chapter 8
_ A Strange Feeling
Evan quietly turned to Raphael, then to Kayen with that cold gaze.
"In your opinion, how has the Temple survived for hundreds of years?"
"People's support for them."
"Wrong."
Kayen was astonished, while Raphael was observing Evan's reaction with interest.
"Rather, by planting spies, and washing their brains."
He replied calmly, with a cold look. Kayen placed his hand under his chin, thinking:
"You think they might be suspicious of you, and so we should plant another spy among them?"
"That is what I am thinking."
Raphael clapped coldly and stood up, speaking sarcastically:
"This is what is useful. Continue like this."
"..."
"..."
"Therefore, both of you may leave..."
"Your Majesty?!"
"His Majesty?!"
"You two may leave now. As for the matter, I will think about it until tomorrow and see whose opinion is the most suitable."
And before either of them could respond, Raphael rang the bell, and Marshall entered.
"Your Majesty."
"Escort the guests out."
Marshall looked at Evan and Kayen, sighed, and bowed:
"I obey Your Majesty's orders."
He glared at Evan and Kayen, which made them flinch with annoyance. Evan looked at Raphael and bowed, suppressing his anger:
"I take my leave, Your Majesty."
Evan looked at Kayen and Marshall, sighed, and then:
TLAK!!!!!
Evan disappeared, causing Marshall to look at Kayen, who laughed listlessly and raised his hands:
"I entered through the door, I must leave the same way."
He turned his heels and sped out. Marshall looked at the Emperor, and before he could leave, Raphael spoke calmly after returning to sit at his desk:
"Prepare a cup of tea."
Marshall poured the tea for Raphael, smiled until his wrinkles showed, and said in a warm voice:
"Is Your Majesty annoyed by them?!"
"I have gotten used to it, but... Evan is acting strangely."
"Your Majesty's instincts are strong, I have not noticed anything strange."
Raphael looked at Marshall, then took the cup of tea in his hand and took a deep breath:
"The tea is very good."
It was an honest excuse to change the subject, so Marshall smiled with his coffee-coloured eyes.
"It is good that the Emperor has begun to like other types of tea instead of the harsh black tea."
Raphael paid attention to the tea, realizing it was jasmine tea, which was one of Arianna's favourites and which she drank more than any other. He wiped his face with his palm and his ears turned red.
"You may leave, Marshall."
Marshall looked at Raphael with a meaningful smile and departed. Raphael sighed as soon as Marshall left.
'The matter is confusing, why does she keep appearing in my thoughts, but...'
* * *
The sky was grey even though the sun had already risen. Marianne was accompanying Arianna, urging her, as usual, to take care of her health, and she had increased the number of clothes and recommendations, which made Arianna laugh with amusement all the way to the meeting point.
"Why didn't he change the appointment?! Yesterday was a scary day... I don't know why you must meet today, I am worried, the Miss might get sick... The Holy Power was unable to cure you, how will your body handle it..."
Marianne's chatter made Arianna laugh. She knew she shouldn't laugh, but she liked annoying Marianne at that moment. Finally, they reached their destination.
.Casper was standing in front of the carriage, waiting for Arianna. He knew they were fifteen minutes late for the appointment, but he appreciated it because of the snowstorms that had blocked the roads. When they approached, he bowed respectfully:
"My Lady, the carriage is ready."
Arianna nodded in affirmation and signalled Marianne to leave after taking the basket from her, and when he helped her to get into the carriage, he spoke courteously:
"My Lady, we might be delayed a little due to the roads being piled with snow, so I hope you will not be inconvenienced."
"It's alright."
Arianna got into the carriage, and when she sat in her seat, she noticed the presence of a warm blanket and a magical heating stone. She smiled and her heart fluttered with warmth.
She took the blanket and covered her body well and held the basket tightly as the carriage started on its way. Despite her rapid heartbeats, she was thinking calmly to arrange her thoughts...
'First, let's make sure the novel will start soon or if there is still time. In any case, Raff hasn't met Elena this year, maybe it is still too early. It wasn't mentioned how long Arianna remained married, but it was said that she conceived quickly. Thinking differs from age to age or place to place. About conceiving quickly, some say a woman conceives quickly even if more than two years have passed since her marriage, I don't know, anyway... I will ask someone indirectly about the general idea here.'
And with her thoughts crowding in, she wasn't paying attention and almost fell when the carriage shook, and she heard Casper's apologetic voice:
"Pardon me, Miss, the roads are a bit slippery."
