The fourth chapter of the Saint is out.
Part One, Section One: “The Saint of the kingdom of Parnacota”
Chapter Four
“First of all, allow me to apologize. I think we have hurt your dignity by acting like we were trying to buy you with money. Both I and the people of the land lost our saint… When the offer came from Girtonia, we couldn’t help but see it as a great opportunity.”
Prince Oswald, who had just been talking about cultivating vegetables, suddenly bowed deeply to me.
The sight of a member of the Royal Family bowing his head… and to a woman who had just arrived from a neighboring country… It was an unbelievable scene for me.
Nevertheless, since you are saying you were approached by Girtonia, in reality, it was His Highness Julius, who told you about the idea of transferring the saint of Parnacota, right? Because I was an obstacle to his marriage with Mia…
“I’m sure you have a family and loved ones back in your homeland. We have pledged never to cause you any inconvenience, but we don’t think that alone can make up for what you left behind. We may only have convenient words to offer, but we’ll strive to make you love this country someday. We’ll do our best to match the determination you showed by coming here. Now then, enjoy the party.”
His Highness Oswald’s wish is for me to love this country…
Come to think of it, did I really love my homeland…? It was where I was born and raised, and it was a place I had protected, but I couldn’t quite grasp the feeling of love for it. I love my sister Mia dearly, but maybe I didn’t have the same feelings towards Girtonia.
Was it because I couldn’t honestly express feelings of love that I wasn’t loved in return…? Anyway, putting aside thoughts of love, now that I live here, I intend to fulfill my role as a saint.
“His Highness Oswald vehemently opposed acquiring the saint from the neighboring nation through monetary means. However, for our country, surrounded by mountains infested with demons, the absence of a saint was truly a matter of life and death. He had a heated argument with the first prince, His Highness Reinhardt, but eventually agreed to welcome you, Lady Philia. Therefore, he might be feeling guilty about our actions towards you.”
Bishop Bjorn informed me about the situation in this country.
Indeed, when I arrived here, I did sense the presence of several large demon nests. Despite the kingdom of Parnacota being geographically more prosperous than Girtonia, the security was not as good as I had thought.
The welcome party ended without incident, and I was driven by carriage to my home, which the king of Parnacota had prepared for me.
Looking back, ever since I could remember, I spent very little time at my parents’ house until the engagement to Prince Julius was arranged. My mother insisted that, as the eldest daughter of the Adenauer family, I should start training at the church early on, so I went to live there. From that day on, I was given little time to rest and subjected to a Spartan education.
I think they explained to my sister that I was living in the church because I wanted to. I still didn’t understand why my parents made me go through all this. The only thing I could say was that even as a child I somehow understood that my presence was a hindrance.
So, when I got engaged to the prince and returned to my parents’ mansion, I didn’t really feel that that was my home.
“This is the residence where you will be living from today, Lady Philia.”
“…Huh? W-why is it this big? I mean, I’m living alone…”
In front of me was a grand mansion that was more than twice the size of my parents’ house. No matter how you put it, this was just way too big…
“We have decided to have butlers and maids stationed here to support your living, and that’s why it has become this large. Of course, if you have any friends or guests, please feel free to invite them. And if anything is lacking or needed, please don’t hesitate to inform us, and we will arrange it at any time.”
It was at this moment that I finally understood the meaning behind Prince Oswald’s words of not causing any inconvenience. I couldn’t believe it. The treatment was so different from what I had experienced until now…
Even without this unexpected kindness, I wasn’t intending to slack off. However, what scared me was that for this country, the most terrifying thing that could happen was that I would lose my motivation.
While I felt grateful, the pressure was overwhelming… I couldn’t help but feel scared at the thought of not living up to everyone’s expectations.
Nevertheless, I slept a little deeper that day definitely due to the fatigue from the journey.
And then, the next morning—just before the sun rose—I woke up at my usual time.
“Lady Philia, where are you going so early…?”
“…To work, obviously?”
When I tried to head out for work as usual, the butlers and the maids were surprised.
I have a considerable amount of work, so to finish it by the end of the day, I need to start working around this time. Is there something strange about it?
I love those colored names it help me read its so cool
ReplyDelete