Chapter 11
A temple?
At that word, I racked my brain and recalled what I had once read in books.
The temple, and Saintess Seira…
They were a powerful faction that supported Blake.
Above all, the prophecy had come through the temple.
It was only natural that they regarded the protagonist of the prophecy as their savior.
“A temple? Why would you go to the temple so early in the morning…?”
Unless Saintess Seira were there, I couldn’t think of any reason for Blake to go.
But then Blake gave a mysterious smile, his expression sly.
“Well… there are those who doubt that I actually ‘resurrected.’ And there are those who believe in the prophecy and follow me like a god.”
“……”
“It’s a complicated, bothersome situation.”
Now I was beginning to understand.
How shocked must they have been when they heard the protagonist of the prophecy had died?
And then—he came back to life?
The priests wanted proof that he really had been resurrected.
And they wanted to further affirm that the prophecy sent by God was indeed true.
Look, the protagonist of our prophecy has even resurrected! God’s prophecy will be fulfilled exactly as spoken!
That’s what the temple wanted to declare.
“On top of that, some think it was the missing Saintess Seira who brought me back to life.”
“……”
“They’re curious whether I know her whereabouts.”
“Uh… then, if you go to the temple, will they examine your body, Your Highness?”
“The temple dares to examine me?”
With his legs crossed, his pale face tilted, he raised the corner of his lips.
Arrogant, confident—yet it suited him so well that I bowed my head and muttered timidly.
“I mean like sprinkling holy water on you or something… They won’t discover that Your Highness was resurrected by a necromancer, will they?”
My face froze with anxiety, but Blake looked indifferent.
In fact, he almost looked sleepy.
With a hazy expression, as if fighting off drowsiness, he gazed steadily at me and said:
“That’s why I’m taking you with me.”
“What do you mean…?”
“It’s fine. No one will suspect you’re a necromancer once they see you.”
I widened my eyes.
But then I accepted it.
Right. Even if I had possessed this body…
Ariel was an adorable, lovely-looking young woman.
She looked innocent, kind—no one would ever associate her with something as dark as necromancy.
More than that, it amused me that Blake thought the same way about Ariel’s appearance.
“But is there really a reason I have to go with you to the temple?”
“Why not?”
“If they find out you were resurrected by a necromancer, won’t I be in trouble too…?”
“If they had that kind of ability, they wouldn’t be clinging so desperately to the Saintess.”
“……”
“An examination? Proof? By what means? Oh, and I’ve already had to put up with blades, silver, and holy water at the imperial palace. I’d rather not go through that again.”
Blake added the words with a tone of exhaustion.
So even in the palace, there had been such rumors.
Of course. The Empress, Prince Alec—they wouldn’t have stayed quiet.
They must have tried hard to find flaws in Blake’s resurrection.
…Blades, silver, holy water. So none of those work. I didn’t know that. What a relief.
I sneaked a glance at Blake.
Unless someone checked whether his heart was beating, there seemed to be no way to find anything strange about his resurrection.
Blake, catching my look, spoke in a tone that sounded almost like he was coaxing me.
“Besides, all the books about necromancy are classified as forbidden texts and kept in the temple. If we need information, the temple’s the fastest place to get it.”
That logical answer convinced me.
I had been on my way to the library anyway, worrying that the books might not be there under the label of forbidden texts.
“I see.”
After nodding, I closed my mouth.
I worried I had annoyed him with all my fussing.
But once I grew quiet, Blake seemed displeased.
His brow furrowed faintly, his eyes half-lidded.
“Say something, anything. Otherwise I’ll end up dozing off in this carriage.”
“Uh… like what?”
“For instance… tell me what you talked about with that ghost who looked exactly like me.”
Blake seemed eager for any story that would keep him awake.
So I grinned and lowered my voice, pretending to be spooky.
“Ahem. So I was on my way to the library…”
I mimicked the tone of a scary story, like chatting with a friend, but Blake only found it amusing.
“…Can’t you just tell it normally? It doesn’t suit you at all—it’s funny.”
Leaning his chin on his hand by the window, he watched me like I was fascinating.
“……”
“Sorry. Just go ahead however you want, Master.”
“Anyway, I was on my way to the library… when someone who looked exactly like Your Highness greeted me!”
“What did he say?”
“Just, ‘Hello.’ Like that!”
“……”
“So I asked if Your Highness wasn’t supposed to be in the office, but then he suddenly said he had come to see me.”
“Hmm.”
“The strange thing was, he looked exactly like you. But his tone was gentle, warm… and his hands and face were warm too.”
“Wait. I have more than one problem with this. Forget the gentle part—did you touch his face?”
“Uh… yes. He took my hand and pressed it against his cheek.”
“……”
Blake’s face instantly turned grim, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
But why was that such a big issue?
Wasn’t it creepy?
As I blinked in confusion, he waved his hand as if to hold back his words.
It seemed to mean go on, I’m listening.
Though hesitant, I continued, since he didn’t look offended.
“Then he suddenly asked what dress I was going to wear to the Golden Song Festival.
When I didn’t answer, he asked if I was going to dance with Ian Harmel again this year…”
“…Ian Harmel?”
The moment I spoke that name, I regretted it.
The faint smile on Blake’s lips disappeared instantly.
Even if our marriage was only nominal, he wouldn’t want to hear about his wife’s ex-fiancé.
Carefully watching his reaction, I went on.
“And then he said something strange. That if I matched dresses with Ian and danced with him again, he might end up killing Ian…”
“…That part I don’t dislike.”
“What? Don’t agree with something that scary!”
“Why not? Doesn’t that guy come to you all the time and badmouth me?”
I froze, blinking.
So he knew!
I had told Ian to watch his tongue so many times…
And yet Blake, who knew Ian was insulting him, still looked calm.
Too calm—so much so it was like he was teasing me into admitting the truth.
“So what does that guy say whenever he comes to see you?”
“Well…”
“He seems to chat more often and more warmly with you than your husband does. Annoying.”
That last remark sounded strange.
And for a moment, his expression revealed something unfamiliar.
Like I had glimpsed emotions I wasn’t supposed to see.
Thick, heavy, old feelings left unresolved.
It almost seemed like… Blake was jealous of Ian.
But surely that couldn’t be.
At that moment, I found myself blurting out, locking eyes with him:
“He talks about you, Your Highness.”
“About me?”
His questioning face looked serious.
Caught by that gaze, I confessed a feeling I hadn’t even realized I held—something I’d been hurt by all along.
“He said… even if you died and came back to life, I’d never hear the words ‘I love you’ from you.”
Blake faltered.
Would he deny it?
Would he grin mischievously and say, Come on, don’t be silly?
Would he tease me with a smile, asking if I’d be sad if he never said it?
But if what I had just glimpsed wasn’t a mistake… if those deep emotions were real…
“……”
Yet his face showed nothing.
Expressionless, he tilted his head slightly.
“You’re not wrong.”
