From Theodore’s Perspective
*********************************************
"Your majesty!"
Again.
Again, Yura approaches him with twinkling eyes.
It was full of affection, black eyes that followed only him. When he met those eyes, his heart beat fast.
No, it was disgusting... … .
It was an indefinable, very contradictory, and strange feeling.
Running into Yura every day had become an increasingly frequent event even though he avoided the castle where she was staying.
Every time it happened, his emotions plummeted through the floor. It was because of his heart that beat wildly, without reason, apparently having fallen in love.
He couldn't figure out why.
Still, he couldn't let his troubled feelings show.
He was an emperor who had to be strong.
Theodore quickly put his emotions in check. Only then did he look back.
Her title came from his mouth.
“Saint.”
At the sound of him calling her, Yura smiled brightly and stood in front of Theodore.
Next to Yura was Conitel in a white priest's uniform.
That day, Theodore had not turned down Conitel's offer. It didn't really matter.
It wouldn’t be easy to change Yura's mind. Just looking at Yura's face looking at him right now... … .
“Your Majesty, are you having a good day?”
Her facial expressions, speech, and behavior. All of this indicated a crush on the opposite sex.
It was also directed towards Theodore himself.
Theodore prided himself on being sensitive to the emotions of others. So it wasn't that difficult to figure out what was going on inside her head.
Especially because it was directed at himself.
“I trust that the saint had a good night.”
“Thanks to Your Majesty, I have a peaceful night every night. And I'm learning a lot from Conitel too. Every day is very new. It's a world so different from the one I used to live in and I'm excited to learn about it.”
She was like a pretty canary, chattering endlessly.
In fact, the people behind Theodore looked at Yura and burst into laughter, as if looking at a lovely little animal.
Of course, she evoked those feelings in Theodore as well.
"I see. I’m glad to hear it."
It was a dull answer compared to Yura's lengthy response.
Hearing Theodore's seemingly cold words, Yura tried to say something in response.
But her mouth remained shut.
Yura paused for a moment and then glanced up at Theodore.
She hesitated and beckoned to him.
Following Yura’s gesture, Theodore cautiously bent forward.
Not hiding her blushing cheeks, Yura asked Theodore in a trembling voice, "I… … Dine with me today... … Could we please eat together?”
It was just an ordinary meal offer, nothing special. He didn’t want to say that there was no need to ask for such a thing with such hesitation.
Everyone except Conitel and Theodore let out a brief exclamation.
"Ah!"
"Oh."
However, Yura did not care about the gaze of others. Her two dark eyes were only fixed on Theodore.
Looking up at Theodore, who hadn’t answered, she carefully asked again.
"Your majesty?"
Theodore's mind went blank for a moment.
“… … Sure. Then, when shall we have a meal? What day would be easiest for the saint... … . ah."
“For me, the sooner the better. Today would be good... … .”
By the time Theodore’s mind came out of its fog, he had given an arbitrary answer without even realizing it.
Suddenly his expression changed to a frown.
It felt like someone was controlling him like a puppet attached to strings.
It was unpleasant.
In contrast to Theodore's mood, Yura was smiling.
“Holy Lady, it is chilly today. You came out dressed lightly, how about you head inside?”
“Yes, thank you Conitel. I should go in now.”
After a short exchange with Conitel, Yura bowed slightly toward Theodore.
“Then, Your Majesty, you’ve probably already had lunch, so I will see you next time.”
Then she immediately left, leaving Theodore alone, frowning sternly.
“It’s as though… … .”
‘I feel like I've been seduced.’
Very agitating.
******************************************
As the title suggests, it had been a few days since the saint fell.
An invitation to dinner, with Rosenta’s name on it, was sent to the duchy.
The invitation was sealed with sealing wax engraved with the emblem of the imperial palace.
Theodore hadn’t called for him or Vivian so he’d wondered if things had been sorted out.
Beside him, who was seriously thinking about this matter, Anna was also deep in thought on another topic.
“No matter how often you go to the imperial palace, you’re always attentive to how you dress. Hmm... … Which one will suit you?”
As the time drew near to visit the palace, the duchy’s servants appeared to be very busy compared to the relaxed Rosenta.
In particular, Anna and the butler Edmund, who was brimming with motivation.
“Duke, how about wearing this?”
What Anna brought were clothes with minimal patterns. They were perfectly suited to Rosenta’s taste.
He nodded and Anna beamed.
She then went on to excitedly rummage around for shoes and accessories that matched the clothes.
After watching Anna for a little while, he leaned his back against the chair at the table.
"Hmm."
On the table, he saw today's newspaper, which Edman seemed to have brought.
<All, including the dukes, are gathering in Nota to see the saint!>
Just looking at the title of the article, which was printed so large, made his head throb.
It wasn't a rumor.
In reality, everyone, regardless of country or empire, was gathering at the capital of the Helios Empire.
And there was only one reason.
“Is this the first saint in a few hundred years?”
