Princess Shu

“We hope, with all our lives, that the temple princess we have found is the real temple princess. One that God wants.”

“I feel the same way, High Priest Mercille.”

“That’s it then. Take a rest.”

Mercille went out. The sound of the paladins’ armor followed him outside the door. Philemon waited for the footsteps to fade away and only leaned back against the backrest after the hallway became completely quiet.

‘Valia Dean.’

Clear, silvery-gray eyes filled with sunlight. The woman who chose to be a ‘sacrifice’ with no one to turn to in a foreign country. Her background, as he had investigated in advance, was rather unfortunate to the point that it made being a sacrifice look luxurious.

‘I wish her happiness.’

The High Priest who saw her up close knew. Whether it was because he considered her to be someone within his territory, or whether it was for other reasons, Marquess Garth was thinking much more about the temple princess. Marquess Garth was a cold man, he did not make a move without profit. But despite his cold and calculating personality, someone like him decided to have a second wedding. 

The temple princess was a woman who expressed her feelings less than the Marquess does. High Priest Philemon did not know exactly why, but she was certainly not reluctant.

‘What is God trying to send down?’

The conditions were clear but the results were dim. But priests were people who carried on the divine will. Sending down angels or demons was ultimately divine will. 

‘She will be happy.’

Philemon prayed for the temple princess to be happy with all his heart.

Even if she could not escape her fate of being a sacrifice.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Dawn came without fail, and Valia faintly opened her eyes. 

Her surroundings were cloudy. The high and luxurious ceiling and the cloud-like softness behind surprised her every time she woke up. Valia blinked very slowly.

‘I’m tired.’

Her body was heavy. She felt as if she was soaked with water because of the unrelieved fatigue. Ever since she came to the Gel Empire, the days where she slept soundly were so few that it could be counted on her fingers. Seeing that she also could not sleep well in the Imperial Palace in the past, it was kind of a habit. Valia spent a week awake at night when her pillow was changed. But the reason she could sleep so much in the couple’s bedroom was that she used up a lot of her stamina right before going to sleep.

There was only one reason—the long intercourse. Once everything was finished, she felt drowsy like a flower submerged in water. So, as always, Valia buried her cheek in the pillow and caught her breath. As her round shoulders gradually calmed down, Schuden’s solid arms would habitually embrace her until she fell asleep. No, perhaps he continued to hold her even after she fell asleep.

‘Is it like his habit after making love?’

It was all very tempting. His physique, which was tightly woven with solid muscles, his arms, that had covered her in a stable way, and his soft lips, that had touched her forehead. Even though  Valia thought of his embrace as awkward, she did not try to escape.

There was probably no woman in the Empire who could refuse him. Valia learned for the first time that she was weak against this kind of temptation. Even though this was her first time sleeping in someone’s arms, she fell asleep like a butterfly fascinated by flowers.

‘Come to think of it…’

She could not feel the warmth that should have touched her skin. Her hazy mind as if she was immersed in a dream slowly returned. Valia slightly moved her eyes.

The space next to her was empty.

‘…Did he already leave?’

This early? But it’s not training day for the knights.

Valia slightly frowned and turned her head sideways. Then, she stopped for a moment.

He was standing by the window with the curtain half-opened.

Reddish blonde hair. A towering height and wide shoulders. His backside, wearing a silk gown. Schuden was looking outside the window in a relaxed posture with his arms crossed.

‘What is he looking at?’

As she got curious, the remaining sleepy feeling disappeared. Valia rose silently with clearer sight. She picked up and wore her silk gown that had fallen on the wool carpet. Just when she finished tying a ribbon around her waist, Schuden talked to her.

“Are you up?”

Valia raised her head. Somehow he had already turned around and was looking at her. Valia smiled lightly. Schuden also smiled a little. He walked toward Valia. Since he was standing by the window not far from the bed, their distance quickly became closer.

“Yes, you woke up early.”

“So did you.”

Answered Schuden lightly. He asked her.

“Aren’t you tired from sleeping so little like that?”

“It’s okay. I don’t sleep much.”

“What do you mean?”

Schuden tilted his head.

“That’s not the eyes of someone who’s had enough sleep. I heard you were also like this in the temple.”

Valia blinked her eyes. When she said that she did not sleep much, everyone else would just move on. Not to mention the people in the Imperial Palace, after she turned back in time, even Karl fell for it and moved on. Although he was a responsible caretaker, he was not sensitive enough to recognize that the little girl’s sleeping time was too short.

“I tend to have a hard time sleeping when my pillow changes. I will get used to it quickly.”

Schuden was the first person to question her sleeping schedule throughout her past and present. Even though it was unfamiliar and strange for Valia, she answered calmly. But Schuden was not very convinced.

“Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“…Really.”

“All right.”

Schuden nodded softly. 

