A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke

Extra 8: Lets Take A Trip (VIII)

“What? Sleeping together!”

Esther’s eyes widened in surprise at Noah’s remark.

“Come on.”

Noah pulled Esther into a deeper embrace.

Esther, who was held tightly, was worried about the close body contact, and her face flushed red.

“Noah… My entire family is down there… It seems like it’s too fast to do this all of a sudden…”

Flustered, Esther said anything she thought of, but Noah did not respond.

“Noah?”

Suddenly, Esther realized that Noah’s breathing was very even.

“… Noah? Are you sleeping?”

“…….”

When there was no answer, Esther blinked rapidly and pushed Noah’s arm. Just like that, it fell off, which was unlike the norm.

Esther, who was easily freed from Noah, lifted her upper body in bewilderment.

The Noah that had just flirted with her was gone. Only the Noah that had fallen asleep like a child remained.

“Shocking.”

How far did she imagine alone?

Growing upset at Noah, Esther gently pulled his nose.

“Umm… Esther…”

But she ended up laughing when he started calling her name in his sleep.

She laid him comfortably and tucked his arm under the blanket, then played with his hair.

“I was expecting a little bit. You will regret it when you wake up.”

Esther muttered so in Noah’s ear and lightly kissed him goodnight on the lips.

“Good night. You’ve worked hard.”

After turning off the light, Esther went back to the dining room, using the back of her hand to cool her still-hot cheeks.

★★★

A month passed like that.

Esther remained at the temple and worked on the mural, and from time to time, Noah and her family took turns visiting.

“Finally, the last step.”

The mural was reaching completion. She rubbed her aching shoulders as she checked if the paint was drying.

The mural depicted the very space where she met Espitos.

A faraway sanctuary that did not exist, but certainly existed. The very place where Espitos was looking down on everyone.

Esther couldn’t determine if Espitos was her influence, or if it happened because she was thinking of her.

Regardless, in the prayer room, the energy of Espitos was felt strongly.

“Are you watching?”

Muttering to herself, Esther looked at the image of Espitos which she drew on the wall.

It was then.

“Excuse me.”

“Elder Alberto?”

Alberto, the elder who had asked Esther to work on the mural, visited.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard that your work is coming to an end. I’m here because I’m curious… It’s better than I thought.”

Alberto looked around and exclaimed in admiration.

“It’s really cool. It feels sacred, like a sanctuary. As expected, it’s the right choice to ask the saint.”

“Is that so…”

Esther smiled and cleared a space for Alberto to sit down.

“Uh… Saint.”

“Yes.”

Alberto pursed his lips several times, hesitating, before he asked with difficulty.

“Do you have any intention of returning to the temple?”

It clearly took a lot out of him to ask this question, but Esther’s expression hardened in an instant.

“Is this the will of the elders?”

“No! It’s not like that… After seeing the mural, I felt even more regrets, so I asked. I just thought that the place where the saint should be is the temple… I apologize.”

It had already been three years since the Council of Elders took over the role of the saint and left the seat vacant.

Inside the temple, there were complaints about it.

Alberto knew what happened in the past, but he still hoped for Esther’s return.

“It took a while, but the temple has changed greatly. Now, I think it’s ready to greet a new era with the saint. Can you trust us just one more time?”

The saint was a symbol and power that represented the temple.

Definitely, the saint was necessary to restore the temple’s former glory.

But Esther had doubts.

“Does the temple really need a saint?”

“What?”

“So far, the elders have done well. Even if it’s not the power of the saint, it’s possible to spread the power of Espitos through divine power.”

“That…”

“If there is a moment when you absolutely need the strength of a saint, then I will help. But I have no intention of belonging to the temple.”

Alberto’s expression turned sullen at Esther’s resolute words.

“…Well.”

Alberto, who had no reason to hold on to Esther, asked in a voice filled with regret.

“Then… are you going to the imperial family after all?”

Rumors had already spread among the priests about Noah’s visit to the Comet territory and his grand dinner with Deheen.

“It could be. But I’m not going to the imperial family, I’m going to a place where I’ll be happy.”

Esther made it clear that her abode had nothing to do with politics.

“I apologize. I thought the temple would be able to do well again, but I should have considered that you also have your own life.”

