* * *
From what he heard, it seemed that in Zavad’s eyes, he was seen as someone a bit naive… and ignorant of the ways of the world.
So this time too, rather than discussing his usefulness, it seemed he tried to stop him because he thought Ranshel might get into trouble again.
But this was for Frey.
Isn’t it a bit wrong to worry about a servant when the person he likes is in danger of losing his position…?
‘Then… is what Frey said true?’
Zavad never fell in love with Frey at first sight, nor gave his heart afterward, but Ranshel was mistaken alone?
Ranshel became confused thinking if such an absurd thing could be possible.
But doesn’t Zavad have some responsibility for that too?
Who was it that threw all sorts of tantrums whenever Ranshel even glanced at Frey, making him think he was jealous?
Ranshel called Zavad, who was holding the cup lightly without bringing it to his mouth, with a tilted head.
“Young Master.”
“What.”
A nonchalant voice followed immediately.
‘-Please ask the Young Master directly later. Ask if he loves me.’
“Do you love me?”
‘Crack’, the cup Zavad was holding cracked.
Ranshel noticed his slip of the tongue only after seeing Zavad’s expression, which seemed to say, ‘Is this guy really still sick?’
“Ah, no, it came out wrong. You love Frey-nim, right?”
“……What?”
“You warned me before. Not to touch someone else’s person.”
“What?!”
Why is Daniel surprised?
When Ranshel looked over, Daniel quickly replaced Zavad’s cup with a new one with an indifferent face, as if he hadn’t reacted at all.
In that short moment, Zavad pressed his forehead firmly with a face full of fatigue.
“…Before you speak, how about considering your master’s reputation? Thinking something like, ‘If I say this, it will harm my master.'”
“Does asking if you love your fiancé harm your reputation?”
“Do you not remember I told you it was just an engagement made by a deal between families?”
“I thought you were just making excuses because you were shy!”
Zavad let out a long sigh, as if coming from deep inside, at Ranshel’s confident shout.
“Recall the context a bit too. It’s because you kept showing interest in a noble without knowing your place.”
“…Did you perhaps think I really liked the Saintess?”
“……You don’t?”
“……Yes!”
Ranshel and Zavad looked at each other as if seeing a really strange guy.
Frey, who had been shaking his shoulders as if holding back laughter the whole time, lowered his head deeply while gripping his cup tightly with both hands.
Meanwhile, Ranshel found this whole situation absurd but also felt a prick in his conscience.
He had advised him so much not to pay attention to nobles, but in the end, hadn’t he done exactly what Zavad hated?
“…Anyway, I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up. From now on, as you said, Young Master, I will be with someone befitting my status, so don’t worry.”
Ranshel declared with his wish. He would give him up. Definitely.
But Zavad showed a reaction he hadn’t expected.
“……Why?”
“……What?”
“Why would you meet such smelly and dirty bastards?”
…What does he want me to do?
While Ranshel was dazed, Zavad frowned as if just thinking about it was unpleasant and continued.
“Just live alone. Where do you have the leisure to date and marry? Are you that free?”
“Thanks to someone, I am free….”
“Then do some exercise or something. Since you have nothing to do, you keep spouting nonsense about love and whatever.”
‘You’re the one who made it so I can’t even exercise.…’
Ranshel’s mouth felt very dry.
He stared intently at Zavad, who was disqualified as a capture target in a dating simulation game, and asked.
“Then, do you have absolutely no interest in dating, Young Master?”
“If I had time for that crap, I’d do more training.”
“…….”
Ranshel couldn’t help but sigh looking at Zavad, who had grown up like a character whose stats were raised wrong.
If it’s like this, isn’t the identity of this game completely shaken?
Clearly, he should have protested asking why and tried to persuade him, but his mouth wouldn’t open anymore.
He doesn’t do love. It means Ranshel doesn’t have to watch him admiring someone else.
Funnily enough, it was because he ended up feeling relieved.
Anyway, it was a long time later that they were finally able to move on to the discussion about the Archbishop’s prayer meeting.
Ranshel complained with a gloomy face that he felt he would truly get sick if he lay down any longer.
After quite a long persuasion, Zavad reluctantly permitted Ranshel to accompany them.
“However, if the Holy Knights do not appear in the chapel, the plan will be immediately scrapped. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Fortunately, the situation was different this time.
While Ranshel was lying down, Daniel had found several female believers who attended the prayer meeting, and through them, had secured a route leading to the meeting.
Unlike the path Kon used to frequent, this route led from deep inside the Temple and could not be used by ordinary believers.
Knowing the danger of the Holy Knights, they decided to proceed with the plan on the grand day of the service when the Saint and his fiancé would attend together.
On such a crowded day, the Holy Knights would be guarding inside the chapel, meaning they could enter the prayer meeting after passing only the entrance security check.
‘It won’t be like when I went with Kon.’
He wouldn’t have to run into Baha.
That alone significantly reduced the difficulty of the mission.
“But Ranshel, there is something we need to prepare first.”
“Yes, even if it’s safe, thorough preparation is necessary.”
“No, actually… the route Daniel found is only accessible to women believers.”
“What?”
Ranshel blinked.
Does that mean he can’t attend?
Thinking quietly, he understood the situation belatedly.
“You mean I have to cross-dress…?”
Frey smiled and nodded, and Zavad sighed.
Ranshel felt unfairly treated for not being told this first, but it was too late to back out.
The day of the operation finally arrived.
Ranshel, with a sullen face, held a needle and tailored the dress Daniel possessed to fit his body.
“Your hands are very fast.”
Daniel praised him as he placed a long wig of flowing red hair on Ranshel’s head.
Ranshel wasn’t happy at all.
“Will people see me as a woman? I’m so tall….”
“It’s alright. I prepared a long dress so they can think you are wearing high heels.”
It would be very embarrassing if his disguise was suddenly discovered at the prayer meeting.
He was already worried that he might end up hindering Daniel.
“The Saintess is always so beautiful, but I just look awkward.”
He found it novel once again.
Leaving aside the hair and clothes, Frey had an appearance that was extremely close to that of a ‘Saintess,’ making it hard for anyone to suspect him.
Ranshel hadn’t thought such deception would be possible even after he became an adult.
Even now, he looked outwardly much the same as he did when he first took the Holy School entrance exam.
Daniel explained calmly.
“The Young Lady has been consistently taking a magic herb called Jihyte since he was very young, according to the Temple’s instruction. This was to suppress any visible secondary sex characteristics as much as possible so he could fulfill the role of the Saintess.”
“…….”
“You don’t have to go that far. If you don’t open your mouth, you can hide your voice, and you can just wear a decoration like this on your neck.”
Ranshel fiddled with the ribbon Daniel placed on his neck.
He felt ashamed to find this brief disguise difficult, when there was someone who had lived half his life deceiving himself unwillingly.
What was the big deal about wearing a skirt that he had been grumbling so much?
The tips of his ears visible in the mirror were red.
Fortunately, the wig was red like his original hair.
* * *
