Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(40) The Holy Knight Who Does Not Work

“You’ve kept the money we’ve saved safe, haven’t you?”
Lea’s expression grew serious. Then she whispered as though someone might overhear.
“Of course, Lady Rowan. I’ve hidden it under my bed so I can grab it and leave at a moment’s notice if an emergency arises.”
“Well done, Lea.”
Rowan nodded gravely, and Lea stared at her intently.
“What is it?”
When Rowan asked, Lea tilted her head.
“I just don’t understand why you still think that way.”
Lea said.
“You’re the most envied noblewoman in the Kingdom right now, so why… Besides, judging by how your husband treats you, there’s no need for such worries.”
“That’s something you can’t know.”
Rowan chuckled softly, teacup in hand.
“How can I trust a life that could crumble entirely if that man’s heart changes? Honestly, now that he’s gained status too, if he turns his eyes to another woman and casts me aside, what happens to me then? I have no supportive family to fall back on, and I’d become the Kingdom’s laughingstock in an instant. So I can’t rely on that man alone and rest easy. I must prepare a way to survive on my own, no matter what.”
Because I don’t want to die anymore. Rowan swallowed the words unspoken.
‘And if I can help it, I want to live in peace.’
Such words should never have come from the lips of a noblewoman who had entered the castle so brilliantly on her husband’s arm and lived a scandalously passionate honeymoon. Lea fell silent.
‘What kind of life did Lady Rowan live in the Marquis Household?’
Now that she thought about it, all she vaguely knew was that Rowan had grown up in a house with a stepmother and stepsiblings. Suddenly, Lea’s heart ached.
“Lady Rowan, don’t worry!”
Lea suddenly grasped Rowan’s hand. Rowan’s eyes widened as she looked at Lea.
“I will always stand by your side! No matter what decision you make, I’m on your side!”
“Y-yes.”
Rowan answered awkwardly, caught off guard.
“Thank you, Lea.”
But her thoughts were elsewhere.
‘How will I take you with me?’
You’ll enjoy a more comfortable life here in the castle.
Unaware of Rowan’s true thoughts, Lea was seething with determination.
***
The High Priest’s Office soared upward in a dome that mirrored the heavens, and upon it hung a colossal fresco depicting divine symbols, gazing down solemnly upon all who entered below.
Shelves lining every wall overflowed with scrolls and reports sent from across the Kingdom, while a heavy ebony desk commanded the center of the chamber.
Upon it lay maps and tactical diagrams, sealed correspondence arranged with meticulous care, and wax drippings from an enormous candelabra that bore the weight of countless years.
Seated behind the desk was none other than the Kingdom’s High Priest, adorned in ceremonial robes embroidered with golden thread, his heavy gaze fixed upon the man standing before the door.
“Holy Knight Alexis Adrian Glister.”
His voice resonated deep and low through the chamber.
“Tell me—have you enjoyed your honeymoon as you desired?”
Alexis tilted his head slightly.
“I wish you had granted me a bit more leave.”
An involuntary groan escaped the High Priest’s lips. Here stood this shameless man, given such an extended leave, yet still lamenting its brevity.
Was this truly a Holy Knight blessed with divine radiance? A Holy Knight with sacred power that would be remembered throughout the Kingdom’s history had manifested, and yet he spoke only of his newlywed bliss. The High Priest suppressed the throbbing in his temples and extended a scroll toward him.
“You have adapted sufficiently to your duties as a Holy Knight, and you have enjoyed the leave you so desperately desired. Now it is time to undertake your work in earnest.”
Alexis walked silently toward the desk. His footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor, yet the air within the chamber grew heavy with inexplicable tension.
“A rebellion has erupted in the Border Region. You are to depart on a suppression campaign. Should you achieve results, the King himself will commend you.”
Alexis’s eyes grew sharp as he examined the scroll, and the High Priest’s eyebrow twitched as he observed this reaction.
“The Border Region, you say—”
His violet eyes narrowed coldly.
“Even at maximum speed, it would take no fewer than three days to reach it, would it not?”
“And?”
The High Priest’s voice faltered at this unexpected question.
