TGS - Chapter 100
Chapter 100: Scent
With that, the priestess examination came to a close.
For the foreseeable future, Rhea would need to study under the current High Priest, which meant she had to move out of the Princess's residence.
Alyuin was pleased with this development. Before Rhea left, she had a conversation with the gravely ill High Priest, Saige.
The High Priest was terminally ill, yet his outlook was remarkably serene. To look at him, one would never guess he was a man whose death had been foretold by the court physicians.
No one knew what they discussed, but the balance at the pinnacle of priestly power had inevitably begun to shift. With Rhea's entry into the main temple of the River Goddess as the catalyst, the god-favored Princess had finally secured the complete and public trust and support of the entire priesthood.
The royal palace at night.
The domes of the main palace halls were inlaid with large, luminous pearls. Burning torches were fixed atop the pillars lining the paths, and the patrolling guards carried lanterns to light the way.
Even late at night, the nearly thousand-year-old palace was still bathed in a soft glow, like a city that never slept.
Horst, accompanied by a single personal guard, hurried along in the shadows of the walls, soon arriving before a solitary pavilion.
The guard in white armor knocked on the door. After a long silence from within, they waited patiently for a moment before a lazy voice said, "Come in."
Horst stepped back, gesturing for the guard to enter alone.
This was no ordinary guard. Had any other guards in white armor been present, they would have immediately saluted him and addressed him as Commander. Indeed, the man accompanying the king was Niwei, Commander of the King's Personal Guard.
The moment Niwei stepped inside, a complex aroma of spices assaulted his nostrils.
Each individual spice was precious and fragrant, but mixed together, the scent was so overpowering it was nauseating, making one's head feel heavy and drowsy.
The room was filled with all sorts of strange objects: jars of spices, plants, fragments of animal parts, and a grayish-white human skull.
A long table stood against one wall, its surface draped with a dark linen cloth that also concealed a vague human figure lying upon it. Or perhaps more than one, for something else was squirming beneath the cloth.
The master of the pavilion, a man so gaunt he resembled a skeleton, sat behind a workbench. He looked up at the guard, his expression one of extreme impatience.
The Commander of the Guard steeled himself and said to the pavilion's master, "I've come for what His Majesty requires."
The pavilion's master asked casually, "Why didn't His Majesty come for it himself?"
Niwei remained silent.
"Never mind. It's all the same if you take it." The pavilion's master stood, his gaze sweeping over the shelves before quickly settling on a small box.
He opened the stone box. Inside was a single, ordinary-looking white candle.
"This is it?"
"That's right. Take it," the pavilion's master said, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly. "Now don't disturb me again."
"My apologies, but there is one more thing," Niwei said. "Regarding that balm for attracting animals, are you certain it has no unfortunate side effects? Someone used it and was nearly pecked to death by a blue heron..."
"It won't! By the Beast God, how many times must I tell you before you understand? My balms have no side effects!"
The pavilion's master, seemingly unable to tolerate having his work questioned, spun around frantically before suddenly bending over and ripping the linen cloth off the long table.
Lying there was a young woman—or more accurately, a girl. Vipers with triangular heads were coiled all over her body, showing no intention of attacking, as comfortable as if they were in their own nest.
The girl's eyes were shut tight; only the rise and fall of her chest proved she was still alive.
"Look! Do you see? Do these lovely creatures show any sign of attacking her?"
The guard averted his gaze. "Yes, I see. They do not."
"There you have it. My balm is fine. If that poor fellow was attacked by birds, you should ask him if he did something to offend them, not stand here questioning my abilities."
The pavilion's master exhaled heavily and draped the linen cloth back over the table.
"Anything else to ask?"
"No," Niwei replied.
He left the strange, gaunt man to himself and strode quickly out of the pavilion.
Horst was waiting just outside and had heard the entire conversation clearly.
"If that's what he says, then it wasn't the balm's fault." Horst shook his head. "Never mind. We'll set Balun's matter aside for now. Did you get it?"
Niwei showed him the candle from the box.
A glint appeared in Horst's eyes. "Excellent. First, take a piece and find someone to test its effects. If it works, then..." He paused for two seconds, as if hesitating, before continuing, "send it to Katisi."
"To Her Majesty the Queen?"
"Of course. Someone will know when to light it."
Niwei put the stone box away and bowed his head. "Yes."
In a kingdom with such deep-seated faith, nearly every festival and celebration was related to the gods.
In the summer, the grandest festival undoubtedly belonged to the Sun God, Suriel. This year, it was the Sun God's temple's turn to host the ceremony, making the occasion all the more significant.
During the day, the priests of the Sun God in the royal city presided over the ceremony.
