Nodding to the attendant, I was led the rest of the way to my bedroom. When I walked in, a man in his late twenties was lounging carelessly across the couch.
"Oh, there you are," he greeted in an overly familiar tone.
He had a handsome face, topped with the signature platinum hair of the Vinchester family, a straight set of gleaming white teeth, and a confident smile that showed them offâhe was the very embodiment of what one would expect a prince to look like. It was shocking that he was the same man who was hanging from the ceiling of the boss's room not so long ago, swinging from side to side until he humorously passed out.
"We finally meet, saintess."
We were of the same status, yet he was the first to drop the formalities. This made me recall what a god recently said about how a breath of fresh air is even sweeter when it flows through a stuffy society. I decided to stick to the formalities.
"Yes, Your Highness. How can I help you?" I said politely.
"I've come to deliver the things you need for the banquet tomorrow as a sign of gratitude for saving me," he said, then arrogantly snapped his fingers as if he were the coolest person in the world.
A group of maids immediately entered the room with a large box and opened it up in front of me. It contained a ridiculously extravagant dress and a pile of glittering jewelry.
I feel like I'm in a romantic fantasy. I was happily admiring the dress, when the self-absorbed voice of the prince rang in my ear.
"I prepared a dress I believe would suit you. I'd like you to wear this when you walk into the banquet hall with your hand in mine."
"Are you saying...?"
"I'll gladly be your partner for the banquet tomorrow. What do you say?"
Wow, lucky me. It seemed that he planned to make it look like I was in support of his bid for the throne.
Closing the box, I replied, "Thank you for preparing this, but there's no need. I will be attending the banquet as a Divine Emissary, so I'd like to dress appropriately and wear my ceremonial uniform."
"A ceremonial uniform for a royal banquet? That sounds outrageously outdated..."
«Shut up,» Agnes muttered. «Lord Voice gave it to her.»
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World snorts at the prince's presentation of a petty item, void of any buff options.â
I also raised an eyebrow and cut the prince off before he could complain again. "Do not worry, as it is more than suitable for the occasion. Also, I am of a status that doesn't require a partner. But even if I was to be escorted, I'd attend with someone else, so I kindly decline your offer."
That made Hardale's eyebrows twitch as he replied, "Is it not reasonable that I escort an esteemed guest as the representative of the kingdom? Please do reconsider."
"I'd appreciate it if you could respect the choice of your esteemed guest."
I thought he'd back down at this point, but the prince seemed to have no shame. "The queen must've told you to attend with Rigarez."
Um, no. The mood in the room took a strange turn because of Hardale's unfounded claim. He even looked like he was prepared to give me a boring piece of advice.
"The third prince despises the Holy Kingdom of Elfenheim, so I'd like to warn you that supporting him is not a wise decision." He offered the information as if everyone wasn't already well aware of it, as if it was some grand secret. "I'll leave the dress," he said confidently. "Come to my room tomorrow wearing it if you change your mind."
He kept up his childish attitude of unwillingness to accept a no for an answer before he finally exited the room.
«What the hell was that? What a prick.»
While Agnes grumbled, the attendants carefully tiptoed around me and took away the box with the dress in it. That was when the oldest lady approached me again, looking as awkward as she did before.
"Umm... Your Eminence."
"What is it this time? Has the third prince come to visit me or something?"
"Indeed, you're the saintess! That is correct."
"Oh... right."
Unfortunately, the attendant had more to share.
"That's not all, Your Eminence."
"Pardon?"
"The master of the holy sword had arrived before the third prince. The two of them are currently waiting for you in the living room."
"Together?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
I could feel my facial muscles stiffen. This was bad. Tesilid had suffered greatly in Loop Sixteen because of Rigarez, but that wasn't all. In his very last moments of that life, as Tesilid took his final, painful breath in a dark forest on a stormy night, it was because Rigarez's sword had been buried in his chest. They were practically fated to end up in a horrible relationship, so leaving them alone like that was dangerous.
"Y-Your Eminence?!"
I urgently rushed toward the living room, only to be greeted by a chilly gust of air as soon as I opened the door. I could see the two of them together in the same space, though the room was utterly silent.
Rigarez, the boy with white-blonde hair was sitting on the couch with a provocative smile, and a distance away from him was Tesilid, standing by a window and staring out of it emotionlessly. The two of them were so focused on being wary of each other that they didn't even look in my direction when I entered the room.
What in the world happened here? I was wondering, my palms starting to get sweaty with my anxiety.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls is excited beyond belief.â
â¬The Cliché Gourmet is losing their mind over how intensely entertaining the situation is.â
â
Tesilid didn't really have a solid reason when he decided to visit Ailette in her chambers. He planned to use a discussion about the banquet as an excuse to see her face again, as he needed to be by her side to relieve himself of the pressure this kingdom caused him. Unfortunately, things didn't look good when he arrived.
