Before they knew it, they were in front of the Main Palace. When he heard it was a birthday banquet, Rou had expected a lavish and grand feast, but the front of the Main Palace was so quiet and desolate that it felt as gloomy as someone’s funeral. Rou looked at Het with suspicious eyes, wondering if they’d really come to the right place.
Het cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured to the guards standing at the palace gates, showing them the invitation. They gasped and stared at Rou. Already accustomed to such humans, Rou gave them a gentle wave of his hand, and the guards opened the doors with even more relaxed expressions.
Only after entering the long, splendid corridor could Rou completely dispel his doubts. It was as magnificent as the Goddess’s bedchamber in the Heavenly Fields. A place like this was indeed worthy of hosting Brukisel’s birthday banquet.
When Rou and his party reached the end of the corridor, a servant shouted toward the interior as if he’d been waiting.
“The High Priest who serves Goddess Kaine is entering.”
Then, as if on cue, hundreds of people in the banquet hall turned their heads in unison. Everyone except Rou was startled and hesitated at this behavior, which was almost eerie. Curiosity, awe, and even inexplicable fear and malice—the emotions contained in those gazes were as varied as the different colors of their eyes.
The stares fixed on Rou’s hair and clothes, his fingertips and shoes, even the feet hidden within them, were blatant and persistent. Whether negative or positive, people wanted to know everything about the High Priest.
And for good reason—the current High Priest was someone about whom no information had surfaced. Even with Jes, everything was known: that he came from a wealthy noble family in the south, when he first saw the Goddess’s Vision, what his family relations were like.
In contrast, aside from rumors that the High Priest possessed tremendous beauty and was locked away in the deepest temple of the Imperial Palace for unknown reasons, nothing else was known. The only thing that had made it to the outside world was the hair he’d distributed to the faithful. Even under dim light, it shone like summer sunlight, only amplifying people’s curiosity.
Though less so than in the south, anyone living on the continent wanted to know more about the High Priest, so those who learned he would attend this birthday banquet had all resolved to learn even one more thing about him.
So whenever Rou’s hair swayed above his shoulders, whenever his large eyes disappeared beneath his eyelids and reappeared to astonish the world, everyone’s gazes followed.
Yan wanted to curl up like a turtle and run away. This massive attention was too burdensome. Even though it wasn’t directed at him, and they weren’t even looking at him, just the fact that everyone’s faces were turned this way made him want to flee.
Jes’s situation was no different. He too had once drawn the world’s attention as High Priest, but their interest had never been this direct. People were naturally more drawn to what they couldn’t easily have and couldn’t easily see.
Especially those noble bastards. To them, a High Priest whom the Emperor kept tightly hidden and even deliberately prevented them from meeting—how attractive an existence must that be?
Jes pushed Het’s back. Perhaps because Het had at least experienced such pouring gazes while staying by the Emperor’s side, his face was relatively less pale than Yan’s. Just as Jes was about to whisper to Het that they should at least step forward to protect the High Priest—
Physically fragile but never weak-hearted, Rou didn’t hesitate to enter through the open doors.
This was also Rou’s first time experiencing such a large number of humans focusing entirely on him. Though he’d seen crowds of this size dozens of times from atop the Goddess’s shoulder, this was the first time he was the object of their attention. For ordinary humans, it would have been overwhelming enough to make them run away.
‘So many humans!’
But his perspective was a little different from that of ordinary humans. If he’d been a normal bumblebee and successfully reproduced, he would have left behind enough descendants to fill this empire and more. With that thought, all the humans gathered here felt as cute and lovable as if they were his great-great-great-grandchildren.
With a purely clear and harmless face, Rou made eye contact with every single human looking at him. At that benevolent and gentle gaze, those who had been scrutinizing Rou instead blushed and averted their eyes.
Though no one had instructed them to, they all stepped back from Rou’s path, creating a way for him to reach Brukisel.
Rou received the gift from Het. In this vast Imperial Palace, everything was done thoroughly according to rank. So the order of having an audience with the Emperor to celebrate his birthday was no different. Regardless of Brukisel’s indifferent expression, Rou placed the gift with both hands at the bottom of the stairs supporting the throne.
