“You are still young, Your Excellency the Marquis, yet you remained completely unperturbed in that situation, ordering the knights to protect my mother and me. And you personally watched over us from outside the terrace; how reassuring that was!”
Having spoken thus far, Ainel Fanucci clasped her hands together.
She fidgeted for a moment, hesitating, before finally opening her mouth again.
“It’s too embarrassing to say myself, but… I actually have many suitors already. Each of them is an outstanding individual. However, I have never opened my heart to any of them. I…”
It seemed as though a confession or even a marriage proposal might burst forth at any moment.
Jeha glanced at Ainel’s governess, who sat in the corner of the room, silently urging her to intervene quickly.
However, she didn’t budge, as if she had been given prior instructions.
“I am well aware that His Excellency the Marquis Belgarga already has a lover. I have no desire to be a harsh wife who deeply interferes with her husband’s private life. My dream is simply to meet a good husband, build a harmonious family, raise children, and live peacefully.”
“Miss Fanucci…”
Jeha murmured, a troubled expression on his face.
This was awkward.
Indeed, it was an incredibly difficult situation.
A direct refusal here would undoubtedly tip the Pope’s scales to one side. Yet, he couldn’t possibly accept either. If he tried to gloss over it, there was no telling what misunderstandings might arise, and Ainel, who was likely mustering a lifetime’s worth of courage for this confession, might react unpredictably.
“My parents are trying to arrange my marriage as quickly as possible. So… so… perhaps…”
Ainel Fanucci’s cheeks flushed crimson.
‘Paimon!’
Jeha roared inwardly.
Then, in the very next moment, a knock echoed.
Ainel Fanucci, who had been about to speak, started in surprise and straightened her posture.
Paimon opened the door and entered.
Jeha, regarding Paimon almost as a savior, asked in a deliberately calm voice.
“What is it?”
“My apologies if I’ve interrupted your conversation. An urgent letter has arrived from Lord Belmon.”
“Zephyr?”
It was unclear whether an urgent letter had truly arrived from Zephyr, or if this was merely an excuse.
“If it’s an urgent letter, something must have happened at the territory or Belgarga Castle.”
Paimon nodded slightly, wordlessly.
“Miss Fanucci, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…”
Just as Jeha was about to say he would step out for a moment, Ainel Fanucci hastily waved her hand.
“No, Your Excellency. If there’s an urgent matter in your territory, it is only right that you, as its lord, attend to it first. My business here is concluded, so please go and hear the news.”
Ainel Fanucci’s response brought immense relief to Jeha.
He nodded and was about to rise from his seat when…
“To my parents!”
Ainel Fanucci exclaimed.
Then, as Jeha looked at her, she lowered her head and continued her words almost in a mumble.
“If you would speak to my parents, I would answer ‘yes’ at any time.”
With those words, Ainel Fanucci bowed slightly in farewell and hastily departed.
Her face was flushed a deep crimson.
What she meant by ‘speak to’ was abundantly clear.
It was undoubtedly a request for a marriage proposal.
Only after Ainel Fanucci and her governess had completely disappeared did Jeha slump back onto the sofa.
A sigh involuntarily escaped him.
“It’s truly exhausting to be so popular.”
As Jeha murmured, his head resting against the sofa, Paimon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
His gaze indicated a distinct lack of agreement.
“So, did a letter truly come from Zephyr?”
Jeha asked abruptly, attempting to dispel his embarrassment.
Paimon retrieved an envelope from within his clothes and handed it over.
The envelope he received was remarkably thick.
When he pulled out the contents, he found four or five sheets of paper neatly folded.
Jeha unfolded the letter and began to read, his brow furrowing almost immediately.
From the very beginning, a fervent barrage of flattering greetings unfolded, filled with every conceivable flowery phrase.
Respect, love, adoration, and so on and so forth… The entire first page was filled with such unnecessary pleasantries.
Jeha tossed the first page onto the floor and moved on to the second, then the third.
Similarly, their contents held no substance whatsoever.
They were filled with complaints about how much dust he’d been covered in while riding to Belgarga Castle, and how arduous, difficult, and tedious the journey had been.
Page after page fluttered through the air, and it was only at the very end of the final sheet that any genuinely useful information was written.
In brief, the letter stated that no heretics had yet appeared in the Belgarga territory, and the old woman had arrived safely, settling in well while assisting with minor tasks.
It also mentioned that Inquisitor Xavier’s complexion was dark, suggesting he wasn’t in good health, and that instead of patrolling the territory, he remained holed up in the prayer room, spending his entire day in prayer.