Although the true center of the Sun God's worship was in Surinia, the ceremony in the royal city was still conducted with a solemn grandeur that rivaled that of any other major god.
Alyuin was not a follower of the Sun God, so she was not required to participate, sitting instead to one side as an observer.
"Naimaer is probably cursing me under her breath right now," the Princess whispered.
"Why?" Lotus asked.
Alyuin placed a neatly folded slip of paper in Lotus's palm.
Lotus opened it. On it were written just two short lines:
Because I trust you, I have chosen to stay in the sun one more time.
Don't disappoint me, Alyuin.
"Do you think she will regret it?" Lotus asked.
"I don't think so. But being out in the sun, one's mind is bound to wander. How else could she endure it without some distraction?"
...A High Priestess of the Sun God who feared the sunlight.
Lotus turned to look at the chief priest of the royal city's Sun God temple, who was bathed in sunlight, and sighed inwardly.
The ceremony concluded as the sun began its descent in the west.
"This will be the last time she attends this ceremony."
Alyuin said abruptly, her voice very soft.
A ceremony by day, a banquet by night.
The nobility of the royal city was prone to extravagance and never missed an opportunity for a banquet, especially not for the festival of the Sun God.
The sun was a sacred symbol of light, heat, and vitality. The people of Solancia believed that on the days when the sunlight was strongest, its vitality carried over into the night, making it the perfect time for evening banquets, markets, and lovers' trysts.
Alyuin had originally planned to decline all invitations and spend the evening at the market with Lotus. The royal city had some interesting local customs, and this would be the perfect opportunity to experience them.
However, a handmaiden stopped her.
"Your Highness," the handmaiden said timidly, her head bowed, "the Queen requests your presence."
Alyuin looked up.
Queen Katisi was Horst's wife and Crown Prince Romuer's mother.
Rumor had it that she was in poor health and preferred quiet, so she rarely appeared at crowded events. As such, Alyuin had little impression of the woman. She vaguely recalled seeing Katisi chatting with her mother on occasion, but it hadn't been frequent, and her mother had never seemed to share any deep bond with her.
What could Katisi want with her?
The Princess made no effort to hide her confusion, letting the question show plainly on her face.
The handmaiden stammered, "Her Majesty has been in low spirits lately. Perhaps she just wished to talk with you. If you are unwilling—"
"I am unwilling."
The handmaiden, not expecting such a blunt refusal, was stunned. She paused before continuing, "Her Majesty also said she would not insist if you were unwilling. It is just... she was reminiscing about the past and wished to speak with you about an old acquaintance."
Alyuin's expression tensed.
Besides Horst and his son, Katisi's only connection to her was, of course, her mother.
To bring up this topic so directly meant one of two things: either she genuinely wished to reminisce, or she was trying to lure Alyuin to her for some other purpose.
If it was the latter, even if she refused now, they could simply use one of Horst's summons to compel her. And if it was the former... as it happened, she had some questions of her own about those years and wanted to sound someone out.
And so, Alyuin nodded. "In that case, I have no reason to refuse. Please lead the way."
"Also," the handmaiden added, "the Queen requests that you come alone."
As she spoke, she glanced cautiously at Lotus from the corner of her eye.
Lotus and the Princess exchanged a look.
"I will wait for you outside the palace gates."
Lotus said softly.
Alyuin nodded and followed the trembling handmaiden away.
Despite being the Queen, Katisi lived in a relatively remote part of the palace. This was said to be due to her preference for quiet, and her gentle, delicate appearance and demeanor certainly matched this reputation.
"It has been a long time, Alyuin." Katisi smiled. "You have been back in the royal city for several months. I should have seen you sooner, but I was delayed for personal reasons. I do apologize."
"You needn't be so formal."
"No, I truly mean it," Katisi said urgently. She suddenly stopped and dismissed all the surrounding attendants, leaving only the lady-in-waiting who stood nearest to her.
"Although everyone believes your mother was a criminal—and harming the royal family is, of course, a grave crime—I do not believe Selina was wicked or cruel... She was simply ill. What she did to your father was beyond her control."
Katisi spoke quickly and urgently. Under normal circumstances, it was highly unusual to say so much upon first meeting someone.
Had anyone else been standing there, they might have instinctively grown wary, but their suspicion would have focused on the truth of her words and her possible motives, causing them to overlook their surroundings.
A small, subtle oddity might not have drawn a visitor's attention.
But Alyuin sensed it.
The sweltering heat of the day still lingered in the summer night air, yet the windows of this chamber were closed. The air was thick with the scent of burning incense, mingled with the balm Katisi herself wore, as if to mask something else.
What was it?
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