The Divorced Duchess

Chapter 11: GUEST, ENCOUNTER, ANNOUNCEMENT

KALLIXTO’S eyebrows shot up into the air. He sighed heavily and exited the office with Shun and the knight following him until they reached the audience room. He didn’t have any idea why the holy temple priests visited him without prior notice, but as an emperor, he had to deal with them, setting aside their conflict of interest. As soon as he met them with his own eyes, the young priest pulled off his white hood. From there, Kallixto recognized him immediately because of his innocent appearance.

“Kallixto the Emperor,” the Holy Priest ecstatically greeted him.

“The HolyTtemple was regrettably asked for an audience without advance notice, so I hope you don’t mind." Customarily, when people discovered his excellency, they would bow their heads and greet him with esteem, yet the holy priest was different. Though they acknowledged him as an emperor, the Holy Priests thought highly of themselves, believing that the Goddess Enah had bestowed her divine power on them. Of course, Kallixto respected the goddess because she was the mother of the Hiraya. And the Holy Temple’s disciples were suspicious about whether they could serve the goddess and her people or not.

The young, high, Holy Priest was Mikhail Wood, the youngest, highest priest who reached the level of light magic. Kallixto knew this little information about Mikhail as he dug out information about him during the ceremony of choosing the highest priest candidates. All the candidates should perform the Pure Orders that proclaim their worth to be the next high priest. Following the will of Goddess Enah, she would send a sign through a white dove to the chosen candidate; thus, they would be promoted to the official priesthood and achieve divine rights. In addition, Mikhail can even unlock the most attributes of light. It was through his faith and goodness that he lived an honest life, but Kallixto wasn't that shallow to believe in the Holy Priest.

“Everyone is welcome to seek an audience with the emperor. I don’t see any problem with that.” Kallixto imparted. He noticed the four priests standing behind Mikhail.

“They are the newly appointed clergy, and I brought them with me to observe the works of the highest priest.”

Kallixto didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Mikhail. “What is the purpose of the Holy Priest in visiting the Emperor?”

“We need assistance to investigate an anomaly in the holy temple. Although the holy temple’s damage was one percent compared to the central city, we were grateful for that. However, after the explosion, we learned that the divine scepter was stolen by an unknown man.”

The divine scepter symbolizes the holy temple’s emblem of authority. A long time ago, a war hero fought a thousand monsters and sealed the Ruin Berserk. The time he acquired the divine scepter from the divine forest, which was bestowed by the Goddess Enah, he turned it over to the holy temple. From then on, people believed the divine scepter was the tower of strength of the holy temple.

“The Emperor or even the Emperor’s associates should not interfere in the holy temple’s case. Except if the empire is involved in the holy temple, that is the time I can intercede.”

Mikhail’s mouth twisted into a strained smile. He has an upright personality that stays faithful to his beliefs and speaks only the truth, though Kallixto wasn’t convinced of what the high priest had shown to their believers. “We did our part to investigate, but as we carried out a thorough investigation, we discovered that one of the accomplices in the thievery was Earl Paschal. It was indeed unbelievable on our side because he was our significant benefactor. Therefore, we’re asking for the Emperor’s support.”

Shun was attentively listening to their conversation and had noticed Kallixto. “That man again,” Kallixto muttered under his breath.

“Rest assured, I will prioritize this matter, and if that man is proven guilty, I will take the initiative to punish him and his accomplices.”

*****

“This dress is perfect for you!” Alice marveled while choosing dresses for Thalia. She was even in the middle of working on her nerves in the workroom when these two people barged in. No matter how many excuses she made, they didn’t listen to her and dragged her to the central downtown. Looking around, Thalia was astonished by the rapid restoration of the city. She felt awed towards the emperor, who had invested mana stones in the supply of mana energy to rebuild everything. Alice and Esmeralda were busy browsing dresses and accessories in different salons, of course, she had to follow them around. Her feet were numbed by nonstop walking. Luckily, her in-laws had decided to stop at a dessert shop to relax.

“I guess you miss wandering around the central downtown, mother,” Thalia said.

Esmeralda giggled as her eyes gazed out the window into the salon.

“Precisely, although I love the countryside scenery. I always look forward to visiting the central downtown and hoping to visit the first district.”

