"Shall we move on," His Royal Highness called, through the tunnel of flowers with the calm air, a beautiful blue sky widening all over his sight. Small adorable flowers bloom brightly at your feet. Small flowers make rows like roads, and following them there is a small church-like building.
"What about that building?
"Let's go. I wanted to take you to that place too."
To my inquiry, His Highness took my hand as he nodded gently and guided me to the front of the building.
"It looks like a small church, but what about here?
"This is a church, as Rachel said. When the royal family came to this detached house, they prayed here."
"Really?"
His Highness opened the door and urged me to go inside, as he explained to me. Slowly entering the church, this place without a cleric was a quiet space where no one and no one made a sound.
Still, I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of the large stained glass that popped first into my eyes. It is like the Spirit King of Light that is portrayed when you look closely, glowing divinely in the light of the sun.
"Beautiful..."
"Ah. The craftsman who made this stained glass is so great that I wonder if he actually saw the Spirit King"
"Yes, the divinity of the Spirit King in the ritual of summons remains intact."
I can still vividly recall. The Spirit King of the Light appeared in that Spirit Summoning Ritual.
The more obvious it was that whoever saw it, the Spirit King was surrounded by light in his appearance, and he couldn't help but wonder exactly how he looked like this with God.
As I look into the stained glass, my sight shifts to His Highness as a sign of His Highness standing next to me looking back at this one.
"Speaking of which, Rachel met the Dark Spirit King, didn't she? What was the vibe like? You still looked like the Spirit King of Light?
"What..."
To His Highness's enquiry, I say what should be answered.
"Right...... you didn't look very much like the Spirit King of Light. One way or another, it was so intimate that... when I first met you, I didn't realize you were the Spirit King."
"Heh, that's surprising. Friendly Spirit King, huh? It certainly doesn't seem like the Spirit King of Light."
Dark-haired smiles come to mind about a dazzling young man, but he's still nothing like the stained glass person in front of him, I can only say. Being a Spirit King, I was bewildered by the way I behaved like a close friend. Still, that one is definitely a spiritual king with the power of God beyond my imagination.
With that in mind, when I took my gaze off the stained glass, I noticed a lot of paintings embellished the walls.
- I wonder what the painting is.
The biggest of the paintings caught my eye first, and I advanced my legs to take a closer look nearby. Then I can see that it is apparently an old painting for a long time.
"Is this painting the history of this country?"
"Oh, yeah. That's the beginning of this painting. Dead land, the heavenly lady coming down from the sky...... this is the legend of the Virgin. In other words, the formation of this country."
"What's this?
"This is when the next Virgin was born. You're getting protection from the Spirit King of Light."
"So this is from generations of the Virgin..."
"That's the thing. This place cannot enter except by royal officials. I don't want secrets leaking out of this painting."
I see.
Until I also received the protection of the Spirit King, I never knew what the power of the Virgin was.
"By secret, do you mean the power of the Virgin? This painting has a way of healing people..."
"Oh, yeah. If we find out about this power, there will be a source of strife, both domestically and abroad."
I hear that the power of the Virgin of Light can also advance crop growth or heal wounds. My dark power can restore dead or sick plants to a healthy state. In other words, the power to manipulate the flow of time. There will be plenty of people who will try to gain such incredible power and want to use it.
I guess the power of the Virgin is a complex thing that, if used incorrectly, can confuse the country and also become a seed of war, as opposed to enriching it.
"So the king was about to push for the engagement of Anna and Her Royal Highness"
"The power of the Virgin allowed us to rebuild this country, which was in perilous condition many times. I suppose the kings of history have also bound their freedom to use their power for the good of their country."
"... really, really?"
"Huh?"
I feel uncomfortable with His Highness's words. Surely, if we only listened, it would have been best to marry the royal family so that the Virgin would not be taken by another country for the sake of the country, and to keep her power a secret. Ignore their will.
Still, I take a closer look at each painting wondering where that discomfort comes from.
And then we get to one conclusion.
"Every painting Virgin has a happy face.... I'm sure they chose that for themselves"
"You know you can't freely use your powers, and you'll be tied to the royal family,"
"Unbelievable?
"No, it's not. If I were you, I would have chosen a different way of life."
Does that mean I feel like I'm not doing it? His Royal Highness has until now been a major criterion as to whether it would be beneficial or harmful to the country. If that was for the country, I would have made any ruthless decision, and I would have intended to.
Of course, there will be many opportunities in the future to be compelled to make sometimes outrageous decisions, and sometimes we have to be ruthless.
Of course, it is not wrong in itself, and I do not believe that as an exchanger it is one correct form. But I guess when I questioned that way of life, His Highness began to feel compassion for others who had never had to suffer before.
Maybe that's why I'm looking at paintings with an indelible look on my face. Or it could be overlapping me. To the Virgin, given the power of the Spirit King, my future.
Still, Your Highness will choose the best after exploring different possibilities and paths than before. Such a royal highness is why I have sincere respect and can always believe in him.
"I said I can't free my powers, but at least I... only use the power I owe to the Spirit King by what I think is right"
In my words His Highness gently narrowed his eyes and smiled with joy "Ah".
