I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 156
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Of course he hadn’t thought Eldis would let them go, but he hadn’t expected him to say he’d kill them.
Yeshion swallowed hard and responded quietly.
“W-what if… what if you get punished by the gods for that? They teach us to love everyone.”
“Divine Punishment.”
“……”
“If I feared Divine Punishment, I never would’ve begun trying to protect you.”
Determination was carved into Eldis’s face. He was prepared to defy God Himself if that’s what it took to save Yeshion.
“…Please don’t.”
“……”
“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me, Archpriest.”
It wasn’t just Eldis. Yeshion didn’t want Adelio or Rosaline to get hurt either, not while trying to resolve what the real ‘Yeshion’ had done. That was why he had made the resolve to twist the original story in the first place.
At his words, Eldis silently gazed at his face.
‘When I said I loved you, it meant I was ready to give up everything.’
Even if it meant suffering Divine Punishment again, if anyone tried to seize Yeshion’s life and wield it like a weapon, Eldis had every intention of eliminating them without question.
And that was a decision he had made the moment he experienced Yeshion’s death once before.
“You said you met a red-haired woman.”
Eldis didn’t answer Yeshion’s words, he simply changed the subject altogether.
“What? Oh, yes…”
“Women with red hair are uncommon in the Empire. The only red-haired woman I’ve seen until now was…”
“Women…?”
“The Empress’s maid.”
“A maid?”
When Yeshion repeated the word, Eldis offered a deep smile.
“If we catch her, we may learn the whole story. She could even become a witness.”
Eldis curved his lips into a smile.
Something about it sent chills down Yeshion’s spine. He shivered. Then Eldis spoke again.
“I believe I can seize that opportunity.”
A knowing, ominous smile spread across Eldis’s face.
* * *
From that day on, preparations for the festival began at the temple.
Since the current Empress had taken the throne, she had refused to allow any temple-hosted festivals, but now the permission had finally been granted.
Eldis cited Adelio as the reason for approving the event, saying it was because he visited the temple to pray with sincerity and treated the priests kindly.
‘That way, the Empress won’t be able to consolidate her power.’
The temple had long held unfavorable views of the current Empress.
The woman who brought bloodshed.
From the Grand Duke’s death onward, someone died every time she opened her mouth.
There was no way they could see her in a good light.
‘Wasn’t the temple supposed to deliver the festival’s congratulatory address…?’
Eldis had allowed the festival in order to draw members of the royal family into the temple.
The Empress and her maid would surely come together, and abducting that maid would be the very first order of business.
However, alongside that plan, another rumor had begun to spread…
“Did you hear? Priest Yeshion and the Archpriest… you know… they’re supposedly like that.”
The rumors were about Yeshion and Eldis.
“They’ve been at each other’s throats this whole time. No way that’s true.”
“Hey now! You shouldn’t say things like that so lightly! It must’ve just been a kind remark from the Saintess, wanting the cold temple to feel a little warmer.”
Yeshion’s lips twitched.
There was only one place the rumor could have started.
‘The infirmary…’
It was a high-traffic area, so he had rushed to cover Rosaline’s mouth at the time, but apparently, someone had overheard them.
As Yeshion rubbed his face with both hands in distress, Rosaline, who had been walking over from afar, suddenly halted in his tracks.
Seeing his stiff expression, it was clear he too had heard the rumors circulating through the temple.
Yeshion offered him a bright smile, gesturing for him to come closer.
But after hesitating for a moment, Rosaline turned on his heel and quickly ran away.
Yeshion let out a hollow laugh, utterly dumbfounded.
