Chapter 16 (1/2)
Chapter 16
The adults froion were shocked at this, and so they berated her
“Chouze, you go too farYou are being rude to the Saintesses who are loved by God”
“HsGod will drop a new one in three months even if these two happened to disappearThese tiresome ceremonies are a waste of timeThe Saintesses should be shut up in their palace and purify the miasma there”
So said the inland prince who had co
“ExactlyIt is as my brother saysI have heard that all the previous Saintesses were poor even in their own countryAnd yet here they are given good clothes and have enough to eatIt is et to their heads”
But eren’t letting it get to our heads at allMaki and Chiharu looked at each other and sighed
“I heard ru a fortune in the city just to play, and doing little else”
That was too htly!
“You say that we are spending a fortune, but are you aware of how much we spend in the city in one day?”
“How should I know so like that!”
“It is under 1000 gil for lunch and snacks at food stallsEven e buy any ite money that we’ve earned ourselves”
The other adults all oodIt onderful
“But, you have guards! Also, you are robbing prince Edwy of precious time!”
“We have guards whether or not we are in the cityEdwy is our friend, and we enjoy his company”
“You what!”
“Aren’t you the inland princess? I would have thought they’d teach you sis like the prices of products”
“But, my uncle told me so!”
“Well, excuse us thenIt looks like this conversation is too hard for a child like youI see soo try some?”
Everyone was so childish!+ Chouze snarled at Chiharu aving her away
The inland prince could not help but snort when he saw this
“Sweets, you saySaintesses, I think it is you tould find such delicacies a rare treatWhy don’t you try soluttons”
While they were both princes, this one was nothing like Edwy
“Maki, Chihaaru, what is it? Are you alright?”
Edwy himself had come to see what the commotion was
“Prince Edwy!”
Chouze threw herself onto Edwy’s arently tapped her on the shoulder in a brotherly way
“Chouze was trying to separate me from Maki and ChihaaruShe said that I would be conta so ether”
The sHahahaI love tattletales, Chiharu thought
“Chouze, were you really getting involved with Maki and Chihaaru again?”
Again? He knew?
“But… It is your castle Edwy, and yet they walk around like they own the placeBut they just look like beggars with rocks on their headsAnd they even play in the cityThey do not care at all that everyone else is busy planning this ceremony for them”
“Chouze, how can you say that! What kind of education are they giving you over there! The disrespect is beyond what is acceptableThey are theyou are, this is unforgivableNorfe, take Chouze back to her room”
“Edhat are you saying? We are invited guests hereWhy should we be the ones who have to leave?”
“NorfeRemember just why you were invitedIt was to honor these Saintesses who crossed betorlds in order to purify this oneMaki and Chihaaru weretoo out of hand, but this is going too far”
“But it does not change the fact that they are a money pit”
“Duke Adol!”
Duke Adol was the ardensHe was the inland king’s younger brother
“We are made to contribute yearly donations to a cause e don’t even know if they will be of any use”
“It is for the benefit of the whole worldAs royalty, you should know just how much you are indebted, even if you cannot see it”
Just how important Saintesses were, just how much of a burden they were to each country, and just how that was interpreted by everyoneThose were things that we should probably find outI’ve been holding back until now, but these people should know tooMaki thought with annoyanceAnd then:
“Enough already!”
She shoutedEveryone fell quietChiharu moved closer to Maki
“You are free to choose just howat allIt is none of our business
She looked at Maia kindly before her eyes moved to Chouze, Norfe, and Duke Adol
“If you say that we are living lavishly, then throw us out into the streetsIf you do not want to spend any money on us, then don’t”
“Ho, the Saintesses don’t need it”
Duke Adol said ly
“In exchange, give us back what you have taken from us”
“Taken fro about!”
Duke Adol said with suspicion
“We came from a prosperous countryI had dozens of clothes for each seasonI had food to eat every day and could buy things from all over the worldI rode trains every day”
“It has been recorded, that all Saintesses were poor”
“How long ago was that? Tied since the last Saintess”
“How long ago was that? Tied since the last Saintess”
Maki continued
“And so, having different clothes every day, food to eat and being able to leave are not considered luxuries to usThere was an uncountable variety of sweets where we came from”
“In that case, you should ask for more”
She was getting side-trackedHer annoyance was causing her to throw out random complaints
“Then, I want my family”
Maki said quietly
“Your family?”
“The ones who gave birth to us, raised and loved usGive them back”
Everyone gulped
“Return us to the fahters”
“…”
“Our faht just looking for usReturn us to them”
“But God…”
“Yes, it’s so convenient to blasBut you are happy to receive any blessingsI wonder which of us are the real gluttons”
“!”
Then Arthur came and spoke
“Duke Adol, your complaints about the inlands do not concern the SaintessesIt see so quiet has caused you and the others to forget your debtsThis is a grave matter in terize to the SaintessesAnd then you will leave”
The three of them did so without any sincerity and left
Later on, Sera was called to the Saintesses room in order to make contact with Aeris
Maki and Chiharu wore thick, heavy robes and visited him when it had become darkZynis was also called
“This was quite the day for you twoI can’t apologize enough, on their behalf”
“Oh, don’t do thatThere areThere is no reason for you to apologize, Aeris”
“I seeThen, what is it? Maki and Chihaaru”
Aeris asked gently
“To-today, we talked about our families”
“We just couldn’t be alone after that…”
“It’s strange, we’re supposed to be adults…”
“I just want to ain…”
Aeris and Zynis gently held theazed at the floorAnd still, Maki and Chiharu refused to cry out loudThey repressed their sobs, even as their tears soaked into the shi+rts of the two menWhile it pained Aeris and Zynis to see this, they held them tenderly in the places of the father and mother who couldn’t
The next day, Maki and Chiharu met the worried Arthur, Zynis, and Aeris with s to waveAfter that, the two said they wanted to rest before the final banquet in the night