“A priest is a man, right?”
“Yes.”
“Not a chance in hell I’ll let you be alone with one.”
“Then a priestess would be acceptable?”
A part of Fiona understood that she likely didn’t even need Linus’ permission, but she was in too deep now and was committed to persuading him. An obstinacy that made her very much human.
“A priestess and a saint traveling together? You’re basically begging villains to abduct you.”
Aha, clearly, Linus was worried about her from a perspective of law and order. The highway from the royal capital to the lake was large, so she’d assumed it would be highly unlikely for a kidnapping to occur in broad daylight. However, his objections made her think perhaps he knew something she didn’t about the situation.
“I’ll be fine, Your Highness. One of the priestesses is reassuringly strong, strong enough to break boulders. She’s like an older sister to me.”
“Boulders…” Budget and Management muttered in unison while Linus remained unyielding.
“I’m going, and that’s that. It won’t take long via coach and shouldn’t be interfering with the clergy members’ work either.”
“Hm, you make a good point. But aren’t you busy as well, Your Highness?”
Sometimes, Fiona almost forgot that Linus was the crown prince. He must have had myriad official duties to attend to, so he shouldn’t have the kind of free time to chaperone her easily.
“I don’t have any work more pressing than you, Fiona.”
“And yet, I know very well your schedule should be packed. Please do your job properly.”
Having known him for so long, she knew his tells when he lied. He most certainly did not have the time to loaf around with something like this, which meant her only option was to decline his offer to go with her.
“But—”
“No buts. I repeat. Please do your job.”
Fiona stated the words bluntly without ever taking her eyes off the documents. Linus discerned that pushing her would be meaningless at this point, so he stood up abruptly.
“Fine. I’ll go and finish it all now. Then tomorrow, you and I are going on a date.”
“Correction—we are going on an inspection. First though, your work.”
“Oh, how I hate to part with thee! But since it’s for tomorrow, I’ll endure our separation.”
Just when she thought he would pat her head again, she felt a lock of her hair being tugged. Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze and almost instantly saw Linus pressing his lips to her black tresses. His face was an almost literal hairsbreadth from hers. His flowing silver hair and beauty that upstaged even the most lovely woman stared at her from right before her very eyes. He was much closer than she’d expected, and that startled her enough that her eyes locked with his.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Fiona.”
“…Should you find yourself unable to finish your work in time, please contact me as soon as possible.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ll finish on time. You can count on it.”
Linus waved casually at her and left the room. Once he was gone, she felt a bit drained for some reason. Perhaps viewing such exceptional beauty from up close sapped her strength.
She exhaled, then returned her attention to the documents at hand. When she did, Fiona sensed curious eyes on her. Budget and Management stared at her with frowns, which made her wonder if some problem had occurred.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, not quite. We’re just wondering if…you and His Highness are in love with each other, Lady Saint?”
“Perish the thought. Why would you even ask that?”
“Well, for one, you’re very comfortable in each other’s presence.”
Oh, so that’s what it was. Certainly, it must seem peculiar to nobles to have the crown prince conversing with a person who, although a saint, was a mere commoner.
“I have been in his debt since I was a child,” she said. “He’s akin to an elder brother, you see.”
“Even so, he was quite concerned about your safety.”
“Because His Highness is a kind man, that’s why. I’m also a saint, so it’s only natural he would be extra considerate.”
Despite being a fraud, she insisted on calling herself a saint, and he was likely treating her like he was to keep up appearances as one of the people supporting her scheme. However, Budget and Management’s expressions remained mystified.
“There’s also your hair…”
“Oh, yes, about that. Evidently, he likes black hair because it’s a rare color,” Fiona explained. “I personally think his silver hair is much more beautiful… Regardless, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, hm?”
“Perhaps, but I’m not sure it’s normal to touch and kiss hair like that in front of others.” Management offered her opinion nervously, which made Fiona fall into a thoughtful silence. The other woman had a point. Even if he was the crown prince and they were in the royal palace, it might be a tad unnatural to fiddle with someone’s hair in mixed company.
“Then that means…”
“Yes, exactly! Now, do you understand why we asked?!”
“…he doesn’t just like black hair but loves it.”
“I…what?”
Until now, whenever Linus had a free moment, he would touch her hair, comb it, play with it, etc. Though Fiona had understood his pleasure in her locks, perhaps she had severely underestimated his powerful obsession with her black hair.
“I wonder if his fascination with my hair stems from the fact that the color is the exact opposite of his own.”
The thought brought to mind the saying, “Asking for the moon.” Despite how blessed he’d been in the looks department, it surprised her to learn that even Linus pined for what he didn’t have.
“Ummm, if I may ask for clarification, does His Highness always touch you in such a manner, Lady Saint?”
“A good question. Let me think.” Fiona pondered it. “He’s been busy the last few years with his transition to crown prince, so we haven’t had much contact. But when we met again after so long, he seemed much the same as before.”
“I-I see.”
“That aside, I’d like to confirm a few details before tomorrow’s inspection.” As she flipped through the document, searching for the right pages about the lake, she vaguely heard the other two sitting across from her whispering to each other.
“With all due respect, I feel so sorry for His Highness.”
“I agree.”
Fiona didn’t hear their sighs, masked by the papers rustling.