"It's alright, but you must be more careful."
Arianna's tone was gentle and firm, which made Casper flinch for a moment, but he regained his composure and spoke with respect:
"Your command."
Arianna belatedly realized her strict manner and rubbed her cheek...
'Didn't I say I would avoid this manner as much as possible? It is alright, it is an action that seems familiar to a noble lady.'
Despite the carriage being late today, they finally reached their destination. When Arianna descended, Casper helped her down, and when she was about to take her basket, Casper held it and motioned for her to proceed, so Arianna smiled:
"Can you give me the basket, it is not heavy."
"No, Miss, His Majesty was keen that I bring you without trouble, and I apologize for what happened and made you almost fall."
"You want me to accept your apology?!"
"Yes, My Lady."
It was an enthusiastic reply that made Arianna laugh merrily:
"Give me my basket first."
Although he wanted to object, he reluctantly handed her the basket, so Arianna laughed softly:
"Thank you, first, I was not annoyed by you, and second, it was not your fault, do not blame yourself."
"But Miss, I..."
"Did you cause the snow to pile up on the road?!"
"No, certainly not."
He answered sincerely, which made Arianna laugh more, but she erased the laughter and smiled while speaking with seriousness and composure:
"As long as it is a mistake you did not commit, do not apologize."
And she left him with his mouth open in genuine admiration. Brian looked at him and spoke in wonder:
"What did she talk to you about?!"
"She is a strong and wonderful woman, I do not know about her appearance, but no wonder His Majesty is so interested in her."
"Why do you say that?!"
Casper told Brian what happened in detail, which made Brian astonished, then determined:
"If she is a noble, I think she dominates high society."
"Who do you think she could be?!"
Brian put his hand under his chin in thought:
"The famous ladies, Countess Judith Melody, Princess of the Lily Duchy Ariston, and Duchess Isabella Hawarlan, and the daughter of Marquis Sofia Lotan."
Casper was also thinking:
"If we exclude the Countess because she is married, and Duchess Hawarlan because she is older than His Majesty, Lotan and Ariston remain."
"I have seen Princess Ariston, she is much taller than the Lady."
"And also thinking, the daughter of Marquis Lotan's body is slightly larger than the Lady's."
"Perhaps, she is not a noble."
Brian spoke in shock and fear, which made Casper flinch with sadness then he remembered...
"If my memory serves me right, perhaps there are noble young ladies who are close to the Miss's age who have not appeared yet, my eyes do not fail, this Lady is a noble from an ancient family."
Brian's heart was relieved then he said with a question:
"Do you think the Emperor will oppose the Temple and marry a noble lady who does not belong to the Temple?!"
Casper laughed confidently:
"His Majesty has a different way of thinking than all the previous Emperors. Haven't you noticed that the nobles have started to contemplate the position of Empress and have begun to compete to put their daughters in the position of Empress? I think it is not far until the Emperor announces his desire."
"You know, I have started to get excited for the upcoming Royal Banquet."
* * *
In that room, warmer than usual, he was pacing here and there. They were very late. Raphael was looking at the clock almost every minute:
'More than an hour has passed, where could they be... Calm down... Calm down.'
He looked out the window that overlooked the inn's gate, and finally, after waiting for more than two hours, the carriage arrived.
.Raphael was watching the situation and saw the conversation that took place between Casper and Arianna, and he did not hear anything, but inside he was burning to know what they talked about...
And after Arianna left Casper, he noticed the looks of astonishment on his face.
'What did they talk about to leave his face like that?!'
He turned to the door when he felt her approach and thought of returning to his place, but he decided against it and stood in his place to wait for her entry...
Upon Arianna's entrance, her gaze was directed towards the chair opposite the door. Raphael did not notice that because she was still covered, and when she sensed his presence, she turned to the window facing the bed, lifted her cloak and smiled at his face with delight:
"Good morning, Raff."
Unconsciously, Raphael replied quietly:
"Good morning..."
Arianna's smile increased in brightness, and she headed to her seat with delight and a small pout:
"I apologize for the delay, the snow has accumulated everywhere and the places where the snow was removed were slippery so we were slow to come, you are busy but I caused you a delay."
"..."
"I truly apologize."
She looked at him after finishing her speech with a cute pout. The corner of Raphael's mouth lifted slightly and he said sincerely:
"It's alright, it is not your fault."
Arianna's expression brightened again, which made Raphael astonished:
"Is this real?!"
