After Kendrick finished talking, he got up first, saying he had some business to do in the wolf territory.
Even after Kendrick’s talk, Arsene didn’t urge me to make a decision or ask for my opinion.
I felt that Arsene was considerate of me, and I was grateful to him.
“Shall we go out?”
Arsene asked me, looking toward the sunny garden.
I nodded.
The maids offered to put chairs in the garden, but we refused.
When I was young, I enjoyed sitting on something like a fountain rather than sitting on a chair in the garden.
The maids in the second mansion seemed a little worried, but the maids in the main mansion knew us well, so they just nodded in response.
Arsene and I went out into the garden and sat side by side on the wooden swing that Kendrick had installed a long time ago.
Perhaps because it was old, it made a creaking sound.
The sunlight pouring in the garden was warm, and the shade of the trees that hung densely over the head was cool.
I don’t think I’ve had much leisure time with Arsene since the festival started.
Because things kept happening and guests came and went throughout the mansion, I rarely had a chance to be alone with Arsene.
‘It’s nice to be here like this.’
I glanced at Arsene’s face and thought quietly.
I was so used to being with Arsene that I couldn’t even imagine not having him by my side.
When it was time to leave Yeckhart, I vaguely thought I should leave Arsene.
‘I left Arsene…’
Where can I go alone?
Since seven years old.
I’ve been with this kid for a very long time.
At every moment I remember, Arsene Yeckhart was there at the end of my gaze.
Arsene, who seemed like he would always be a boy, becomes a man.
Until I, who seemed like I would forever be a young bird, became an adult bird with red feathers.
We were together all along.
‘Now I can’t even imagine a moment without Arsene.’
Actually, I think I always thought that way.
I want to stay in Yeckhart for a very long time.
I want to live happily like this forever, surrounded by people who love me.
But I know my subject very well, and I know very well that such a life is not suitable for me.
Every time Arsene brings up such a topic, I unconsciously avoid it,
I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to Arsen.
Despite all that, Yeckhart says he wants me to stay.
Come to think of it, at the age of seven, Kendrick and Arsen have been consistent since I first came to this mansion.
Kendrick allowed me to stay in this mansion forever if I wanted.
I just thought I had to leave when I was 20 years old.
When I stomped my foot, the swing would often make a creak sound.
Whoosh—.
The wind blew and ruffled Arsene’s silver hair.
The hair that the maids had worked hard to care for all day was blowing in the wind.
I looked back at Arsene, organizing the flowers so that the flowers decorated on my head would not fly or fall in the wind.
“Arsene, I hope the festival ends quickly.”
My eyes met a wall as blue and deep as a lake.
Arsene asked, reaching out and neatly putting back the fallen flower decorations.
“Why?”
“I have something I want to say.”
Arsene didn’t bother to ask what I wanted to say.
The scent of flowers wafted throughout the garden.
I felt like I had a headache.
***
The day of the ceremony came sooner than I thought.
It was the first time in history that a ceremony had failed and had to be performed again.
Perhaps because of that, there were a lot more people inside the event venue than usual.
‘Once this ritual is over.’
A meeting with the high priest was scheduled.
I would go to the high priest with Kendrick and Arsene and make a choice again, just like the day I first vowed to get married.
I will be signing again the documents I signed back then.
Thinking like that made me nervous and I didn’t even notice the people who were more crowded than usual.
The necklace hanging around Arsene’s neck caught my eye.
“Arsene, I told you to carry this inside.”
I grabbed Arsene’s wrist and pulled him close to me, putting the necklace under his shirt and tidying it up.
Arsene had a dissatisfied expression on his face, but he quickly corrected his expression.
However,
“Huh? Arsene. Look over there.”
I tapped Arsene and pointed toward the podium.
Arsene followed my gaze and naturally turned his head.
“Isn’t he the Pope?”
The person standing on the podium was clearly the Pope.
The Pope, whose health has deteriorated dramatically and he can’t even get out of bed!
However, the pope standing on the platform looked surprisingly healthy, except for his old age.
Arsene and I exchanged our eyes with our eyes wide open.
“How did this happen?”
The reason the festival was postponed was because the Pope’s health was poor.
I understand that the Pope is not in a good condition to appear in front of people, and the position of the cardinal who will become the next Pope is vacant, so the temple is noisy, so it has been postponed one by one.
However, the Pope stood before us looking very healthy.
It seemed that it wasn’t just me and Arsene who were surprised.
The others began to buzz, too, and Leona could be seen in the distance looking down at the podium with her eyes wide open.
“…He’s clearly not in good health.”
Didn’t he? As Arsene finished speaking, I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Pope.
The Pope seemed healthy enough to stand without anyone’s support.
Next, a question naturally arose.
“Where is the high priest?”
“High priest?”
“Yes, the high priest was standing there last time. And originally, when the Pope is standing, the high priest is supposed to stand over there…”
I pointed to where the priests were standing and whispered.
