Chapter 52
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52.
'Lovely rose-pink hair and sky-blue eyes that seemed to hold the clarity of the brightest day.
Though somewhat tall for a woman, her delicate frame possessed an ethereal grace, and her footsteps were so light that one could scarcely sense her weight.'
...That was definitely the description of the Holy Maiden from the original work.
As the battle wound down and the Holy Maiden's entourage arrived, I could only blink in bewilderment.
Certainly, well....
'The Holy Maiden always wore her hood deep or a veil, so few had ever seen her face clearly, yet a tender compassion bloomed from the smile playing at her lips.'
The smile visible beneath the hood did appear pleasant... but compassion?
As I took a moment to assess the situation, I heard the knights whispering behind me.
"...Is the Holy Maiden divine?"
"Isn't she male?"
"Prejudice is wrong. How dare we question the one who saved our lives!"
Indeed, the Holy Maiden(?) who now stood before me possessed a remarkably robust build and stood a full head taller than I did.
Even if my height wasn't exceptionally tall, it was above average for women... or so I thought.
Yet the Holy Maiden stood at nearly the same height as Cassian Artez.
"Thank you for coming, Your Highness."
Cassian Artez greeted her first.
Then the Temple Priest opened his mouth, visibly struggling to conceal his bewilderment.
"Not at all—how could the Temple be absent from dealing with magical beasts?"
Yet in that moment, the Holy Maiden stepped forward ahead of the Temple Priest, approaching Cassian Artez with a swift stride.
As she drew near, I felt even more acutely that she was only slightly shorter than Cassian Artez.
The Holy Maiden bent slightly and, without removing her hood, gazed at Cassian Artez intently, as if scrutinizing him.
The Priests made small sounds of protest—"W-wait, Holy Maiden...!"—but she did not step back.
Rather, Cassian Artez, now the subject of observation, remained perfectly composed and unmoved.
"Hmm."
And at the sound that escaped her lips, I found myself doubting my ears once more.
Her voice—it wasn't like that at all?
It had been so crystalline, like a nightingale's song...?
Of course, in the original work,
'The Holy Maiden never opened her mouth. The Temple taught that the Holy Maiden's voice was akin to the voice of God and could not be heard carelessly.'
I had made such an excuse, but—
"You, my rival?"
"...Pardon?"
The voice I heard now was a magnificently resonant baritone that anyone would find captivating.
"Now this is worthy of my interest."
"Your Majesty?"
At that response, I caught a rare glimpse of Cassian Artez appearing flustered.
"I was simply curious, of course. Though I do hope you won't labor under the delusion that I came here to see you."
"Your Majesty...."
The Priests' faces had grown so stricken they looked ready to weep at the Holy Maiden's words.
"Phew, this is suffocating. Can I take this off now?"
"No, you cannot!"
"Why not? I've kept my promise, haven't I?"
The owner of that cavern-deep voice pouted in an endearingly childish manner and yanked back the hood.
"Oh my...."
In the next moment, the knights gasped in astonishment.
"I've missed you so much, Roselita!"
A beautiful face rushed toward me.
*
"...Wait."
However, the Holy Maiden's(?) attempt to embrace me was intercepted by Cassian Artez.
In an instant, the Holy Maiden—no, Wesley Morel—transformed her lovely face into a pout as she glared at Cassian Artez.
"Jealousy?"
"Precisely."
Why did he answer so readily there too?
As I stared at him in bewilderment, Cassian Artez drew me into his protective embrace with a touch as soft as down and spoke.
"Surely the Holy Maiden is aware that Roselita is my fiancée."
"Of course I am. I was so frustrated when I saw it in the newspapers. I never imagined someone would claim her before I could fulfill my promise with Roselita...!"
"A promise...?"
This time, Cassian Artez fixed his gaze directly upon me.
"Wow, you didn't even hear about that? And you're her fiancé! That Roselita never told you about me, her childhood playmate and someone she held so dearly!"
Wesley Morel laughed triumphantly at her own words.
"It seems you two aren't as close as a fiancée and fiancé should be?"
"That cannot be. I have been by Roselita's side constantly of late, and her closest friend is actually the Lady Wilhelmina Lopez."
Cassian Artez was essentially telling Wesley Morel that she was lying, given that there was no evidence of them ever having met.
And at his characteristically cutting tone, I finally came to my senses.
"Just a moment!"
First, I needed to clarify the facts I had been completely unaware of until now.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak with her alone for a moment!"
