Chapter 47
“Adults, really!”
Rix thought.
“Why are you pressuring a child until she cries!”
This wasn’t the plan at all.
“Are you even listening properly?”
“Yes.”
Sniff.
Fernandes, with reddened eyes, leaned against Ren and looked up at him.
To think they made such an angel-like child cry.
She hadn’t even done anything, yet somehow she felt like she’d become one of the villains of this world.
When she glared at Mabel, he quickly stepped back, looking as though he had nothing to do with it—like someone who really knew how the world worked.
“Apologize right now.”
“Saintess…”
Even Fernandes hadn’t expected it to go this far, and tugged at Ren’s sleeve. But Ren soothed her, patting her head, saying, It’s okay, it’s okay. What exactly was okay, he didn’t know.
Rix let out a dry sigh, rubbing his face in frustration, then spoke in a resigned tone.
“…Sorry.”
It was just a single word, but Ren cupped his ear and leaned closer.
“Huh? I can’t hear you.”
“I—I heard it!”
Luckily, Fernandes stopped Ren from pushing further. Rix’s stiff expression looked almost monstrous. But Ren, finding it amusing, gave a sly grin.
“Your voice is too quiet, Your Highness.”
She crossed her arms, shifted her stance, and smirked as if she had caught him in something.
Rix’s lips trembled. Why on earth had he decided to come here?
For a moment, Mabel felt a chill down his spine, but he decided it was probably just because the temple corridors were drafty.
“What was that you said?”
Ren beamed at him. Behind her, Fanny and Tina turned pale, not knowing what to do. Fernandes also tugged at Ren’s sleeve, pleading, “I-it’s fine!”
At that moment, Rix took in a deep breath and let out a smile like a mask.
“You said you were busy?”
“Yes?”
“Busy, right.”
“Ah.”
“Too busy to even go hunting, you said.”
Everyone could sense the tide turning.
Ren, who had just been ridiculing Rix, quickly shifted her eyes to the side. Rix clasped his hands behind his back and stepped closer. Before she knew it, his shadow was looming over her.
“I was curious what you were so busy with. Maybe I can help.”
“Ah…”
Ren gave an awkward laugh and slowly stepped back.
“Well, I have my own private life, so it’s hard to explain…”
“It’s not anything… strange, is it?”
“Strange? What do you mean?”
With wide, startled eyes, Ren looked at him. Rix smiled slyly, like a cunning fox, but didn’t stop advancing.
Because Ren stepped back, Fanny and Tina—still holding heavy stacks of books—shuffled backward too.
“You know, the kind of things you only look at when you’re alone?”
“I—I’m very wholesome, thank you!”
Her skin flushed pink from her neck to her ears. Rix finally stopped in place, and so did the others.
“Really?”
Smiling oddly, Rix bent down toward Ren, his hands still clasped behind his back. Ren froze as his face came closer, his hand reaching toward her cheek. She shut her eyes tightly.
“Then what’s this?”
His hand brushed past her and snatched the book Fanny was holding. Ren peeked one eye open and cried out.
“Give it back!”
But Rix stood solid as a tree, unmoving, while Ren hopped like a rabbit trying to snatch it back. He easily held it high out of her reach and read the cover aloud.
“Stories of the Saintess for Children?”
He frowned as he read it out loud, and Ren’s ears burned.
Mabel blinked in surprise, wondering if he had heard correctly.
Rix swiftly moved past Ren and grabbed the books Tina held.
“Writing Practice Workbook, Lullaby Collection for Children, Fairy Songbook…”
For some reason, the mood grew somber.
Ren, pouting, quickly snatched the Fairy Songbook from his hands and hugged it to her chest.
“I told you I was busy! Why won’t anyone believe me?”
Muttering, she reached for the other books, but he kept them just out of reach, lazily waving the Writing Practice Workbook.
“You really do need the practice. Your handwriting is terrible.”
He pulled a paper from his coat. One page had the word Busy scrawled on it, and the other was a list prepared by Scarlett.
“I brought you a good workbook. Study with this.”
He placed the thin sheet of paper on her face instead of the book. Her breath blew it off and it fluttered to the floor.
“What’s this?”
Ren picked it up and asked. Rix flipped through the workbook as if it were an amusing novel.
“A list of balls you, Saintess, are personally required to attend.”
