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Chapter – 04
“No, Your Reverence. Why are you acting like someone who’s never done this even once in your life? Are you really a virgin?”
“…….”
How on earth had things ended up like this? I could feel the back of my neck tightening. All I had done was try to hear the confessions of the faithful.
The priest who usually handled confessions had an urgent matter come up, so I took over in his place. It was nothing new—I had often done this even before becoming an assistant high priest. I also happened to have time to spare, so I listened to the believers’ confessions calmly.
Was it the fifth person? The moment I heard her voice, I knew it was Lady Salome. Still, I pretended not to notice. If the young lady truly had something she wished to confess, then it was my duty to hear her out.
As far as I knew, Lady Salome had never once taken confession before. After services, she would stroll briefly through the garden and then leave.
And yet now she was here for confession. Perhaps, after attending services every week, she had gained some realization? I allowed myself that small hope. She seemed hesitant, unable to begin easily.
“Please speak freely. What is confessed here will never be revealed to anyone.”
When I said that, the young lady finally opened her mouth.
“Your Reverence, there’s a man I’ve grown quite interested in lately.”
A love consultation, then. Among confessions, this sort of story was common. Someone falls in love, only to find that the other person is already married. They feel it is a grave sin to harbor such feelings. Perhaps Ataras would be angered—what should they do?
I had heard such stories dozens of times. I assumed Lady Salome’s would be the same. It was hard to believe she liked someone, but she was now an adult woman, so it wasn’t impossible.
“But that man is in a position where he can’t marry me.”
So my expectation hadn’t been wrong.
“Even I think it’s ridiculous that I’d take an interest in such a man, but perhaps even this is Ataras’s will. If so, I figured I could just smash any barrier that stands between us.”
A very Lady Salome–like remark. Indeed, she was not the type to obey simply because someone told her a marriage was impossible.
If she couldn’t marry the man she liked, she would probably declare that she’d rather kill him instead.
“The fundamental problem isn’t that marriage is difficult. It’s that he doesn’t show much interest in me. Even though we’ve kissed. And it’s not like my face is merely a little pretty, is it?”
Kissed. The moment she uttered that word, my face drained of color. Could it be that the man she was talking about was—
“I even wondered if he might be impotent, you know.”
My throat went dry, and I drank the water that had been set beside me. At her words, I nearly sprayed it all out.
How could a woman of a noble house utter such a vulgar term? It was shock after shock. And then came an even more outrageous question.
“Your Reverence, are you a virgin too? Ah—are all priests like that?”
“Lady Salome, have you finally lost your mind?”
The words slipped out before I could stop myself.
* * *
After that, Lady Salome continued to ask questions so shameless I could hardly believe them. She clearly knew that priests were bound by the duty of confidentiality and was committing these atrocities on purpose. She was blatantly harassing me.
Still, I fulfilled my duty as a priest. Aside from that one slip of the tongue, I set aside my personal feelings and listened. And when the confession ended, I assigned her a prayer as penance.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever commits sexual immorality sins against their own body.”
I thought there could be no verse more necessary for her at the moment. Even so, she did recite the prayer properly before leaving—though it hardly seemed heartfelt.
After that, I still had to hear many more confessions. Because of the words Lady Salome had used to toy with me, I couldn’t concentrate properly. Each person spoke for only about ten minutes, yet it felt as though ten hours had passed.
At last, I finished all the confessions and emerged from the confessional. Thinking about the backlog of work made my head ache.
I returned to my room and reviewed documents for quite some time. Before I realized it, dusk had fallen, and the sky outside the window was glowing with sunset. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Your Reverence, it’s Anton. Duke Krüger requests an audience.”
Not Lady Salome, but her father, Duke Krüger, asking to see me. I couldn’t think of a reason. The duke was not a man who would visit the temple over trivial matters.
Was there still some unresolved issue regarding the kissing incident? Even so, he could have sent a letter or a servant. Why come in person? With such thoughts in mind, I invited the duke inside.
“I apologize for coming so suddenly. I imagine this must be unexpected. However, there is a matter I very much wish to ask of you, which is why I came myself.”
“What is it that brings you here, Your Grace? I know you are not one to come over something minor.”
“It concerns my daughter, Salome. To be direct… Your Reverence, I beg you to become Salome’s tutor.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
I couldn’t understand what the duke was saying. Become Lady Salome’s tutor—why me, of all people?
I was not an ordinary priest, but one of the assistant high priests representing the Temple of Salute. While it was not uncommon for ordinary priests to teach the children of noble houses, it was almost unheard of for an assistant high priest to do so.
Moreover, Salome and I were not that far apart in age. It was strange to imagine myself teaching her.
According to rumors, Lady Salome had never once lost the top rank at the academy in the Rhelin Empire, where she studied abroad. She would possess knowledge surpassing that of most noble youths. Why would she need a tutor at all? If anything, she might be better suited to teaching others.
“From a young age, Salome was never a docile child. Wherever she went, she caused trouble. I thought sending her abroad might improve things, so I sent her to a distant country at the tender age of eight… but studying abroad alone didn’t tame her temperament.”
That much was true. Even I, who had known her only briefly, was tempted to brand her a complete menace.
“I wish for Salome to grow into a proper, virtuous lady. At least until we find her a fiancé. I hope you can help with that.”
It was rare for a distinguished noble to reveal a child’s disgrace to another—it was an act that wounded both honor and pride.
Yet Duke Krüger was now bowing his pride, pleading with me. At first, I intended to refuse outright, but his desperate appeal began to shake my resolve.
“I understand your intentions, Your Grace. But why make this request of me in particular?”
“I heard that Salome, despite her shallow faith, came to confession today—and that you were the one who heard it.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
If there was a problem, it was not the confession but the harassment—but I could not possibly tell the duke that. If I did, he might collapse on the spot. I had no desire to torment him needlessly.
“It seems Salome truly admires you, Priest Johan. Can you imagine it? That child, who lacks any real faith, taking confession! It was the first time in her life.”
Usually, one doesn’t harass someone they admire. I nearly said that aloud—but the words that followed stopped me.
If every citizen of the empire takes confession at least once as a child, and today was her first time… just what kind of life had Salome Krüger lived?
I listened to the duke with as calm an expression as possible. I could not let my emotions show.
“Moreover, she insists she will not accept instruction from anyone but you. Even during that previous incident, didn’t you handle it quietly, without great agitation? There is no one more suitable than you.”
The duke clasped my hands and pleaded earnestly. I was never good at refusing people. It was hard to turn away from his desperate gaze.
At the same time, I remembered my position as an assistant high priest. This was not something I could decide alone. I would need to consult the other assistant high priests, and also inform His Eminence the Cardinal, who oversaw the Temple of Salute.
If I neglected my duties because I was educating Lady Salome, it would be a great disservice to the temple.
“I understand your request, Your Grace. However, this is not something I can decide on my own. I will give it careful consideration.”
“Thank you, Your Reverence. Truly, thank you.”
The duke bowed deeply and left the room. Once he was gone, reason finally returned to me. This was a request I should have firmly refused.
The duke claimed I was the right person, but there was no way I could properly educate Lady Salome. And yet, I could not ignore a father’s concern for his child. My head throbbed.
“Anton, are you outside?”
“Yes, Your Reverence.”
“I have something to discuss with His Eminence the Cardinal. Inform him that I will visit shortly.”