Rumors had secretly circulated among close nobles that the High Priest had prepared a holy relic. Mainly nobles who controlled the south—those who knew that Saint Patricia’s Belt had suddenly disappeared a few days ago. Only those few nobles’ eyes gleamed as they observed the Emperor’s next move.
How would the Emperor, who so despised Goddess Kaine, react upon seeing a holy relic? Would he even open the High Priest’s gift? Or would he throw it away, saying he didn’t need it? Would he order it burned immediately, even if it meant being cursed? Curious gazes hungered for new gossip.
But unfortunately for those starved for stimulating scenes, Brukisel provided no fodder. As if he had not the slightest interest in the gift Rou brought, Brukisel didn’t even glance at Rou.
‘Ah…’
Rou’s large golden eyes trembled slightly. He’d hoped for some reaction since it was a gift Brukisel had so desperately wanted. Even if he didn’t hear words of thanks, he’d thought he’d at least see Brukisel open the box to check what was inside. He must have expected too much.
Wondering if perhaps Brukisel was too embarrassed to say what he wanted to say, Rou lingered a bit longer at the bottom of the stairs, but Brukisel gestured with his chin to call the next person. Though Rou knew he should leave, he hesitated. Finally, only when a servant began with an awkward face, “I’m sorry, but…” did Rou turn around.
Unlike when he’d walked in confidently and vigorously, Rou returned with somewhat slower steps.
‘It’s okay. There’s still the Eucharist ceremony! I’ll be able to give Brukisel my congratulations then.’
It’s okay. It’s okay.
Rou was fine. Just, for some reason today, both his shoulders felt a little heavy. With that thought, maintaining Human Form suddenly felt too burdensome. His arms and legs were heavy, his head throbbed, and his vision seemed to spin.
As Rou’s steps grew even slower, Yan and Jes quickly approached. Though Rou didn’t recognize his own condition, Jes and Yan, who had witnessed Rou fainting before, exchanged anxious glances.
Jes stripped the outer coat from some noble and draped it over Rou’s shoulders, while Yan bullied a servant into bringing hot water and tea. (Both the noble and the servant were honored to be able to help the High Priest.)
Rou slowly blinked.
It was the first time he’d experienced the emotion of ‘disappointment.’ For Rou, who had lived his entire life peacefully and comfortably, such a negative emotion was a first. Rou trembled from an inexplicable chill and gulped down hot honey tea repeatedly.
He felt very strange.
‘I feel like I’m going to turn into a bumblebee.’
He couldn’t keep his fingertips still, and his back itched. And he felt so very small.
“It seems the tension has lifted. Didn’t you work incredibly hard to present your gift to His Majesty? Now all the people of the empire will come to serve the High Priest, so please don’t worry too much.”
Jes comforted him in his own way. Yan, who had been listening beside him, added a word.
“That’s right. And His Majesty probably didn’t open the gift in front of everyone because he wants to look at it alone. You want to look at the best things by yourself, don’t you?”
Jes reprimanded him sharply with a look that said what nonsense are you talking about. But what comforted Rou was Yan’s words and the sweet honey tea he’d brought. Tea made by preserving acacia-like flowers full of honey in honey from the same flowers, then steeping it in lemon water, was sweet and fragrant.
“Yeah. You’re right. Thanks, everyone.”
Het brought a plush-looking chair from somewhere. Sitting down and drinking the sweet tea made his heavy body feel a bit lighter. As Jes had said, Rou thought it was simply because his tension had lifted and didn’t think much of it.
Rou exhaled deeply and watched the long procession slowly dwindle.
And finally, the end came into view of the procession that had seemed like it would never end.
Brukisel rose from the throne and descended the stairs step by step. Everyone bowed their heads from where they sat to show respect to the empire’s august Emperor. Only Rou, the only person who didn’t need to bow his head in that place, kept his head raised, looking at Brukisel.
When those red eyes gazed at him, Rou smiled brightly like a dandelion in full bloom, as if he’d never been disappointed. At Rou’s smile, Brukisel furrowed his brow and frowned, but Rou didn’t care. Being looked at like that, even that way, made him happier than being ignored.
Rou stepped forward. It was time to proceed with the ceremony.