She was the first saint who had appeared since the collapse of the first temple in ancient times.
It was so rare that people would say, 'A country with a saint will gain the hegemony of the world.'
And it would be Theodore who falls in love with that saint. In the process, countless adversities will arise.
Of course, there’s Vivian... … .
A wry smile came to his lips.
His thoughts were increasingly going in circles, dragging him through miscellaneous thoughts.
Just as he was sinking into excessive worry that made his temples ache, someone knocked on the door.
“This is Edmund.”
“Come in.”
It was Edmund, a newly appointed butler.
“Duke, we are all ready to visit the imperial castle.”
Edmund was a commoner.
Normally, aristocrats would loathe the idea of having a commoner for their butler. But that didn't bother Rosenta.
More than anything, he liked Edmund very much.
His work was neat and excellent enough to be called that of a perfectionist.
“Thank you.”
For the first time, Rosenta had his own person, whom he’d chosen of his own will.
While nodding his head in satisfaction, a sudden question arose.
“Come to think of it, Edmund.”
"Yes."
“What’s going on with the search for my personal butler?”
He couldn't have the head butler do all of the work forever, so he’d asked him to appoint an appropriate person as a dedicated personal butler.
However, even after several days, there was no news.
"Apologies. The existing butlers in the castle don't seem to meet my standards... … . I'm thinking of having them retrained first.”
That's why there was no news.
Since Edmund was someone who pursued perfection, there was no one he liked.
Rosenta understood, but it was Edmund who struggled the more time dragged on.
So, Rosenta made a moderate concession and spoke resolutely, “If you can’t find someone you like, it’s fine to expand your scope to external candidates.”
“What if I end up actually choosing an external candidate?”
“It doesn’t matter where they come from. All you have to do is pick an excellent person that you approve of. I’ll give you two days. If you can't pick someone within that time, you'll be assigned a suitable person from among the castle's existing butlers.”
********************************************************
There was a boy who posted recruitment notices on the walls of guilds and markets under the scorching sunlight.
The boy's true identity was Denny, a new butler who had just joined the Duchy of Estella.
Denny teased his hands and his mouth moved just as diligently.
"They’re going to let anyone become the duke’s butler."
Denny roughly pasted over the red brick, then attached the papers one by one.
This wall was like a bulletin board where job postings were posted.
So whenever Denny glued one of his papers, people were very interested.
Soon, people gathered one by one and stared at the announcement.
They were astonished.
"What? They’re looking for a personal butler for Duke Estella?”
“Isn’t this a scam? It says that it’s for the Duke’s butler but it doesn't matter where you come from!"
“This must be that human trafficking technique that is popular these days. Everyone, watch out for this.”
People didn't believe it easily. That was natural.
There’s no way that this was how they would go about searching for a personal butler for Duke Estella, one of only 4 dukes.
It was also posted to the guild, where commoners usually gather.
Of course, some of them took papers from Denny just in case.
"Hey. Kid."
"Yes?"
Some even asked Denny directly, “Is this real? Is this a human trafficking scheme? Are they really sticking this here?”
“No, it's real! The butler ordered me to do it.”
At Denny's words, full of resentment, people believe him became interested.
But, soon, after hearing Denny's next words, interest quickly cooled.
“It is true that it is difficult for ordinary people to succeed. They examine your work experience and... … . wel, more than anything, the head butler is picky.”
From what they heard, there was nothing wrong with Denny's words.
“All the butlers in our mansion have already been eliminated from consideration for the position of the duke's personal butler. I don't know if there is anyone talented enough to satisfy him.”
"What?"
The butlers of the Estella family must have had outstanding abilities as well as origins.
If they also failed... … .
It must be impossible for them, who were commoners.
Everyone who had shown interest for that moment now shook their heads. They then scattered in search of other announcements.
Denny, who was looking at this scene, snorted loudly.
"I knew it. Just pick one of the butlers in the mansion. Mr. Edmund is too much of a perfectionist.”
While grumbling those words, Denny checked carefully to see if he had missed anything.
Only then did he turn around.
That was all there was to do there so it was time to move on to another location.
"Hmm. Now let's post it at the plaza.”
Suddenly, a hot wind blew.
Denny raised his hand to block the wind. Then a piece of paper slipped out of his hand.
It was so fleeting that he didn’t even notice.
A sheet of paper that had scattered on the floor was coated with dust and dirt.
It was to the point where one couldn't tell whether it was a letter or a footprint.
As time passed, more and more people gathered at the bulletin board.
Soon, because of the many recruitment announcements posted by others, Denny's paper was no longer visible on the bulletin board.
“Hmm.”
However, only one person stared intently at the floor, not the bulletin board.
His focus was on a paper lying on the floor.
Wearing a hood, he bent down and picked up the paper.
“Duke Estella… … .”
He read the letters written on the paper carefully.
By the time he finished reading, the corners of his mouth hidden under the hood were rising.
“I’ll see you again soon.”
*