"Alone with the Holy Maiden?"
Cassian Artez seemed far more displeased than usual.
I nodded in agreement.
The moment I did, his arms tightened around me with renewed intensity.
"Roselita, do you understand I'm on the verge of losing my mind right now?"
"I... what?"
He wasn't actually jealous—or so I tried to convince myself as I met his gaze with feigned indifference.
His eyes only grew sharper at my nonchalance.
"Do you truly believe I merely prevented the Holy Maiden from approaching?"
Cassian Artez whispered low enough for only me to hear.
"Your cough hasn't stopped. The color hasn't returned to your cheeks."
His violet eyes pierced through me with unwavering intensity.
"You can barely stand, and you think you can manage someone of her stature?"
That... did seem rather impossible, I had to admit.
"Do you think I'm unaware of the side effects from the magical artifacts you used today?"
Cassian Artez pressed his forehead against mine, his voice trembling with desperation, utterly indifferent to the eyes around us.
"I know you're trying your best, but couldn't you understand just how much I worry about you?"
His voice—raw and earnest in a way I'd never heard before—sank deep into my chest.
"...Roselita?"
Wesley Morel tilted her head, sensing the gravity between us, and called out to me.
I was about to say something to defuse the situation when—
"Your Majesty, the Temple clergy are exhausted from climbing Snow Mountain, and our Knight Order is fatigued from battle. Would it be acceptable to postpone further discussion until dinner?"
Cassian Artez stepped forward without waiting for my response, wrapping me protectively as he smoothly concluded the matter.
Wesley Morel hesitated for a moment, but after glancing at me once more, she nodded.
"Very well. As for Roselita and—"
I wanted to hear what she was about to say.
But a sudden surge of heat flooded through me like a snapped cord, drowning out her next words.
All I could remember was the solid warmth of Cassian Artez's arms supporting me, reassuring me that everything would be fine.
*
'...Is it really okay to do this?'
The young, adorable Wesley Morel asked me something.
Armed with knowledge from the original story, I had gone to meet Wesley during her childhood.
Since I knew which region she was in, I searched and searched for the orphanage, and there I discovered a truly lovely child.
In the original story, Wesley was not happy.
She was bound by the duties required of a Holy Maiden, and her childhood was nothing but a succession of misfortunes.
Like most places in that bleak narrative, the orphanage was rife with embezzlement and violence, so I took steps to save Wesley from that fate.
After all, the original story was already derailed by the protagonist's absence—what harm could a little more destruction do?
With our parents' help, Wesley was able to transfer to a properly managed orphanage.
Until she turned fourteen and entered the Temple, I visited regularly and played with her.
Sometimes I even stayed with her at the Marquis Residence under the pretense of being her playmate.
This memory must be from around that time.
The day I prepared a gift befitting Wesley's hair, which had never been adorned with anything.
When I fastened a cute little puppy-shaped hairpin into her shoulder-length, fluffy pink hair, Wesley's face flushed deeply with embarrassment.
Now that I think about it, I wonder what I answered when she asked if it was really okay to do that....
Perhaps....
The moment I moved my lips silently, my body, which seemed submerged in water, gradually regained its sense of reality.
"...Roselita."
As I blinked my dry eyes, golden hair that gleamed even in the dim lighting came into view first, followed by violet eyes darkened with worry.
"...My bones are aching."
A shallow sigh escaped from him at my words.
Yet soon, a faint smile appeared across his face, which had been filled only with sorrow.
"That's why I told you to stop."
"Sometimes, I... wanted to ignore Your Majesty's words."
As I spoke haltingly, Cassian silenced me by covering my mouth and brought a cup of water to my lips.
He carefully helped me sit up, then adjusted the pace so I wouldn't drink too quickly.
"It seems like more than sometimes."
After letting me moisten my throat with water, Cassian laid me back down and furrowed his brow as he spoke.
Unable to help myself, I smiled sheepishly, and he sighed once more.
"I thought your heart had stopped."
"Were you worried about losing five Administrative Officials?"
"I was worried about losing you, Roselita."
Though I had spoken playfully on purpose, Cassian did not ease his concern and gazed at me intently.
He took my hand with a gentle touch, as though handling a delicate piece of craftsmanship that might shatter at any moment.
"Don't abandon me, Roselita."
It was something I had heard several times before.
Yet this time, it resonated with a depth and sincerity unlike any other.
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