AFTER parting with Sirius, Marialite made her way back to the orchard. A sweet fragrance wafted from between the luscious green leaves of the trees where they stood in neat lines. Around the outer edge of the orchard, there were several magical traps designed to keep out any trespassers. If anyone did enter without Marialite or Sirius’ permission, they would be immediately encased in ice—a trap expertly engineered by none other than Cornelia.
“It’s amazing that even Cornelia’s been helping Marialite so much. She must be more powerful than she looks,” one of the maids commented.
“Apparently, when she first met Cornelia, she wasn’t even a little bit scared,” another replied.
When they first found out that Cornelia would be working alongside them, they thought it was the end of the world as they knew it. However, contrary to all expectations, she’d been working hard at everything entrusted to her.
For one thing, she was a very quick learner, so it wasn’t long until she’d picked up all the skills she needed—but Marialite definitely had the most profound impact on her.
They’d heard about how Marialite took a lost Sirius in despite knowing he was a demon, and many were of the opinion that she should be referred to as the Saint of Compassion rather than the Jade Saint. She was even worried about the trees at the orchard because she’d accelerated their growth using holy power rather than natural means. The way she checked each and every tree over was the very picture of benevolence.
“Oh, there you are,” a voice boomed from behind the maids. They whirled around, and their mouths fell open in shock.
“L-Lady Marialite!” one maid called out.
“Yes? What is it?” she shouted in reply.
“Prince Leonis is here to see you!”
“Prince Leonis? Why…?” Marialite said, bewildered.
Just as the maids had said, she looked over to see Leonis admiring the trees with a look of fascination in his eyes. In fact, to be precise, his gaze was fixed on the red fruit growing on the branches.
“How wonderful…” he gasped. “I can barely believe my eyes. It’s bizarre to see a fruit so rare grow in such a short amount of time—and in such huge numbers…”
“What brings you here, Your Highness?” Marialite asked, walking over to him. Leonis shook himself, remembering to keep up his formalities.
“I thought I should come to personally thank you. It was quite a shock to hear that you would answer my plea so readily when I politically stand as my little brother’s opponent.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Marialite assured him. “I just want the divine beasts to eat a hearty meal for once.”
Listening in on their conversation, the maids shot distrusting glares at Leonis. Although, when the bodyguards accompanying him returned their glares, they quickly looked away.
Why did this have to happen when Cornelia isn’t here? the maids thought. All of a sudden, they sincerely regretted thinking it was a good idea to put the fiery woman on room-cleaning duty—but it was too late now.
“As thanks for your efforts, I was wondering if I could invite you to see the Conservation Facility for yourself,” Leonis offered.
“Ooh! I’ve never seen a divine beast before. That sounds great,” Marialite agreed.
“W-Wait a moment, Prince Leonis!” one of the maids spoke up, realizing that Marialite had no idea of the danger she was getting herself into. “Lady Marialite is Prince Sirius’ fiancée. I think it best that you ask him whether he’s okay with it first.”
“My little brother already gave me his blessing,” Leonis responded immediately. “He said he thought she would love it. Would you like to see my permit? Would that put your mind at rest?”
“R-Really? I apologize, then…” the maid said hesitantly.
“No, no. It’s understandable that you would be cautious of me,” he said kindly to the maids as they bowed their heads.
He reached out to put a hand on Marialite’s shoulder, only to have it swiftly brushed away when she suddenly spun in a circle.
“Aaaah, I can’t wait!” she beamed, full of newfound energy.
“Uh… I’m glad to hear it,” Leonis said, smiling awkwardly in the face of her unbridled joy.
✦ ✦ ✦
MARIALITE and Leonis left the capital in a carriage that took them out into a dark, barren wasteland. When they reached the facility, the colossal iron gates squeaked open, making way for the carriage as though they had been expecting them. The large, white building beyond the gate seemed to emit a sort of holy aura.
“This place is ginormous,” Marialite admired.
“The costs to run it are ginormous, too,” Leonis quipped. “However, I don’t regret building it. This is all for my beloved beasts, after all.”
