Chapter 53: Leo undergoes a delicious trial (2)

Safita returned to his room and gazed at the moon through the window. A gravelly voice called out to him, causing him to glance at the entrance. There stood his caretaker and regent, Alir Ad, holding a candlestick.

“What’s the matter? No light?” Alir Add inquired.

Safita, still kneeling with his cheek on his hand, quietly lowered his gaze. The flickering flame Alir Ad brought with him cast a small shadow on Safita’s refined profile. His expression seemed pensive.

“I was lost in thought,” Safita replied in a subdued tone.

“Lost in thought?” Alir Ad repeated.

“Yes. About the Saint of this year’s Weitz’s celebration.”

“The Saint of celebration,” Alir Ad echoed.

Placing the candlestick on a nearby shelf, Alir Ad knelt before Safita and earnestly met his young master’s gaze.

“How did Leonora von Harkenberg fare? If there is concern, please, confide in me.”

“Not well. She was not quite the person we anticipated. Despite her distant lineage, she was taken in by the duke’s family as an adopted child, disregarding her questionable origins. Ambitious and skilled at ensnaring influential nobles, she has risen to the position of empress candidate.”

Despite being a mere student, she made a public appearance at the recent spirit festival, fully assuming the role of empress-to-be. She was arrogant, displaying her newfound status and unyielding ambition. Safita and Alir Ad had discussed provoking her, expecting her to easily rise to the bait. But perhaps she was not even worth being a pawn.

When Alir Ad asked with a puzzled expression, Safita shook his head lightly.

“No, it’s the opposite. She surpassed our expectations—intelligent, compassionate. Though her etiquette occasionally faltered, she nearly mastered Elrandian fluency and remained unfazed by any provocation.”

Placing his bronzed fist against his lips, Safita fell into deep thought. In his mind’s eye, he saw the girl with black hair melting into the twilight, staring at him with determination. She wore a ragged garment prepared by his breathless servant, yet she showed no signs of timidity, her pristine beauty shining through.

When she spoke of blessing all lives with a beauty imbued with spirits, Safita felt as though he was facing the spirit of light itself.

“In front of her, continuing to provoke seems…”

Safita murmured unconsciously, furrowing his brows, but he suddenly fell silent. Alir Ad had been watching him with an intrigued expression.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing…”

Though urged to speak, Alir Ad only let out an awkward sigh. Intrigued, Safita prompted him again, and after a moment’s hesitation, the elderly mentor began to speak.

“I felt compelled to protect your kindness, your virtue… no matter what…”

“What do you mean?”

As Safita narrowed his eyes at the hesitant words, Alir Ad clenched his jaw with determination. Then, he locked eyes with Safita.

“Do you not think that is the girl’s strategy?”

“…?”

Alir Ad straightened his posture before Safita’s astonished gaze and took his hand with a worried expression.

“Her eloquence and resistance to provocation—it seems more like cunning and inscrutability rather than intelligence and compassion. Hasn’t she climbed to her current position through her cunning tongue and boldness?”

“Alir ad…”

“I’m not blaming you. Trusting in the goodness of others is a virtue preached by the spirits. If you feel reluctant to use the girl to protect Elrand’s pride… I’ll take care of the dirty work.”

Alir Ad declared earnestly, but Safita shook his head lightly after a moment.

“Don’t coddle me, Alir Ad. Indulging in emotions is not the duty of a ruler… My emotions have always been my weakness.”

Turning his gaze away from his retainer, Safita stared at the flame of the candlestick. He realized he had been entranced by the girl with just a brief conversation, hesitating in his duties as a ruler, and felt deeply ashamed.

Just because the girl appeared virtuous didn’t mean anything. If she was the kind of girl to ensnare a prince, then such behavior was expected. Moreover, he, who sought to protect the pride of the sacred land, should not hesitate in his pursuit just because of the attitude of a single girl.

“Something was amiss. Forget it. As originally planned, let the girl be a pawn for the war.”

Having said that, the young ruler lightly shook his head and asked his kneeling retainer,

“And what about the recovery of the pearl?”

“…I have been fervently praying, but there has been no progress. It hasn’t worsened since I showed it to you the other day, but it hasn’t improved either.”

Safita responded with a low “I see,” betraying a sense of disappointment in his voice.

Without skipping a beat, he himself went to the dedication hall the next day to check on the situation. The sight of the dark red haze devouring the pearls was truly ominous, casting a sense of gloom over Safieta’s heart.

“…Don’t trouble yourself, Aril Ad. If only I had spirit power that could at least assist in prayers,” he murmured.

“What are you saying? Since the day the previous generation was expelled from the land of Elrand, prayer to the spirits has been my duty. The fact that the spirit pearls have become polluted, and that they still cannot be cleansed, is because of my shortcomings,” Aril Ad replied with a tinge of bitterness, bowing his head.

Seeing his clenched fists wrinkled with worry, Safita shook her head slowly.

