Idle Life of a Saintess - Chapter 14
It was impossible to know whether it was because of Aranta’s law that women were not allowed to intervene during a conversation, or whether it was simply to check the situation.
After all, Gabriel wasn’t given much time to think deeply about Juliet’s reaction.
Because there were wizards from Entria who came with Aranta’s envoy.
“I’m Kyria Silberschatz Haraphai, the head of the Entrian wizard. I have come with other wizards.”
Princess Kyria’s greeting was also elegant.
“Thank you for coming all the way.”
Gabriel finished greeting, and as if in natural order, Marquess Knoller greeted them.
“Hello. I am Sylvia Knoller, sister of His Holiness the Pope. This is my son, Little Marquis Knoller, Alan Knoller.”
Alan followed his mother and bowed his head.
This happened so often that they replied with a light acquiescence, as if everyone knew.
“Let’s go inside first.”
A tiring day has begun.
Gabriel has already missed the naive controllers.
* * *
The distinguished guests met with the Ariel Emperor and then the Pope.
Several newspaper reporters sat together, trying to capture the images of distinguished guests enjoying a dinner with the Emperor or chatting with the Pope.
The Imperial Palace was crowded with shorthand reporters and painters who would put in the illustrations.
Nevertheless, Gabriel treated them with a smile until the end.
After a while, the distinguished guests finished their itinerary and returned to their assigned rooms.
Lan Alcaray, who had been invited to the dinner, also wanted to return to his accommodation immediately. A visit from a prospective fiancée or mother didn’t seem important.
Eventually, General Erupa hurriedly dissuaded Lan, and he was forced to move to the place where Juliet was staying.
Gabriel glanced at him and turned around, pretending not to see.
When he saw Lan and Alan, he felt fortunate that he didn’t have a biological mother.
In his life, a godmother like Dina may have served as a great mother. At least she didn’t wield her child to use him for her desire for power.
Lan arrived at Juliet’s room and bowed down with an expressionless face.
However, this etiquette was strictly Ariel’s, precisely what the Paladin of the Order would do to the visiting guest of honor.
“How can a child like you be so cold-hearted?”
It was Juliet’s words as soon as Erupa left.
“Are you not that interested in your engagement? Princess Kyria is here to see your face.”
“…….”
“But you barely showed your face at dinner?”
Juliet nervously took off the veil, revealing her beautiful face.
She couldn’t escape the passage of time, but even so, Juliet was still beautiful for her age.
“I’m a Paladin. My status is not high enough to meet a distinguished guest.”
Juliet replied as she patted Lan’s chest with her finely trimmed nails.
“Before being a Paladin, you were the Prince of Aranta. There is no reason why you, the Prince of Aranta, should not be present when the Pope’s sister takes her son and shows her face.”
“As a paladin, I must have written to you many times saying that I would live and die as a member of Ariel.”
“Sounds crazy.”
“There are things I never knew about before I got married to Aranta.”
“……?”
“The fact is that in Aranta, they even kill their brothers in order to establish the Emperor’s power.”
It was a scary law.
“If you flee here and live in hiding, will you somehow be able to survive with your life? If Ethan becomes emperor, he will kill you at all costs.”
Ethan was the son of Isis, the third empress of Aranta, and was Lan’s brother. His seven-year-old half-brother.
“I have no intention of becoming emperor. Until Aranta stopped serving the god Amon and made the religion of El the state religion.”
“Why don’t you become the emperor and change the state religion?”
Juliet said, stroking Lan’s shoulder gently.
“Elohim, who you are so in awe of, will help you.”
Juliet’s voice was sweet and soft.
“How can there be a god who would refuse to expand the religion?”
“So you’re telling me to cut off the lifeline of all my brothers, including Ethan.”
Lan’s voice turned cold.
Maybe her son annoys her like this. He was unnecessarily straight.
Juliet sent Lan here to protect him from the intensifying succession war.
However, within a few years, the son, who had been unscathed, had a vain dream.
“Why is it bad to punish those who want to kill you before you die?”
“The scriptures say, thou shalt not kill.”
“You can go to war and kill people.”
“Mother, I will live here as if I were dead.”
Lan forgot all his aspirations for power and dreamed of living as a paladin.
Regardless of Juliet’s plans.
“…… Are you going to kill this mother?”
Juliet stared at Lan.