“You really love divine beasts, don’t you, Prince Leonis?” she smiled.
“How could I not? They’re precious creatures, blessed by the gods themselves. I believe I have an obligation to care for them and protect them.”
They climbed down from the carriage and headed inside the building. When they stepped through the doors, Marialite couldn’t smell the beasts right away, but she could hear their cries.
“They’re always like that,” Leonis shrugged. “Try not to pay too much attention to it.”
“R-Really…?” she replied hesitantly.
The beasts cried out in anguish, refusing to eat their food or stay still for their wounds to be treated. None of them were recognizable species to Marialite, but she could still tell they were severely anxious and distressed.
“Calm down! Please calm down! I just want to help you…!” an employee wearing a white hood pleaded with a strange-looking animal. Its body was that of a cat, and its head that of a bird. The employee was desperately trying to cast a healing spell on it, not stopping even though the beast was scratching him all over.
It would be good if his true intentions could get through to the beast somehow… Marialite wished in her heart.
However, she stopped when she noticed something. The half-bird, half-cat beast didn’t seem to be directing its threats towards the employee on purpose—rather, its eyes were fixed on Leonis.
✦ ✦ ✦
“COME on, everyone! You’ve got lots to eat today!” an employee shouted out to the animals, feeding them the fruit Marialite had grown. At first, the beasts seemed hesitant, but once they caught a whiff of the fruit, they chomped down on it happily.
Thank goodness, she thought. Several employees turned to face her with tears in their eyes.
“Thank you, Saint,” one said tearily. “With your help, we can give the divine beasts all the food they need. We weren’t able to handle it on our own…”
“I’m glad I could help solve some of your problems,” Marialite smiled. “Besides, I’d never grown trees like that before. It was a fun experience for me, too.”
“O Saint…” another employee chimed in. “Your arrival in this country has been nothing but a blessing.”
“Exactly,” Leonis nodded. “I believe the same thing, Lady Marialite. From the bottom of my heart.”
He reached out to take her hand, but she suddenly dropped to her knees to pick up a fruit that rolled onto the floor, and he ultimately missed it altogether. Clueless, the employee simply thanked her as he took the fruit back from her.
“Lord Leonis? You seem a little sad… What’s wrong?” another employee asked in concern.
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, Lady Marialite, I am truly grateful for your help. I hold a great deal of respect and affection for you,” he said sincerely.
“Thank you,” she smiled. “But I think you’re the one who deserves the most credit, Prince Leonis. You’re really trying to save these divine beasts.”
“…If that’s what you think of me, could I possibly ask you for one more favor?” he asked in a low tone, his eyes narrowing. “I would appreciate it if you could work for me… and keep it a secret from Sirius, if at all possible.”
“What? Why?” she questioned, her brow furrowing. A sly smile stretched across Leonis’ lips.
“You are to become his wife,” he said. “If it gets out that you’re helping another man, your reputation will most definitely suffer.”
“So, I can’t even help someone out without being suspected of doing something bad? What a cruel world…” she said with a dry chuckle.
“Of course, I can arrange some sort of reward or repayment for you. I can acquire anything you desire or even get rid of people causing you grief,” he proposed.
“Um…” she winced. “Isn’t that taking things a little too far?”
“That just goes to show how crazy about you I am…” he whispered in her ear.
Marialite blinked a few times blankly. Then, she shook her head lightly with an awkward smile.
“Lord Sirius already gives me everything I could ever want,” she assured him. “Plus, I love everyone here. No one’s causing me any grief, anyway.”
“…Don’t you ever think about the fact that someone other than Sirius could provide for you?” he hinted.
“Well, perhaps that’s true—but I want it to be him.”
“I…I see…” Leonis replied, clearing his throat. “Apologies for saying something so strange. There’s a matter I must attend to, so I’ll take my leave. In the meantime, please explore the facility at your leisure.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the rest of my time here,” Marialite smiled with a nod.
“Excuse me,” Leonis said as a word of parting, turning his back on the group.
He frowned in deep displeasure.