บท 18: Chapter 18. Foul swearing within the walls of the Temple
A modest carriage stopped in front of the once magnificent white temple, whose spires reached high into the sky. It was the only temple of God in the North — located in the capital. A girl with black, blue-blond hair and eyes like sapphires stepped out of the carriage. She had chosen a light-colored dress to attend the service, with no flashy hues and no jewelry.
Remesis looked around the dilapidated building in front of her. Several of the spires on the towers were missing. The paint on the walls was peeling in many places, and the courtyard looked long neglected and unkept. A decent capital carriage looked out of place in the midst of this backwater. It looked like the person she was waiting for was already here.
Despite the fact that there was an important church event going on today, there weren't many people around. The girl noticed only a few parishioners jostling at the entrance and whispering about something. When they saw the carriage with the coat of arms of the Northern Lord, they froze and stared in surprise at the man who suddenly decided to attend the service.
Today, as always, the weather was not favorable. Blobs of cold steam were coming out of his mouth. Remesis' cheeks were flushed pink, and if it weren't for her gaze, cold and penetrating, the girl could have easily passed for an adorable little girl. But children don't calculate their moves ahead and don't speak in such a serious voice:
— Wait for me outside.
— But.
— I have to go there alone.
Hannes hesitated, but the tone of his little mistress was such that it was impossible to object. The knight bowed and respectfully uttered:
— Your Highness, I will be here. If anything happens, call me at once.
— Alright.
Remesis frowned. «Is something really capable of happening in such a run-down place?»
The girl headed confidently towards the main entrance door. She had come to the temple alone, officially, on behalf of the Northern Lord. The princess herself did not go with her. The service began early in the morning and lasted several hours. Remesis saw no need to force Asil to go through all this, especially when she was unlikely to understand even the essence of what was going on.
It was obvious that Asil would be of no use in the negotiations. So there was no point in her presence. Still, the visit to the temple was Remesis' initiative in the first place. The girl was going to take charge of this endeavor from start to finish.
She packed up and left while the princess was still asleep. It was likely that when she returned, Asil would still be asleep and wouldn't even notice her absence. The two things the princess loved most in this life were eating and sleeping. And now who would have thought that this sleepy girl, with the most angelic expression on her face when she sleeps, is actually a mass murderer?
Appearances really are deceiving at times.
Remesis thought of the princess she had left to sleep in the castle until she entered the temple. The next moment she was already thinking of something else. From the main hall came the voice of a priest reciting prayers. The air in the temple was filled with incense. It looked like the ritual had already begun, and she was a little late.
Remesis quietly entered the hall and took a seat in a pew next to the rest of the congregation. About ten people had come to the rite dedicated to the repose of ancestors. They all folded their palms with their eyes closed, and together with the clergyman whispered prayers to the gods. Remesis, who didn't know any prayers, also folded her palms and pretended to pray with the others.
Though she had no one to pray for. The girl didn't have a single person whose well-being she wanted to ask for in the afterlife. That's assuming these things worked at all. Remesis continued to mutter scriptures to herself.
The Holy Father went through the steps of the ritual one by one. The whole thing had been going on for at least three hours. The clergy censored incense, voices sang, and people came one by one to place candles for their loved ones. The whole atmosphere, combined with the peculiar aroma of incense, affected Remesis like hypnosis. She woke up from it as the ceremony was nearing its end.
It turned out that several hours had already passed. Some of the congregation had stayed to pray before the icons themselves, but most had already dispersed. When she blinked a few times, as if coming to her senses, she belatedly noticed the priest beside her.
— I take it you are the new Lord of the North?
An elderly man in a cassock and long white robes looked down at Remesis. His wrinkled face looked tired. A long graying beard and wisps of gray hair at the back of his head. The stern gaze directed at Remesis was malevolent.
«So this is what the head of the Temple looks like,» Remesis mentally flashed through her mind.
— Remesis Rania Ashelot greets His Eminence, ' the girl bowed, picking up the hem of her skirt.
