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The room I followed Veronica into was truly peculiar.

The dimly lit interior had a slight air of disappointment, with soft reflective light. The huge bed added a heavy presence to the space, and the rug seemed to change the overall atmosphere dramatically.

The bedroom could stand up against those in the hotel I’m staying at without any shame. However, as I looked around, I couldn’t shake off a strange discomfort.

The crosses hanging on the walls, and the pastel-colored icons displayed on the dresser near the bed.

This place, suffused with religious overtones, was the bedroom of Altiora Cathedral.

Veronica introduced the bedroom like this.

“This will be the room the Colonel will be using from now on.”

“……”

To be honest, it was absurd.

I had been waiting for Veronica, who had locked herself in the bathroom for a while, when suddenly the door swung open and she burst out, grabbing my hand. Before I could even ask what was going on, Veronica shouted for me to follow her.

Thus, I was led here, only to learn that this was supposedly my new bedroom.

“…You weren’t joking about that earlier, were you?”

“It was the truth. Did you think I was lying, Colonel?”

“……”

“Do you have any other plans tomorrow morning?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Then you must be tired, so go to sleep quickly. I’ll turn off the light and go.”

I had no idea how to respond.

Should I thank her for giving up her bed instead of sending away a drunken person in the cold dawn? Should I protest against someone changing the accommodations of a diplomat without their consent?

Or should I ask if she really meant it when she said I should part with my siblings?

I wasn’t sure, but one thing was clear.

Veronica had prepared something for me.

I found that incredibly commendable.

At the same time, it was infuriating.

After much deliberation, wondering how I could get back at Veronica with some clever remark, I slyly approached her and threw out a line that would surely get me slapped.

“…Can I sleep with you?”

—

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

The night was deep.

The ruckus of drunken revelers, the prayers of pilgrims, and the calls of merchants had subsided, leaving Lateran surprisingly quiet, as if it had forgotten the fervor of yesterday.

In the void left by the excitement celebrating the birth of a new saint, only silence lingered, but everyone knew that when the sun rose the next day, the festival would continue, so there was no trace of desolation in the still atmosphere.

The holy land, engulfed in darkness, was astonishingly calm.

Except for one place.

From the sanctuary where the saint resided, a faint sound emerged, and a shrill scream echoed through the halls of Altiora Cathedral.

“Wh-What outrageous thing are you saying…!”

It was an unexpected commotion.

However, not a single soul rushed over in alarm. With my palms up in an expression of confusion, I shrugged, and Veronica raised her voice sharply.

“Y-You want to sleep together? How can an unmarried man and woman share a bed…! Are you seriously saying this right now?! Even as a joke, such words shouldn’t be said….”

Around twenty years ago, a report produced by the now-retired domestic information officer from the Imperial Guard HQ indicated that Veronica had quite a strong sense of self-awareness and assertion.

She had been hot-tempered since childhood and hated losing to anyone. It was so bad that the puppy playing with her in the yard had collapsed from exhaustion.

Perhaps because of that, Veronica clung to me fiercely. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that it could merely be a joke.

“How reckless can you be to casually suggest sleeping together? I hope you weren’t saying such things in front of my younger sisters?!”

“I don’t really remember….”

I trailed off reflexively, clouded by foggy memories. Perhaps it was because I had drunk too much, but my recollection didn’t come easily. I had shared a bed with Lucia and Francesca before, but no one had ever suggested we sleep together.

If I were to argue, it was more like Lucia encouraged it, but I bore some responsibility too.

However, it seemed Veronica had misunderstood my intention.

“You don’t remember? Just how much have you done…!”

“No, what nonsense are you talking about….”

I looked at her in disbelief, but it was of no use.

The intoxicated saint had already lost herself in her own fantasies fueled by the words she had uttered.

“Lucia spent over a month in the North with me, but my time with Francesca was barely a couple of weeks, right?”

“Well, I spent about a week with her at the villa….”

“A week? Goodness…!”

It seemed I was being viewed as a libertine in her eyes. It was true that I had spent a week with Francesca, but aside from the first day, there was nothing special between us.