Speaking of the first district, Thalia rarely got the chance to explore the area. The Claverence has two districts, both of which are diametrically opposed locations. The Claverence Empire was located in the north, although it was separated into the East Kingdom, the West Kingdom, and the Southern Kingdom. The East Kingdom was surrounded by seawater, while the other two kingdoms were well-cultivated and had an abundance of land resources. Each king had submitted their loyalty to the Claverence Empire. The north was known for a long-term winter, but with the aid of mana stones, it balanced the temperature of the Empire. The Claverence geographic location, the first district, was situated in front of the grand palace. It was where the Imperial departments and the academy were built. So, before guests could enter the grand palace, they had to pass through the first district. On the other hand, the central downtown was called the Heart of Claverence because it was located in the middle of the Empire. Everything can be found there, such as the holy temple, various establishments, and houses. The latter, the second district where her husband was assigned to guard, might be the most dangerous place in the empire. And no one would be interested in going there as they feared that place. That place was five hundred miles away from the empire, but still part of the Claverence.

“That place was just like any other place in the empire. However, people there are all obsessed with intelligence and honor,” Alice explained. “It was fun buying clothes. Should we do it if we have plenty of time?” Thalia felt guilty as she heard Alice's remarks. It broke her heart to the point of questioning her worth. She didn’t want to hurt them, her in-laws, because it wasn’t them who chose this path. Nevertheless, she made a firm resolution to keep her future and heart away from pain and suffering.

“How do you feel after treating yourself?” Esmeralda's compassionate voice touched her heart. She wasn’t like any other mother-in-law who treated their daughter-in-law more than a servant. She treated her with the same respect, and it was commendable.

“Sometimes, if our mind and body are exhausted because of a burden, we shouldn’t forget to treat ourselves in the meantime. Accepting responsibilities and commitments is not a sin, but as humans, we need to think about our mental and physical welfare.”

Her mother-in-law sounded like reminding her about living her life to the fullest. She appreciated it. Esmeralda was the kind of person with profound philosophy that, even if they could talk all day, she would learn something from her.

“I appreciate it a lot, mother.”

“It is my responsibility as your mother-in-law to guide and lighten your burden, and I hope you change your mind regarding the divorce.”

As they finished off their dessert, Thalia requested to stop visiting other salons as she was tired of worn-out shoes. Sitting alone on the wooden park bench near the fountain, Thalia decided to wait for Esmeralda and Alice as they went to the last beauty boutique. Thalia was immersed in herself, watching the pigeons flock around the park while pecking at some grains. Then, she suddenly sensed someone sitting beside her, but she didn’t pay attention.

“These creatures were wonderfully created by the Goddess Enah. How about you? Do you believe in her?” Thalia admired the lady beside her. She had an angelic face as well as a voice as if all the angels descended from the divine to sing a soothing song with trumpets played around her.

“I don’t know. It confuses me to think how I could believe her, but most people believe in her.”

The gorgeous lady gave a warm smile. “May I ask your name?”

“Thalia and you?”

“People around me called my name Iris, but I didn’t like that name, though.” Iris resembled a small hamster, the way she complained about her name. Maybe she was given enough love and care because of her bright character.

“Then what name do you want to name yourself?”

“Anything except Iris because its meaning is a poisonous flower.” Iris childishly complained.

Thalia giggled when she heard Iris explain the meaning behind her name. “Everyone’s name is important, but what matters is your heart?”

“Then can we be friends?” Iris said, smiling.

Thalia didn’t hesitate to accept Iris' request even though this was their first time to meet. “Of course, I would love to be your friend.”

“Thank you.”

“Anyway, whose family are you?”

Thalia noticed abruptly how Iris’s mood changed. “Can I tell you some other time? I promise to tell you we will meet again, but I live near the Holy Temple.”

“Holy Temple? Are the residents of the Holy Temple generous to others? Oh, never mind.”

“Yes, they are generous, and Mikhail acts like my older brother.” Iris proudly approached the holy temple. Thalia didn’t know why the park had become crowded, and so, they stood up on the park bench. Seeing the people gathered around the information board, she got curious. “Iris, let’s see the post there,” she said.

They hurried through the crowd. There was one post attached to the board, printed in bold font. And a lady read the post aloud so that the other people who couldn’t read would know the post.

“All the eligible ladies in the Empire, whether from humble or noble families, were invited to compete for the Empress's throne. His Majesty conveyed that this message would reach all ladies who want to become part of the Imperial family. However, anyone who lost the competition will be compensated with the amount of fifty thousand gold Czassel.”

The crowd began shouting and informing others about the news they had received. They were excited about joining their daughters in a competition, as if it were their only way to earn such incredible money. However, the Emperor was too luxurious to prepare for a grand competition in the empire. Well, it wasn’t Thalia’s business to be involved in this competition. She would rather pray for the Emperor to choose a better Empress for the empire.