Violet Blooming in Patronage

"There are no two suns under the sky."

The Count Lysell said. He rested his head on his forehead as if very tired. The Marquis Ermengart also nodded silently. There are no two suns under the sky. But there were two suns, and the one that couldn't be the sun was pretending to be the sun. But the sky sent another sun.

"I thought it would be noisy in the temple, but it was noisy at first then quiet, I don't know what the Duke is up to."

The Count Lysell said so and tilted his glass to the silver cup. He saw the faint sunlight through the curtains. The Marquis was gazing at the light. The red wine, which contrasted with the silver cup, passed through the light and shone red.

"Is there no attempt to contact you on the Pope's side?"

The Marquis answered the Count Lysell's question.

"No, not at all. It's rather disconcerting. To have the Saintess who appeared so prominently that she would not otherwise make any contact in the temple."

"......"

"You know, His Majesty doesn't like this decision. If the Saintess from the poor is not a useful card, then His Majesty's heart will be greatly grieved."

The Count Lysell said with a frown on his face. The Marquis Ermengart answered.

"It's certainly a great disappointment if you're silent because it's not a useful card. But I think it's a very useful parameter, so they may not rush in. They're the ones who decide the value of a card."

"......I should hope so."

Count Lysell sighed. The Marquis Ermengart also felt tired. In the past few days, the King's sensitivity had gone too far, and he seemed to have been unable to sleep for days because of the strange confrontation with the temple. Furthermore, the Duke Tigernan sent a telegram stating that he was in a hurry to come here for the appearance of the Saintess, but he stayed in the Papal States again. What kind of intention is that? He has always been a strange, unknown person, but this decision was incomprehensible. Is this also the Pope's order? Or is it his will?

"I understand why His Majesty hates temples, but at this rate, if we go on like this, we will follow the precedent of the previous Kings......"

"Stop speaking."

The Marquis reconciled the Count Lysell's words. But the Count Lysell's speculation was reasonable. If you openly show hostility towards the temple, the same thing will happen again and again. It was something that was still being talked about in secret. For 100 years when the Saintess disappeared and there was no God's agent, the temple was corrupted. As the Duke Tigernan moved, the corruption of the temple became even worse. It was supposed to be governed by strict discipline within the temple, but the Pope ignored it. Their authority has grown to the point that they threaten the royal power. Since the accession of Pope Lindo, the one who ascended to the papacy by the unanimous consent of the priests, the temple has become more corrupted, and a clash between the monarchy and the priesthood has already been predestined. But no one expected this result.

It was the King's defeat.

The previous King expelled the high priest from the royal palace, searched the temple in the capital, uncovered corruption, and confiscated his property. The previous King also declared that he had the right to appoint the priest, and he intended to impose a tax on the temple as well. This was done on the calculation that the Pope, who had not been appointed, would lower his tail. The people were groaning and condemning the corruption of the temple. The public sentiment has already turned to the temple, so the Pope has no choice but to abide by it.

But the Pope broke everyone's expectations. He had declared that the King was deceived by Malum. And at the same time, a natural disaster occurred in the country. There were floods, droughts, earthquakes, and plagues just in time. However, the temple did not provide any support.

But the Papal States, in which Pope Lindo resided, were at peace from any disaster. People said that the temple he lived in was a sacred place with a subtle light. At a time when even the capital was at stake, the Pope released the priests to rescue the people. The people who pointed their fingers at the temple praised the Pope as if they turned their hands upside down. The King was deceived by the devil, and there were even rumors that the Duke Tigernan, the King's brother and closest aide to the Pope, should ascend to the throne. The king persevered. He did everything he could. But with the succession of his young son threatened, the king had only one option.

The Marquis still remembered. No, not everyone would forget it. It was a cold winter day, and the metal armor they wore warmed up coldly. As the bodyguard and friend of the current King, who was the prince at the time, he was by the King's side, and he clearly watched the time of humiliation.

The King, the sun fell to his knees. It couldn't have been a holy kingdom, however powerful it is. The Marquis and his father, who had sworn allegiance, had to hold back their tears as well. The image of seeking forgiveness before the Pope standing in the snow. The head was struck on the stairs, blood flowed on the forehead of the previous king, and the crown, which symbolized his authority, fell from his head and rolled over.

The prince, the current King, who was standing next to him as a prince at that time, was swallowing tears. And the Marquis was to remember for a while. The figure of the young cardinal who was watching it. It was the young Duke Tigernan, a cardinal, who greeted the King standing barefoot. He was the younger brother of the previous King and the uncle of the current King.

With a strange smile, he led his brother, who knelt down on his knees, into the temple. And the Pope's forgiveness was granted. The Pope sat under the veil and simply ordered by hand, and the Duke Tigernan read it. Although he was the younger brother of the previous King, he was a duke as close to his son's age. He was a duke who entered the temple to give up the throne. No one would have known that he had such a plan. The King bowed his head to his brother and the undisclosed Pope. It would be an unprecedented humiliation for both the previous King and the current King.

