119 Beware of adultery
***[Heroine Oscar]***
It was a dark night when they arrived at Eldoni, the capital city of the duchy.
Looking out the window, I could see the high walls of Eldoni in the distance.
The night in this world without streetlights is so dark that you wouldn’t even know if someone cut your nose.
Because of this, my procession was shining bright enough to be recognized from afar.
The huge gate slowly opened as if they recognized our procession.
When I called with my gaze, the person in charge of the convoy approached on horseback.
“Duke.”
“Our procession is too bright. Reduce the torches before entering the city.”
Movement in winter, when the ground freezes, is more dangerous than in other seasons.
When there is a lot of snow like this, the road sometimes goes down in the middle, so the danger is even greater.
There are soldiers who go ahead and check the terrain before the main body passes, but no matter how thorough they are, accidents can happen.
For that reason, when moving at night, many torches were lit to make it luxurious.
It is so bright that you can see not only the unevenness of the floor, but also horse dung.
I heard that the king’s procession was not like this.
The duke’s people were unusual.
However, since there is no other heir to the ducal family besides me, it is not unreasonable for them to be overly concerned about my safety.
When my first child is born, wouldn’t it be that I grow up being supported like a treasure?
Suddenly thinking of something in the still distant future, I coughed in embarrassment for some reason.
Before children are born, Katrin must be brought up first.
Looking at Katrin’s actions, the day she will become an adult is still far, far away.
It’s been a while.
Raising a wife is a bit strange to say.
Maybe my face was a little weird.
The convoy manager narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“Okay, Duke. There’s no more danger going into the city.”
The head of the convoy respectfully bowed his head and moved to the front of the carriage.
“When approaching the city, cut the torches by half! This is the Duke’s order. Do not disturb the commoners’ night.”
The escort manager seemed to understand what I meant right away.
Most common people in this world go to bed early and wake up early.
Only wealthy nobles could hold banquets until dawn and stay awake while burning expensive candles.
Commoners move all the time when the sun is up, and they have to finish all the work that needs to be done within that time.
In winter, the days are especially short and the daytime intensity is high, but I didn’t want to disturb the weary commoners’ nights.
On this quiet night, just the passing of countless horses and carriages is quite noisy.
I thought it would be better to at least reduce the light.
I stepped back from the window and sat down.
Hiding in the shade that stretched from the wagon wall, she smiled a little.
Even if I don’t have to say it, he guesses my heart and understands even the words I didn’t say.
How happy I am to have many such people.
The thought didn’t leave my smile for a while.
“…”
I could feel the butler in the corner of the carriage staring at me.
It’s so quiet and sometimes even a thin presence that I often forget I’m with my butler.
But now I’ll soon know what the butler is doing.
Butler, you are smiling at me.
Besides, even if you can’t see it, it’s definitely Dad’s smile.
I covered my face with my palms.
I hope it won’t continue like this even after I’m over 30 and over 40.
Somehow I have a feeling that I will continue to receive smiles like this even when I am old.
‘That’s a little scary.’
As I entered the city, I suddenly looked up to see the stars twinkling like jewels in the sky, and a meteor with a long tail was falling across the middle.
Gemstones seemed to run in groups.
‘So beautiful.’
If I stretch out my hand, I think I can catch its tail.
If I had been someone else, I might have missed Earth.
Buildings lined up in rows, streets as bright as day at night, cities overflowing with all sorts of materials, convenience and the convenience of clean civilization.
Knowing Earth’s civilization is enough reason to want to go there.
But for me, this world fits so well.
It’s like clothes tailored to my body.
It’s not just because I have a family and precious people.
More than that, there was a sense of security that I felt because I belonged to this world.
This world, even though it is dirty and shabby, is like a hometown that I miss for some reason.
It felt like I had just returned home from a foreign country.
‘How strange.’
I don’t even like the customs or social atmosphere of this world, so why do I feel that way?
Running through the quiet city within the walls, I tilted my head at the thought of something strange.
*
Early the next morning, I heard from Benno that the priest had arrived.
It is the priest of the place where the Goddess of Blessing is enshrined.
It was the same temple that Countess Becker had heard of strange stories about.
It is said that when a loved one dies, the Blessing Goddess gets angry and the number of monsters increases.
It is also the place where Catherine’s amulet was made.
“Have you already started making amulets?”
“No. I requested it, but the priest said he would make it after meeting the master.
“Did you think you were trying to raise the amount?”
The temple receives various benefits from the country and the lord, but it has to earn money and manage the temple life.
Perhaps because of that, or because the temples in this world had many secular aspects, most temples were eager to make money.
In this world, that’s not particularly a flaw.
At my words, Benno shook his head.
“It’s true that the temple likes money, but that person doesn’t seem to do it for money.”
Perhaps remembering the priest, Benno smiled.
“Of course, like ordinary priests, he seemed to like money very much.”
“…”
“They called the basic price high. It was thirty times the usual amount reported in advance. Depending on the contents of the amulet, there will be an additional charge there.”
“That’s a little high.”
When I was surprised, Benno gave a small reply.
“Well, it’s a side effect of the duke’s name. That can’t be helped.”
