“IT WOULD be so much nicer if you and my dear nephew got married the soonest, though.”
Sonata smiled at the king’s greediness that he didn’t even bother to hide.
Their meeting had just finished, and Captain Redwood had already left.
She was just about to bid King Seymour and Grand Duke Daniel Hexford goodbye when the king expressed his greediness once more.
[Should I humor His Majesty a little?]
“Actually, it may happen soon, Your Majesty,” Sonata said, flashing her business smile. “I bumped into Lord Diether earlier. Your Majesty summoned me here knowing that Lord Diether would also be here today, right?”
The king just smiled before sipping his tea.
[Sly bastard.]
“May I know how Your Majesty and Your Grace blackmailed Lord Diether this time?” Sonata asked playfully. “The commander suddenly asked me to marry him earlier.”
“Pfft.”
It was the king who burst out laughing.
The Grand Duke, however, remained stoic. “My son needed access to Mount Ashira. Only direct members of the Royal Family and the Grand Duke have that.”
Ah, so the commander needed to have access to Mount Ashira.
[Isn’t that the resting place of the evil dragon that the goddess had slain in the past?]
“Are you curious as to why my dear nephew needs access to the mountain?” the king asked teasingly. “My dear nephew actually didn’t tell us the reason, but it definitely has something to do with searching for his ex-wife.”
“Lord Diether is still looking for his ex-wife?”
It was a known fact that Celeste Hexford disappeared without a trace three years ago.
But since Celeste Hexford signed the divorce papers and sent them to the Avari Temple, Diether wasn’t able to cancel it.
[If I remember correctly, the law of this kingdom regarding divorce is tricky. The divorce paper would be accepted by the temple even if only one party had signed it. On the other hand, the party opposed to the divorce has no power to withdraw it. After that…]
“The law says that if the party who filed for divorce doesn’t withdraw the request within three years, then the divorce would be granted even if the other party opposes it,” Sonata said, shaking her head. “Come to think of it, three years have already passed since Lord Diether’s ex-wife disappeared. Your Majesty and Your Grace probably sought me out as soon as the divorce was granted.”
“Why waste time?” the king asked, laughing. “By the way, you look pretty dissatisfied with our law regarding divorce, Lady Sonata.”
“I just thought that divorce should be quickly processed in emergency cases, like if one party is abusing the other. Moreover, I believe divorce should also be granted with the mutual agreement of both parties, Your Majesty. The three years waiting period smells trouble.”
“Right?” the king agreed with her. “But the Avari Temple isn’t really fond of divorce, so they want to delay the process as much as possible. The three years limitation is set because if a married couple files for divorce, the Avari Temple would then encourage the couple to attend marriage counsel first to reconsider their decision. It’s stupid, but what can I do? The Avari Temple is too influential when it comes to marriage and divorce in our kingdom.”
“Don’t you have the power to fix that problematic law, Your Majesty?”
King Seymour’s eyes turned into little crescent moons when he grinned. “Lady Sonata, the throne needs to have more power first if I want to get rid of the temple’s influence over the problematic laws of my kingdom.”
[Power struggle it is, indeed.]
“Let’s stop talking about divorce,” Grand Duke Daniel Hexford said, frowning as if he was allergic to the divorce topic. “We still need to talk about the upcoming memorial banquet for the war heroes of the kingdom.”
“Right,” King Seymour said, clapping his hands together. “Lady Sonata, do you want me to ask my dear nephew to be your escort during the banquet?”
Sonata could only smile and shake her head. “He’ll come to me on his own, Your Majesty.”
***
[IS SHE following me?]
Sonata wondered if Pearl, the oldest girl that she saved a few nights ago, was ‘stalking’ her.
The other kids were playing in the garden with the ball and dolls that she brought for them, but this little one kept following her around without saying anything.
[I need to work soon…]
Sonata stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, then she turned around and faced Pearl. She squatted down in front of the ten-year-old child because she didn’t want the child to hurt her neck while looking up at her.
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Pearl was a child with orange bob-cut hair.
[Well, we had to cut the kids’ hair short because the strands were damaged from neglect.]
Anyway, Pearl’s forest green eyes were very striking. The child used to have a dead look in her eyes. But after spending a week in the Marigold Palace, life was now slowly yet surely returning to those pretty green eyes of hers.
[It’s the same for the other kids.]
“Hello, Pearl,” Sonata greeted the child with a smile. “Is there something I can do for you?”
Pearl’s face turned red as if she was embarrassed, then she bowed to her before running away.
[???]
Sonata chuckled, then she stood up and waved her hand. “Follow the child and make sure she’ll find her way back to the garden safely.”
She didn’t hear a response, but she knew her order was received well.
[I’d love to follow Pearl myself, but I’m a little busy.]
In fact, as soon as she returned to her office, she was greeted by a mountain of paperwork on her desk.
“Argh,” Sonata groaned lightly. “I don’t want to work.”
“Lady Nata~”
Oh, dear.
Sonata wasn’t surprised when Aubrey, her loyal butler, appeared out of nowhere. But she got worried because her butler would only show up if there was an urgent matter she needed to attend to. “Hello, Aubrey.”
Aubrey was an eighteen-year-old young miss who liked wearing the typical black suit that butlers from noble households would wear at work. She had ash blonde hair that she tied in twin pigtails, and a black eye patch that covered her left eye.
[It’s a sad story, but Aubrey’s former “owners” gouged her left eye out as a punishment when she was a child.]