The incident at that time was so great that it was impossible to even engrave it in the history books. The previous King also keep a low profile toward the temple after that event. Ironically enough, when the previous King was forgiven, the natural disaster stopped. He suffered from a mental illness and fell into a frenzy, burning all the holy relics left in the castle. The previous King, who had a gentle nature like calm water, but had to kneel before the temple, burned his hatred of the temple in the end. In the end, he didn't know what the last conversation the prince had with him, who had gone mad without being able to overcome the humiliation, was. The sword just has to follow its master. And just accept his orders.

"There cannot be two suns under the sky."

It also refers to the King and the Pope. There were even the Pope and the Saintess. The Saintess was such a being. It was something that neither the King nor the Pope can welcome. The Pope, who had the highest position as a messenger of God, and the representative of God could not be equal. But the Pope remained silent. Wasn't it a defeat to not acknowledge her as the Saintess? That was not the case, given the attitude of the high priests. They were acknowledging the Saintess from the beginning. It was only natural that the girl with the stigma on her forehead and the silver hair in the history books with eyes the same color as the sky during the day was the Saintess. It could never be imitated.

"Father!"

Then the door swung open. As the door opened, the sunlight in the hallway poured into the dark room. The red-haired girl ran into the Count Lysell and hugged him.

"Oh my, is our Sis here?!"

The Marquis' expression changed strangely. He was still not used to it. How can you adapt to such a changing face when you see your daughter? It was absolutely impossible for the Marquis. It was something he could never do. Then suddenly, the Marquis realized that he was considering whether he could do it, assuming that he was doing it.

"......"

When the Count rubbed his cheek with a smile, the daughter got her daddy's beard. "It stings!" she said and slapped the Count's cheek. The Marquis was frowning at the scene of the scoundrel in front of him, but he could not take his eyes off it strangely. The Count tried to kiss his daughter on the cheek, despite being slapped on the cheek.

"Ugh, Daddy, stop it!"

As Sis frowned, the Count put her down with a (very) regretful look on his face. The girl looked at the Marquis and greeted him in a cute way. For a moment he imagined a girl in the house greeting him like that.

"Yeah, it's been a while, Sisuile."

Then, he patted her head and accepts it with a smile. Suddenly, when the Marquis put his hand on her head, he recalled a tender being cringing in horror. He closed his eyes painfully.

"When will you finish your work? Daddy, I'm so hungry."

"Let's have a snack together after the Marquis leaves~ I'll tell the chef to make a crepe cake."

"Really?"

"Yes, keep it secret from your Mom."

"Okay, Daddy is my favorite!"

Saying so, she kissed the Count's cheek. From the point of view of the Marquis, the Count accepted it with a foolish face. Seeing a face like that made him feel uncomfortable. Who would think he is the prime minister of this country? As always, that man was such a mystery. Hugging his daughter, he looked at the Marquis and said.

"By the way, the typhoon one in your house, how is she doing?"

"......"

The Marquis had become uncomfortable in some way. What's that smug face? 'You're jealous, right? You're jealous, right? You want it too, don't you?' That gaze always made him vomit.

"The cream bread I sent back then, did she enjoy it?"

"She ate and vomited."

"What? A girl doesn't like cream bread? That's tricky."

"......Your taste may not be as good as you think."

The Marquis rarely frowned and uttered vitriolic remarks. Curious eyes looked at the Marquis and the Count alternately.

"Girls are delicate and sensitive, and she should always be treated with care as careful as a porcelain doll. Otherwise, she'll get hurt and break apart. It's the same for the poor or the royal family."

"......"

"Tsk tsk, it must be difficult for the Saintess to survive in a place where there are only three men. right, Sis?"

"Is the Saintess there?"

"Yes. Our cute Sis."

"I want to see her too. Who is she?"

"The Saintess is from a lowly commoner, so maybe she doesn't want to see Sis."

"No, the Saintess is noble in her own right. What's wrong with the lowly commoner?"

It was obviously a young word, but the Count kissed her on the cheek again, as if it was lovely. She groaned and pushed him away. "I hate beards!" When she spoke like that, the Count made a wounded face with a gasp on his face. The Marquis thought he wanted to punch him in the face. Then he suddenly remembered the typhoon one in his house. He asked.

"What do girls like best, Sisuile?"

At the Marquis's words, Sisuile blinked adorably a couple of times and said.

"That's of course pretty dresses and cute stuffed dolls!"

At those words, the Marquis gave a troubled expression. Pretty clothes and dolls. Yeah, come to think of it, what a girl likes is so simple, but I didn't care about that. Come to think of it, his sister also loved it when she was young. Of course, it was unknown that the Count Lysell burst into laughter at the sight of his seriously hardened face. Then the Marquis went out the way and called in the butler to buy a dress. Cream bread was useless at all.

There was a bitter feeling that this would have been done if his wife had been there. Perhaps the angelic wife hugged the girl and cared about the parts he didn't care about. It was hoped that the Viscountess Iskinder would play the role. But he did not foresee the consequences the dress would bring.