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SOON thereafter we held a curry exhibition—I mean, a banquet—in Sekirei Palace. The influential figures of Orient and Meridiona sat in an orderly manner around the tables, before them a display of delightful golden cuisine. The spread was rather disorienting to me because the food presented was curry rice served with salad and lassis.
I had informed everyone about the menu beforehand, so the emperor was dressed in a robe he could easily wash instead of his typical garments of delicate white silk. To dig into curry while wearing white clothes almost impossible to safely wash was out of the question.
The banquet began, and I nervously took a bite of the curry. The high-grade rice was warm and fluffy, and the smooth sauce the perfect blend of spicy and sweet. The vegetables served alongside it had been fried in oil, locking all their juices inside a wonderful coating. They were sweet and crunchy, and I couldn’t get enough of them. I had the feeling that if Lord Kuze were somehow transported to the world of my past life, he might be able to earn a fortune with his delicious curry recipe. Ingredients in that world were much cheaper, too.
The Oriental citizens tentatively tasted the curry as well, and they sighed and gasped in awe at the marvelous flavor and the extravagant ingredients. Once the sampling session was over, desserts replaced the platters on the tables. That was when the emperor finally spoke.
“We are in Sekirei Palace, an informal setting away from the imperial court,” he said, surveying all present. “What We are about to say will stay in this room.”
Hearing his solemn voice, I straightened. Everyone bowed their head slightly as they listened in silence.
“Before the arrival of winter, Orient will serve as mediator for Meridiona and Centoria during the formation of their peace treaty.” He glanced at me. Even through his veil I could feel his gaze piercing into my very soul. A chill ran down my spine at the sharpness in his regard. “Wagtail Priestess Sai. You must be aware that the Saint is wreaking havoc in Centoria.”
My breathing hitched.
In a steady voice, he said, “Centoria has delivered to Orient a request for aid bearing the signatures of its king and queen. They ask for our help in eliminating the Saint.”
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Chapter One Hundred: A Proposal Both Joyous and Cruel
I could feel the tension rising around me. Yet the most politically powerful figure in Orient, the Right Legate, as well as Lord Kuze of Meridiona, didn’t even bat an eye. It seemed that the emperor had already discussed the matter to a certain extent with them.
The emperor’s voice echoed in deafening silence. “Centoria is undergoing a national crisis due to the lack of a royal heir, poor weather that results in worse harvests, and an increase in the number of withered—those whose mana pools have dried up. Quite some time has passed since they summoned the tenth Saint, Lilly, to save them from their plight. But Lilly has not fulfilled her duties as the Saint and has instead brought on calamity by bewitching others with her magic. We hear that the Order of the Holy Knights is currently near the brink of utter destruction.”
I recalled the knights’ order of my birth land. The Order was the lynchpin in Centoria’s national defense, and depending on the circumstances, the organization held the second-most authority after the king and queen. I had long known that the Order was corrupt but never expected that it was so fragile that the Saint alone had been enough to cause its downfall.
“For many years,” the emperor continued, “Centoria has relentlessly contested the territory near the Iki tribe’s lands along the border between the two nations. Yet We believe that it is only with the help of Meridiona and the noble Kuze Ikinoka of the Iki tribe that Our medicine industry has flourished to this extent. In exchange for providing aid, We requested that Centoria cease all attacks on Meridiona and form a peace treaty as well as officially acknowledge the Meridionan king as legitimate. Centoria agreed.”
My chest grew hot. Not because of the spices I had consumed, but the fact that the war that had stolen my parents’ lives was ending at last.
“Wagtail Priestess Sai.”
I snapped out of my relief at the emperor’s address. “Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied immediately. It wasn’t yet the time to shed tears.
The emperor’s voice was steady and dignified. He spoke to me as the deity of Orient. “There is something We have not revealed to you until this moment for We lacked evidence.”
I noticed Lord Kuze’s gaze on me. He narrowed his fierce eyes and smiled—almost as if telling me that the emperor was going to give me good news.
“King Kuze Ikinoka has been granting refuge to two Centorian civilians at his estate for several years as esteemed guests. Due to the wounds they sustained when they were dragged into the conflict, they spent the first year in critical condition, but they recovered thereafter and have established a clinic on the monarch’s estate. There they have been offering their aid to Meridionan citizens injured as a result of the war.”
The entire world suddenly became deathly still. I could only register the emperor’s voice and a ringing in my ears, and my chest was so hot that I felt as if someone had poured magma into my heart. My hands trembled.
“Your parents, the previous Wagtail Priestess, Sae Cutrettola, and Doctor Dyth Cutrettola, are alive. Once the peace treaty is ratified between the two nations, if you wish, it will be possible for you to reunite with them.”
My mind was completely blank. I almost didn’t know where I was. I still remembered my last moments with them—how they had hugged me tight, the design of the carriage that I watched until it disappeared into the distance, the clip of horse hooves I listened to with my ears pressed against the soil until there was no trace of the sound left. My dear, dear parents, whom I thought I would never see again in my entire life.
“Sai. We ask that you lend your aid to eliminating the Saint for a peaceful future between Centoria and Meridiona.”
The moment the emperor finished his sentence, Lord Kuze looked at him. The Meridionan stood up from his seat, then kneeled on the ground, bowing formally. “Your Majesty Emperor Haruka of Orient. Pardon my interruption, but may I speak to the Wagtail Priestess as well?”
“You may.”
“You have my gratitude.” Lord Kuze turned. His gleaming, fiery eyes fixated on me. “As a symbol of the alliance between Orient and Meridiona, I have made preparations to take the Wagtail Priestess as my spouse. If you are willing to wed into my country, Lady Sai, I swear that we shall offer our protection to the Wagtail Priestess for eternity and guarantee that you will live with your parents.”
My first instinct was to look at the emperor. I couldn’t see his expression through his veil.
In a low, dignified voice, the emperor gently said, “If you wish for a life with your parents and to have offspring who will inherit your blood, We grant you permission to marry him. You may choose the path you desire.”