“You’re the one who should not say such things. If someone as righteous in heart as you offers prayers and yet the spirits do not respond, then it is undoubtedly due to dark magic. In that case, rather than struggling with prayers I’m not adept at, let’s fulfill our role by sending troops to Weitz and have the spirits punish the guilty,” Safieta declared.

“Safita-sama…”

Aril Ad began to say something but stopped himself.

Various emotions seemed to be trapped in his pursed lips.

In the end, he did not offer facile consolation but quietly apologized and left the room.

Afterward, only Safita remained, accompanied by the flickering flames of the candlestick.

“…Yes. That is indeed my――the role of inheriting this Elrand,” he muttered softly, facing the flames in the darkness of the night.

For him, with his meager spirit power, it was unclear if there were fire spirits around the light. Safita, while placing his hand over her eyes, softly asked a question to no one in particular.

“But… if it were you who succeeded me――would there have been a different way?”

The name he uttered was so soft that it didn’t even sway the flames of the candlestick.

“…It’s pointless.”

Eventually, he carved a self-deprecating smile on his thin lips, blew out the flame, and gazed up at the moon.

***

After the Saint of Weitz finished her meal amicably and left, Khaje and Surya, as part of their duties as palace attendants, diligently tidied up the pavilion.

“Hey, Khaje. I saw Safita-sama for the first time today, and she’s quite a handsome young man, isn’t she?”

“His face, yes. But his deeds are insidious. Don’t you think he seems gloomy?”

“Haha, no way, saying that won’t make you popular. Men are fragile, you know?”

There was a distance between the pavilions, and conversations held here were unlikely to be overheard elsewhere. So, the two returned to their usual tone and enjoyed chatting freely.

They didn’t hesitate to nibble on the untouched food left by Safita.

It would be grounds for dismissal if caught, but Suriya and her companions were habitual offenders in such matters and had enough resilience not to get caught.

“Safita-sama didn’t eat anything and just left, huh?”

“On the other hand, it’s impressive how clean our Lady Priest’s plate is.”

“True. Not a drop of oil left. Is this what they mean by being well-bred?”

“Surprised the portion didn’t decrease, huh?”

But shortly after shrugging her shoulders, Suriya smiled faintly.

“That girl didn’t hesitate to eat. Surprising.”

“She was probably hungry. She’s just a child.”

Khaje replied curtly while stacking plates. But Surya playfully laughed and leaned her face on Khaje’s shoulder.

“Really? Wasn’t it because it was delicious? Khaje’s cooking.”

Though Khaje’s tone sounded somewhat defensive, Surya didn’t blame her. Instead, she dropped her arm and quietly said from behind.

“Yeah, you’re right. It was just what we usually eat.”

“…”

“She said it was delicious, didn’t she?”

“I… I was a bit… happy.”

Her small murmur was swallowed by Khaje’s robe.

Beggars.

Slums.

The lowest of Elrand.

They were born into a life they didn’t choose, always hindering their lives.

Even with efforts multiplied several times, or even tens of times, compared to nobles or wealthy citizens, they couldn’t escape from there.

Just being called beggars, being looked down upon with disdainful eyes, and being scorned.

They were ridiculed, served animal feed during meal times, and no one ever praised or acknowledged the lives and habits they had built.

So, she thought that surely, if she served something like pig innards, that girl would grimace in disgust.

And then, she would feel a sense of relief, wouldn’t she?

But reality was different.

She smiled as if enjoying a supreme dish and said it was delicious.

More delicious than a noble’s meal. What was the difference between luxury ingredients and these?

That smile――it surely made Surya’s heart much brighter than a face contorted in disgust.

“That girl, you know. She always speaks to us with such respect… Even though it’s usually quite strange.”

“…”

“This morning, she even brewed Weitz souvenir tea for us. She was thoughtful enough to ask if it suited the tongues of us Elranders, honestly rating it on a five-point scale. I heard that Saints from other countries can’t even manage their own personal hygiene without the help of palace attendants.”

Although Leo was just using Surya and the others as his monitors, they didn’t seem to realize it, fortunately or unfortunately.

“Hey, Khaje. About this job――”

“Surya. Three silver coins, right?”

Khaje cut off Surya’s words sharply.

Turning to her stuttering younger companion and peering into her face, she said with a hint of her remaining youth.

“I was happy earlier. I felt relieved. I don’t particularly dislike that girl either. But, Surya. While we’re living this miserable life, that girl has lived basking in wealth. Being kind to others ultimately comes from having the luxury to do so. Can you just brush off that disparity because you were treated kindly for just one day?”

“…But…”

“The contract festival is in two days… In other words, there are only two days left. It’s nothing to ask for a little bit of hardship in those two days, is it?”

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

After Surya fell silent for a moment, she eventually smiled as usual and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“…Geez, Khaje. I was just going to say, ‘This job sucks,’ you know?”

With that, she returned to the interrupted task of tidying up.

Helping her younger companion stack the dishes clattering together, Khaje muttered quietly.

“…Yeah, it really is a shitty job.”