Ren’s face crumpled like a rotting fruit.
Rix pretended to be engrossed in the workbook, turning its pages. Ren sighed. Whenever he showed up, peace never lasted.
“Se…ru…mi… No, Bil!”
Ren traced the letters with her finger and pronounced them slowly, looking quite proud of herself. Rix chuckled and corrected her smoothly, his voice flowing like song.
“Sébule.”
“…”
“Repeat after me.”
What was this, French? Why was he twisting his tongue like that? Ren tried again, imitating him.
“Sevul.”
A stifled laugh escaped from someone. Mabel cleared his throat, but Ren silently vowed revenge.
“Again.”
Ren’s eyes fixed on Rix’s lips, glaring with such intensity it was as though she’d pierce right through them. Rix, like the wind, repeated,
“Sébule.”
“Sebil.”
“Sébule.”
“…Do I really need to talk to this Sé-whatever person?”
Rix frowned at her nonsense, while Ren’s eyes lit up mischievously.
“They’ll just call me Saintess anyway, won’t they? So I can just not talk at all.”
“And?”
“So if I just stick to Your Highness, even if everyone in this list is at the ball, I’ll be fine.”
Ren grinned brightly at her “brilliant” idea. Rix smiled back faintly, then asked,
“And how exactly will you read books if you can’t even say a single name?”
Ren cursed in her head. Rude bastard. That rude prince calmly countered her argument.
“At the very least, you should know who invited the ball you’re attending. And what if an article comes out saying we caused trouble at Count Sébule’s ball? Shouldn’t you be able to read at least that much?”
Ren collapsed onto the desk.
“I’m not learning to read just to look at gossip articles. I want to find information about the Saintess.”
“What kind of information?”
Rix asked, and Ren stretched her arm, staring at her own hand.
“I don’t know why people who had become monsters were able to return to normal.”
That was something Rix himself had been wondering. He had meant to look into it, but Ren’s letter had distracted him into forgetting.
Ren buried her face in her arms and whispered,
“If I’d known… maybe I could have saved that priest too.”
“Who?”
Ren turned her head slightly, glancing at him. In her blue eyes, the red-haired prince looked like someone out of a fairy tale. She stared silently, and it was Rix who looked away.
“When I first woke up here.”
They both thought of the same person.
“The priest who was bitten by a monster.”
“Saintess! Save me, Saintess!”
Ren frowned as the desperate cry echoed in her head.
“Shaaaaezuaaa!”
That last, unintelligible scream.
The image of Rix’s bullet piercing his head, blood spilling, and Rix stepping over the pool of blood without hesitation came vividly back.
She shivered unconsciously.
Rix placed the list over her face again.
“That’s already in the past. Focus on what you can do now.”
“Tch.”
Ren snatched the list, pouting. But her strict teacher didn’t let her off.
“Say it again. Sébule.”
“Selbil.”
“Completely wrong. Sébule.”
“Sevil.”
“You’re hopeless.”
While the two of them went back and forth practicing pronunciation, Mabel glanced outside and noticed two moons rising. He spoke carefully.
“Your Highness.”
“Sé—huh?”
“It’s time for you to leave.”
At his words, Rix glanced out the window. Night was falling. He stood, jerking his chin at Fernandes to come over. Startled, she sat where he had been. The seat was still warm.
“I’ll check tomorrow, so teach her properly tonight.”
“Yes!”
He ruffled Fernandes’s blonde hair with his large hand. She nodded vigorously, making him chuckle.
“You’re leaving?”
Ren lifted her head to meet his gaze. His red eyes, calmer now, looked down at her.
“I have a dinner appointment.”
Ren nodded casually.
“No need to see me off. Just make sure you memorize everything—I’ll test you tomorrow.”
“Yeees.”
Ren yawned, dragging out her words. Rix clicked his tongue with a smile.
Once he closed the door behind him, his expression turned cold.
Mabel quickly caught on to his mood and said,
“I’ll prepare the horses ahead.”
“Good.”
Rix strode quickly toward the temple’s main entrance. Then he paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
The memory of that first day he met Ren—when he had aimed and fired at the priest turning into a monster. The sight of his neck and ears blackening, without a moment’s hesitation Rix had pulled the trigger.
But now… his hands felt strangely stiff.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, biting his lip. The dull ache lingering in him this time wouldn’t fade.