In this world, where there is no concept of a price tag or fair trade, the price of an item changes depending on the other party, such as a nose ring when worn on the nose and an earring when worn on the ear.
Even if the value of an object remains the same, the amount increases and decreases like a rubber band depending on the person giving and the situation.
In a trade for profit, even the vicious nobles, who steal by force or buy at a bargain price, pay many times the price when buying things such as paintings and amulets.
When fighting a war, he had the duality of stealing all of the opponent’s weapons and converting them into money, while on the other hand, giving away even higher amounts of money.
At first, I struggled because I couldn’t understand that.
Even with the same deal, you have to be generous at times and harsh at other times.
It would have been easier to understand if there were some set rules, but there wasn’t even that.
It was a matter of feeling anyway.
For this reason, it is said that there are cases where even aristocrats misjudge and disgrace their clan.
In any case, it is quite difficult for rumors to spread that he is a child or an aristocrat without money.
It’s not just limited to the deal, but rumor causes rumor to roll like a snowball.
There was actually a case where there was an erroneous rumor that he bought the goods at a normal price, but after a few months, he sold the daughter in exchange for the goods because he had no money.
Even for such circumstances, high-ranking nobles paid as they were called, and sometimes, if the amount requested by the other party was too low, they would deliberately raise it.
However, amulets are originally expensive items.
Singing it 30 times higher isn’t it a bit excessive.
“You’re a very greedy person.”
I kind of hated meeting him.
If I hadn’t seen the effect of the talisman with my own eyes, I think I would have sent it back without seeing my face.
No, did the talisman really work? Maybe it’s my misunderstanding
It was unlikely that such a greedy person could have made a miraculous amulet.
Benno seemed to be able to clearly see what was going on in my head, and Benno laughed out loud.
“He seemed like a decent person. Usually, when you’re greedy, you look hateful, but I don’t have that feeling at all. If you meet him, I think you’ll like it.”
“well.”
Although I don’t like greedy people very much.
The moment I thought so, Catherine’s face came to mind for some reason. hmm.
“…”
The priest decided to meet during lunchtime.
It seems that Katrin was looking forward to that time in her heart, but she felt a little sorry.
But that was the only time I could subtract right now.
The duke’s position was so busy, and there was a lot of work right after the inspection, and I wanted to make a talisman as soon as possible.
*
The head priest was a round person.
I’m not saying it’s porky or greasy.
If I had to put it that way, it felt like smooth pebbles rolling in a riverbed.
It was light, round and sunless.
His eyes are also round and gentle and kind, so there’s no malice to be found.
In a way, it was like a human in the form of a frog, no, a turtle.
‘He doesn’t seem like someone who would pay dozens of times the price.’
Should I say that if I go to the city, my eyes will be open and my nose will be cut?
Far from being greedy, if the other person says he is sick, he will take off his clothes, and if he cries sadly because he has nothing to eat, he seems to hand over money from his pocket.
‘People really don’t know just by looking at the outside.’
Come to think of it, Catherine also looks like a perfect lady on the outside.
“…”
It’s strange.
When I keep looking at this man, I think of Catherine.
The appearance is completely different, but it seems that it is because the unexpectedness is similar.
“Thank you for coming all the way.”
I spoke, but there was no answer from the priest.
It seems to have hardened.
Dressed in plain white clothes, the priest stared blankly at me.
Round eyes quietly catch me.
He was staring at my hair endlessly.
It’s like a person possessed by a demon.
‘I know that people in this region like my hair color, but the head priest isn’t from here, so why is he doing that?’
Lunch was held in a private room rather than a large dining room.
Food was placed on a small table for conversation while eating.
There are only a butler and a few attendants around, and the door is closed.
There was a heating mana stone, so the room was warm.
I sat down at the table and asked again.
“Chief, are you okay?”
After a while, the priest looked at me blinking his eyes.
It seems my words took a while to arrive.
This time I look at my face properly, not the hair.
As if waking up from sleep, the priest’s facial muscles began to move.
“I’m sorry, Duke. I made a big mistake. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay. Let’s have a seat first. The food will cool down.”
The priest sat down in front of me and looked at my hair again.
“Is there something in my hair? A curse or something.”
When I asked because it was so strange, the head priest answered with a slight lowering of his eyes.
“No, no. Nothing strange. Just…”
The high priest closed his mouth as if he was lost in thought for a moment, then raised his head.
“Don’t you feel like you’ve met me before?”
“No. I’m sure it’s the first time I met you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, me too.”
The head priest fell into thought again.
Then he sighs and shakes his head.
And he looked at my hair again.
Suddenly he murmured.
“It’s really hard to understand what God is saying.”
The head priest sighed lightly and bowed his head deeply to me.
“I’m so sorry, Duke. Forgive me for posting these words. God is saying something to me right now. But I don’t know. Why does the word affair come to mind when I see the Duke’s hair? I felt I had to convey it. Beware of infidelity.”
“…”
I put the teacup I was holding on the table.
It feels like being hit in the head with a stone.
‘Affair.’
It was only in my previous life that the word suited me.
Even after he said it, the priest shrugged his shoulders with a troubled expression on his face, as if his words were strange.