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However, based on years of experience, that look could be interpreted as: 'I told you to stay quietly in the Imperial Palace and stop acting like a wild child, yet here you are attending a public prayer service just to spite me. Thanks to that, my heart is burning with worry for Your Highness. Be prepared for a lecture once the service is over.'
"……Emma, by any chance, do you have a spare self-defense knife?"
"Oh my. All of a sudden?"
"I absolutely need to be safe today."
"You should be safe always, not just today. One moment."
Before long, the entrance hymn of the public prayer service began.
While the choir standing on both sides of the platform sang the entrance hymn, the priests emerged from the holy hall one by one and took their places in front of the platform in neat rows and columns.
It was a damn long, long, long procession.
After stifling several yawns, Emma spoke to me using ventriloquism, one of those refined skills typical of noblewomen.
"Did something unpleasant happen with Brother Igor?"
I covered my mouth, pretending to cough, and replied.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Your expression has seemed stiff ever since you met him. If you have something on your mind, please confide in me or pour it all out through today's prayers."
"I'm just a bit indigestion-y because I'm nervous. I've never really liked crowded places, including balls. I only realized that after my coming-of-age ceremony."
"Ah……."
After a short hum of realization, Emma suddenly opened her eyes wide and smiled.
"So that's why those rumors were going around!"
Impressive, Emma. She smiled so naturally, yet her lips didn't move a muscle. Truly, her ventriloquism rivaled Tatyana's.
"What rumors? That story about me being dumped by Valentin?"
"No. People don't know Your Highness very well yet, so they consider you a cold-blooded person who surpasses Crown Prince Vasily. To think the reason was simply a nervous expression……."
Just how diverse are the rumors about me?
"I didn't know our Princess Larisa would get nervous standing before a crowd. Still, it's a relief. Looking at your face, I don't think anyone would dare touch you. Really, no one……."
"That's a relief. I'll keep staying nervous then."
After a long wait, the Pope rose.
"Today, those who hold faith have gathered in one place to receive the grace of the holy Savior. We solemnly declare that our prayers seek the blessing of all people and that we shall duly serve for this purpose."
A public prayer service presided over by the Pope is closer to a session for overseeing religious rituals and listening to the exhortations of a saint with the most noble faith.
First, for the first hour, one learns through worship the footsteps of the Savior of gabrielism, who brought birth to this land, created humanity, and preached the teachings of salvation for those who had sinned.
"Today, the sky of Makhachkala is as blue as the sea. The sky, into which the Savior breathed the very first breath when creating the world, is also the widest space we can behold with our eyes……."
This is usually when I switch off my brain.
It couldn't be helped. I had avoided many lessons since childhood, but among them, theology and mathematics were so ill-suited to my aptitude that I lost consciousness every single day.
'Still, Bishop Parben is watching, so I should at least pretend to listen…….'
Pretend…… pretend…… and then, after the service, the choir…….
"Your Highness!"
"Ah."
I snapped my eyes open, startled. Good heavens, I thought it was a lullaby, but it was the choir's singing.
The service ended, so the choir…… wait, the choir is finished too. When did it end?
"It's time to clap."
At Emma's whisper, I reflexively clapped. I could see the finely dressed boys and girls returning to their seats.
Ahem. After the choir, the exhortation begins.
"I offer my gratitude to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress for granting the safety of the believers and the opportunity to worship in the land of ten thousand, Makhachkala."
Since the Pope is the greatest saint and elder of gabrielism, the state religion of the Ohala Empire, my father and mother also bowed their heads in greeting.
After that…….
"Your Highness!"
"Ah."
I snapped my eyes open, startled. Good heavens, I thought it was a lullaby, but it was Grandpa Pope's teaching.
Ahem. Then, the second service should be…….
"Under the sunny sky where the Savior's blessing descends, today I wish to speak about the precious traditions we must uphold."
Ah, no! Stop the sleepiness!
I put all the strength I could into my eyes.
If I dozed off even here, the probability of getting a piece of my mind from my father and mother, who were watching me with hawk-like eyes, would increase. I couldn't act childishly when I had attended this event despite their opposition.
"Tradition refers to the culture and thought passed down from our ancestors. In other words, these are things whose value has been recognized to be left for future generations."
Instead of struggling to concentrate on a voice that wasn't properly sinking into my ears, I scanned the platform in detail. To be more honest, it would be more accurate to say I examined even the cardinals as a tactic to boldly steal glances at Valentin.
While doing so, a blonde cardinal sitting to the right of Valentin caught my eye.
"Therefore, tradition is re-evaluated every generation. Valueless traditions disappear, while valuable ones survive, and some traditions regain a value they once lost and are revived."
I wondered why he kept catching my eye.
A couple of portraits similar to the cardinal's impression flashed through my mind. I couldn't be certain, but the probability of him being a dangerous element was not low.
'But since the opponent is a cardinal and not an ordinary citizen of the empire…….'
Even if he were actually part of the rebellion, he wasn't in a position I could touch. I had already been warned about this last night by Ivan and Tanya.
[There are those in the Holy See who share the same goals as Libertan. In their eyes, Valentin is a thorn in their side. Valentin's hunting skills are very famous among the rebels.]
[Why leave such a person alone? What if Valentin becomes endangered?]
[Well…… because he's useful?]
[Fufu. It is short-sighted to clear away something just because it's an eyesore, Lara. Those people are useful enough. Their utility is endless. Whether as bait to find Libertan's traces, or as bait to target their backs, whatever it may be.]
[For once, Tanya is saying something right. So, do not examine the priests too closely. We already have that side completely figured out. Do you understand, Lara? You only need to watch the believers. Do not expose yourself to unnecessary information beyond that. It will only cause confusion.]
I looked at Valentin with slightly appalled eyes. To sit so close to someone who might stab him in the back at any moment. How bold could he be?
"The traditions of our gabrielism have also undergone many changes over generations. The holy hall was originally located on a hill overlooking the village, but now it is constructed regardless of whether it is a plain or a mountainous region. This is so that all believers may pray without discrimination."
Due to a pointless sense of anxiety, I couldn't take my eyes off the blonde cardinal. This became even more so when I noticed he was trembling with a visibly nervous face.
"Ultimately, the meaning of tradition lies more in recognizing the teachings of the saints contained within, and the convictions of our generation that connect those teachings, rather than in the origin itself."
Why is that man trembling?
This is merely a place for prayer. What could be making him so frightened?
"I have spoken for too long. Now is the time for the holy prophecy to descend."
As if he had been waiting, Valentin rose.
In an instant, the air in the plaza froze.
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