CH 9

Chapter - 9 || You Just Happened To Be In The Right Place

Strangely enough, no matter how hard I searched, I could not find Elvira.

Could it be that she is not in the Kingdom of Turku?

That was the theory that came up.

—On the other hand.

"I can't do it anymore. Alexander-sama."

In the office these days, Natalia could be seen struggling with a pile of papers.

"Isn't there still a bit to do?"

She was still a bit weak, but Alexander rebuked her every time.

"But Natalia is tired again today from taking care of the lilies and practicing the ritual procedures."

"You can't help it, that's your role."

But Alexander resisted the urge to shout at her, because that would have made Natalia cry and she would not have done her job.

Alexander sighed and asked Natalia, "Are the lilies blooming?"

"Yes, they are. Natalia has worked very hard."

It was Elvira's maiden lilies that was the 'Maiden Lily.'

Alexander was going to show it to the people in the future, saying that Natalia had grown it.

Natalia completely discarded her papers and said,

"Your Majesty, please call Elvira quickly. Natalia can't do it alone. Natalia will do her best to get along with Elvira-sama."

"Yes, you will."

Alexander nodded. He wanted Elvira back as soon as possible, and so did Natalia.

——

"I'm looking for her now. Where the hell did she run off to?"

"Shouldn't you have caught her when you had the chance?"

"But the High Priestess said it was not a good time and to let her swim."

He gave me an earful, and I did what he said, but she got away.

Damn it.

That's when.

"Excuse me."

Jacek Reekanen, the Prime Minister's son, came into the room.

"Oh, Jacek?"

Alexander had been annoyed by the heavyweights and paperwork, and had been appointing more and more young men like Jacek.

Jacek is Alexander's favorite, along with Julius Maenber, the son of the Knight Commander.

They had even been together at the masquerade ball where Alexander had met Natalia.

"Well, take it easy, what's wrong?"

"What?"

Jacek unfolded the documents he had brought with him.

"I have something to report."

"We've been waiting for you."

Alexander was glad that Elvira had been found.

But,

"They say the mountain to the north is partially collapsed."

It was not the information he was looking for.

Alexander lost interest at once.

"Mountains? Why?"

"'I don't know, Your Highness."

"Any damage?"

"We're looking into it, but so far no one seems to have been killed."

According to Jacek's explanation, a part of the northern mountain known as the Sacred Summit had collapsed.

The shepherds and the mountain people, saw it from a distance and reported it to us.

"What? You scared the hell out of me."

Alexander snickered.

"The ground must have been loose. Let it go. There's no need to spend money or time on that. Tell them to cut the investigation short."

Jacek was surprised by this.

"But, Your Majesty, the weather has been fine for the ground to be collapsing, and the mountain people are worried. I think we need to investigate."

"It's just a coincidence that it happened now, that's all. I don't want to add any more work."

Alexander said.

'I know that Aleksander will not listen to me if I say so.'

Jacek then turned to Natalia.

"Then would you please come out, Saint?"

"What? Natalia? Where?"

"Of course, on the opposite of the ridge, where you can see the Holy Mountain."

"That far? Why?"

"Because... the mountain collapsed on the Sacred Summit, a place sacred to the mountain people. They all want the saint to pray for them."

The 'Sacred Summit' is a mountain peak that is too high for people to enter. At the beginning and end of the day, the mountain people bow to it, even from a distance.

This is because they believe that the Holy Spirit of the mountain is watching over them from there.

Jacek explained, wondering why Natalia, a saint, didn't know such basic thing.

"Wow, I didn't know that! Jacek really knows everything, doesn't he?"

Natalia laughed and was adorable as always.

But,

"But as His Majesty said, why don't you just leave it alone?"

The answer surprised him.

Jacek could not help but retort,

"Natalia is a saint, isn't she? Don't you pray for your people, for your country? 

Ever since she was a candidate for sainthood, Elvira-sama went wherever she was asked and prayed."

Natalia instantly burst into tears.

"You say you would have preferred the fake saint to... Natalia?"

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

"You have to leave! Natalia is very sad!"

I glanced at Alexander to see what was going on, and he waved his hand as if to say, "Back off, too."

"You tell the mountain people to behave themselves."

With no choice, Jacek walked out of the room.

A deep sigh escaped him as he stepped out into the hallway.

'I wish Elvira would come back soon.' Jacek thought wistfully.

'If she had, she would have offered her prayers as a saint's assistant.'

But since she was not here, there was no choice.

'I will explain to the mountain people that the new saint is too busy to come.

It might antagonize the mountain people, but it's the truth.'

Jacek walked off with a heavy step.