Chapter: 23
“You said let’s go to your house, so why are we going to the Imperial Palace?”
“Okay.”
At the answer without a hint of hesitation, Dana let out a small laugh.
“You should at least hear where it is first.”
“If it’s a place you want to go, sunbae-nim, I’ll follow anywhere.”
Dana brushed off his almost blind devotion as a joke.
But Edwin was completely sincere.
It wasn’t just that he would follow—if it was where Dana was, he would go anywhere.
Unaware of the pitch-black sincerity filling Edwin’s mind, she smiled brightly.
“Let’s go to the temple.”
“Why the temple…?”
Before he could even finish speaking, Edwin realized.
At the same time, lights of joy flickered on all through his mind.
“…To receive a marriage certificate?”
“Yeah, I told you. I want to marry you as soon as possible.”
To submit a marriage certificate to the Empire, three approvals were required.
The bride, the groom, and a priest who would certify their marriage before God.
Dana continued,
“It’s still daytime, so if we leave now, we’ll make it in time.”
“…Then today, we become husband and wife.”
Edwin’s voice trembled in disbelief.
Was it really okay for happiness to come one after another like this?
It was an overwhelming, dizzying joy.
Dana took Edwin’s dazed hand.
“Let’s hurry to the square and take a carriage. The closest temple is still on the outskirts of the capital.”
As Dana moved ahead, urging them to hurry, she suddenly stopped as if something occurred to her.
“Come to think of it, isn’t the Founding Festival soon?”
“Is there a problem?”
“I heard that when the festival approaches, the priests stay in the Imperial Palace to give blessings.”
If they were unlucky, they might not meet a priest today.
That couldn’t happen.
Whether legally or by divine recognition, Edwin had to make Dana his wife as soon as possible.
As that thought crossed his mind, Edwin smiled brightly.
“Sunbae-nim.”
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t the closest temple the Imperial Palace temple?”
There was a temple inside the Imperial Palace.
It had been built to maintain friendly relations between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Several high-ranking priests from the Holy Kingdom stayed there and prayed for the Empire’s well-being.
“That’s true. But the priests there exist to serve the royal family.”
“Why?”
“They’re very arrogant.”
In other words, they didn’t care about lower nobles or commoners.
Just because they stayed in the Imperial Palace.
And yet, during the Emperor’s birthday, they received enormous budgets to hold blessing ceremonies.
Where did all that money go?
The corner of Edwin’s lips curled upward.
He said to Dana,
“Let’s go to the Imperial Palace temple.”
“What?”
“If those who represent God discriminate against people, does that make sense?”
Standing beside Dana, he held out one arm.
“What is this?”
“Married couples are supposed to link arms.”
Hurry. At Edwin’s urging, Dana gently took his arm.
At the same time, Edwin’s lips curved upward.
Their appearance—like a couple to anyone who saw them—pleased him immensely.
A temple was supposed to be a place where all were equal before God, no matter where on the continent.
From commoners to high nobles, anyone could come and go.
But just as Dana said, the Imperial Palace temple was different.
The priests here had memorized the faces of royalty and high-ranking nobles.
To grant noble blessings to noble people—
that was what they believed their duty to be.
That was why—
they looked at the two of them, who appeared to be nothing more than low-ranking officials, with clear discomfort.
They didn’t recognize their uniforms, nor had they ever seen their faces before.
As if to say, how dare they come here.
A priest approached, sneering at Dana and Edwin.
“What brings you here?”
“We’ve come to have our marriage certified.”
Seeing Edwin’s smiling face, the priest felt a strange sense of familiarity.
He looks like someone…
But that didn’t matter.
With a mocking expression, the priest replied,
“This is not a place for that.”
“What do you mean, not a place for that?”
“Well, how should I explain…”
He looked Dana and Edwin up and down.
“This is a place that serves only distinguished individuals…”
“So you’re saying I’m insignificant.”
At Edwin’s response, the priest simply smiled.