“There were some foolish guys who put a request for Madam Margo, Lili, Belle, and Daisy to be kidnapped and sold to slave traders.”
[Did I hear it right?]
Sonata burst out laughing when she realized Aubrey wasn’t joking. “Who would dare touch the flowers of the Marigold Pavilion? Are they not afraid of Madam Margo’s powerful patrons?”
“They are ignorant and sheltered young masters who do not know how scary the underworld is,” Aubrey said, sighing while shaking her head. The Red-light District was, of course, a part of the underworld she mentioned. “And I’m talking about the temple knights that were suspended from work for harassing Madam Margo and the little flowers.”
Aha.
Now that made sense.
[Only the ignorant young masters who do not know a thing about the Red-light District would do something as stupid as hiring people to kidnap the flowers of the Marigold Pavilion.]
“Every single decent guild in the Royal Capital who knows the Red-light District well rejected the request, of course,” Aubrey said, but then she clicked her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest. “But Lady Nata, it’s inevitable to have a rotten fruit in a basket. An infamous mercenary group who only cares about money accepted the request.”
“Eliminate that group.”
“As you command, my lady~”
“Before that, give me the evidence that the temple knights hired mercenaries to kidnap and sell off Madam Margo and the girls.”
“I’ve already secured the evidence, my lady.”
“Oh, nice,” Sonata said, removing the belt of the luxurious silk robe she was wearing at the moment. “Then I’ll deliver it to Lord Diether right away.”
“Do you want me to find out where the commander is right now, my lady?”
“It’s Sunday, so he’s definitely at the temple.”
“Are you attending the Worship Service then?”
“Of course.”
Aubrey covered her mouth when she gasped. “But only the VIPs are allowed in the temple every Sunday.”
“Exactly,” Sonata said, laughing. “That’s why I need to be there.”
***
PFFT.
Sonata was fascinated to see the temple entrance empty.
There was not a single temple knight guarding the doors, but she knew why.
[The Avari Holy Knights are inside, so who would dare attack the temple?]
Moreover, the doors themselves were layered with a powerful barrier.
Ordinary people who would commit the mistake of touching the doors would get fried instantly, while entities with Corruption in them would get purified. Even people with a bit of ill intention would get electrocuted.
In short, only people with the ‘permission’ to enter the temple could enter.
“And they say the temple is open for everyone,” Sonata said, placing her hand on the door to give it a ‘gentle’ push. “Fascinating.”
***
[WHAT THE…]
Diether was shocked when the doors to the temple suddenly burst open.
[Once the doors are closed, only I would be able to open it.]
It was a preventive method used to make sure the Saintess wouldn’t be attacked in the middle of the Worship Service.
“Commander, permission to quietly apprehend the intruder.”
Apprehend who?
The ‘intruder’ was Sonata Florin– the person who easily pushed Diether back with her Aura.
[Lady Florin probably broke the barrier without breaking a sweat.]
Vice-Commander Ethan Tanner, the one who asked for his permission, wouldn’t be able to ‘apprehend’ Sonata Florin even if he wanted to.
[He’ll only get humiliated.]
“Everyone, stay in your position,” Diether said. Despite whispering his command, the other eight Holy Knights scattered around the temple had heard him. And it was thanks to the built-in communication device in their helmets. “Lady Sonata Florin isn’t an intruder.”
Francine, who was standing behind the altar while reading a passage in the Holy Book, turned to him with a worried look on her face.
[Ah, she doesn’t know whether to continue or not.]
Diether removed his helmet and mouthed ‘I’ll take care of it’ to Francine before approaching Sonata Florin. He needed to remove his helmet so his fellow Holy Knights wouldn’t hear his conversation with his ex-fiancée.
[I wonder what Lady Florin is up to now.]
***
SONATA almost burst out laughing while walking in the aisle.
As soon as she stepped foot inside, Saintess Francine stopped with her sermon. Then the nobles turned to her. Most were surprised, some were curious, and there were who frowned.
[The nobles are probably seated based on how much they donate to the temple.]
Hence, the Hexfords were seated in the front row– the row closest to the Saintess.
On the other hand, the balcony on the second floor of the temple was occupied by Prince Jericho (the Crown Prince) and Princess Mikaela (the Crown Prince’s older sister). While the Crown Prince looked amused, the Royal Princess glared at Sonata.
The General of the Crown Prince’s Order and the General of the Royal Princess’ Order were standing behind the royal siblings.
[So, it’s true that the king and the queen rarely attend the Worship Service.]
All eyes were on Sonata now, but her gaze was only focused on Diether.
The commander removed his helmet before he approached her.
[He didn’t have to. I can tell who he is even with his helmet on. After all, the difference between Lord Diether’s divine power and the other Holy Knights is too big.]
“Lady Florin.”
Sonata smiled at Diether and whispered. “You’re not going to kick me out, are you?”
“Of course not,” Diether whispered back, extending his hand to her. “Allow me to escort you to your seat. You may sit with Mother and Father.”
She let out a sigh of relief before accepting the commander’s hand. “Thank you.”
Diether turned to her as if he was offended. “Lady Florin, did you really think I’d kick you out?”
[Well, I broke the barrier. Moreover…]
“I just had this impression that only rich nobles who donate a lot to the temple have the privilege to meet the Saintess during a Sunday Worship Service,” Sonata said teasingly, then she looked at Saintess Francine who flinched when their eyes met. “After all, it’s so hard for the lower nobles like me and the common people to see the Saintess.”