TGS - Chapter 162
Chapter 162: Blessings to You
Kadera, one of the secondary cities attached to the major border city of Digebia, was a small northwestern city located near the frontier.
The first temple of the River Goddess was built in this place.
Inside the sacrificial chamber, the stone statue of the Goddess of the Yilu River was dignified and solemn. Round beads of blue chalcedony were inlaid as its eyes, gathering a faint halo of light that made the statue's face beautiful and vivid, as if it could truly cast its gaze downward.
Rhea, dressed in the robes of a high priestess, held a tray and placed the holy sacraments on the altar one by one. She then took half a step back to stand with her mother and recite the daily hymns.
For a priestess, the time of worship was the most sacred. Not only must they clear their minds of all distractions, but they also could not be disturbed by others.
Only after the noon hymns were finished did the two of them walk out of the sacrificial chamber, lowering the curtain and closing the door, leaving the quiet, empty space to the statue.
Rhea walked beside her mother, carrying the empty tray.
Time had left its mark on Muya. The wrinkles on her face, like the rings of a tree, and the deep lines at the corners of her mouth indicated that this priestess, who had always been strict, old-fashioned, and stern, had entered her twilight years. However, she remained as serious and imposing as ever.
Muya looked straight ahead and asked her daughter, "Rhea, did the divine messenger mention a specific arrival time in the letter?"
"She didn't say specifically. Lord Messenger just told me to wait here first," Rhea replied.
The young high priestess had a naturally soft and delicate voice, but after years of tempering, even her gentle tone could exude a sense of authority—a necessary aura for a priestess.
Not long ago, Rhea had received a secret letter. It was delivered by a golden eagle trained by the Princess, but the signatory was the divine messenger who had been missing for several years.
The letter didn't say much, only asking her to return to the temple in Kadera to discuss a matter.
Rhea had complied almost without hesitation.
Filled with joyful anticipation at the prospect of seeing the divine messenger again, Rhea waited with her mother at the Kadera temple. In the meantime, she pretended to inspect the temple's furnishings—which she had known since childhood—as she needed a public reason for her tour as High Priestess, which was the pretext she used to leave the royal city.
Two days passed like this, and the Lord Messenger... the Lord Messenger still hadn't come.
Just as the two priestesses at the temple were about to wear out their eyes from watching, Lotus and Alyuin had just arrived at the city gate.
They were supposed to have arrived around the same time as Rhea, but a matter in Digebia required Alyuin's attention, delaying them by two days.
Lotus had once again donned her public persona: Lorja, the former scribe, then cavalrywoman, and finally court lady.
Previously, the Princess had explained Lotus's disappearance by saying she had returned to her hometown. Since most people believed the court lady's hometown was Kadera, this persona's reappearance wouldn't seem abrupt.
The black-haired court lady rode through the city gate on a horse, though it wasn't the one she used to ride.
The gray horse was now too old to be ridden. It had always been slow-paced and was now living out its retirement in the royal city. Therefore, for this trip to Kadera, Alyuin had specially selected a suitable steed from the army to serve as Lotus's new mount.
The "Disney Princess" constitution of Solancia's gods made the steed take a great liking to Lotus. It was as docile and gentle as a pet rabbit the entire way.
Even so, it was still a horse in its prime, with a fit and active build. But no matter how freely the steed galloped, Lotus remained perfectly still atop it, her hair barely mussed. She exuded a kind of static grace.
Alyuin rode alongside her, and her gaze would always soften unconsciously whenever it fell upon the person beside her.
"How do you plan to tell Rhea?" the Princess asked.
Ever since learning the principle of how humans become gods, Alyuin had guessed why Rhea was here.
It was well known that the High Priestess of the River Goddess had a great talent for writing hymns.
Even before coming to the royal city, Rhea had been somewhat famous for her poetry. After becoming the successor to the High Priestess, her fame had grown uncontrollably.
Her long poems, into which she poured all her passion and faith, could be used in solemn, formal occasions, yet they were also catchy and suitable for the common people to sing and pass among themselves, giving them a wide reach.
To this day, poems written by Rhea are featured in the worship rituals of the River Goddess's temples throughout Solancia. Some of the more beautiful passages are familiar to everyone, regardless of whether they are followers of the Goddess of the Yilu River.
Because of this, Rhea became the most well-known high priestess among the common people. In the eyes of the populace, who rarely had contact with priests, her colleagues were just vague symbols of "high priest of a god." Rhea, at least, had an additional label: the Poet of the River Goddess.
If anyone could "create" a myth, Rhea would be the best candidate.
Alyuin had no particular feelings about becoming the protagonist of a myth.
She would seize any chance, no matter how small, to be with Lotus forever. Besides, it was just a matter of deifying herself—many Solancian kings before her had done similar things.
But...
"Will Rhea agree?"
Alyuin knew that Rhea would not refuse any request from Lorja—the so-called divine messenger of the River Goddess—but this was, after all, a request to write a human into a god.
