“Lord Jes.”
Jes, who had been fiercely watching to make sure the Emperor didn’t talk nonsense, turned around a bit late.
A young lady was calling him with a smile. That smile and the gazes of the nobles visible behind her were somehow suspicious. Jes felt an ominous premonition and tried to quickly leave, but the young lady also noticed and hurriedly threw out a question.
“Are those words related to the High Priest really true?”
“Words? What words are you talking about?”
There was no better topic to catch Jes than mentioning the High Priest. Though Jes had clearly been about to flee to escape from difficult questions, as expected, the moment the word High Priest came up, he changed completely and glared.
The young lady who had brought it up lightly, ready to bite if nonsense was spoken, was rather flustered. No matter how advanced in years, someone who had once risen to the position of High Priest had not lost their intimidating presence. Seeing the flashing green eyes between graying eyebrows, the young lady was startled and began hiccupping.
Jes was ready to tear apart the rude person like a well-trained guard dog. Of course, not with teeth but with sharply honed eloquence.
A noble behind the young lady began sweating and making excuses as if to cover her mistake.
“Haha! My daughter seems to have chosen the wrong words. She had no intention of daring to taint the High Priest with worldly dust.”
The noble bowed repeatedly apologizing. His humble attitude made Jes feel a bit better. Jes released the tension from his eyes and took a sip of the tea placed before him. As the fiercely standing atmosphere dissolved, the nobles let out sighs of relief.
No one wanted to be buried in high society for spreading nonsense. Now that the temple and Emperor had joined forces and the balance of power had completely tilted to one side, the position of nobility was no longer a means of protecting one’s life.
“What was the intention behind your earlier words?”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you ask that question because some talk is going around?”
“Ah.”
The young lady who had first raised the topic turned pale, overwhelmed. She lowered her eyes and bit her lip as if begging for mercy. But unlike Rou who was a philanthropist to all humans, Jes cherished only a select few. So when it concerned the High Priest, he couldn’t easily let it go.
At Jes’s urging gaze, the young lady finally had to open her mouth.
“By any chance…… are the High Priest and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor in a relationship where they harbor affection for each other……”
If she were seasoned in high society, she would have quickly brought up another topic or at least softened the words even with the same question. But the young lady who first raised the topic had just debuted in high society, and even that was early. She was too young for such wit to ripen.
But that direct question struck Jes in the back of the head. It felt like a huge bell was ringing ding, ding, ding in his head.
“What…… what nonsense are you talking about!”
He denied it since he needed to organize the situation, but having no capacity to keep managing his expression, he kicked back his chair and stood up. He knew that action would look suspicious, but he judged it better than openly showing a troubled face.
Jes strode into the sparsely populated forest. Even if his worn-out knee joints ached, his steps were only hasty like someone wanting to run away from worries.
With each step, the things the High Priest had done flashed through his mind one by one. Come to think of it, the High Priest had been curiously devoted to the Emperor from the beginning.
Of course, the Emperor was a benefactor who had saved the High Priest’s life, but to dismiss it as merely repaying that debt, the High Priest’s actions had excessive aspects. The sight of him not caring about fire or water for the reason of wanting to fulfill wishes was vivid before his eyes.
Also, no matter how strong against poison, there was no reason to enter that greenhouse full of poisonous plants and participate in some unknown secret mission. Jes was only upset about what words the Emperor had said to make him keep secrets even from himself.
Moreover, that person knowledgeable and wise showed a particularly irrational and foolish attitude only in matters related to the Emperor.
‘What? Kind and gentle? Who?’
Jes forcefully broke a branch being stepped on the ground.
The High Priest had a calm personality toward everything. Even when coming to the dusty temple on the first day, even when meeting humans rude to him, even when it seemed he was in the worst situation, the High Priest maintained composure.
The only times such a person showed delight and joy, or looked a bit down. In such situations, the Emperor was always involved.
‘Can others see it too?’
Jes suddenly realized that the High Priest had paid special attention to clothing today. Was his wanting red clothes also somehow related to the Emperor? It was a moment when Jes’s sharp intuition manifested.
