Surely There's One to the Princess' Taste (9 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
Inside the waiting room.
Prodia and Irtis were waiting for the High Priest’s summons.
Just moments ago, Papier had flatly refused to participate in the royal consort selection tournament.
To persuade Papier, the High Priest had asked them to step out for a while.
As soon as they arrived in the waiting room, Irtis asked Prodia.
“That priest guy earlier—has he got another personality, right?”
‘He really is sharp-eyed.’
Prodia clicked her tongue.
There was no point hiding it anymore since he already knew everything.
She nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How many personalities are there in total?”
“So far, I’ve encountered two.”
“So, one’s the pushy guy who hit on you, and the other’s the timid one. That makes two.”
“Pushy” and “timid”—what an absurdly accurate description.
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do about the High Priest’s proposal?”
“We have to accept it. There’s no other way.”
At that, Irtis’s expression darkened.
“I clearly told you to contract with me alone.”
Prodia was dumbfounded.
“And whose fault is this? Why did you use magic inside the Grand Temple!”
“Did I do it just for my own amusement? Who made me worry first?”
“But what am I supposed to do if you suddenly burst in during the ceremony!”
“What else could I do? I nearly lost it the moment I heard you scream!”
Irtis huffed and shouted, then belatedly realized his mistake.
Hadn’t that just sounded a bit… open to misunderstanding?
But Prodia didn’t seem fazed at all.
She declared firmly.
“From now on, you must always prioritize the tournament.”
That cold-hearted woman.
Irtis sighed inwardly.
‘I shouldn’t have gone to rescue her. She definitely would’ve beaten that priest with words alone—even without me.’
What he didn’t realize was that she’d actually been beating him up.
“In any case, reject the High Priest’s proposal. I’ll handle it myself.”
“How?”
“Since it happened because of magic, I’ll just go to that High Priest and… ugh, damn it. I’ll just bow my head once.”
Yes, all he had to do was swallow his pride once.
Mages and priests never bowed their heads to each other.
Yet he wasn’t just any mage—he was the Archmage of the Magic Tower. Surely the High Priest would make an exception this once.
But Prodia shook her head.
“The biggest problem right now isn’t that you used magic.”
“Then what is?”
“If I don’t accept the High Priest’s proposal, you won’t be able to redo the ceremony.”
Currently, Irtis was officially considered to have abandoned the oath ceremony midway.
Under normal circumstances, he might have begged for another chance, but the situation now was different.
If Prodia didn’t take Papier as her disciple, the High Priest likely wouldn’t grant them another opportunity.
Irtis knew this well enough that he couldn’t argue further.
‘Damn it!’
Seeing his shadowed face, Prodia spoke.
“It’s not that serious. Even if I end up teaching that priest, he clearly has no interest in winning the tournament, right?”
Meaning Irtis could still aim for victory alone, as originally planned.
But Irtis shook his head.
“That red-eyed guy might think differently.”
Oh, right.
‘There’s Luca.’
It was a valid point.
‘Luca’s personality was completely different from Papier’s. Hmm… what if he sees the princess’s portrait and suddenly gets fired up to join the tournament?’
After all, the princess was stunningly beautiful.
Prodia fell into thought.
Inside one body, a personality refusing to join the tournament versus another eager to win?
Her face scrunched up in distress.
‘Just thinking about it gives me a headache. I really don’t want to take this on. What should I do?’
Unconsciously, Prodia glanced sideways at Irtis.
Why did he have to cause such a mess inside the Grand Temple!
Noticing her stare—having watched her intently all along—Irtis asked.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Prodia feigned innocence and changed the subject.
Irtis narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not… comparing me to that priest guy, are you?”
Ugh.
Why would he jump to such a ridiculous conclusion?
But for some reason, she felt like teasing him.
So Prodia grinned and said,
“What? Are you scared you might lose to the priest?”
“What?!”
Seeing Irtis flare up, Prodia felt a little smug.
‘That’s payback for tormenting me since yesterday.’
Meanwhile, Irtis’s mind was in turmoil.
‘When Prodia selected tournament participants, the most important thing clearly wasn’t skill.’
First was character.
And second was…
He turned to Prodia.
“Be honest. Between me and that priest guy…”
But Irtis couldn’t finish his sentence.
Asking this himself felt so humiliating it made him want to scream.
Prodia asked,
“What? Why’d you stop mid-sentence?”
‘Ugh, damn it. Should I ask or not?’
But somehow, he felt he absolutely had to get this off his chest.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he asked,
“Between me and him… who’s more…?”
“Huh? What are you saying? I didn’t hear a thing.”
“I’m asking who’s more handsome—me or that guy!”
“Huh?”
Prodia wore an expression as if she’d heard something unbelievable.
Irtis’s face turned bright red.
‘Damn it, damn it!’