The Holy Father raised an upward eyebrow.
— I didn't expect you to actually come,» he murmured.
— Of course I came. After all, it was an invitation from the Temple. I am attending on behalf of my wife.
The Holy Father remained silent, continuing to look at the girl with his gray eyes with mixed emotions.
— So the princess couldn't come in person? — A clear disapproval was evident in his dry tone.
— Unfortunately, Her Highness was delayed by business,» Remesis smiled her pearly smile, «That is why I am here to pay my respects on her behalf.
The small child stood in front of a grown man and did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed. It was as if they were speaking as equals. This involuntarily surprised the priest, though he didn't show it. Formally, the temple sent out invitations to the service to all the lords of the major houses. Who would have thought that it would be the Lord of the North who would respond…
The Holy Father hesitated when Remesis suddenly suggested:
— Let's sit down for a while.
— What…?
— I need to talk to you.
The head of the temple was exhausted after the arduous journey and several hours of service. However, the girl in front of him was still an aristocrat after all. Furthermore, by marrying into the imperial family, Remesis had become a princess. No matter how low her status was, the temple couldn't help but show deference to such a person. The Holy Father paused for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.
— As you wish, Princess Rania.
Remesis married into the imperial family. After that, she also received a new name. Any bearer of the imperial family had two names. The first, used to address family and loved ones. The second, the official one, was for everyone else. Remezis' second name was «Rania» — meaning morning star.
However, her newly acquired name and title were of no use anyway. Remesis became the wife of an abandoned princess whom the Emperor had long ago disowned. People honored the girl with «Her Highness» only out of observance of formality. While in reality, she was barely respected as a member of the imperial family.
And now both the Holy Father and Remesis understood this.
They sat down on opposite sides of the pew. Remesis, not intending to prolong this conversation, spoke first:
— Your Eminence, what do you think of the cooperation between the north and the temple?
— What? — The cleric thought he had misheard.
— If the north and the temple become allies, how do you feel about that? — Remesis repeated her question.
Realizing the meaning of her words, the Holy Father frowned. Right now, he wasn't even trying to act like a complacent 'father of all men' when he spoke to Remesis.
— Your Highness, I really have no idea what you are talking about.
— I think I made myself quite clear,» Remesis replied nonchalantly, «Even though the temple is in decline, you still have something to feed your priests, right? In exchange for the patronage of the north, I ask for your financial support.
Upon hearing the phrase 'patronage of the north', the man couldn't stand it and laughed. Even Remesis realized how ridiculous her words sounded, but the girl's facial expression remained unwavering.
«Actually, it's quite ironic. Usually people come to the temple to make a donation. But in my situation, it seems to be the opposite…»
— May I ask what kind of patronage are you talking about? — the priest obviously asked this not out of genuine interest, but simply to maintain politeness.
But the princess answered surprisingly firmly:
— The patronage of which I speak includes full support for the activities of the temple. I will guarantee it to you after the coup d'état.
The priest, who had previously taken the child's words as nothing more than amusement, turned sharply pale at the words 'coup d'état'.
— Do not say such vile things within the walls of the temple! — he wailed angrily, looking back at the walls as if the gods might hear them.
— Vile? Why? Is not this what you yourselves deep down wish for?
The Holy Father glared at Remesis like an enraged buffalo. But it had no effect on the girl.
— Your Highness, if you continue to say such things, I will be forced to ask you to leave the temple,» he gritted his teeth in a last-ditch effort to remain polite.
— So you're banishing me?
— ...
— In that case, don't you care about the future of your brethren? Are you just going to let the Astrological Order continue to trample you?
When Remesis mentioned the name of that organization, the priest's face reflected an expression as if she had uttered a terrible curse within the walls of the temple. If they had been outside, he would have spat immediately. But in God's abode, the man had to restrain himself.
— Your Highness, this area has nothing to do with you,» he replied rather sharply.