“But he’s not there.”
“Do you think he’s sick?”
“All of a sudden? The high priest?”
“It’s mysterious…”
Arsene crossed his arms and watched the strange situation unfold.
Soon after, the ceremony began.
The Pope opened his mouth first.
“May God bless you.”
The Pope’s voice resonated clearly throughout the event venue.
But something was strange.
The voice was husky and murky.
Until this far, they might be thinking that it may be because of the Pope’s age.
‘It’s weird.’
It’s difficult to explain in words, but there was something uncomfortable to hear.
And it seemed like other people besides me felt the same way.
They couldn’t say anything disrespectful to the Pope, who was blessed by God, so I noticed people whispering among themselves.
Arsene also narrowed his eyebrows.
“Something is a little strange.”
Arsene muttered.
“Right? All of a sudden… he became healthy.”
The Pope didn’t smile for a moment, but continued speaking clearly and clearly.
After expressing his gratitude to those present, he said he felt responsible for the failure of the first ceremony.
After the Pope finished speaking, lights exploded with the same huge firecracker sound as before, but there were few people cheering.
It may have been because they also felt some strange current.
‘Because beastmen are sensitive.’
It may be that all the beastmen here are feeling the same discomfort I felt.
However, the heads of each clan didn’t come up to the stage.
Originally, the heads of the clans were supposed to come up and sit on the podium one after another, but the priests were seen moving around in confusion.
“No way… Is there a problem with Raniero again?”
They said that during the last ceremony, there was a problem with Raniero’s holy relic, so they decided to delay the ceremony and hold it again.
Hasn’t the holy relic’s problem been fixed yet?
The beastmen muttered.
But the Pope didn’t seem to care.
He must have decided that he could not postpone it any longer, so the heads of the clans came up to the podium one after another.
I could see at a glance that the faces of the blessed clan leaders were all stiff.
However,
“…There’s no Gale.”
There were a total of eight heads of the clans who came up to the podium one after another.
Last, Gale Raniero, the head of the bird clan Raniero, was not present.
Did he not attend at all?
He probably doesn’t know how important the ritual of checking holy relics is.
Gale was a little stupid, but he wasn’t so foolish as to take this ritual lightly.
The heads of the clans were seen exchanging glances as if they were troubled.
Because of Gale, they decided to postpone the ceremony and hold it again, but the bird clan member didn’t attend.
It was a difficult situation.
But then.
“Kyaaaak!”
Inside the event venue.
A sharp scream rang out from somewhere.
After Kendrick finished talking, he got up first, saying he had some business to do in the wolf territory.
Even after Kendrick’s talk, Arsene didn’t urge me to make a decision or ask for my opinion.
I felt that Arsene was considerate of me, and I was grateful to him.
“Shall we go out?”
Arsene asked me, looking toward the sunny garden.
I nodded.
The maids offered to put chairs in the garden, but we refused.
When I was young, I enjoyed sitting on something like a fountain rather than sitting on a chair in the garden.
The maids in the second mansion seemed a little worried, but the maids in the main mansion knew us well, so they just nodded in response.
Arsene and I went out into the garden and sat side by side on the wooden swing that Kendrick had installed a long time ago.
Perhaps because it was old, it made a creaking sound.
The sunlight pouring in the garden was warm, and the shade of the trees that hung densely over the head was cool.
I don’t think I’ve had much leisure time with Arsene since the festival started.
Because things kept happening and guests came and went throughout the mansion, I rarely had a chance to be alone with Arsene.
‘It’s nice to be here like this.’
I glanced at Arsene’s face and thought quietly.
I was so used to being with Arsene that I couldn’t even imagine not having him by my side.
When it was time to leave Yeckhart, I vaguely thought I should leave Arsene.
‘I left Arsene…’
Where can I go alone?
Since seven years old.
I’ve been with this kid for a very long time.
At every moment I remember, Arsene Yeckhart was there at the end of my gaze.
Arsene, who seemed like he would always be a boy, becomes a man.
Until I, who seemed like I would forever be a young bird, became an adult bird with red feathers.
We were together all along.
‘Now I can’t even imagine a moment without Arsene.’
Actually, I think I always thought that way.
I want to stay in Yeckhart for a very long time.
I want to live happily like this forever, surrounded by people who love me.
But I know my subject very well, and I know very well that such a life is not suitable for me.
Every time Arsene brings up such a topic, I unconsciously avoid it,
I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to Arsen.
Despite all that, Yeckhart says he wants me to stay.
Come to think of it, at the age of seven, Kendrick and Arsen have been consistent since I first came to this mansion.
Kendrick allowed me to stay in this mansion forever if I wanted.
I just thought I had to leave when I was 20 years old.
When I stomped my foot, the swing would often make a creak sound.
Whoosh—.
The wind blew and ruffled Arsene’s silver hair.
The hair that the maids had worked hard to care for all day was blowing in the wind.