He wanted to crawl into a mouse hole immediately.
But before he could, Prodia leaned forward and asked,
“Did I hear wrong just now? You really asked who’s more handsome between the two of us?”
“W-why do you have to repeat it like that!”
His face flushed even deeper.
She giggled and asked again,
“Well, I need to understand the question properly before answering, don’t I?”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Me? Doing what?”
Irtis looked like he was about to explode from frustration.
Prodia barely held back her laughter.
Alright, enough teasing.
‘Should I finally give him an answer?’
Wait—but answering who’s more handsome…
Maybe it’s better not to say anything.
‘Who could possibly beat that face?’
Both Papier and Luca looked like gods—far beyond ordinary human beauty.
But she couldn’t possibly tell Irtis that outright.
So Prodia finally replied,
“You’re both handsome.”
“…It’s not exactly a lie, but why does that answer feel so weirdly unsatisfying?”
She really was cunning.
Prodia gave a vague reply.
“It’s true. You’re both handsome in completely different ways—how can I even compare?”
“Different ways?”
“Yes. The priest looks like an angel, doesn’t he?”
“So I look like a demon, then?”
“Well… honestly, you don’t exactly look ‘kind’…”
Quickly, she gave him a thumbs-up.
“But faces like yours are trendy these days.”
“Again treating people like products… Sigh, fine. I get it.”
His expression looked strangely conflicted, but he didn’t press further.
For Prodia, that alone was a relief.
Phew, thank goodness he let it go quietly.
‘Sorry, Irtis. But Papier’s the main lead.’
Or was it Luca?
Either way, she’d just put both personalities on stage and pick the better one.
Just then, a knock sounded from outside.
The High Priest and Papier must have finally reached a decision.
The two stood up from their seats.
[This is the timeline separator]A few minutes earlier, in the High Priest’s office.
When the High Priest told Papier to join the royal consort tournament, Papier was so shocked he felt his soul leave his body.
‘This is all because of my illness!’
The symptoms had started several years ago.
Not only did he suddenly lose his memories, but he’d also begun wandering around as a completely different personality.
Moreover, Luca’s voice constantly echoed in his head.
I’m the real one.
After years of fighting like this, even Papier had grown confused.
Was he the real one—or was Luca?
Fortunately, Luca hadn’t appeared for quite some time.
He’d thought his illness was finally cured.
But it wasn’t.
‘The High Priest is disappointed because of my condition! He wants to drive me away!’
Forgetting all etiquette, he clung desperately to the High Priest’s robes.
“High Priest! If you truly care for me, please let me stay here!”
But the High Priest said something unexpected.
“Papier, have you ever thought about what kind of life you truly want to live?”
“Huh? Of course—the life of serving the Divine!”
“That was your parents’ wish, not necessarily your own.”
“But still…”
“If they’d sent you somewhere other than the Grand Temple, would you still have insisted on becoming a priest?”
Oh… come to think of it…
He’d never considered that before.
Although he hadn’t originally chosen to come here, temple life suited his temperament quite well.
But what if his parents had sent him to work as a librarian or in a bakery instead?
‘Maybe… that wouldn’t have been so bad either.’
Papier was startled by his own fleeting thought.
The High Priest gazed at him with gentle eyes.
“Luca once asked me something similar—whether you’d ever considered what life you truly wanted.”
“Luca did?”
“Yes. Hearing that made me reflect deeply myself—why Luca appeared to you. And I reached a conclusion.”
A bad feeling crept over him.
“Perhaps Luca is the manifestation of your suppressed desires. Haven’t you missed out on so many experiences your age should have, living only within the Grand Temple since childhood?”
Papier was stunned.
Suppressed desires? He’d never entertained such impious thoughts.
But had he never once wished to run around freely like other children his age?
Had he never felt interest in anything beyond serving the Divine?
Truly… never?
Papier couldn’t answer his own question.
He quietly lowered his head.
The High Priest placed a hand on his shoulder.
“This isn’t about making you leave the Grand Temple forever, Papier. It’s about urging you—through what might be your last chance—to see a wider world.”
“I want to stay here.”
“Papier, this is for your own good.”
His voice was kind, but the High Priest’s eyes were stricter than ever.
Yet Papier still didn’t want to leave.
After being abandoned by his parents, the High Priest had become a father figure to him.
The Grand Temple was his only home—and his sanctuary.
Stepping into the outside world terrified him.
But the High Priest’s decision was firm.
Papier asked, voice trembling,
“If… after participating in the tournament… I still wish to become a priest, may I return then?”
“Of course. This place will always wait for you.”
“Th-thank you, High Priest…!”
Papier’s eyes grew red.
Alright, this was enough for now.
He’d pretend to participate in the tournament for a while, then return to the Divine’s embrace.
But the High Priest wasn’t quite finished.
“There is just… one thing you must remember, my child.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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