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I had never been more grateful that my priestess attire included a divided hakama skirt. It offered great mobility, and since the hem only reached my ankles, I could run in it as well.
“What shall I do next?” I asked. “Ah, right, I will dust the top of that shelf for you.”
I was flitting around the village, tackling one small chore after another. The village lacked young, fit adults, so no matter how diligent the islanders were, there were some tasks that they had trouble completing. Adjusting the kitchen facilities, repairing high-up shelves… Then there were more minor details that people often missed, like rearranging the layout of rooms or the height of furniture. Such changes might seem redundant but they could help lessen the resident’s lower back pain and increase efficiency when cleaning.
After a while, the military officers assigned as my guards offered their assistance. “Lady Priestess, if there is any manual labor, we can help as well.”
“Oh, are you sure? Thank you! In that case, could you help me move this bed? I want to clear out the mold.”
Some of the people in our group had gotten bored of the drinking party and came over from time to time to give me a hand. Attending the banquet was a part of their duties, however, and although I tried to persuade them to prioritize that, I didn’t have much luck.
As we continued our odd-jobbing, more and more intoxicated people sprawled onto the mats to sleep. As for the drunkards still awake, they were fooling around, roughhousing with each other like sumo wrestlers and laughing uproariously. I put away the empty sake cups and tableware before circling around to lay blankets on the people on the ground.
While I was doing the dishes in the washing area, a woman scrubbing beside me gave me a big smile. “Thank you very much for your help today. You even assisted with cleanup. It would not have gone this quickly without you.”
I gave her a small nod. “I’m glad I could help. Well, it’s always us women that seem to be the most exhausted after events such as these…” I sighed.
Once I finished the dishes, I proceeded to roll up mats that we didn’t need.
Lord Hiaki wandered over. “Hard at work, huh?”
“Yes. It kind of reminds me of my life back in my homeland—when I used to live in the Cutrettola demesne.”
He blinked in surprise. “Wait, you still did chores all the time even when you were the privileged daughter of a governor?”
“Our domain was the opposite of wealthy, so no one received special treatment. That is why I know the hardships of villages like this, those without young, fit adults, very well… I just could not stop myself from lending a hand. I apologize if I stepped out of line.”
“Doesn’t appear to be a problem to me.” He shrugged. “But, well, the people on this island might start worshipping you even more.” He gulped down the last drop of liquor from the sake jar, his tongue darting across his lips. The man had quaffed quite a significant amount of liquor, yet not the slightest flush reddened his face.
“You are a heavy drinker,” I noted.
“Most of the men of the Gou clan can chug booze as if it’s water.” He grinned. “Unfortunately, that’s why they sent me to a place like Meridiona, so it’s not always a good thing. Over there, unless there’s booze on the table, they won’t even listen to a word you say…” He sighed.
“Ah, on that topic… This is just a guess, but are Orient’s citizens mostly lightweights?”
I’d had opportunities to attend or make a brief appearance at banquets, and overall, alcohol consumption seemed to progress at a slower pace compared to in Centoria. The kingdom didn’t have many wells with good water quality, so even aristocrats habitually drank beer as a replacement, whereas in Orient, people seemed to prefer tea to liquor.
“Oh, you noticed? Yep, you’re completely right. Orient’s filled with cheap drunks. There are folks who like to drink, yeah, but not binge.”
“I see…”
“People say that my family can hold our liquor because of the blood of the Wagtail Priestess, but…” He shrugged. “What about your parents?”
I hummed in thought. “My father was a lightweight. My grandmother would sometimes drink alcohol when she used magic, so I think she likely had a high tolerance. As for my mother…that’s a good question.”
But I didn’t get a chance to elaborate.
“Ahhh! There you are, Lady Sai!”
Loud, frantic footsteps approached us—the wasted men started sprinting at the sight of me. Even from a distance, they reeked of liquor. Their faces were bright red as they charged toward me like boars.
“Lady Sai! Please, I beg you, stay a little longer!”
“Please, Lady Priestess, we wish to tell you more about the situation on our island!”
“Lady Sai!”
“My lady!”
Lord Hiaki grimaced. “Urk, we’ve got a troublesome lot here.” As he spoke, he strode forward, standing like a shield in front of me. “Sorry, gentlemen, but I’m gonna chat with the priestess for a while. Save it for another time.” He slung an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward the forest outside the settlement.
“Ah, hey…!” I yelped.
“C’mon, let’s go. Leave those mats on the ground.”
He walked at a brisk pace across the carpet of fallen leaves, gait steady—he was clearly sober. After a while, we arrived at the end of the path, its destination a cliff top where we could overlook the forest. The distant sea breeze dashed between the gaps in the trees and whirled up at my body. It was strong enough to ruffle my bangs.
I bowed to Lord Hiaki, who released my shoulder. “Thank you. You did that to get me out of that situation, right?”
“Well, you’re my future bride, so I can’t just let all those people swarm you,” he said with a straight face.
I furrowed my brows slightly in bafflement. “Um… Are you serious about taking me as your wife?”
“Of course.” He nodded firmly at my question as if such an answer was obvious. His ruby eyes bored into mine—he hadn’t blurted the answer out under the influence of the alcohol.
Wind stirred the air, making his red robes flutter around him like butterfly wings of fire. He was a robust man with rugged good looks, and I was sure that anyone would feel like they were in the safest place in the world beside him. The Gou clan had to be one of the most prestigious families in Orient as well.
And that was why I couldn’t believe he wanted to marry a person like me. Why?
For a while, we stood in silence.
He spoke up first. “I told His Majesty too. I said that I want you as my wife, the wife of the Gou heir.”
“But…why would you choose someone like me?”
“Oh, I thought I told you already. My family’s actually descended from one of the Wagtail Priestesses. Didn’t the emperor tell you?”
“Huh?” I froze.
He narrowed his eyes, and I could tell that he wasn’t joking. “‘The man who inherits the blood of the Wagtail Priestess must remain and aid the administration of the empire as one of the wings of Amawashi. His clan shall go by the name Gou, “homeland,” preserving his bloodline as a feudal lord.’” he recited. “Well, you were raised in Centoria, so I guess it’s only natural that you don’t know about it.”