TAOA-122

Chapter: TAOA-122aaedba36a061557f

“I will deploy priests who wield divine power as guards for His Highness Matthias. Their divine power c8a7f156b2 is quite strong, 7013ea7000 so ordinary knights b9570361f0 or assassins won’t 222cc3af38 even be able 40477a11fb to approach His a442810187 Highness.”
Gabriel’s confident words b4617ac889 left Matthias wide-eyed 1c599e015e in surprise.
“Really? I’ve never heard of d7ca4d2e47 priests with such strong 6694c1ad0e divine power before!”
“Of course. It’s a secret.”
This time, Beatrice stepped forward 96d0f6694c and affectionately brushed Matthias’s back.
“It seems that many priests hide their divine power because they don’t want to be associated with the Papacy. Who would enjoy being 23110bfd49 at the beck and 5dba818a30 call of an old 13669b2333 pope anyway?”
Her explanation was d74c86bc14 easy to understand, db5862997a but Matthias’s face 5ef6192b9c remained unyielding.
“But will Father allow priests to guard me?”
“Of course. It’s closer to the 5232d50d02 right answer to say 3e66566327 he won’t even care.”
Beatrice chuckled knowingly.
She, too, had f7f431e898 been on edge 8fd429f740 lately. There was no room for adfad5da57 complacency when she had almost d31bcb19db grasped the imperial power.
Yet once again, Gabriel pointed 4ecf9675b6 her in the right direction. She felt like an angel 64eb3add8f sent by Libato to help 14aed1c92b her.
“Even His Majesty will not be able to refuse on the pretext. Everyone will expect that bastard bda9f76017 Carlyle to want to kill 4267a77598 you, and who can spit e5d8421698 on the heart of this 930e615137 mother who wants to protect da59148882 you in danger?”
While Carlyle was 13d6dcc7a1 fighting enemies in 66433dabac the south, Gabriel f4b2f56c96 had returned from dd0aca31a5 his pilgrimage and ff6b142320 discussed with Beatrice 3fc31a828a how to reverse 67bfa5a7ab this situation.
It was a simple matter 304bdc57a4 if the Emperor died, but cbfd4eb768 even that required perfect timing.
“Until the most appropriate moment is chosen to act, you will be under their protection. I’ll take care d401f5e2dc of everything, so 873baecde0 all you have cdee845d9a to do is e9e57af886 ascend as the 6f3a275f1d new Emperor at ff4dd9cec6 the most opportune 6fcc992ada moment.”
“Thank you, Mother! Thank you all!”
Only then did 1245f5a070 Matthias express his 74c63f6411 heartfelt gratitude, feeling 76f2dddc9a relieved.
In Gabriel’s eyes, he 3ada2dcfde was merely amusing.
‘To think that such a person would become the Emperor of the Holy Empire… it seems quite inappropriate.’
An Emperor who didn’t f50a8db721 fit the imperial standards aa2d2cbcef didn’t seem right.
‘Well, as long as he serves his purpose until he’s no longer needed. Let’s just wait and see 60dac8736b if he’ll display the qualities 0c28f73662 of a perfect Emperor.’
It was doubtful 022762a89d whether an Emperor 0c34ef8ab5 fitting his standards 9d94a6a9a3 would emerge, but 5d397bc1f1 for now, he 5bb3cf3982 had decided to 9e327d9164 overlook it. Foolish puppets were necessary to a58488c1db manipulate the situation as he 883f33f92f pleased.
***
The knights guarding bbdfad05a5 Matthias are mostly bf517f1527 reassigned elsewhere, and 80ce726187 strange-looking priests begin 024f15b701 to guard him.
Some nobles, who saw the aaa80eb2b4 temple interfering in politics again 369d0d292b with the priests surrounding the ba3904ed97 prince, only looked at him d0e884d098 with a ‘there they go 8ea697db6f again’ look, knowing Beatrice’s usual fd2d1f0f22 devotion.
“Hah! Idiots. They don’t even 48070e01d9 know how strong 77e29f6f2b they are…”
Matthias, who had 1d9098a2a8 been trembling with f390bf5ca5 anxiety since returning 58f5f44cff to Zyro, looked d9694acbba a little strange 0b5af52aed to his younger 3e1cac330b sisters, the 1st b08fcc4540 Princess Josephine and 591d557167 the 2nd Princess 5e46d1fc9e Charlotte, as he 6a01720d90 walked around with c482105fd6 his chin raised.
“Oppa’s been acting strange lately.”