[I will depart for Encarosha again to see my beloved master.]
After reading the last line, Jeha flung even that page into the air.
Paimon gathered the scattered pages from the floor, neatly arranged them, and placed them back into the envelope.
Then, as if only just remembering, he spoke.
“The Grand Temple’s lockdown has reportedly been lifted a short while ago. It appears the investigation into the incident from a few days prior has concluded.”
“What?!”
Jeha sprang up from the sofa, exclaiming.
“Why are you telling me this only now? You should have led with that!”
Jeha, having unnecessarily snapped, waved his hand dismissively.
“Quickly, prepare to leave. I need to go to the Grand Temple and see Hereis.”
As Jeha urged him, Paimon cast a brief glance before asking.
“Do you like your contractor that much?”
At Paimon’s question, Jeha flinched.
While he had heard that demons didn’t discriminate by gender or age, Jeha had, after all, lived his entire life as a human.
Admitting to another person that he liked a man, especially a priest, required considerable courage.
“Yes. I like him. I like him so much it kills me. Why? Is that not allowed?”
Jeha asked with an expression that dared Paimon to challenge him.
Paimon gazed steadily at Jeha for a moment before shaking his head.
“For our master to harbor such feelings is, in itself, a tremendous blessing for us. I shall make haste with the preparations.”
Paimon spoke calmly, then turned and exited.
Once he confirmed Paimon’s departure, Jeha slumped onto the sofa, covering his face with both hands.
Despite having shown Paimon every embarrassing side of himself, declaring loudly that he was ‘dead in love’ with Hereis made his face burn as if on fire.
In that moment, he realized anew: he truly did love Hereis to death.
Even with the lockdown lifted, the Grand Temple remained somewhat quiet.
Only a few carriages carrying visitors could be seen.
Jeha, on his way to Hereis’s residence, was slightly flushed with excitement.
This was thanks to having just reaffirmed his feelings.
To think he could come to like someone so profoundly.
He had often imagined what it would feel like to be in a relationship, to fall in love.
He had also wondered what it truly felt like to be completely smitten.
However, experiencing it firsthand was quite different from his imaginings; indeed, it was far beyond anything he had conceived.
Having fully acknowledged his feelings, joy was now accompanied by a surge of worry.
He wondered if his feelings were this intense, how deep were the other person’s?
Hereis clearly harbored feelings for Jeha.
He had even confessed in the most profound language he could.
Nevertheless, Jeha yearned to confirm his feelings once more.
He was intensely curious whether Hereis’s emotions were as steadfast and profound as his own, and simultaneously anxious that they might not be.
As Jeha stepped into Hereis’s residence, a subtle tea fragrance welcomed him.
Confirming the door had closed behind him, Jeha walked further inside.
Hereis rose from the desk chair where he had been sitting.
His vivid blue eyes, fixed on Jeha, held a deep, welcoming warmth.
“Lord Jeha.”
“Hereis.”
The two walked towards each other, soon standing face to face.
Jeha felt a surge of pride as he saw the blue sapphire ring gleaming on Hereis’s finger.
Sensing his gaze, Hereis raised his hand, caressed the ring, and spoke.
“I always wear it. Just having this on makes me feel as if I’m with Lord Jeha.”
How could he speak such beautiful words?
Jeha’s heart swelled with an inexplicable emotion.
‘This is enough, I suppose.’
Jeha thought to himself.
He then dismissed the idea of expressing his overwhelming feelings to Hereis and seeking another confirmation of his emotions.
He realized that feelings couldn’t always be fully conveyed through words.
True emotions, he believed, would reveal their sincerity most powerfully when naturally transmitted to the other person.
“When the demonic beast attacked, I was so terrified that I broke out in a cold sweat.”
Jeha took Hereis’s hand, idly caressing it as he spoke.
Hereis smiled, his eyes crinkling prettily.
“With Lord Jeha present, what is there to worry about?”
“Even so. Even so, if Hereis were to get hurt again… I simply never want to see such a sight.”
Hereis gently pulled Jeha into an embrace.
Jeha wrapped his arms around Hereis’s waist, deeply inhaling his scent.
Within his embrace, he felt a profound sense of peace, as if he had returned home.
The longing for home, the yearning for family, and the deep solitude and loneliness he had felt ever since inheriting the name Bellarossa, all seemed to vanish in an instant.
“Do you know what a wonderful scent emanates from Lord Jeha?”
Hereis, who had buried his nose in Jeha’s neck, whispered.
The warmth of his breath against his skin sent shivers through Jeha’s entire body.