-Eric’s Perspective-
I DIDN’T HAVE MANY FRIENDS. Perhaps this had something to do with the fact that I had many foes. I was sure nobody was strange enough to want to face peril every day.
Philip Gilbert was one of the few friends I had. His father, Duke Gilbert, was a longtime friend of my father, which is how he and I became childhood friends. Frankly, aside from early childhood, I never had a friend I could wholly trust.
Assassins threatened my life every day, and I was constantly beset by adversaries. I was slow to trust—that was why longtime friends like Philip were so important to me.
“Prince Eric! Oh, something terrible has happened! Saint Leia is an evil woman!”
One day, Philip came to me in distress, claiming Saint Leia had a rotten personality. It was unusual for Philip to be so forthright in his condemnations. At the very least, I’d never heard him make a declaration like this before, so I assumed it was rather serious.
After all, Leia Westoria was Philip’s wife-to-be. And a saint, no less. Since there were only three saints in Elshaid, the church screened them to make certain there were no flaws in their character.
So I wondered what this Saint Leia must have done for my friend to be so strident in his criticisms. I decided I would start by hearing Philip’s side of the story.
“Slow down, you’re not making any sense. Tell me in detail, what did Leia do?” I soothed the seething Philip so he could relay the events with precision.
Due to the fact that I couldn’t attend parties often for fear of assassination attempts, I was not acquainted with Leia, but since I attended the saint confirmation ceremony, I at least knew what she looked like: blonde hair, blue eyes, and exuding a strong-willed aura.
“F-forgive me, Your Highness! Anyway, do you know what sort of person her little sister is?!”
“Saint Leia’s little sister, you say? Nothing comes to mind, but I do vaguely recall her appearance. I’ve never spoken with her, though.”
Hmm. Leia’s little sister… I have a vague sense she was also at the confirmation…
I knew all the names of the government officials from top to bottom, but I didn’t know the names of all the daughters of the nobility. If I had attended parties regularly, I might have learned some of them, though.
“Well, Leia’s little sister is named Jill, and she’s such a lovely, elegant little lady,” Philip explained, sensing I didn’t know her.
Aha. Jill Westoria… So that’s the name of Leia’s little sister.
According to Philip, Jill was as beautiful as a flower.
“Jill has dreamed of being a saint all her life! She endured the grueling examination process and made it all the way to the finals! But unfortunately, Leia was chosen over her in the end!”
“It can’t be helped; there was only one open position.”
“Yes, and Jill said as much! She said that her sister was a genius and more worthy of the position!”
“Well, if she understands that, then I don’t see the problem.”
According to the Aejis Faith, the number of saints was limited to three. It was a strict rule with no exceptions. And because it was such an exclusive profession, many girls dreamed of being saints when they grew up.
If Jill still acknowledged Leia’s talents in spite of her own dreams being crushed, I could sympathize with the girl, but I didn’t see any major problem…
“Your Highness, this is the most important part. Are you listening?”
“I can hear you just fine, you don’t need to stand so close! I’m not going to run and hide or anything, so please, just say what you’re going to say.”
“F-forgive me. I just got carried away… Leia, knowing it was Jill’s dream to become a saint, has taken to flaunting her status as a saint. For example…”
From Philip’s testimony, I gathered that Leia had psychologically tormented Jill. Knowing full well that Jill was struggling to get over her grief of not becoming a saint, Leia mocked her for not being chosen, breaking Jill’s heart.
“When Jill came to me with tears in her eyes, telling me of Leia’s abuse, I couldn’t bear to look at her. Oh-oh…! Your Highness, do you understand?! How tragic for poor, fragile Jill! Oh-ohh, oh-ohhh!”
Philip…no need for you to cry.
I couldn’t stand to see tears in Philip’s eyes. That was my first time seeing him weep—to be honest, I was shocked.
What in the world was wrong with the church? I thought they thoroughly screened saint candidates not only for their arcane abilities but for their moral rectitude as well. At the very least, the church wouldn’t choose the sort of lady who would belittle her sister’s feelings.
Seeing my friend cry for the first time made my heart burn with rage.
So the government isn’t the only thing in Elshaid that’s rotten…the church is too.
This meant more work for me, but there was no point in complaining. I was used to making many enemies by then. My heart had a strong sense of justice that I couldn’t—no, didn’t want to—betray. It seemed I would need to meet this Leia Westoria.
“Anyway, I’m breaking off my engagement to Leia! I’ve come to tell you so, since I had promised I would introduce her to you last time we spoke!”
“Breaking off the engagement? Ah, good. Do as you wish. Philip…I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, but can you swear to me that what you said was completely truthful? I trust you aren’t spreading falsehoods about Leia’s misdeeds?”
“Of course not, Your Highness. I’ve known you since we were small lads; I know how much you detest lies. I have never once lied to you, my prince.”
“Of course. I was just making sure. All right then, I will put my faith in our friendship.”
And so, in hearing Philip’s testimony, I decided to meet the saint named Leia who was allegedly abusing her little sister. As luck would have it, the royal family assigned saintly tasks through the church. While the three saints’ tasks differed, it was quite easy to track down Leia’s whereabouts.