A smile that clearly meant, If you understand, then leave.
It was only natural that the priests didn’t recognize Edwin, the Third Prince.
First, Edwin had spent a long time in the North.
Second, he hated blessing ceremonies.
He always skipped them with various excuses.
No priest ever went to seek him out either.
After all, the story of the Third Prince burning the High Priest’s beard was famously well known.
Because of that, whenever he came to the palace, the priests had no choice but to keep their distance.
Just then—
in the distance, the High Priest could be seen.
As expected, he had come for the upcoming Founding Festival.
Glancing briefly at him, Edwin whispered to the priest in front of him,
“Do you think the High Priest feels the same way as you?”
“H-how dare you speak of the High Priest like that!”
At the agitated priest, Edwin smiled.
But his red eyes burned sharply.
The priest flinched at the piercing aura.
He had never felt such intimidation in his life.
Edwin led Dana to a nearby bench and sat her down.
“Sunbae-nim, I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“To check if we can get the marriage certified.”
At that, Dana shot a glare at the priest in front of them.
“I doubt it. Just look at this one—so arrogant.”
“That may be true, but I’ll still check.”
At her blunt criticism, the priest’s face turned red.
“I’ll be back. You just enjoy the flowers, sunbae-nim.”
With those words, Edwin quickly disappeared.
He walked straight toward the High Priest.
“How dare you approach the High Priest!”
A priest blocked his path, but was easily shoved aside by Edwin’s strength.
As if making sure Dana could hear, Edwin said loudly,
“Oh dear, it seems you tripped.”
His tone was shameless, as if he had done nothing wrong.
The fallen priest let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Dana looked at him and asked,
“Weapons aren’t allowed in here, right?”
“That’s correct. Are you worried something might happen to him?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Dana looked at him coldly.
“I’m worried about you. Since you don’t know what I might do.”
At her chilling words, the priest cleared his throat awkwardly.
Dana didn’t take back what she said.
Because she had decided—
she would protect the gentle Edwin.
High Priest Rojas had lived a peaceful life.
Born with divine power and a brilliant mind, he had quickly risen to become a priest.
And at a young age, he had already become the High Priest.
The words that came from his mouth were sacred, and every action he took was graceful.
Because of that, everyone revered him.
—or at least, he believed they would.
His first and last trial came suddenly.
Rojas would never forget that day for as long as he lived.
It was a very special day.
For the Founding Festival, he had given blessings to many people, including the royal family.
Rojas did not think his blessings were long.
Rather, he believed it was a blessing for those who listened.
“…God loves all of you. That is why He has sent someone as capable as me into this world…”
“I’m bored.”
…What was that just now?
A sentence that should not exist in his life reached his ears.
Rojas quickly rubbed his ears. He must have misheard.
His blessing continued.
“…When I was seventeen, with greater divine power than anyone else…”
“This isn’t a blessing, it’s self-praise.”
Again, something strange was heard.
Could it be… a demon?
Perhaps this was a trial given to him by God.
Rojas swallowed hard.
“…Now we are about halfway through the blessing. Next, I will…”
And at that moment—
before he could finish saying they were halfway—
his beard suddenly caught fire.
“Kyaaaak!!”
It really is a demon!
High Priest Rojas screamed loudly.
The small flame danced teasingly at the tip of his beard.
Of course, even that was terrifying to Rojas.
The dozing priests hurriedly grabbed holy water from beside them.
But before they could throw it, the flame died down.
As if it had only meant to frighten him.
In the end, his legs gave out and he collapsed.
In his fading consciousness, he heard the Emperor’s voice.
“Edwin! If you keep that up, your father will get angry!”
Edwin? The Third Prince?
The youngest prince he had blessed at birth.
The one said to possess the power of fire.
At that moment, the High Priest met Edwin’s eyes.
Those terrifyingly calm eyes—
were like a demon’s.
And that demon was now walking toward him again.
After many years, facing the grown figure of that demon—
“….”
Rojas couldn’t say a single word.
