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“Good grief, being the older brother of a young sister is no different from being a servant.”
I took Ivan's hand again and stepped out onto Santurtu Street. As we strolled through the streets filled with the scent of early spring, Ivan asked me a question. Perhaps because it had been a long time since I had walked side-by-side with him during such a vibrant time of day, I felt strangely excited.
“So, what is this 'business' you have?”
“Valentin. Where do I have to go to meet him right now?”
I had made a new decision the moment I heard about Valentin's current status from Emma.
If he was going to act however he pleased, I would do the same. Whether it was information about Valentin, about the prophecies, or anything beyond that, I was going to ask Valentin directly!
“You...”
Ivan suddenly stopped walking and trailed off, slowly shaking his head.
“...Never mind. Have Mother or Brother said anything?”
“About what?”
I asked back, pretending not to know. Ivan's question was surely about whether those around me were digging into my prophecies following the public prophecy incident.
His prediction was half right and half wrong. At first, both Vasily and Tatyana showed interest in my prophecies, but since I responded with a consistent statement (which was, of course, a lie), they no longer mentioned it. While I was grateful that they respected my wishes, I thought that perhaps they were pestering Valentin instead.
Ivan had a look on his face as if he had expected as much.
“You can't meet Valentin right now. He's offering a blessing prayer at the holy hall.”
“A blessing prayer? When does it end?”
A blessing prayer was, as the name suggests, a prayer offered for a blessing; it was performed before childbirth, entrance exams, or other great undertakings. These prayers lasted from twelve hours at the shortest to several days at the longest.
Valentin was likely offering a blessing prayer ahead of his studies abroad. Either way, as a prophet of gabhilism, it was an unavoidable procedure.
“No one knows. Since it's a prayer offered immediately after his coming-of-age ceremony, it could be short, but since it's a prayer before studying abroad, it could be long.”
The length didn't matter. The problem was the fact that one could not meet the person while they were offering a blessing prayer.
'Things have gotten tangled up once more.'
Since I couldn't exactly tear down the holy hall and drag him out, it seemed I would have to wait for the blessing prayer to end.
Valentin's engagement, the prophecy, and his studies abroad. These three were surely connected. Carrying my notebook, I wandered here and there through the Imperial Palace, waiting for Valentin's blessing prayer to finish.
Of course, as always, Valentin was not the type to easily comply with my wishes.
Three days.
It had been three whole days since that damn Valentin had been shoved into the holy hall.
I had been patient enough. No matter how I thought about it, this was sufficient. If God truly existed, He would surely be applauding and cheering for my plan to storm the holy hall!
I felt sorry for Valentin, but today's me was different from the fool of a month ago.
I had prepared a contingency plan for a situation like this. Since I had a wonderful ally like Bishop Parben by my side, I had asked him for a tour of the holy hall.
[A tour, you say?]
[Yes, a tour of the apostle's prayer room, not the public prayer room. I know the apostle's prayer room isn't usually open to the public, and even when it is, only adults can enter. But... my purpose is educational, not for prayer... and since the holy hall is usually quiet at the start of the social season, I wondered if it would be possible.]
Perhaps thanks to the steady interest I had shown in theology recently, Parben accepted my request without much hesitation.
[I understand. I will make a request to the Bishop of the Makhachkala holy hall. Since Her Imperial Highness is one of the small Monarchs who govern the people of the Ohala Empire, I believe this will be a good experience for me as well.]
And today was that day.
“We have arrived.”
I held Vasily's hand and stepped out of the carriage. Perhaps because it was early dawn, with the bluish light just beginning to break, the city center was silent. Stepping onto the bustling street where not a single soul passed by, I followed behind Parben with Vasily.
The grand and elegant building standing before my eyes was the holy hall located in the heart of Makhachkala. A roof that soared sharply as if to pierce the sky and a silver bell. As the high black iron gates opened, a garden appeared, as neatly manicured as the Imperial Palace.
Valentin and I entered the holy hall, passing through the stone path with our bodies and faces covered by black hooded cloaks. This makes me feel like some rebel plotting a conspiracy.
The space visible as soon as the doors opened was the central prayer room, which could be called the primary reason for the holy hall's existence. Stopping in front of the entrance, Parben bowed politely and spoke.
“Do you see the statue of Saint Leo ahead? Princess Larisa, please enter through the door located behind the statue. Prince Vasily and I will wait here together.”
Without removing my hood, I looked back at Vasily.
“I'll be back. It won't take long.”
Only my parents, Vasily, Parben, and a very small portion of the Makhachkala holy hall knew that I was visiting the holy hall today. If it was the clever Vasily, he might have associated the visit with the public prophecy from the moment I mentioned a tour.
“Please, do not cause any trouble. Be careful the first time, be careful the second time, be careful the third time. Be careful the hundredth time.”
“I got it.”
That's why he gives me such warnings. Leaving behind Vasily, who kissed both my cheeks, I pushed open the shabby wooden door behind the saint's statue that Parben had mentioned.
From here on, it was a solemn space where only priests—unless one was a plumber—could set foot. Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, what I saw was a small statue, a miniature version of the saint's statue in the central prayer room. Familiar words were engraved beneath the statue.
<Those not permitted shall turn back from the apostle's prayer room.>
It was an eerie warning indeed. I stealthily avoided the statue and stepped further inside.
The apostle's prayer room refers to a prayer room that only priests, not commoners, can enter. Blessing prayers, rest prayers, laying-on-of-hands prayers, and prophetic prayers are performed in this room, and only priests who have chosen theology as their lifelong vocation can offer them. These prayers continue while fasting for as short as twelve hours or as long as indefinitely.
The only way for a commoner to offer a prayer in the apostle's prayer room is to give a donation to the holy hall and request a prayer from a priest. The apostle's prayer room is not disclosed to the outside through photos or paintings. Therefore, it was perceived as an unknown territory by ordinary believers and was treated as something of a sanctuary.
After passing through a narrow corridor, a relatively wide passage appeared. As if she had been waiting for me, a young priestess leaning against the wall slowly approached and held out a piece of cloth.
“Good morning, Your Imperial Highness. I am Maria, and I will be assisting you with your tour. As previously mentioned, you must wear priestly robes to enter from this point forward. I have borrowed the attire of the novice priests; I hope it fits you well.”
“It's plenty. Thank you.”
Under her guidance, I entered a small changing room provided beside the passage and took off my hooded cloak.
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