* * *

That afternoon—

Zahid stormed into my room, bringing not only the Emperor but also Julian with him.

“Rosie.”

He smiled gently and spoke with a worried tone.

“I’m here. Did you sleep well yesterday?”

His voice was as sweet as could be, but I only nodded with a sour expression. The conversation I had earlier with Linna was still lingering in my mind.

—“Think about the Entoho incident. That lunatic did everything he could to ditch me and be alone with you. He made such a fuss about it.”—

Now that I thought about it, Zahid had never once visited me alone while I was hospitalized.

Whether it was Theo, Ethan, or Shulva, he always brought someone with him. Even today, he came with the Emperor and Julian.

I had simply thought it was all coincidence, but after what Linna said, it seemed there might have been more to it.

If he truly had a strong will, then what was stopping him from coming alone? He did it during the Entoho mission!

The memory of him placing a ring on my finger in the dimensional space, declaring he would love me to the end, felt like something from a lifetime ago.

The ring he gave me didn’t even apply in the real world, so my ring finger remained empty.

‘But why hasn’t he given me the ring yet?’

He still wore two rings on his own ring finger.

‘Is he hesitating because he doesn’t want to give it up?’

Still, he was too extreme about protecting the Temple’s security to doubt his affection outright.

While I was lost in thought, the Emperor and Julian seated themselves beside me.

“Your Majesty, I greet you. Please forgive me for receiving you like this.”

“Spare the formality, Rosierosie. It’s been a while. I’m sorry I’m only coming now.”

“No, it’s fine. I heard you’ve been very busy.”

This was the first time I’d seen the Emperor since Aietar’s death.

Apparently, after the Empress Dowager’s condition worsened, he had taken over full control of imperial affairs and had been extremely busy.

The one who aggravated her condition—was none other than Linna. When she threw her last tantrum, it just so happened that the Empress Dowager was staying at the Idra Duchy.

They said she inhaled too much dust and worsened her existing illness.

To make matters worse, there were many high-ranking priests in Arhad at the time, so she couldn’t even receive urgent treatment.

“Well, I’ve got a lot to do, but I’m feeling pretty energized.”

The Emperor laughed casually.

“One of the reasons is the coronation of the new High Priest. As for Temple matters, I heard Rosierosie has been giving very meticulous instructions.”

“Ah...”

“It’s impressive you’re still working even while sick. The papers are praising you to the skies. Though, I might have applied a little pressure...”

The Emperor handed me a newspaper, and I nodded vaguely as I looked at it.

All I’d done was bark orders at Shulva from bed, but apparently that had been enough to impress the outside world.

The Temple Finds Its Stability Again – Rosie Noart Handles Duties Efficiently Even During Illness

The journalist, clearly influenced by some imperial lobbying, had written a very flattering article.

It claimed I had cleaned up the Temple’s internal disputes in Arhad, exposed long-standing corruption, and was now working to reintegrate it into society.

Given that public opinion toward the Temple had been steadily souring over the past nine years, the effect was quite decent.

“Aietar’s corruption is also being featured almost daily in the papers now.”

The Emperor grinned with pride.

It was only then that the reality of succeeding the High Priest’s seat hit me.

“Well, people who aren’t familiar with the situation don’t feel much about the change... but with backing from the great noble houses and the imperial family, there’s no problem.”

“Yes...”

“Marquess Sinesse was a huge help. He usually doesn’t get involved in things, so the impact was even greater.”

While I was recovering in bed, Abraham had officially endorsed me as the next High Priest.

As a “wretch” from the “Noart Family,” there had been some controversy over my legitimacy, but that endorsement made up for it.

The Sinesse Marquessate, if nothing else, held great sway in Temple matters.

“Even though the Temple promised to repay their aid from 500 years ago, the family always stayed in the background. This is the first time they’ve stepped forward for the High Priest’s legitimacy, so no one can disregard it.”

The High Priest’s legitimacy...

To be honest, it still felt surreal.

I’d even briefly considered handing the position over to Yuta.

But I wasn’t so lacking in self-respect that I’d step down just to avoid breaking the tradition of “he who has the most divine power shall be the High Priest.”

And even if it didn’t help much, the prophecy had said: “The one who rules your Divine Beast shall rule the Temple.”

Given that, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad to accept it with humility.

At the very least, I was confident I could improve the treatment of apprentices faster than anyone else.

“I’m really grateful to the Marquess. But is it okay for the Sinesse territory to be left unattended for so long?”

“Well, there’s a coronation coming, so the Marquess’s son—who had been doing business abroad—had to return in a hurry. He said he wouldn’t come back until things were profitable, but I guess he had to compromise.”

The Emperor answered casually.

“We scheduled the coronation for about a month from now. Zahid, will the Temple reconstruction be completed by then?”

“Yes.”

Zahid, who had been standing quietly, answered curtly.

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.

“Oh, Rosierosie. While we’re here—”

As our conversation drew to a close, Julian brought up something serious.

“I was just talking to Shulva earlier... apparently the Temple has this weird marriage culture? After measuring divine compatibility, they form engagements—no force involved, but still.”

“Oh, right.”

I widened my eyes and nodded.

“To maximize the divine power of their children, people willingly participated in those arrangements.”

Nine years ago, Monica and Felide had even fabricated a fake fiancé for me using that Temple tradition.

“Surprisingly, since divine power equates to status in the Temple, they often marry just to produce powerful offspring.”

Rather than seeking true love, they prioritized bearing children with stronger divine power.

In fact, Aietar himself was said to be born from such a “perfect pairing.”

“Maybe that’s why Yuta was so popular in the Temple. Having a lot of divine power doesn’t guarantee powerful kids, but there’s definitely a trend.”

“What?”

Julian’s eyes bulged with rage.

“So the Temple bastards are going to target you now! Because you have the most divine power!”

At those words, Zahid’s eyes, which had been calm until now, suddenly turned sharp.

I shrugged and said,

“That applies to you too, you know? Female Holy Knights like strong male ones. It’s easier to raise kids together in the Temple, so many prefer internal marriages...”

I hadn’t even finished speaking when—crack.

It was the sound of the armrest on the Emperor’s chair breaking.

“That disgusting custom...”

The Emperor ground his teeth.

“We must abolish it immediately, Rosierosie.”

“Abolish... what?”

“Internal marriage! Temple internal marriage! That perverse, isolationist tradition needs to be wiped out!”

“Agreed.”

Zahid, who had been silent until now, spoke fiercely.

“All insular groups become narrow-minded. Narrow-mindedness leads to corruption, corruption leads to malign influence, and from there, the Empire suffers, and eventually the continent is engulfed in flames. This custom must be eradicated.”

“...Well, it’s not like they’re forced to do it, so ‘engulfed in flames’ might be a stretch...”

I tilted my head in disbelief, but the Emperor shouted fervently.

“Flames across the continent—unacceptable! Absolutely not! Internal marriage must be banned with full force!”

“No, I mean... if they just fall in love naturally, what’s the point of banning it...”

I muttered awkwardly—then suddenly, a thought struck me, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and my eyes widened.

Wait a second, this might be...

Smiling slyly to myself, I turned to my brother and spoke innocently.

“By the way, Julian, did you know? In the past, Holy Knight Captains were banned from marrying too. They were meant to be symbols of chastity and restraint. What do you think of that?”

“I don’t care if—”

“No, that won’t do! Why would we forbid marriage too—”

The Emperor, bursting in mid-sentence, suddenly stopped and his eyes sparkled.

Then he began mumbling to himself,

“If I can’t have it... maybe it’s better if no one can...”