# 16
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“No, it's not like that...”
“However, can’t you change the way you call me? You almost called me Duke in front of people earlier, didn’t you?”
Matthias pointed out Elinor's mistake.
Elinor felt embarrassed, and lowered her eyes as she mumbled.
“…I don’t want to call you the baby’s father.”
“So, call me darling.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Why do you think it's a joke?”
“Your Highness the Duke!”
“Just kidding, if you feel uncomfortable, call me Matthias.”
Matthias clicked his tongue.
“You should be able to call me by my name so that you can summon me if necessary.”
“But...”
“In dangerous moments like today, you don't stay silent. Do you, my child?”
“Aww.”
The child hummed in time, as if agreeing with his words.
Matthias laughed lightly.
“You heard? Even the child agrees.”
“…It's a coincidence.”
“Then, I expect you to call me properly from tomorrow. And if you’re done talking, can’t you free me?”
“What? What do you mean...”
“Don't you think we're too close now?”
Elinor finally realized that she was wrapping her arms around the Duke and pressing him against the wall.
Their bodies were about to connect.
Elinor quickly backed away, terrified.
“This is wrong.”
"truly?"
"Anyway, as long as it's over with James, it's over. That's all I wanted to ask. Get out now."
“You drag me here as you please, and then you send me away as you please. Okay, that's okay.”
Fortunately, Matthias shrugged his shoulders and turned around obediently.
Elinor secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But at that moment, his voice was heard above her head.
“You and the baby may have been very surprised today, so rest well.”
Elinor raised her head in surprise.
But Matthias had already opened the door and left her room.
Why the Duke...
He was a cruel villain in the original story, but he treats me so kindly?
Is this the villain's plan to make me lower my guard and then steal the baby?
Elinor rubbed her ears.
She felt a strange feeling as if her heart was tickling her.
* * *
The Church of Aseria was founded with the founding of the empire, and has a history spanning two hundred years.
In the central temple, which carries a great legacy, the high priests from all over the country gathered for the first time in a while.
“This is very unfortunate.”
A brown-skinned man hit the table.
He was in charge of the Western Province, and this was the first time he had attended a meeting of the high priests.
“The disappearance of the sacred object? How did the center manage the sacred objects? I have never heard of a sacred object being stolen.”
“We apologize for this matter.”
A priest from the center wiped the dripping sweat.
“How could we have expected a holy knight to betray an oath of allegiance, even while bearing the curse?”
Everyone who is registered in the church records receives blessings, such as longevity and health, but remains bound to the church for life.
If he breaks the covenant, he faces the wrath of a ruler and pays with his life.
The western priest snorted angrily.
“Are you tracking him?”
“Of course. We follow him using the remaining sacred pieces. He will never escape.”
“The Holy Knight will be captured in the end.”
A white-haired priestess muttered softly.
“The problem is if he hands over the sacred piece to the Saint Candidate.”
When I brought up this possibility, the priests' expressions darkened.
“A saintly candidate is just a candidate, not subject to the control of a ruling force.”
“He is a thief who stole the sacred object. Isn’t it enough to issue an arrest warrant and punish him according to Sharia and the law of the Empire?”
"It's not that simple. The Holy Artifact can hide his identity for a lifetime. Since she's a Saint Candidate, using the Artifact might be easy for her…"
“And what’s worse is that the candidate is Charlotte Winston.”
One of the priests said in a serious voice.
“She was considered to have the most holy power among the Next Saint candidates. If we treated her as an enemy, she might become afraid and hide. Wouldn’t it be better to coax her back willingly?”
"If we had terminated the saint's ection early, this would not have happened. Leaving her in an ambiguous position as a candidate for a long period of time allowed her to avoid the wrath of a ruler."
“Charlotte Winston ed.”
“Why is this candidate given special privileges? It is true that she has the strongest holy power, but she is just a candidate. The position of Saint has never been vacant for such a long time before.”
Never in the history of the empire has the position of saint been absent.
In fact, a woman of saintly descent became an empress.
The saint was familiar with the people and received much respect and love.
“There's a lot of talk up there about why we haven't chosen the next saint.”
“Be careful when you say ‘the highest.’ They are not above us.”
“I agree. On the contrary, they receive blessings with the permission of the ruler of Arasia.”
“Isn't that rude? They are people who would not have power without the power of a ruler...”
Those who have negative feelings towards others release their complaints.
The people sitting next to them nodded in agreement.
At that moment, the elderly high priest, sitting in the main seat, calmly opened his mouth.
“Charlotte Winston will be chosen as the next saint.”
Attendance frequency.
Someone asked:
“Is this their will?”
“Their will.”
So, it's understandable why Charlotte Winston was given privileges.
But at the same time, there was a greater need to find the disappeared Holy Knight, Holy Artifact, and Saint Candidate more quickly.
The priests continued the meeting with a more serious atmosphere.
Without realizing that someone following Matthias' orders was eavesdropping on their conversation from inside the ceiling of the meeting room.
* * *
It is not known how Matthias did it, but from that day on, James stopped harassing Elinor.
“They say he doesn't leave the house these days. He hides under the covers, shivering in his room.”
"truly?"
“Yes. Thanks to that, everyone feels comfortable. In fact, no one liked James.”
It seems that Matthias scolded him severely and scared him well.
Matthias was relieved to hear the news about the man.
"He was a suspicious person. If left unchecked, he would have certainly harmed the child."
Is he talking about himf now?
Anyway, thanks to him, life became more comfortable.
Elinor liked this aspect, so she decided to acknowledge him.
Since the search for Charlotte took time, the Duke stayed in the village for a long time.
As Elinor began to get used to his presence, an unexpected problem arose.
“The management of the weed field is entrusted to me?”
“You are also a resident of the village. As a citizen, you should contribute to the village.”
Suddenly, the village chief came to the inn and gave her a task.
After he left, Elinor was lost in thought.
The village's public herb field was located on the back hill.
But, despite being called a public field, it was effectively abandoned land.
Since last year, wild boars have been coming down the mountain, destroying the field, and threatening people's safety.
Elinor murmured, thinking.
“This appears to be retaliation over the James case.”
She didn't think James, who had already been taught a lesson, was the one who moved.
He was rude and violent, but he cared too much about himf and was a coward.
“When I asked him what he did to James, he clearly didn’t answer...”
Why wasn't it resolved elegantly?
Is he really the evil duke?