“It is impossible.”
Alexis set the scroll down neatly. In that instant, the High Priest’s thick hand froze above the documents.
“Your position and mission were bestowed upon you by God. I am assigning you work for the Kingdom’s sake, and you dare refuse?”
Alexis narrowed his brow and spoke with unwavering resolve.
“My wife has not yet adjusted to the Castle.”
“…!”
His voice cut like a sharpened blade. The candle flame upon the High Priest’s desk flickered and trembled despite the absence of any breeze. The High Priest’s eyes widened.
“Are you defying my command?”
The High Priest’s gaze flashed with intensity, yet Alexis remained utterly unmoved.
“Grant me time until my wife has adjusted.”
He continued.
“We have scarcely begun our married life. It was only thanks to the leave you graciously granted that I could spend this honeymoon with her at all. If I undertake such a lengthy campaign now, I fear what might befall her in my absence. For the time being, I will care for my wife and attend to whatever duties I can manage. Whatever those duties may be.”
His voice was resolute, his gaze unwavering. The High Priest stared at him intently.
For a long moment, only the sound of their breathing filled the chamber. Both stood their ground, neither yielding. At last, he slowly reclined against the chair’s back and released a low laugh.
“It seems your relationship with your wife is better than the rumors suggest.”
“….”
“Indeed. You are the first Holy Knight to request a honeymoon leave immediately upon assuming the position.”
After a moment, the High Priest withdrew another scroll and unrolled it.
“Very well. I shall postpone the campaign orders. Instead—”
His hand descended upon the parchment. It was not a Border Region campaign order, but rather a matter concerning the interior of the Royal Palace.
“In some respects, this could prove far more dangerous than suppressing a rebellion. Should complications arise, the Royal Family will bury you and be done with it. It’s an exceptionally delicate and perilous task, but it does offer you the one thing you so desperately desire—the time to return to your wife’s side come evening and find rest.”
Alexis accepted the scroll quietly.
“In truth, I’ve given you the easiest assignment.”
The High Priest spoke.
“Crude though it may be, with your holy power, you could finish it in a single stroke.”
“….”
“But this is different. You would infiltrate the Royal Palace under the guise of a Holy Knight’s escort, yet this is no mere matter of wielding holy power. You could become entangled in the palace’s internal machinations and end up sacrificed—the entire affair concluded with your death alone.”
“….”
“What say you? Will you accept this?”
The High Priest’s voice carried a grave warning.
“I accept.”
At his unhesitating response, the High Priest’s eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.
“I tell you once more—this is more dangerous than any military campaign.”
Yet Alexis’s expression remained unmoved. Recognizing that further persuasion would be futile, the High Priest closed his eyes briefly, then exhaled slowly.
“Then you’ll be deployed to the operation immediately. Understand that.”
Alexis bowed respectfully and departed the office. The High Priest’s hand upon the desk clenched tightly.
“…What a waste.”
Had he obeyed orders and undertaken suppression campaigns or border patrols, the entire Kingdom could have found stability in an instant. In truth, I had assigned the simplest operation, yet his holy power carried such weight that it could shift the entire tide of war in a single moment.
The High Priest’s face was shadowed by bitter, complex emotion. The thought occurred to him that his wife might prove to be an important figure—a weapon with which to manipulate him.
There had been an unforeseen variable. When he first requested his honeymoon leave, I had assumed it was merely rest needed before the coronation ceremony….
“….”
Tap, tap—the High Priest’s fingers drummed heavily upon the desk. A man without ambition, yet possessing such extraordinary holy power. Truly, a troublesome matter.
***
Not a single influential figure in High Society had failed to send an invitation to the residence of the newly emerged Holy Knight. Yet all they received in return were polite but terse refusals.
That he—originally the heir of a prominent noble house and now elevated to the Royal Palace’s sacred Holy Knight—refused to show his face in High Society at all tormented them.
Before becoming a Holy Knight, he had constantly graced those dissolute parties with his presence, yet now that he had achieved that rank, he spent his time confined within the Castle on official business alone, which only intensified the curiosity of many.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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