Arianna looked at Raphael, who headed to his place with confusion and question marks filling her head:
"What?!!"
He ruffled his hair gently and sat in his place and sighed:
"Never mind."
And inside, he was confused about her true personality. The girl he saw for the first time seemed like a cunning woman with no sincere emotions in her expressions, but now she started to look more sincere and open, her smile and expressions never seemed fake.
The warm feeling flowed from her smile, making Raff's heart gently tremble, and he looked at Arianna with her sweet smile and sighed:
"Alright, let us have breakfast first."
Even before he could hear her reply, he rang the bell, and after a few minutes, the maid came carrying the food, placed it in front of them, and left silently.
.Arianna looked at the food, which consisted of creamy vegetable soup, a slice of steak covered in sauces, seasoned vegetables, and golden bread...
"Today's breakfast meal is tempting."
"The time is late, so it is better to eat first then we can begin the treatment."
Arianna began eating the soup and when she tasted it, the creamy flavour melted in her mouth, which made her eyes sparkle:
"It is very delicious, I have not tasted soup with this delicious flavour."
'Is it delicious?!'
Raphael took a spoon and ate his soup, which he liked:
"It is truly delicious."
"You know, when I first came here, everyone recommended the inn's food, but I did not eat anything here because of Marianne's caution, if I had known I would have eaten here a long time ago."
Raphael was truly astonished, 'I have not tasted such delicious food for a long time.'
"You know, I was thinking of stealing him to work for Marquis Silas, but I changed my mind, why should we deprive the public of delicious food that is in their hands, I will come here often."
Raphael looked at her and said:
"I was also thinking of stealing him, well, there is no harm in leaving him here as long as we will come and eat delicious food here."
"I am happy."
She was eating and talking with a bright and contagious smile that made Raphael smile unconsciously...
Arianna looked at him with a playful look, then remembered and pulled the basket she had placed aside:
"I almost forgot the coloured biscuits."
Arianna revealed a package of biscuits that were characterized by vibrant colours and with it a covered package, before he could ask she spoke merrily:
"I have dried lavender to make a delicious and refreshing tea."
He spoke with surrender:
"Alright, since we finished the meal, why don't we drink tea."
Arianna smiled with relief and nodded yes. Raphael rang the bell and as usual, they covered their faces, so the maid entered, took the food, placed the teapot and two cups of tea elegantly, and departed.
.Arianna placed the plate containing the biscuits and began to put the tea to steep, and she pulled out two pieces of biscuits and gave Raphael one and happily:
"Try it."
Raphael took the biscuit and took a small bite, and perhaps he liked it and continued eating it with satisfaction. Arianna became excited:
"The sugar is moderate, and when the tea is steeped and you drink it with it, it becomes even more delicious."
"It is delicious, my mother used to love very sweet desserts, compared to that, it is truly moderate."
Arianna was astonished because it was the first time Raphael spoke about his mother. What she knew was that the Empress Mother died early, but she did not know the exact time for that...
"When did the Empress die??!....."
Arianna faltered and closed her mouth in embarrassment because she knew it was a question that should not be asked. Raphael smiled a sincere and sad smile:
"When I was ten."
Arianna nodded: "I apologize for that, I shouldn't have asked, perhaps the Empress had a sweet tongue." Her last words were playful.
"Yes, my mother had a beautiful manner of speaking, and also you do not have to apologize."
Despite Raphael's rare smile, sadness flowed from it, which made her think:
'Is this man tender?'
As far as she knew, the tyrannical Emperor was a man with a boring and cruel aura, this is what was mentioned in the novel, a person without expression, but since the moment she met him, she began to see that this man is capable of expression, rather he has a beautiful smile, even though he only smiled in front of her very few times...
"Ah !! The tea is steeped, we must taste it."
Raphael, with feelings he did not understand, took the cup of tea and to change the subject, he remembered a matter:
"Have you heard of Viscount Wilson??"
Arianna was disgusted, which made Raphael's eyebrow rise in confusion, saying:
"Do you expect treachery from him?"
'Why is he asking about these sensitive matters?! Is he suspicious of me or does he have another agenda, but I do not want to interfere in his imperial affairs, and as a citizen of this country, I must pledge my loyalty, but not excessively.'
Arianna puffed out her chest and spoke confidently:
"Isn't the Viscount a follower of the Temple?"
"No."