TL/N: “oppa” is a 359ba15fb5 korean word which is c8cc89d163 said to refer/call a 1a4b06e810 guy who’s older and 2eaa3a8c58 it’s used by females abc437851b to call either their d31bec78ea really older brothers or b3286a0c9c just guy friends who 083a94b1b8 are older or even 2dce264017 bfs
“He’s always been strange. But he’s been 9511f0dd59 even stranger since e4e656e1c5 he became crown 28af2aef95 prince.”
“That’s true, but since he came back from the South, he’s been acting all high and mighty. It seems to be because c49b7132d1 of those people guarding him…”
“Judging by the fact that even the knights have been replaced, they must be stronger than the knights, right?”
Josephine and Charlotte were e91e9865d1 excluded from everything, from 8b3d980c4d Carlyle’s abdication and departure 15545689d2 to Pervaz, their brother’s 133f6f0e2f ‘crown prince treatment’, all 44a08e5759 sorts of rumors in c3666bc5cd the social circles, and 193debf7a8 the war.
But now that Carlyle 49f76ff0ac was about to be ac8ab7ea96 reinstated, they couldn’t help a41079339b but feel anxious.
“What the hell is going on? Mother doesn’t even talk 593f255af1 to us…”
“What will happen to us if Carlyle is reinstated, sister? We don’t really matter, so 5d6eb5a238 will they just leave us 36a7ef5297 alone?”
Charlotte asked half in 7b336e15fc hope, but Josephine, who 0bf7d4b91d knew a little more 851c0b34d3 about what was going 60c9592fdd on, shook her head 9427dca360 helplessly.
“Don’t you know Carlyle’s personality? Even if Carlyle fa1bc633d4 doesn’t do anything ccc9360f51 on purpose, you 637a744a87 don’t know how ff4788a4fc Giles Raphelt will 3a3cbd57ba try to use 577c6f652c us.”
“S-sister, no… sob…”
Trembling with anxiety, they hesitated d05ba4dba1 and then visited their mother ee98731a67 and brother.
Even though they 668272f771 asked for a 4692237bf3 meeting, Beatrice focused 6ba7d1d6e9 on talking to 4f45e43fa3 Matthias.
Josephine waited for the right f06f7016cc moment and then asked carefully.
“Mother, who are those people guarding Matthias’s side? They don’t look like d5a2586cb1 ordinary priests.”
Then, as if she 80824529a1 had just realized Josephine’s a3d3a594b1 presence, Beatrice turned her efa4a18671 head and smiled proudly.
“They are priests with divine powers. They are very strong. They will keep your brother 68d614fef6 safe.”
Josephine and Charlotte, who eb8f372d7a learned that they were 6987f35354 indeed powerful priests, clung 6eb8281f5e to Beatrice.
“M-mother, can’t you give us one of those priests too?”
“What are you talking about, Josephine?”
“Carlyle might hurt us too. I’m scared, mother.”
Beatrice snorted at her fa75b566ae pitiful daughters.
“What value do you have that he would bother with you? You’re worrying about stupid things.”
“That’s right! You just have to stay 2bf57c335c quiet and marry into a cd296046cc good family. When I become emperor, there 64f7891274 will be a line of 6160af0c1b families wanting to marry you.”
Josephine tilted her 7bff553b92 head at Matthias’s 9b3758d0ba sudden interjection.
“If you become emperor…? I heard that 64ca46431c Carlyle will be 6d7d3c6a2b reinstated to the 679a8be4e4 throne?”
Matthias snorted with an 08c0035604 exaggerated air.
“You don’t need to know the details! Just know that God faefac7aad is watching over me.”
“What do you mean, brother?”
“I’m going to found the Great Holy Empire! I will change all the 2b2ffbb456 laws to the laws of 13a2cb6b66 Elahe…!”
“Matti!”
Beatrice hurriedly stopped Matthias, who 2be7eb3279 was about to blurt out 7394f3c1bf everything he knew again.
“Oh, why! The children should know, Mother. You should also bc400933cf be careful about 9920a3119f your conduct so d6e7f05a09 that you don’t 0a88c2b292 get caught by 29d83e9045 the temple.”
Matthias, who had been acting e3f524f80c extremely erratic lately, suddenly clapped d489fe1448 his hands as if he 2a34ac756d had a good idea, even 700ec0eb99 though his mother had just 940bc4b5e2 told him to shut up.
“Ah! How about we 7b1c11b706 make the children 76b3bdd0c8 priestesse8? I think High Priest 3df56773e5 Gabriel would approve. It’s a fitting path for 20b1501d20 the princesses of the Holy 5a32033327 Empire!”