I looked back at Arsene, organizing the flowers so that the flowers decorated on my head would not fly or fall in the wind.
“Arsene, I hope the festival ends quickly.”
My eyes met a wall as blue and deep as a lake.
Arsene asked, reaching out and neatly putting back the fallen flower decorations.
“Why?”
“I have something I want to say.”
Arsene didn’t bother to ask what I wanted to say.
The scent of flowers wafted throughout the garden.
I felt like I had a headache.
***
The day of the ceremony came sooner than I thought.
It was the first time in history that a ceremony had failed and had to be performed again.
Perhaps because of that, there were a lot more people inside the event venue than usual.
‘Once this ritual is over.’
A meeting with the high priest was scheduled.
I would go to the high priest with Kendrick and Arsene and make a choice again, just like the day I first vowed to get married.
I will be signing again the documents I signed back then.
Thinking like that made me nervous and I didn’t even notice the people who were more crowded than usual.
The necklace hanging around Arsene’s neck caught my eye.
“Arsene, I told you to carry this inside.”
I grabbed Arsene’s wrist and pulled him close to me, putting the necklace under his shirt and tidying it up.
Arsene had a dissatisfied expression on his face, but he quickly corrected his expression.
However,
“Huh? Arsene. Look over there.”
I tapped Arsene and pointed toward the podium.
Arsene followed my gaze and naturally turned his head.
“Isn’t he the Pope?”
The person standing on the podium was clearly the Pope.
The Pope, whose health has deteriorated dramatically and he can’t even get out of bed!
However, the pope standing on the platform looked surprisingly healthy, except for his old age.
Arsene and I exchanged our eyes with our eyes wide open.
“How did this happen?”
The reason the festival was postponed was because the Pope’s health was poor.
I understand that the Pope is not in a good condition to appear in front of people, and the position of the cardinal who will become the next Pope is vacant, so the temple is noisy, so it has been postponed one by one.
However, the Pope stood before us looking very healthy.
It seemed that it wasn’t just me and Arsene who were surprised.
The others began to buzz, too, and Leona could be seen in the distance looking down at the podium with her eyes wide open.
“…He’s clearly not in good health.”
Didn’t he? As Arsene finished speaking, I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Pope.
The Pope seemed healthy enough to stand without anyone’s support.
Next, a question naturally arose.
“Where is the high priest?”
“High priest?”
“Yes, the high priest was standing there last time. And originally, when the Pope is standing, the high priest is supposed to stand over there…”
I pointed to where the priests were standing and whispered.
“But he’s not there.”
“Do you think he’s sick?”
“All of a sudden? The high priest?”
“It’s mysterious…”
Arsene crossed his arms and watched the strange situation unfold.
Soon after, the ceremony began.
The Pope opened his mouth first.
“May God bless you.”
The Pope’s voice resonated clearly throughout the event venue.
But something was strange.
The voice was husky and murky.
Until this far, they might be thinking that it may be because of the Pope’s age.
‘It’s weird.’
It’s difficult to explain in words, but there was something uncomfortable to hear.
And it seemed like other people besides me felt the same way.
They couldn’t say anything disrespectful to the Pope, who was blessed by God, so I noticed people whispering among themselves.
Arsene also narrowed his eyebrows.
“Something is a little strange.”
Arsene muttered.
“Right? All of a sudden… he became healthy.”
The Pope didn’t smile for a moment, but continued speaking clearly and clearly.
After expressing his gratitude to those present, he said he felt responsible for the failure of the first ceremony.
After the Pope finished speaking, lights exploded with the same huge firecracker sound as before, but there were few people cheering.
It may have been because they also felt some strange current.
‘Because beastmen are sensitive.’
It may be that all the beastmen here are feeling the same discomfort I felt.
However, the heads of each clan didn’t come up to the stage.
Originally, the heads of the clans were supposed to come up and sit on the podium one after another, but the priests were seen moving around in confusion.
“No way… Is there a problem with Raniero again?”
They said that during the last ceremony, there was a problem with Raniero’s holy relic, so they decided to delay the ceremony and hold it again.
Hasn’t the holy relic’s problem been fixed yet?
The beastmen muttered.
But the Pope didn’t seem to care.
He must have decided that he could not postpone it any longer, so the heads of the clans came up to the podium one after another.
I could see at a glance that the faces of the blessed clan leaders were all stiff.
However,
“…There’s no Gale.”
There were a total of eight heads of the clans who came up to the podium one after another.
Last, Gale Raniero, the head of the bird clan Raniero, was not present.
Did he not attend at all?
He probably doesn’t know how important the ritual of checking holy relics is.
Gale was a little stupid, but he wasn’t so foolish as to take this ritual lightly.
The heads of the clans were seen exchanging glances as if they were troubled.
Because of Gale, they decided to postpone the ceremony and hold it again, but the bird clan member didn’t attend.
It was a difficult situation.
But then.
“Kyaaaak!”
Inside the event venue.
A sharp scream rang out from somewhere.
