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Chapter – 18
“High Priest, honestly—you’ve fallen for me already, haven’t you?”
After saying that, the young duchess stepped back again. Before I could even respond, someone suddenly shoved my back hard. My steps tangled, and my body pitched forward.
I nearly fell, but the duchess barely managed to grab my arm in time. I felt a moment of relief—right up until our lips touched.
I couldn’t tell whether it was intentional or an accident, but as she pulled me toward her, our lips met. It was only a brief brush, but my face instantly burned hot.
People who had been watching us in the ballroom began gathering in small groups, exchanging glances. It was maddening. I quickly checked the duchess’s expression.
“Duchess, are you all right? I’m sorry. Someone suddenly bumped into me—”
“Oh my, is that what happened? I thought you were boldly making an advance on me, High Priest.”
“That’s impossible!”
Even in a situation like this, she joked. The duchess laughed lightly and glanced around, then deliberately raised her voice so others could hear.
“Which rat dared to shove our High Priest? High Priest, shall I find the culprit for you?”
“No, it’s fine. Please, calm down.”
“But you nearly got hurt. This is an insult to you—and a challenge to the authority of the temple.”
“It was probably just an accident. Who would deliberately push me?”
I tried my best to calm her. People cautiously avoided her gaze and slipped away. Anyone who caught the attention of Duchess Salome was bound to run into trouble.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the ballroom froze. I should have stopped her before she raised her voice. Regret washed over me.
“What is all this commotion?”
At that moment, His Highness the Crown Prince appeared again. Just as I was about to explain, the duchess grabbed my arm.
She snatched a wineglass from a nearby waiter. My hand overlapped with hers, making it look as though I was holding the glass. Confused by her sudden action, I tilted my head.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she seized my arm and flung the wine directly into the Crown Prince’s face. His uniform was stained deep red, wine dripping from his golden hair.
The orchestra stopped playing. Silence settled over the ballroom. The faces of those nearby turned pale. I was so shocked I couldn’t even close my mouth.
“Your Highness!”
“Oh my… Your Highness…”
The duchess had poured wine on the Crown Prince’s face.
No—I had poured wine on the Crown Prince’s face.
It was certainly the duchess who had grabbed my hand and thrown the wine, but from a distance, it would look as though I had done it myself. I looked back and forth between the duchess and the Crown Prince. She met my gaze calmly, her expression unchanging, utterly confident.
“Oh dear, Your Highness—are you all right?”
“Duchess, what in the world is—”
I thought she must have completely lost her mind. How could anyone dare to throw wine in the face of the Crown Prince, who was as lofty as the heavens themselves? It was an act that could lead to arrest for insulting the imperial family.
And it wouldn’t be just the duchess—they might take me as well. For all intents and purposes, we had thrown the wine together.
The Crown Prince calmly wiped his face with a handkerchief offered by a servant.
I wondered if I should drop to my knees right then and there. Desperate to protect the duchess, I hurriedly offered an excuse. As the priest assigned to her, it was my duty.
“Please forgive the discourtesy, Your Highness. This is entirely my fault. It was not intentional, but I spilled wine on you.”
My fingertips trembled. Yes—this was all my responsibility. The duchess must not be harmed. I had to protect her. That thought filled my mind, leaving no room for anything else.
But the Crown Prince shook his head as though accustomed to such things.
“I am fine, High Priest.”
“Your Highness, please show mercy—”
“I have no intention of issuing any punishment. Do not worry. Just be more careful next time. You are ruining the atmosphere of the party.”
“Of course. I will ensure nothing like this happens again.”
Was it really over just like that? I watched his expression carefully. He turned away with a gentle smile, restoring the party’s mood. The orchestra resumed playing.
I felt immense relief that His Highness was such a merciful man. He excused himself to change clothes, and I saw Lady Anthea following after him in concern.
The waiters hurried around, pressing champagne into guests’ hands. With alcohol flowing, it seemed people had already forgotten what had just happened. I let out a long sigh of relief.
In over twenty years of life, there had been few moments that made my heart pound like this.
I turned to the duchess, who was still holding an empty wineglass.
“Please come to the terrace with me. We need to talk.”
I had to know why she had done something like that so suddenly. No matter how willful or rude she could be, she was not foolish—certainly not foolish enough to do such a thing in front of everyone.
After all, even when she had poisoned Lady Anthea’s carriage, she had erased every piece of evidence.
The duchess followed me without a word. I entered the terrace and closed the door, checking once more that no one was nearby. Then I rubbed my face with dry hands.
“Duchess… are you out of your mind? What were you thinking, committing such an outrageous act? If His Highness had not been merciful, you would have been arrested by now—punished for insulting the imperial family!”
She answered with a faint smile, as if this outcome had been inevitable.
“High Priest, this was unavoidable fate. If I hadn’t done it, something far bigger and louder would have happened.”
“What does that even mean? That something worse would have happened if it weren’t for you?”
“Everything is already decided. High Priest Johan, you were meant to throw wine on a member of the imperial family at this party. Causing a scene here was your destiny.”
“Why would I cause a scene—no, ruin the party?”
“Because that’s how it’s set.”
“There’s no way I’d do something like that for no reason.”
“It wouldn’t be without reason. You hate the imperial family deeply.”
“What? I don’t hate the imperial family. Why would you think that—”
“I don’t know the details either. I only know that you’ll come to hate them enough to want them all dead. Maybe not now—but you will.”
“……”
“If it hadn’t been me, and you had truly thrown the wine yourself, it would have escalated into a conflict between the temple and the imperial family. I only prevented that.”
There was no reasoning with her. She offered no concrete evidence—only her own assertions.
And none of what she said was true. I did not hate the imperial family. While there were occasional tensions between the temple and the empire, relations were largely amicable.
The temple and the imperial family were inseparable. As long as the Terium Empire remained a holy nation, religion would inevitably intertwine with politics. No matter how powerful His Holiness the Pope might be, there was nothing to gain from me harboring hatred toward the imperial family.
“Please—explain it in a way I can understand.”
“…I can’t explain any further. I want to make you understand, but… well. The rest is for you to figure out. My role ends here today. I don’t need to interfere anymore.”
She averted her gaze. It was always like this—she claimed to like me, yet never shared her secrets.
Without exaggeration, Salome Kruger was the most secretive person I had ever met. A sense of hurt rose within me.
I hold no secrets from you. Why do you hide yourself from me? Am I truly so untrustworthy?
I wanted to say that—but I knew it was nothing more than petulance. I stayed silent.
Under the darkening sky, shadows fell across the duchess’s profile. Her red hair seemed to burn with the colors of the sunset. She still wore a smile, but sorrow was woven into it.
I finally gave up on pressing her further. When she looked like that, I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything more.
“Duchess, please look at me.”
“And what if I don’t want to? You don’t know anything, High Priest—and you never will. Ah, I’m not blaming you. Everyone here is the same.”
She kept her head turned away, looking at me only out of the corner of her eye. I stepped right in front of her and placed my hands on her cheeks, guiding her face so she had no choice but to look at me.
