The Abandoned Empress

“Oh, not necessarily, Lady Monique. As the disconnected muscles are connected again after healing, they are not the same as before immediately. If he takes a full rest for a couple of months, they will be the same as before. ”

“Really? How fortunate!”

“You are very warm-hearted, child of God’s prophecy. I think you deserve the love of our God.”

“… Thank you.”

Love of our God? I wanted to ask him whether God really loves me, but it was pointless to ask the high priest who didn’t know the situation.

Smiling faintly with a bit of appreciation of my gratitude, he said, pulling his hands from Carsein’s wounds.

“All done.”

Thank you, Your Eminence.”

“You’re welcome.”

When he turned after replying coldly, my father, who had stayed in the room since he checked Carsein’s wounds, bowed to him. With his bow down, the high priest said in a mysterious voice,

“May the blessings of life be bestowed on you. Spear of the empire, this is Tertius, the third root of Vita, our God. ”

“You again changed your name. This is Keiran la Monique, head of the Marquis Monique family. Thank you for your help in curing my daughter and Carsein.”

It was customary for the Great Priest to introduce again when his name changed.

“Everything depends on the will of our God who reigns over it. Sometimes people misunderstand Him.”

“… It is a pity that human beings are foolish, so they cannot properly interpret God’s will. ”

The Great Priest smiled slightly at my father’s response. My father, who looked at him calmly, said in a respectful manner, “It’s a little late, but I would like to serve you dinner if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t eat today.”

“I see.”

“But this is also how God leads us here. How about seeing me separately next time, Lady Monique? Let me contact you.”

“…Pardon?”

‘Why is he suddenly involving me here?’

When I looked at him in surprise, he said with a mysterious smile, “It was the knight over there who needed my divine power from the beginning. So I would like to get paid additionally for healing you, Lady Monique.”

“If that’s the case, I will surely repay at the temple.”

“No, I’m now saying. I would like to have the lady pay me in person later.”

“… Your Eminence.”

“I was hoping to leave the empire within a few days, but I don’t want to miss the chance to see the child of God’s prophecy up close.”

My father’s eyebrows wiggled. He felt that Carsein and Sir Seymour were watching him.

‘What does he want?’

I looked at the high priest’s light grey eyes, but couldn’t read anything. He just had a slight smile on his lips. I nodded, holding back a sigh. I didn’t want to get entangled with the temple as much as possible, but I had no cause to refuse it.

The Great Priest smiled at me quickly and got out of the room after slightly bowing to me.

The sound of his long, long gray hair rustling on the floor was fading away.

“… Sorry, sir. It seems that Lady Monique has gotten entangled with the temple because of me,” said Carsein.

“Oh, no, Carsein. I’m not sure why he wants to see my daughter separately. Stay here for a minute. Let me go and see him off first.”

“Sure.”

“Well, I’m going to leave to report to the crown prince.”

“Take care, Sir Seymour. Thank you very much. ”

I sat down beside Carsein, staring blankly at my father and Sir Seymour leaving the room.

‘How could so many complicated things happen to me in a single day?’

Carsein, who looked at me sighing, grinned and said, “That’s why I’m calling you a little girl.”

“Huh?”

“Where are you sitting down now? I’m not wearing a shirt right now. ”

I blushed. Carsein stopped me from standing up and laughed out loud.

“It’s already late, young lady.”

“Hey, put on your shirt first.”

“Don’t you think you’re so mean, Tia? Even if I was treated by divine power, how can you tell me to put on a shirt by myself when I had a dagger stabbed in the shoulder until a moment ago?”

“Oh sorry. Let me help you.”

I hastily stood up and grabbed the shirt on his shoulder. Then I put it on him cautiously, who gave his arm, with all smiles on his face.

When I adjusted his collar and buttoned the cufflinks of his sleeves, he patted my head gently with a smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I should have cared for you first. Is your shoulder really okay?”

“Well, I feel stiff when I’m moving, but I am okay.”

Suddenly, I felt depressed. But for the high priest, his shoulders would not have been cured. As someone who has been called a genius of swordsmanship, praised as the youngest knight with everybody’s high expectations, he might not have been able to wield his sword for the rest of his life because of me.

“I’m sorry, Carsein.”

“For what?”

“You were entangled in this matter because of me. If I hadn’t visited you a few years ago… you would not have experienced this. ”

Carsein looked at me as if he was dumbfounded at my remarks and said, dragging me to my side.

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense, will you?”

“… ”

“It’s my decision to have you stay with me. Of course, you came to see me first. However, it is me who visited you who left, vowing never to see me again, and I expelled you again, telling you to refrain from coming to me. It was also me who chased you persistently when you went down to your father’s estate.”

“That’s because of the deal between your family and mine…”

“Hey, don’t you see my true worth? Regardless of the deal, I would not have followed if I had not liked it. Got it? It was me who decided to be with you. It’s my decision. Tia, you don’t have to take any responsibility.”

I was about to give a nod at his adamant attitude when something suddenly came to my mind.

“But… ”

“So what?”

“If you cannot wield a sword for the rest of your life, you wouldn’t say that.”

Carsein was silent for a moment. Then he looked at me in a pensive mood and said, “Well, I’m fine anyway. There’s one more sword I love. ”

“What is that?”

Looking at me blankly when I was tilting my head curiously, he gently tapped my forehead with his fist. Rubbing my forehead with my right hand, I looked at him with a disgruntled expression.

“Ouch! It hurts. What’s the matter? ”

“Hey, I’m a man. And as your superior, how can I move around if I can’t protect you? If I had survived alone without protecting you, I would have stopped wielding a sword out of shame. Got it?”

“… ”

“So, stop blaming yourself. Are you really okay? ”

“…Yeah.”

“Okay, then.”

He swept my hair with a gentle smile. His actions seemed unfamiliar to me somehow. I would have lost my life if he hadn’t protected me twice during their surprise attack.

I smiled with gratitude at this young man with red hair, who seemed to have grown up suddenly.

“Thanks, Carsein.”

“You’re welcome, lady.”

Carsein also smiled at me. When he and I were smiling at each other, somebody suddenly cut in and said, “I want to thank you, too, Sir Carsein. Thank you for saving my daughter. ”

“I just did what I should have done, sir.”

When my father said that, entering the room, Carsein replied calmly, as if it was not a big deal. Looking at him in a pensive mood, my father said, “Will you have dinner with us, too?”

“Of course. Thank you for the invitation.”

“Good. Let’s go downstairs then. ”

I walked after them, who were going to the dining room, shoulder to shoulder.

Although I was not unfamiliar with their surprising engagement, I felt relieved, and at the same, time I thought it was interesting.

‘He and my father are similar in some respects.’

Actually they were. Given that they were knights, there was something in common between them despite their different appearances and character. Only

“So, can you explain what happened?”

“You know Sir Feden with the 2nd Knights, right? We were attacked on our way home from his house. ”

“Hmm.”

“Because I was still lacking in skills, I was injured while blocking their first attack. Anyway, I and Lady Monique beat half of them, but without the royal knight’s help, we would have been seriously injured.”

My father put down the fork and nodded at his explanation.

“I see. I think we let our hair down because the noble factions were inactive for a while. I don’t know why they targeted Tia’s life this time… Hmm, thank you once again anyway. ”

“You are welcome. Aristia is precious to me too, so I think I should apologize for not having protected her properly. ”

“…Oh, I see.”