Whatever the truth of the matter, Jes thought this rumor currently circulating must absolutely not reach the High Priest’s ears. Looking at the High Priest from the side now, it seemed closer to wanting to help the Emperor rather than affection. But emotions changing was a matter of an instant.
If the High Priest heard this rumor and came to dwell on his own feelings, and if he reached a conclusion that should never happen.
“No!”
Jes ended that terrible imagination by shouting. He mustn’t make the High Priest aware of what feelings he harbored with needless questions. Jes hurriedly retraced his steps. His spine tingled with worry that the nobles might talk nonsense to the High Priest left alone.
To that Emperor, their noble High Priest. The High Priest was too precious.
Jes headed toward where the nobles were gathered, panting. In the distance, he could see the white tent set up to block the sunlight. Under it, nobles were elegantly raising teacups. And though he wasn’t raising a teacup with sweet tea, the High Priest was also with them.
Fortunately, perhaps because Jes had erupted in anger once, there was no one asking such rude questions to the High Priest. Jes was relieved for now and called out Yan and Het with gestures. Though he called them to keep their mouths shut, he was reluctant to actually bring up that rumor aloud.
“Right now, strange rumors are circulating around the High Priest.”
“What?”
“Who dares spread such rumors! With this sword, immediately!”
“Shh! Are you planning to spread everywhere that rumors about the High Priest are circulating?!”
Jes didn’t even think about his own shouting and was busy quieting Het down. Het was cowed by Jes’s fierce gaze and closed his mouth. Old soldiers never die—the elderly man with completely white hair had tremendous presence.
“It’s related to the Emperor, so if you hear that rumor in the marketplace or imperial palace, absolutely block it from reaching the High Priest’s ears. Understand?”
“What? But how would we know what it is?”
Yan asked with a puzzled face. Het also looked at Jes with a curious expression, but he still couldn’t bring that rumor out of his mouth. He didn’t even want to put it on his tongue.
“Just do it!”
Yan and Het couldn’t understand the situation at all, but since their sense of mission to protect the High Priest was stronger than anyone’s, they accepted the situation without much protest.
When Jes returned, Rou spoke as if he’d been waiting.
“There were words I wanted to hear from Brukisel, but I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t hear them.”
Jes felt dizzy wondering if other nobles besides himself had also heard the High Priest’s words. He didn’t want to provide evidence that would make it more certain to those wanting to believe the circulating rumors. Jes’s heart constricted with worry about what if Rou mentioned the Emperor more.
“Haha…… Do these desserts here suit your palate? We specially prepared things centered on what the High Priest would like.”
The desserts all boasted pretty colors. Perhaps coated with sugar, the surfaces of the round fruit pieces sparkled, but somehow they seemed inferior to the ones he’d shared with Brukisel in the greenhouse.
“Are there any using black cherries? In the greenhouse……”
“Cough! Cough cough! Oh my, my throat feels scratchy from suddenly being hit by cold air.”
Jes burst into coughing right at the moment when Brukisel’s name seemed about to be mentioned. Perhaps due to his abundantly grown white beard and eyebrows, the High Priest worried about his coughing first rather than being suspicious.
“Oh dear, are you alright? If you really don’t feel well, you can go back first. I can proceed with the burnt offering alone. The victor will be Bruki anyway……”
“C-cough! Cough! Cough!”
His aged heart had difficulty enduring this situation. Though it was fake coughing, continuously forcing out coughs made it seem like he might really be sick.
Meanwhile, Yan grasped the situation with the intuition he’d acquired during his time working at the imperial palace. It seemed Lord Jes didn’t want the High Priest to mention the Emperor’s name. Because that would only make the rumors more rampant. Then it would be better to briefly take the High Priest somewhere else. With a servant and former High Priest accompanying him, no one would find it strange.
“High Priest. There’s a colony of red Gerbera daisies near here. Would you like to go see them?”
“Are daisies still blooming?”
“The North doesn’t get that hot even in summer, so you should be able to see flower blossoms still blooming.”
He had no great interest in Gerbera daisies, but if they were red flowers, he became interested. It seemed a red flower crown would suit Brukisel very well when he returned victorious. Rou’s eyes lit up as he rose from his seat, and Jes and Yan, who couldn’t even dream of his thoughts, secretly let out sighs of relief.