“My mother is a woman, so she will survive. She is from another country and is not a bloodline of the Aranta Imperial family.”
“Lan!”
“The Emperor of Aranta has been cruel to his brothers but generous to women. There is no record of killing the Emperor’s woman.”
“Even if I live, I will live a life as if I’m dead! I have already lost my freedom in Aranta! You’ve lived in Ariel for many years, so you know, right?”
Juliet said, pointing to the veil that had fallen to the floor.
“Ariel is a place where you can live much more comfortably without wearing such a detestable veil!”
Juliet cried out in anger.
“What do you think is the reason why I gave up my freedom and married to Aranta? What do you think is the reason why I want to put you on the emperor seat even after giving up so many things!”
“…….”
“It’s all for you. Do you know the power of the emperor’s seat? You can do anything, anything! The emperor’s seat is the place where even the state religion can be changed!”
Lan looked at Juliet with an expressionless face.
“That power, I never asked for it. What my mother sacrificed must have been for herself. You wanted to gain power through me, didn’t you?”
“How can I……”
Juliet’s hands trembled.
Lan sighed.
“Do I have any intention of marrying Princess Kyria? I don’t like her.”
“Since you were born into the imperial family, you should know about political marriages. She is the most famous princess in Entria, and she has tremendous magical powers.”
Still, there was no comment from Lan anywhere in Juliet’s words.
“So as your spouse, she’s going to be a powerful force. A wife who will empower you when you ascend to the throne.”
How hard she had tried to find a good match to help Lan.
Lan was able to show his healing power like Juliet. It has already received checks and attention from many.
Since he already has the divine power, what a fantastic emperor would he be if he had a wizard as his spouse?
“I said I have no intention of becoming emperor.”
Only then did Lan look at his mother.
When Juliet looked into Lan’s indifferent eyes, it was as if she was looking at someone older than her, even though he was her son.
“If you don’t intend to become an emperor, we’ll all die. How many do you think don’t covet the emperor’s seat like you?”
“At least there are those who have noticed that I have no desire for the throne after I have stayed in Ariel and haven’t been back for a long time.”
It was as Lan said.
Because of that, in order to protect Lan’s position from collapsing, the card Juliet pulled out was to marry Princess Kyria.
“Ha! You’re naïve.”
Juliet patted Lan’s cheek with a blatant sneer.
“Do you think you’ll be able to get away with it just because you’ve been in another country for a few years?”
“…….”
“Whichever of the other princes becomes emperor, if it is judged that you have even the slightest threat to imperial power, he will drag you to Aranta and hang you.”
That’s Aranta’s law.
Princes who did not become Emperors were placed under the power of the emperor and were usually killed unless there was a special case.
Therefore, Lan had to become emperor.
“I just have to be someone who doesn’t threaten the power of the Emperor.”
“From the moment you were born as my son and manifested your divine power, you are destined to die unless you are the Emperor of Aranta!”
Juliet said frighteningly, as if it were a prophecy.
However, Lan replied calmly.
“However, there is no way a prince who can’t produce successors can ascend to the throne.”
“……what are you talking about?”
Juliet doubted Lan’s words.
“I am going to castrate myself when this subjugation is over.”
“What?”
When Juliet was too shocked to speak, Lan continued indifferently.
“Literally. A prince without the ability to produce a successor is not a threat to the Emperor. The main reason for killing brothers is that it threatens the power of the next Emperor.”
“You…….”
“There is a national law that Aranta cannot hand over the throne to a castrated man.”
“A, are you saying that in your right mind?”
It was clear that Lan was crazy. But even if he was crazy, he wasn’t usually that crazy.
Juliet couldn’t even understand half of what Lan was saying now.
No, she didn’t want to understand.
Born as a man and castrated at such a young age? How can he spout such an important issue so easily! Unless he’s truly gone crazy.
“It’s not that I didn’t think about a lot of things. No matter how much I curl up here, my brother who will be Aranta’s next Emperor will want to kill me.”
“No……”
“Then isn’t that the surest and obvious way?”
“W, what?”
“I don’t want to kill anyone. Even more so, if the seat of the emperor is the reason I should kill my brothers.”
But who else would choose castration?
“I think it’s something I should do to live, to show that I am not a threat to the Emperor’s power.”
There was no change in Lan’s expression, which shocked Juliet even more.