kylus directly, a rustling sound came from the bed.
The sound of Kylus getting out of bed.
Followed by footsteps.
Kylus was approaching her.
It can’t end like this here.
The moment Kylus’s steps stopped in front of her, Alice squeezed her eyes shut and fell to her knees on the floor.
“I’m not Lady Quillian’s person! Please spare my life!”