The priest seemed determined to get the girl out of here as soon as possible. But Remesis's intransigence in this matter denied him any chance. She replied calmly:
— You are right. The relationship between you two is none of my business. However, something, even I know. With the current order of the country, the temple will not last long. You can't deny that no influential house, much less the emperor, has been supporting you for a long time, right?
— You… You…!
Remesis' mouth was filled with what he considered to be a blatant insult.
— You know without me that the basis of everything is to have powerful patrons. Especially among the nobility. No organization can survive long without that kind of support. Even without a credible threat, you're still doomed.
— What makes you think that will happen? — The priest said curtly.
— Do I need any special knowledge to understand simple arithmetic? With your current reserves, without additional donations, you will soon have nothing to feed your people. Isn't that so?
The Holy Father chuckled.
— And yet you're still asking for material support? I'm sorry to say that, but… It's too insolent.
— It's okay. I know exactly how it sounds.
— Then how do you expect me to trust you? Let me ask you, who's running the North now?
— I do.
The priest couldn't hold back an ironic chuckle.
«A child is running the north by himself? And this same child offers to make a deal with him? That even sounds absurd.»
Usually, if a child became the ruler of any lands at an early age, a regent was appointed. Often an older relative or other trusted person was chosen for this role. This person governed the lands on behalf of the real lord until the child came of age.
This practice was widespread. After all, no one in their right mind would entrust responsibility for so many people and territories to someone who had only recently learned to go potty. To hope that a twelve year old youngster could take matters into his own hands was simply insane. However, that was exactly what happened in the north.
In Fortress North, there was not a single person suitable for the role. The emperor had also not sent anyone. Thus, the entire responsibility truly fell on the child. This was another reason why everyone thought that North wouldn't last long.
— Your Highness, let me ask you a question. How old are you?
— I am eight,» she answered without hesitation.
— And you became the Princess's regent?
— That's right. While my wife studies, I will act in her place.
It all seemed absurd to the Holy Father. A little girl, even younger than the Duchess herself, a Regent? That is nothing short of nonsense.
— Your Highness, I don't think I can really be interested in your proposal…
— Really? — Even after being refused, the Princess's expression didn't change, — Are you sure about that?
— Yes. Although, of course, if you continue to insist, we can talk about it later, when you're older…
«If you live to see our next meeting,» was the unfinished thought in his mind.
Suddenly, a smile lit up Remesis' face. Just as the priest was about to stand up and politely bow out, he froze in bewilderment. The girl suddenly approached and said to him almost in his ear what only he and no one else should have heard.
With each word the Holy Father's pupils grew wider and wider. He stared anxiously at Remesis. For a moment, fear appeared in his gaze.
— …Is this information enough to make a deal with you?
The priest licked his parched lips.
— How… How do you…
— It's my secret, '' Remesis smiled charmingly.
The Holy Father stared at her suspiciously. Still…
— I will give you time. You can think before you decide to give your answer. But I remind you: the future of the temple depends on it.
— .....
— Fortress North is always open to your letters and suggestions.
Silence reigned in the temple. The priest tensed and clenched his fists. Remesis, for her part, was unfazed. They gazed into each other's faces in silence. However, after a few seconds, their tense conversation was interrupted. There was a soft creaking sound, and the main doors leading into the temple opened.
As a wide streak of light fell upon them, Remesis saw a man with her. At the sight of him, the girl's gaze involuntarily wavered. The visitor took a few weightless steps, so gracefully that she seemed to float on the wings of a butterfly.
— I apologize for being late. I was really hoping to make it to today's service. But I think it's too late…
Remesis lost her composure in an instant. The Holy Father also stared at her tensely, recognizing the corresponding symbol on her clothing. The emblem of the highest ranks of the astrological order.
When the girl looked into her green eyes, she caught her breath. She herself didn't know why.
Liana Daehsin, the successor to the head of the Astrological Order. The girl who would become Katrina's wife in the future. Also… The older sister of Asil's mistress.
***
Chapter 24 is already available on Boosty: https://boosty.to/meredit
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