CH 8

The news of my arrival at the castle had reached the envoy of the Styx Kingdom on the same day.

In the evening, the envoy of the Styx Kingdom visited me and was led to a formal reception room for paying respects and conveying important matters. The envoy was a woman, a high priestess of the Styx Temple who oversaw the priestesses. The middle-aged woman with black hair, who introduced herself as Panagiotis, wore a white robe with a brocade decoration and a golden Styx emblem the size of her palm around her neck.

“Princess Eleni Galanis, please forgive our sudden visit. We should have prepared many gifts and come to welcome you with the honor of our Styx Kingdom, but it has become a confidential matter. However, it is to urgently invite you to the Styx Kingdom. Please forgive us.”

Panagiotis bowed her head to me with a dignified manner accustomed to such formal occasions. I was confused, but as I was treated as a princess, I should behave in a manner that would not be disrespectful to the person who had treated me as such.

“Your Excellency, Panagiotis, I apologize for not having prepared to welcome you who have come from afar. Let’s get to the point. It shouldn’t be a long conversation.”

“As you say. Well then, Princess Eleni, as you may have already heard, I will explain it to you in order. Our Styx Kingdom worships the main god of the Oceanids religion, Styx, and owns the sacred domain, the Arche of Apeiron. Therefore, the king has been conducting a sacred and important government by frequently receiving divine revelations from the main god Styx. However, recently, a certain divine revelation was prophesied.”

Panagiotis’ words confirm what I had heard from Korya, making it a reality.

“The divine revelation goes like this: ‘Prince Athanasios Cypnimus, the most intelligent young man in the Styx Kingdom, shall marry the virtuous maiden Eleni Galanis, who resides in the Uranos Principality, as his wife.'”

As a high priest, Panagiotis solemnly spoke the words of the divine revelation with a clear voice.

There is no mistaking it. Since it is a divine revelation, there is no doubt about its content, and there is only one thing I need to confirm at this point.

“Does that mean it is undoubtedly referring to me?”

“Yes. There is no other maiden in the Uranos Principality who bears the name Eleni and the Galanis surname due to her Galanis bloodline. Prince Athanasios has already made preparations for the marriage. The Styx Kingdom will welcome your visit with open arms.”

It seems that there is no way to escape. Indeed, there is no other Eleni in the Uranos Principality with a mother from Galanis. If the other party, Prince Athanasios, has not refused, I cannot decline. However, I do not want to return to the monastery, and I have no choice but to accept, especially since I cannot refuse in front of my father.

However, before I could give my answer, Panagiotis changed the subject.

“By the way, I heard that Princess Eleni is a nun. Which god do you serve?”

“Oh, that’s…”

As the high priestess, she must be interested. Moreover, as the fiancée of the prince who received the oracle, she would want to know what kind of person I am.

There was no point in lying, so I answered honestly.

“The Goddess Lethe, who presides over forgetfulness. That’s why the monastery is located in a remote area and has been forgotten by everyone until now.”

I said it half-jokingly, but it was the truth. The Goddess of Forgetfulness, Lethe, was not widely worshiped and was given to hermits for training. They lived in seclusion, praying, meditating, and making efforts to forget everything in the secular world. This kind of faith was just right for me, and it was also convenient for Uranos, who wanted to erase me from people’s memories.

However, Panagiotis looked serious when she heard this. I wondered if I had said something unpleasant and asked her.

“Um, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no. It’s just been a while since I heard the name of the Goddess Lethe. I see.”

Panagiotis nodded meaningfully. I didn’t need to be interested in things that I couldn’t know even if I wanted to know.

“Normally, if a nun were to marry, a ceremony of renunciation would be required. However, the royal family of the Styx Kingdom all hold positions as priests and there are no precepts in the faith of the main god Styx that prevent believers from getting married. Of course, if you are to serve at the Styx temple, you must change your beliefs to those of the main god Styx.”

“I think that’s okay. The Goddess of Forgetfulness, Lethe, is free to believe in.”

“Yes, I’m relieved to hear that. Well then, leave the rest to me. I’ll arrange a carriage to the Styx Kingdom first thing in the morning, so please prepare yourself.”

I nodded vigorously. I could leave the Uranos Principality at any time now. That alone made me happy. If I could forget the unpleasant memories and walk the new path that was presented to me, I would be more than happy.

I returned to the guest room and eagerly awaited tomorrow like a child.

TL: Not sure if it’s a typo but “Panagiotis” is a male’s name.

For now, I’ll just consider “Panagiotis” a female the because reference of Styx————(Styx was the ancient Greek goddess of the underworld River Styx and the eldest of the Oceanids.)