Shock paralyzed Arianna's tongue, 'At the climax of the novel, the Viscount was a direct follower of the Temple, how is that?!'
"In your opinion?!, he seeks to join the Temple."
Raphael's words interrupted her thoughts, she felt as if he was reading her mind. Arianna swallowed a cup of tea to relieve the dryness in her throat which was truly dry, then spoke with confusion and disgust:
"How can a filthy man join the Temple, isn't the Temple a place where those who serve the Lord sincerely and make the pleasures of life their last hope reside?"
"That is what I also think about the Temple, people whose only concern are the weak and the poor, they have nothing to do with ruling affairs, and if so, what makes you think that the Viscount is a corrupt and filthy man?!"
'Should I tell him I read that?! Certainly not... It is good that I gathered a large amount of information about the harmful people here, it is not a problem.'
Arianna smiled confidently in an arrogant way that was closer to playfulness, which made Raphael raise his eyebrow, meaning "What is this now?!"..
"First, I have my own information network, then yes, he is a filthy man who deals in slaves and commits the dirtiest crimes against children and women, and trades in prohibited goods and poisons through illegal methods, even if you dug up his palace stone by stone you will not find its location, because it is in a secret base under his palace, not exactly, perhaps under the servants' annex, I do not remember exactly what was said but I think this."
"But we searched his records and he is a clean and righteous man."
Raphael himself was doubting this "clean and righteous" title, but all the reports and secret investigations prove it, so he truly wanted help from Arianna despite his confusion about her strange manner.
"You know that Lily of the Valley is considered one of the most beautiful flowers..."
"What ?!"
"... but it is one of the most dangerous poisonous flowers."
She looked with a smile at Raphael with a meaningful gaze, so Raff smiled with understanding, then she continued with a steady rhythm and high confidence:
"Raff, in your opinion, won't he try to hide himself to appear the best?! Think like your enemy thinks, be good, win the favour of the people, put your enemies in a circle of suspicion, make them outcasts, people whom no one believes."
Raphael laughed with astonishment and admiration:
"You... alright, in your opinion, how can I tighten his neck?"
Raphael realized that despite his acumen in ruling, he still had many shortcomings. The goal of recovery was one of the reasons that preoccupied him from imperial affairs 'a king in pain does not think,' he realized his weakness, yes, he needed this woman, and greatly...
"The matter is simple, if you try to move with the accusation that he follows the Temple, you will be the mistaken one because the Temple is still the hope of the people, but if you prosecute him for his corruption, even if the Temple tries to help him, it will not detract from Your Majesty's rule, but will put the Temple in a circle of suspicion, as they have one of two solutions: either help him or cut their tails, and in both cases you are the winner, cutting the tail destabilizes the herd and if they help him you might find a loophole."
'It is good that the novels I was reading were full of conspiracies and political intrigues, and perhaps the reason for my awareness of them was because of my father, for in my previous life my dream was to enter the field of politics because of my father who was proficient in it, political issues are the course of the world, the poison hidden in the honey, all those things... I loved politics but I never thought I would need it, from my previous life, thank you, Father.'
The sweet smile was filled with malice, which made Raphael truly laugh from his heart:
"It is good that you are my friend."
Confusion clouded Arianna's face, then Raphael spoke seriously:
"If the investigations show that the Viscount is a righteous man, how will I accuse him?!"
Arianna's playful and cunning smile returned:
"The matter is simple, you can use the Shadow Guilds, and no one has the right to object to the Emperor's method and criticize him, right?!"
Arianna smiled sideways with crescent eyes, so Raphael smiled with satisfaction and said:
"Isn't it time for your treatment?"
"True."
She smiled brightly, as if those wicked words did not belong to her, she looked like a child. They straightened their posture as usual, and he placed his hand on her heart and looked at her with a complicated gaze, carrying many, many questions...
'What is this strange feeling that is sweeping through my heart?'
For a moment, Raphael wanted to place his hand on his heart but he resisted, and he began pouring the magic as usual, slowly and gently because a slight deviation would return Arianna's body to point zero, so the time it took to pour the mana into her body was twenty to thirty minutes...
TAK TTTTTTTTAK TTTTTTTTAK !!!!!
"Sir."
TIIK TTTTTAK TTTTAK!!!!
Only twelve minutes had passed, but the incoming sounds stopped the flow entirely... Raphael and Arianna looked at each other in shock:
"What is happening?!"
Arianna covered her face and Raphael advanced towards the door, to be shocked by the news....
...... To be continued ......