- - -
The mayor caught up with Lady Valentina again. Sophia did not like dealing with his kind, so she slowly fell back until she found herself instead walking next to a young man who seemed nicer. She would have been content to walk in silence, as they did for a while, but alas.
"Hello, Lady Sophia," he said. "I'm Nathaniel, a priest of the temple."
"Oh." Sophia smiled, warming up at the familiar name. "I heard much about you from Lady Valentina. Congratulations on your new position as high priest!"
"Thank you," he said, his brows slightly furrowed. He seemed to have something else to say, but wouldn't spit it out. The silence was becoming awkward.
"She hopes you and I can work together to improve the healthcare system of Orilon," said Sophia. "I'm eager to share what I've learned, and curious to learn more about the current methods of the temple. That might not happen on this trip since I still have lots to learn, but eventually."
"Ah… The temple will be reluctant, and the people may be distrustful, but I will do my best to understand how your practices can help," Nathaniel smiled weakly.
Sophia nodded. Neither spoke again, which was befitting of Lady Valentina's description of the man. Well, given that she couldn't pride herself on the finesses of Orilon etiquette either, it was fitting. Finally, Nathaniel glanced around quickly.
"What is the perception of Lady Valentina abroad?" he asked hesitantly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "I focus on my studies and don't follow politics very much. But as with everything in Zeryn, some people love her, and some, not as much."
"Well, everyone here is of the former opinion. Would you tell me more about those who think the latter?"
"Oh, it's about the same as for any public figure or politician. Accusations of corruption, ethics violations, embezzlement, all that stuff. Of course, I always defend her."
Nathaniel tilted his head. "You don't believe them, then?"
"It's more of a matter that… I don't care," Sophia mused. "Aren't all aristocrats like this? It's just the way of life in a monarchical and capitalistic society like Orilon. Why should she be judged for thriving in it? Even without her, the system would persist, just with different perpetrators. And they may be less competent than her, and make worse decisions for the kingdom."
Nathaniel looked confused. "It's not like that in Zeryn, I heard?"
"It's certainly better in that regard," Sophia answered. "It's difficult for one party to obtain that much power to the point of controlling the press, for example. However, it comes with the tradeoff of decreased efficiency. We should have this conversation with Lady Valentina sometimes, she recommended that I take the course on political systems, and it was quite interesting, though too theoretical for me."
"Yes, and correct me if I'm not understanding completely, but if you stay in Zeryn, you can lead a life without the complications of… the issues with Orilon society. Yet you intend to return here, to help Lady Valentina, to willingly be part of this system, where your actions could indirectly harm people. Why?"
"Because I like it here," Sophia said simply. "My family is here. The food is more to my taste. Lady Valentina is here, and I'm very fond of her as a friend, and in her debt as her beneficiary. As for any indirect consequences, it's not really so black and white, is it? I'm not a philosopher or a seer, I don't know which course will be the best for the world, so why would I sacrifice my personal principles of gratitude for a gamble on righteousness?"
- - -
Because even if there were no definitive better alternative, it wasn't right to allow evil like Lady Valentina to run rampant. Because even if someone else worse came along and took power, it wouldn't be Nathaniel's fault.
Lady Sophia suddenly leaned in with a twinkle in her eye. "You disagree with me, Your Eminence?"
"N-no," said Nathaniel. "It's a respectable view. I understand your reasons."
"Ah, but that doesn't mean you agree," said Lady Sophia dreamily. "If there is one thing from Zeryn that I think Orilon would benefit from, it is the freedom of discourse, to disagree without implying disrespect, to understand that everyone has different interests and values without condemnation. Then, perhaps you would take your concerns to Lady Valentina directly instead of speaking to me."
She took his hands and her gray eyes bored into him earnestly. "What I mean is, as they teach the children in Zeryn, you should follow what you believe is right, but understand that everyone is human. That is the only thing I insist on, over my personal values. It is only then people will truly know each other."
It wasn't the answer Nathaniel expected, but perhaps it was what he needed. The pure faith that the girl held for her ideal was not something he comprehended fully, but it did more to alleviate his guilt for his recent actions than all his prayers. It was not absolution, quite the opposite, but it was a conclusion. A quiet, comforting resolution.
"Thank you, Lady Sophia," he smiled sincerely. "I hope you can share much of the wisdom you learned with Orilon."
- - -
"A token of the mayor's appreciation, Your Holiness."
Priest Fernandez handed me an ornate wooden box as soon as we boarded the carriage. I opened it to find a string of pearls inside. What a stingy man! These were going to be the smallest in my collection, and despite the flood, they were still far below the mayor's means. I shot my teacher a glance, and he nodded with a click of his tongue to share in my disapproval, indicating that he understood my meaning.
"Never mind that! We did well today, all thanks to Your Holiness. The people cheered so very loudly, it was quite touching."
"Yes." Nothing like giving hope to the desperate for an inspiring scene, and Lady Sophia's return was a cherry-on-top. I turned to look at Nathaniel, who would usually be a killjoy during my gloating. "Don't you agree, Your Eminence?"
To my surprise, he gave me a faint smile. "Yes, I'm glad aid was delivered."
"Of course," I said smoothly, not letting him off the hook so easily by nailing him on something else I'd been meaning to bring up. "I heard you've been quite busy lately?"
He stiffened, and I smirked inside. His eyes averted mine. "Yes, there have been many additional duties as a high priest."
"I know, but I wasn't aware that visiting inmates personally was one of them."
"...With the special circumstances, I thought spiritual guidance might have been helpful."
His reaction was fun to watch as he squirmed under my gaze. Yet there was something missing from his composure that unsettled me slightly…the guilt of concealment from his usual sense of moral superiority, perhaps? I didn't think too much of it.
"Then you could have delegated it to some other priests, as part of a routine visit," Priest Fernandez chastised. "The public would question why a high priest visited the attempted murderer of the saintess. You must be more careful, Your Eminence. You may have gotten away with it before, but your position is different now."
Nathaniel started, his olive complexion paling. I smirked. The reason I wasn't worried about his visit to Catherine was because I knew him, and his loyal cowardice. Sure, he might not be in love with me as he was with Catherine in the novel, when he confessed to her at a charity event around this time; but he was indebted to me, which, for a man as godly as he, was probably an even stronger bond. Thus, whether he liked it or not, he was mine.
The name of the novel was 'The Saint Loved By All'. That was me now, literally. I had crafted my own path and successfully replaced Catherine, and my future would be more than happily ever after!