Seeing that grin, I can't help but lose my shoulder. After all, Your Highness respects and believes in me again. Yes, Your Highness himself indicates it in words and in attitude.
That's why I want to be with you.
From the bottom of my heart, I like His Highness.
So I'm sure......
"I'm sure the girls in this painting were just like me, and maybe their happiness was with someone in the royal family. I don't think it's a bad idea to believe that."
"Oh, yeah."
His Highness lowers his eyebrows and his gaze is directed toward a single painting. The painting depicts a happy-looking Virgin holding a baby in love and a former king watching her with a serene face behind her.
"I know I have a happy family, a friendly parent-child relationship. Still, I have never remembered being held by my mother like this, nor have I ever received such a warm gaze from my father.... This painting may be warm and relaxing to the viewer because they are happy. I'm sure I still don't know a lot of emotions"
"Me too. I'm also full of things I don't know about this country, about the Spirit... Still, because Your Highness taught me. You just need to know what you don't know from now on. Because it's not too late. It's not a bad thing to be missing. I just need someone to make it up to me."
His Highness grinned blushing as he opened his eyes to my words.
"Thank you, Rachel. You always make me realize."
"It's the same. I, too, can keep looking forward because His Highness always reaches out and walks slowly."
His Highness turned his gaze to me with a lucid grin, not a dark shadowy smile until earlier. And hold my hand gently as if to envelop something important.
His Royal Highness pulls my hand as it is and proceeds to the altar with his feet.
When our conversation stopped, only the footsteps of the two of us, me and Your Highness, echoed in silence at once within the church.
And when I reached the altar, I saw the beauty of the stained glass even more prominently. I can't help but breathe in the appearance of the Spirit King surrounding the brightly colored light that is likely to pop out now.
When I look softly at His Highness next door, His Highness looks straight at the stained glass just like I do.
"Rachel, I like this country"
Even if not loud voices, His Highness, clearly speaking, is just staring forward in a pristine way, as if he had decided to do something.
"I like the people of this country"
I just snorted one silently at the next word I told you.
- Yes, Your Highness. I know. I have seen you do your part for this country, Cyril and Theodore.
His Highness loves and respects this country more than anyone else. I know the kindness and strength of the people. I could love this country more because His Highness made me look like a variety of countries. I was able to find out how beautiful she looked.
"And you"
"Me, sir?
His Highness, slowly looking back towards me, stared at me as he shot through with a sweet, hot gaze. As if I were to be captured by that gaze, I could not take my eyes off His Highness.
His Highness leaked his breath all the time, then his gaze knelt on the spot with it fixed against me.
"So, Your Highness... what?"
His Highness laughed even deeper at me elsewhere in a panic over His Highness's actions.
"Rachel, I love you."
"Ah..."
"I will protect you until the time when your life runs out. Must be."
"Your Highness..."
This is not the first time His Royal Highness has spoken the Word of Love. Yet, for some reason, my eyes are getting hot and I'm about to overflow with tears. The words out of my mouth blur and shake.
Because... too much of His Highness's thoughts come from those eyes.
"So please, I want you to laugh next door. That's my happiness."
"Your Highness, this..."
His Highness takes something out of his pocket with the hands of those who are not connected. But soon I knew it was a ring.
Because a sparkling gem entered my eyes as it reflected into the light that plunged through the window. His Royal Highness put the ring on my connected left hand pharmacopoeia and dropped his lips there without straying.
"This is yours."
"Maybe... a contract ring...?
Staring at His Highness with incredible thoughts, His Highness smiled gently to mean affirmation. Besides, I just blurted my left hand up in front of my face.
A big glowing gem in the center of the ring. The light entering through the window shines sparklingly as it reflects on the gem and peeks into it as it is invited.
Then there is the eagle's crest, which is His Highness's engraving.
The eagle is a crest representing His Highness Himself given at birth.
And a contract ring is something that a royal man is allowed to make once in his life. I hear it is a gift to the person who dedicates everything to me and deposits it.
But to make it, you need 100 days of indispensable magic, and no longer give away the ring of contract with the times.
Looking back at His Highness again, His Highness stood up and laughed with a slight blush on his cheek, "I've been deciding for a long time to give this to you," he said.
"Thank you, Your Highness"
My vision distorts with tears.
Your Highness's thoughts, kindness... and love for Your Highness overflowing from my breasts... Everything makes my breasts hot.
I try to turn my best smile toward His Highness, but will I be grinning firmly now?
But His Highness wrapped my cheeks with both hands so as to accompany my clumsy grin on his face.
"Rachel, my lady. I swear I'll think of you and love you all my life."
The words conveyed a glimmer of tears from my eyes that I could not bear.
"So please marry me"
"Yes...... yes. Your Highness, I love you too."
Shake your head vertically over and over again. I cannot clearly capture His Highness's expression with tears, but it is nevertheless as if I can see His Highness's face with a delightful narrowing of his eyes.
I just naturally close my lid to the signs of slowly approaching His Highness's face.
Immediately after that, something warm touches my lips.
A small church for two.
His Highness dropped a warm and gentle kiss on my lips, wrapped in the gentle light that plunged through the window.