"Allie is... I mean, Her Eminence is in the bedroom with Prince Hardale?"
"Yes, Sir Tesilid."
"..."
"So, umm... Why don't you wait for her in the living room?"
The attendants were embarrassed by the prince's recklessness in entering a lady's room before she had arrived, which was why they had forgotten to tell him that they were not the only two people who were in the bedroom.
Tesilid could hardly manage his expression, but he decided to quietly wait on the couch, since he didn't want to trouble the attendants even more. The way this man sat, rigidly staring ahead without a single sign of movement, demanded attention, especially since the sunlight that shined through the window exploded over his silver hair to create an ethereal halo around his head.
He looked like a divine painting that an artist with a deep love for light and beauty had dedicated his entire life to createâhis body bathed from head to toe in a pure white glow. The master of the holy sword was as strikingly handsome as the rumors claimed, a man clearly favored by God... And someone who belonged to the Divine Emissary, a status that had recently been added.
Having witnessed the glory of his beauty, the attendants wished that the tranquil peace in the room would never end. Unfortunately for them, an unexpected twist had occurred.
"I came to meet the Divine Emissary."
"It is an honor to be in your presence, Prince Rigarez."
Rigarez, the third prince, had followed his half-brother's footsteps and arrived for a visitation with Ailette. Even though Tesilid was a guest, he could not sit next to a member of the royal family, so he stood up and walked over to the window before the attendants were put in an uncomfortable situation.
"Oh, my. I didn't mean to steal your seat."
"Please, it's completely fine."
What followed was a long and awkward silence, Rigarez blatantly staring at Tesilid, examining his every move. As the silence persisted, a disturbing sensation filled the living room, and Tesilid's eyes only grew darker as the minutes passed. He reflected on previous Loops and guessed what would happen next, for Rigarez's ill will toward Tesilid was always rooted in the same grievance, unlike Hardale, whose reasons for hostility varied from Loop to Loop.
Rigarez despised him for the fact that he was the master of the holy sword and therefore a representative and symbolic figure in the holy kingdom, which was a place he loathed to his core. The trigger point for his hostility was also very simple and consistentâit always started from the very moment they met, in every Loop Tesilid had lived through so far.
Not once did the story unfold differently. It was incredible. Not even a fated, love-at-first-sight plot line would be this consistent, to the point that it happened over and over again without fail. Needless to say, Tesilid had given up on trying to understand any deeper meaning behind Rigarez's boundless hatred for him a long time ago. It was almost amusing to him that there was an incomprehensible obstacle in his life despite the endless years he lived, but he didn't care to find a solution to it. Having a particularly hostile adversary as a part of every life he lived really made no difference to Tesilid, considering he inhabited a world that was centered around despising him.
Regardless of why it would happen, Tesilid knew from experience that it was about time for Rigarez to start a conflict, and he could barely stop himself from reflecting the utter boredom and disappointment on his face as he waited for the man to begin. As expected, it didn't take long before Rigarez spoke.
"Tesilid Argente. You're the master of the holy sword, is that right?"
"Yes."
"I heard you're also a stigma bearer?"
"Correct."
"That means you're an orphan without a known heritage."
"Yes."
"The fact that a man of your background grew to become the master of the holy sword under the Vatican's care is astonishing. You're truly..."
Tesilid waited.
"...a slave to the holy kingdom," the prince finished.
Tesilid didn't even flinch at the casual insult.
I'm sick of this. Although he couldn't recall the precise number, Tesilid was sure this exact same conversation had taken place at least thirty times over.
He's probably going to mock the unnatural creation of stigma bearers now. This was the holy knight's assumption, but what the prince said next, Tesilid was completely unprepared for.
"What is your relationship to the Divine Emissary?"
The question was so unexpected that Tesilid couldn't find the words to respond. All he could do was narrow his once unfocused eyes and shift his newly sharpened gaze over to Rigarez.
Seeing this, Rigarez leaned forward eagerly. "I hope it's an intimate one," the prince said.
The purpose of saying this as he provokingly smirked was obviousâRigarez was planning to attack Tesilid in a way he had yet to experience in a previous Loop.
Tesilid and Rigarez were still glaring fiercely at each other when their silent battle was interrupted.
"Tez," called Ailette, noticing him before everything else as soon as she walked into the living room.
Her voice, laced with kind concern, flowed through Tesilid's ears like honey. Still, he felt like this was not the best moment for her to appear. He was afraid of confirming the answer to Rigarez's question that the terrible prince had been hoping to hear. He knew in his head that he should not respond in a way that even hinted at a special relationship between them, but he couldn't pretend like he didn't care about Ailette Rodeline.
"Allie..."
As unfortunate as it was, he had returned her call with an equally affectionate tone, the warmth in it lifting his deep voice as he greeted her.