“Your Highness. Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t you been touching me more than you used to?”
“Are you sure about that? I think it’s been fairly normal.”
“For you, perhaps. However, the other clergy members most certainly don’t touch me like this or at all, really.”
If Linus’ behavior was considered normal, then in comparison, the priests and priestesses were practically aloof, even though that wasn’t the case at all.
“Of course they don’t. Neither Charles nor I would allow them to do so.”
“Why are we suddenly discussing His Holiness? Wait, does this mean the clergymen and women hate me so much they would rather not have any physical contact with me?” Fiona gasped.
On top of having raven black hair, she was also Charles’ adopted daughter and his aide in the Temple. Fiona had done her best in her own way until now and had only recently been promoted to her position. Without preferential treatment, either. Despite her efforts, then, could there be people unhappy about her presence?
The thought made her a bit sad, and her head hung dejectedly. She heard Linus move, then his hand gently rubbed her crown.
“Not at all, Fiona. You’re charming and work hard at your job as a priestess. It’s not that they dislike you; they’re simply being careful not to approach you carelessly. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
His gentle voice and smile almost convinced her, but something about his phrasing niggled at the back of her mind.
“In that case, why don’t you as well consider restraining yourself when it comes to touching me, Your Highness?”
“The rules don’t apply to me.”
First, he said touching was normal. Then, he said he refused to allow others to touch her. After that, he said he didn’t need to be careful about touching. Linus’ words were neither coherent nor to the point.
“You may think so, but the pontiff mentioned you, too, are at the age to start thinking of marriage,” she pointed out.
“I suppose I am.”
“So then it would be unfortunate if such behavior on your part causes misunderstandings with your prospective spouse.”
Though he treated her like she was his younger sister, other women might not be pleased by his actions. That is to say, whoever he married would be their country’s future queen, so it would not do to offend her.
“Fiona…who do you think I’m going to marry?”
“Well, since she’ll be your queen consort someday, I would wager the daughter of an influential aristocratic family. Although I can’t give you a name.”
She was a mere priestess, so naturally, Fiona had no ties to high society, meaning she didn’t know much about the nobility’s pedigrees or their daughters.
Linus sighed quietly. “That is the typical way to choose a bride, I guess.”
His clouded expression implied his lack of interest in the idea. In his position as the crown prince, he shouldered the burden of the country, so he couldn’t possibly choose a wife on his own. Those who stood above others had their fair share of hardships.
“And what about you, Fiona? You’re an ‘adult’ now that you’re twenty, hm?”
In this nation, young aristocratic women made their high society debut at seventeen, marking their first step to adulthood. Commoners also deemed their daughters adults when they reached around that age. But since she was young, Fiona had firmly insisted that she would become an adult at twenty.
Though she herself didn’t understand why she said such a thing, Linus evidently remembered a child’s nonsensical mutterings.
“I…don’t think I’ll marry,” she admitted.
It was none other than Linus who protected Fiona when she lost her memory ten years ago. She had been frightened and confused at the time, and he had held her hand tightly, encouraging her with the words, “I’ll protect you, Fiona, so in exchange, stay by my side.” To her, he was like a kind older brother.
He had also been the one to give her the name Fiona and later introduced her to Charles, her adoptive father. Her gratitude toward the two of them knew no bounds, and she knew she could never repay them for the debt she owed them.
“I’m exceedingly thankful to you, Your Highness, for taking me into your protection a decade ago,” she said. “And to the pontiff as well for raising me. I know I caused you both a great deal of trouble, so I’d like to make up for it by dedicating myself wholly to my professional duties as a priestess.”
As he listened attentively, a slight frown wrinkled Linus’ brow. Then, a melancholy smile touched his lips. “I see… Oh, look, we’re here.”
They disembarked from the carriage and gazed upon a vast lake, light reflecting picturesquely off its surface. Despite knowing it was a water source for the capital, the lake was much larger than she had ever imagined. Fiona gasped unconsciously in wonder.
“Incredible. It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”
The largest body of water she had ever seen was a pond, but this was on a different scale entirely. The enormous reserve of clear water sparkled like jewels.
“Because this lake is fed by both spring water and water from the mountain. Its clarity is unlike any other lake’s.”
“I’m not surprised to learn this.” She nodded admiringly in response to Linus’ explanation. Not a moment later, several men approached them.
“To think that both the Lady Saint and His Royal Highness would grace us on this day! We are ever so grateful.”
Fiona found herself frowning a little at the deep emotion in their words reflected on their faces as they welcomed her and Linus.
“How did you know I’m the saint?” she asked.
The ball to announce the Saint of Cost Performance had been canceled, and no public announcement should have been made. Even so, wasn’t the spread of information too quick when it had been only a few days since she started calling herself a saint?
“We received a message that the saint would be coming to inspect the sluice gate since the repairs had been postponed for so long.”
While she had requested the lake staff be informed, she certainly didn’t remember mentioning anything about a saint. When Fiona peeked up at Linus, she found him grinning down at her.
“What can I say? This is your first inspection as a saint, Fiona. Though I’m not keen on having a ton of people see you, I also can’t deny a need to show you off.”
It was impossible to decipher everything he said, but she did understand that Linus was to blame.
“Wouldn’t it be more prudent not to reveal too much about the saint’s existence?” she asked.