This was because Francesca had caught a terrible cold.

Therefore, I tried to correct the misunderstanding and speak up, but—

“What do you mean? Francesca didn’t get out of bed for two days!”

“Did you say you couldn’t do it?”

“…….”

At this point, could it be that she’s just teasing me on purpose? A sudden thought struck me that Veronica was deliberately trying to mess with me.

I wanted to give her a solid slap on the head for this, but I kept my eyes fixed on Veronica, whose face was turning beet red as she tried to hold back her anger.

With her cheeks flushed, it was hard to believe she was a saint. Not to mention the distinct scent of alcohol wafting from her.

I asked, “So do you dislike it?”

“Ugh….”

Seemingly caught off guard by my assertive attitude, Veronica was at a loss for words. To be honest, even I found it absurd how ridiculous my suggestion was.

Sharing a bed together.

It’s not something you casually propose to a cleric, regardless of rank. Especially not with a saint who is one of a kind in the world.

To be precise, there are now two saints, but still.

Regardless, Veronica seemed genuinely angry. But no matter how she felt, I found everything to be just a bother.

“No, what’s the problem? C’mon, Lucia and Francesca are grown adults now.”

“Well, no matter how you slice it, there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed! We’re not even promised a future together, how can a man and woman…?”

“Veronica, that’s rich coming from you, who did such things with a random man in the church…”

“Ah, stop it! Aah! Stop! No! Aah!”

In the end, Veronica couldn’t hold back and let out a wail while covering my mouth. She succeeded, but it was a truly ugly sight.

This was a disgrace of the highest order. It seemed she was aware of it too, as her face turned a deeper shade of crimson from embarrassment.

With her face flushed and holding her skirt tightly, she shook as if trying to suppress her anger. Overcome with humiliation and rage, she eventually shifted her ire toward me.

“W-What, Colonel, gives you the confidence…?”

“Good question,” I replied, “What do I have to feel so proud about? Well…”

If it had been any other situation, I might have felt overwhelmed, but even facing the trembling Veronica, I remained confident. There was only one reasonable explanation for it.

“…Because Lucia has finally been canonized?”

“What…?”

Because I had Lucia.

If Veronica ever tried to punch me or worse, I could simply run to Lucia. Now that Lucia was a proper saint, she’d surely be able to hide me from a furious drunk.

If two saints started bickering over one man, the world’s people would surely be pointing fingers, and the bishops and cardinals of the cult would have their jaws drop, but frankly, that wasn’t my concern at the moment.

I sniffled as I looked back at the unfortunate Veronica.

“I told you to stay at the cathedral for a few days, but already you can’t hold out and want to cling to Lucia…?”

Her face, burning with anger, contrasted sharply with her pale, trembling hands.

As Veronica brought her shaking hand to her mouth, she clenched it into a fist.

“…Colonel.”

“Yes?”

“Please go inside….”

“What do you mean…?”

Just as I was about to reply, the warmth of soft skin pressed against my lips, cutting off my words.

The movement of her arms wrapping around my neck, and the sensation of her soft, pink flesh brushing against my teeth. It was just a single encounter, yet the memory of her supple skin and weight felt unforgettable. The plump lips she had, which I hadn’t seen on Lucia or Francesca, quivered as if startled whenever our skin met.

Though her movements were clumsy, they felt nice. Perhaps it was good because they were clumsy.

I stopped staggering and embraced her with both arms, and Veronica inhaled deeply as she hung onto me.

Skin pressed together, clothes a mess. With our warm skin, now sensitive from the heat, deep inside my heart, I felt a ticklish sensation.

The saint, adorned with a sweet silver thread, began to speak with an entrancing smile.

“Just shut up and go inside.”

Who was it that said, if you get tricked once, the trickster is the bad guy, if you get tricked twice, the tricked one is the fool, and three times makes you an accomplice?

Sure, this was only the second time.

Yet, somehow, Veronica had become an accomplice.

“…Hurry. Before someone sees us.”

And that was that.

I closed the door quickly with my foot so no one would see.

 

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