Alberto smiled bitterly as he realized that he had been greedy.

“Yes. Wherever you like to be… We are reassured by the presence of the saint. Please forgive my presumptuousness, and I hope you’re happy.”

“Thank you.”

After saying goodbye to Alberto, Esther went outside to get some fresh air.

The sun was shining and everything was green, probably because summer had begun.

Esther muttered as she saw the unusually vivid green leaves on the tree.

“I miss Noah.”

“Oh! He was here a few days ago. Seeing that you already miss him, it must be time to live together.”

“Is it?”

Esther did not bother to correct Dorothy’s fuss.

And she decided to tell Noah what she clearly realized while talking to Alberto the next time she saw him.

★★★

“Then I’ll see you again soon.”

“Thank you very much.”

As an exception, the emperor walked out of the palace with Deheen to see him off.

And the corners of the emperor’s lips were almost at his ears.

“Go and bring the empress, the crown prince, and Princess Reina right away. I will be in the empress’ outdoor garden.”

At the unexpected summons of the emperor, the three people who had been scattered throughout the palace grounds gathered in the garden.

“What is it? For you to call me too…”

Reina, who was called during her tea time, crossed her arms, indicating she wanted to return quickly.

“I know. Today is the day of the regular meeting. Your Majesty, were there issues?”

The empress was concerned when she saw the serious expression on the emperor’s face.

Noah stood still, dignifiedly waiting for the emperor to speak.

“Yes.”

The emperor, who had been keeping his family in suspense for a while, sighed deeply and raised his head.

“Today, Grand Duke Deheen brought up the subject of marriage.”

At the word ‘marriage’, the emperor couldn’t hide his joy and burst into a radiant smile.

“What? Really?”

“Great! How long have I waited for this news!”

The empress and Princess Reina hugged each other, rejoicing with their entire bodies.

“Additionally, he said he would stop with Esther when she is done with her activities at the temple. Noah, is there something going on?”

“Well… the last time I saw the grand duke, I drank a couple of glasses and fell asleep. He didn’t say anything else…”

Thinking that he was too weak to please Deheen, Noah couldn’t believe the emperor’s words.

“Really? Anyway, now that the grand duke, who was like an iron fortress, gave permission, there’s nothing holding us back.”

“We can prepare for the wedding right away.”

“I’ll help prepare a very fancy and grand wedding.”

“Mother, there are only men in the grand duke’s family. And they’ve never prepared for a wedding, so they probably don’t know the process. I will be Esther’s helper.”

Excited by the long-awaited news, Princess Reina hurried to obtain a dress collection right away.

However, when Noah, who was supposed to be the most delighted, was unexpectedly quiet, the puzzled emperor asked,

“Is there something wrong? I thought you’d like it.”

“Of course I am happy. Even now, it feels like a dream that the grand duke allowed it. But…”

The emperor, empress, and princess were very nervous, but then burst into laughter at Noah’s words.

“I haven’t proposed yet. I am worried about what to do.”

“My brother, you are still cute.”

Reina chuckled as she jabbed Noah’s side with her elbow.

“I’d say, without a doubt, a jewel. Show your sincerity with something that is difficult to obtain and very expensive.”

“Esther doesn’t like that. And I already gave her a ring.”

“Even if you already gave her a ring, you have to give her a proposal ring.”

“Ah, really? How did Father propose to Mother?”

At Noah’s question, the empress turned her head away, and the emperor blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“We had an arranged marriage. There was no such thing as a proposal.”

“Noah, be sure to propose. Some moments will remain in her memory for the rest of her life. Create precious moments that you can take out and look at over and over again. I feel sad thinking about it because I don’t have those memories.”

Even though it was obvious she was only pretending to be upset, the emperor held the empress’ hand and tried to soothe her heart.

Noah grinned at his parents who were still on good terms.

“Okay. But what if Esther refuses?”

At the thought of Esther, who always talked about marriage as if it was someone else’s business, Noah did not expect that she would accept the proposal.

“It can’t be helped. All you can do is show your heart.”

With the support of his family, Noah prepared for the proposal, working hard for a few days.

Ame:Noah is such a cutie, he has none of that hyper masculinity bullshit ^^ Maybe Esther will beat Noah to the proposal