A poet with shallow faith, writing purely to achieve a goal, would find it easier. But for a devout believer like Rhea, whose writing was fueled entirely by fervent passion, it was feared she might not be able to squeeze out a single word.
At the mention of this problem, Lotus turned her head, her expression a little strange, as if she were pondering how to answer.
"I have a way. It should work."
"What is it?"
"You'll find out in a moment."
Alyuin didn't get an answer, but she wasn't disappointed.
As their conversation concluded, the two finally arrived before the main gate of the temple.
The guards at the pillared gate were the same old group. Although they were more familiar with the Princess's face from her childhood and girlhood, Alyuin's black hair and golden eyes were highly recognizable, so it wasn't as if they couldn't recognize her now that she was grown.
The men immediately bowed in greeting and, without needing to announce them to the priestess in charge, cleared a path to let the two enter.
Rhea was easy to find.
Or rather, there was no need to look for her at all. When Lotus entered, the priestess skilled in poetry was half-kneeling by the pool on the opposite side.
Rhea's gaze was fixed on the cluster of Snowtu flowers blooming in the pool. Using a smooth stone surface as a desk, she was writing furiously, the tip of her pen scratching across the paper. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice the commotion over here at all.
"Rhea," Alyuin called out.
The High Priestess of the River wrote as if divinely inspired, turning a deaf ear to everything else.
Alyuin turned her head, shrugged at Lotus, and mouthed, "Look at her."
Lotus chuckled and whispered, "Rhea is so focused. She must have an inspiration that she absolutely has to write down right now. Let's wait a moment."
Lotus's voice was very soft, yet Rhea caught the familiar tone. Her pen stopped, and she whipped her head around as if equipped with a divine messenger-detecting radar.
The High Priestess exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Lord Messenger!"
Then she saw the Princess standing beside her and paused. "Your Majesty."
Then she lowered her head and, while continuing to write furiously, said quickly, "Forgive my rudeness, just let me finish this part—"
Lotus: "..."
Alyuin, however, was used to it. She moved a little closer to look at the page in front of Rhea that was rapidly being filled and offered some reasonable and effective suggestions.
The Princess might not be an outstanding poet herself, but when it came to appreciation, she was an undisputed expert connoisseur.
Lotus was speechless and wanted to move away, but her right hand had been taken by the Princess at some point, and she couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
A god's life was hard. Why did she have to listen to her brand-new girlfriend and her number-one veteran fan discuss how to praise her?
Lotus pressed her temples. Thinking of the decision she had already made and looking at the ceaselessly writing Rhea, she sighed silently.
A quarter of an hour passed, and the discussion finally ended.
Rhea carefully folded the fully written page and smiled shyly at Lotus and Alyuin. "Please, follow me."
The group followed a small path to the room where Alyuin used to live.
When the priestess Muya learned of their arrival, she considered that Lotus hadn't mentioned her in the letter, so it probably wasn't a matter that required her involvement. Thus, she didn't rashly go to disturb them, only having someone prepare this room to be used as a place for conversation.
The three of them sat down at the table.
Lotus and Alyuin sat on the same side, while Rhea sat opposite Lotus. The afternoon sun streamed through the cracks in the window, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the tabletop.
Rhea sat primly, waiting for Lotus to speak.
She was a few years older than Alyuin, but with her petite frame and round face and eyes, she still looked like the little girl who used to speak with a stutter.
But Rhea was no longer that girl; she understood far more than she used to.
Because of this, when she saw the distance between the Lord Messenger and Her Majesty the Princess was clearly closer than normal, she belatedly realized that back at the pool, the Princess seemed to have been holding the Lord Messenger's hand the whole time...?
It wasn't the way one held the hand of a close friend or relative, but with their fingers intertwined, occasionally rubbing and caressing—a more intimate and ambiguous way of holding hands.
The thought was staggering.
Rhea's thoughts began to race. The phrase from Lotus's letter flashed through her mind: she had said there was something to discuss.
What was it?
It couldn't be this, could it? The Lord Messenger and the Princess were... courting?
But that didn't require her opinion. Could it be an announcement, or a declaration? Like the Solancian custom where young men and women invite friends and family from both sides to a meal after their betrothal.
They were getting engaged and wanted to invite her to dinner? Was something not right about that?
Rhea's small, round face was filled with shock.
So much so that Lotus paused, not understanding.
She hadn't said anything yet, had she?
For Rhea to have such an expression, could it be that she had already guessed something?
Alyuin sat to the side, taking in both of their expressions, but said nothing. She just smiled and played with the red-gold bracelet on Lotus's wrist, her touch exceedingly tender.
It was as if this was a hint, further solidifying Rhea's thoughts.
Lotus thought for a moment and decided to speak now.
At the same time, Rhea also gathered her courage, wanting to show the Lord Messenger her support.
"I want to ask you to write something—"
"Blessings to you, Lord Messenger!"
They spoke at the same time, and stopped at the same time.
Faced with Rhea's look of firm belief and encouragement, Lotus: "...?"
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