“I don’t think you will sleep more even if I ask you to do so.”

Schuden looked out the window for a moment and then asked.

“Would you like to have breakfast with me?”

Valia nodded her head. She enjoyed eating with Schuden, he did not seem to hate it or was reluctant to do so, either. That was all that mattered. Schuden smiled at the expectation that passed by her silvery-gray eyes. Not many people would be pleased with just the invitation to have breakfast together.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Breakfast was simple compared to dinner. It was mainly prepared with soft foods that were easy to eat and were good for digestion, dishes like a soft-cooked omelette, buttered pancake, and milk tea. Valia had the chef’s skillfully made dishes and someone she could talk to while eating. Although there were not many conversations that came and went, the silence was comfortable in between. And Valia was satisfied enough for that.

“Hmm, Schu.”

“Yes, Valia.”

“Are you going to have dinner in the Imperial Palace today?”

Today was the day Schuden was to go to the Imperial Palace. He was a man in charge of several responsibilities, so it was only reasonable. From Valia’s past memories, if there was a small problem, most of the nobles and retainers who came to the Imperial Palace would only return home after dinner time. Schuden opened his mouth after a moment of silence in response to Valia’s question.

“I think I will be home early.”

“What? But if you go to the Imperial Palace, I’m sure you must have…”

“It’s not to the point where we can’t have dinner together.”

Valia’s face brightened. When he heard Schuden say that, she guessed that the nobles who needed to have dinner at the Imperial Palace in her past were people who happened to work overtime. If the noblemen had known, they would have trembled at the injustice, but it was none of Valia’s business. She just headed to the bathroom looking forward to the day, thinking that she might be able to see him off afterwards.

“Where is His Lordship?”

“He left just now.”

The problem was that Valia’s body was still tired. As Schuden said, she could not sleep well, so she dozed off in the bath. Valia was a little disappointed that she could not see him off but she did not show it. There was also no custom of seeing spouses off in the Gel Empire in the first place. Valia hid her regret and drank the tea that the maid had served.

“Madam.”

When her teacup was almost empty, Sarah walked in and bowed her head.

“You have a letter from the great temple.”

“From the great temple?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Valia received the letter from Sarah. It was a letter stamped with the seal of the temple. Indeed, after she cut the top off with a letter opener, a letter of a neat color that was often used by the temple came out. The letter stated politely that the High Priest would like to come and apologize for the mistake on the couple’s wedding day.

So, it was indeed a mistake.

A mistake related to the wedding officiant. It was something that was quite difficult to happen, even the employees were flustered and it was obvious they ran about in confusion. Then again, the wedding was just around the corner but the wedding officiant was nowhere to be seen. They also could not just postpone it as they had liked so it must have been a helpless situation for them. It was fortunate that they tied the knot somehow.

By the way…

Valia was lost in thought as she folded the letter again.

Why is there still no talk going around?

The present was really different from the past. The Marchioness in the past was the center of rumors even before she got married. On the other hand, Valia had already finished her marriage ceremony but there were still no rumors about her going around. Valia could not guess the difference between herself and the Marchioness in the past. 

There must be a reason.

There was no result without reason. There must be a difference in order for a change to occur.

Why did she become so famous in the past?

An immediate answer came together with the question. Doing something intentionally was because there were expectations to benefit from it. In other words, someone would benefit if rumors regarding the Marchioness in the past, who had volunteered as a temple princess, had spread widely.

Is it the temple?

The first thing that came to her mind was the temple. It was probably the temple that had the closest relationship to the temple princess selection.

I don’t know if it’s something important or not.

She thought it would be good if she organized her thoughts, even if she just did it haphazardly. Instead of wildly guessing, it would be better if she wrote it down on paper.

Before that, it’d be great to meet him.

Valia put the finely folded letter back in the envelope. In the sender column of the envelope, it was written as ‘great temple’ but when she opened the letter, High Priest Philemon was written in the name of the sender. If Valia had not been familiar with him after staying at the temple, she would have trembled the moment she confirmed his name.

“Sarah.”

“Yes, Madam. Do you have any requests?”

Valia might have written back immediately, but it was appropriate to do so. Because the recipient of the letter was accurately referred to as ‘the Marquess and the Marchioness,’ she wanted to first show the letter to Schuden. 

Valia handed Sarah the envelope.

“Keep it and show it to His Lordship when he returns.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Sarah politely accepted the letter. Valia, thirsty from thinking for a long time, drank another cup of tea. It was a peaceful morning and a calm tea time. Valia finished all the food that went with the tea and stood up from her seat. There were things she had to do as the lady of the house.

“Sarah, I want to look around the manor.”

“I will guide you, Madam.”

First of all, she had to take a look at the manor. Even if she did not have to know every nook and corner carefully, it was right to know the general composition and location.

“This is the annex, complete with a hall for hosting balls.”