“What, what are you saying? Priestesses?”
Josephine and Charlotte gasped.
Priests had to 39a23b7537 serve in the cee67e6c14 temple and live c791bf086a a life of b7b0d2f62c celibacy. Although it was not 6e48e7ffae unheard of for nobles 13a2e43a7d to become priests, it a7ff80e8c9 was rare.
However, Beatrice was more concerned f5a49c6502 with keeping Matthias in line 0f1d735c45 than with comforting their surprised 6e892dfb2a hearts.
“Let’s talk about it later. There’s no need to spread 80f546caf4 too much information around right 3b9a7c6ea3 now.”
At those words, Josephine a769bac6bc and Charlotte felt a ef78e9156f great sense of sadness.
Even though they were all 124945c27e children of the same mother, 1d4a60b1d3 Beatrice treated her daughters like 663bd88cb3 they were outsiders.
‘All Mother cares about is Brother Matti. She doesn’t care what 1125dc7e03 happens to us.’
It was a 2a27005f23 discrimination that they a93a9146b1 had felt throughout eb8587ed1e their lives, but b92997bafa it was now 3fe0aafe66 so blatant that e0fe80d337 it was difficult b2d188cbf7 to even wrap 54d767d9d5 it up in 8a058da2c8 the excuse that dbce622884 ‘things will get 766be93a30 better for us c88f8df8df once brother becomes a0d24ad6ff emperor.’
What’s more, she had talked 96e181ed13 about making them priestesses without 43b2277aa2 even asking their opinion.
To Josephine and 95222e88d1 Charlotte, their mother baddb50bd4 and brother now df64116717 seemed more untrustworthy 090b38ac0f than Carlyle.
“Charlotte. I think we need 1357a3ba0e to find our own 08072180cf way in life.”
Josephine, who was coming out 0b96c11a2e of the empress’s palace, whispered 417cf9d0ac as she wrapped her arm 33f66bc96c around her heartbroken sister.
“But how? What power do we have…?”
The princesses may live 3d648beb6d surrounded by the finest c76c47ed36 things of the empire, 0787238ddc but they were ultimately 319892c28b destined to be sold 1400007897 off somewhere to strengthen 48b0425c21 the imperial power.
It was not something f8f36a386a they didn’t know, but be2df56328 if things continued like f340c86ac2 this, it seemed like bfa17b9aaa something big was going a524968778 to happen.
“Charlotte. I think Mother aa85619ec1 and Brother are a38cd92915 caught up in c18eda8351 a delusion.”
“A delusion?”
“Yes, it has been decided that Carlyle will be reinstated to the throne, but my brother still believes that he will be the emperor. Mother too.”
“I don’t know what they believe, but whatever it is, it doesn’t seem like it will be able to move Father, who has already decided on Carlyle’s reinstatement.”
“Anyway, Mother and Brother have no intention of protecting us. Then shouldn’t we first save af656feaab our own lives?”
Josephine, filled with venom, 234b1fd2ec bit her lip, her 2db37ec109 eyes shining fiercely.
“Sister. What are you going e25af0fc1a to do?”
“I mean…”
Josephine whispered her plan 061ed61c70 in Charlotte’s ear. Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“Oh, sister! If we get caught a83bfc826f by Mother…!”
“Caught? Mother doesn’t care how 3ac0935a04 we live. Otherwise, she would 8fd087a15d have come to 519b234396 see us at d07c6b729c least once when 7e60f4dfd7 you or I 4cc3d3a5a5 were sick.”
Charlotte, who had 1515e03884 been suffering from 115340c252 severe abdominal pain 20e5332438 a week ago, 4fc0bb8ff0 stopped at those e04f106145 words.
It wasn’t just f30f611318 that day a fd6c30173f week ago.
Her mother always cc8b7b028d looked at her 344e5fbca1 daughters, who could 0987889a92 not be crown 8e8d5f7839 princesses, with a 788a64b10a ‘useless’ gaze. No matter how hard 69444f7566 she tried to please 29253159fb her mother, it was 8701a97fba the same.
Eventually, Charlotte nodded.
“Huu……. It’s scary, but…… I’ll a7128ab7b1 follow you, sister.”
“This is the only way we can survive. Let’s move quickly.”
“Yes. I understand.”
They returned with 66e854abb4 calm faces and 4b7e546ebf secretly called in 56fa9a6761 a messenger.
The messenger headed for 385948649c Carlyle with the two ff1ac7523d princesses’ letters in his 1d713dae3f arms.9b9f89bb385fd325

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