The National Foundation Day dawned.

Tulip-shaped lamps were hung on streets and buildings everywhere, and airships with banners celebrating the National Foundation Day floated in the sky.

During the three days of the festival, everyone, regardless of age, gender, or status, enjoyed their holidays eating, playing, and having fun.

The exception in the midst of this was Arasila and Demian.

The two of them were busy from morning, going around checking to ensure there were no problems with the airships and that the lamps were properly installed.

Demian took charge of the squares and streets, while Arasila was responsible for major buildings like the Imperial Palace and temples.

Arasila carefully inspected the lamps hung in the Imperial Palace and determined there were no issues.

As she was leaving to move on to the temple, she encountered Frederick, accompanied by knights behind him.

He was wearing a red formal uniform embroidered with the imperial crest to mark the National Foundation Day.

The bright red color matched his eye color very well.

“Hello, Arasila. Where are you headed?”

“Oh, Frederick. I checked the lamps and they’re all fine. Now I’m going to the temple.”

“I see.”

Frederick slowly looked Arasila up and down.

With her bare face and plain attire, she looked focused on work rather than the festival from any angle.

At least for now, she didn’t seem likely to go out with her husband, which brought a smile to his lips.

“You’re working hard. I’ll make sure to properly reward you later, so please keep it up a bit longer.”

“It’s fine, we’re friends after all. And the airships and lamps are our business, so we need to manage them thoroughly.”

She didn’t want to make any mistakes and mar the business she and Demian had painstakingly built up, even with this good opportunity of the National Foundation Day.

There was also the juniors’ share in the magic tool invention, making it all the more important.

Frederick’s lips twisted slightly at Arasila naturally referring to herself and Demian as “we.”

But he quickly fixed his smile and maintained a grinning expression.

“Anyway, thank you. If any problems arise, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll help.”

“Alright. See you later then.”

Arasila waved goodbye. Frederick nodded lightly and moved on.

The knights lined up behind him like statues followed, bowing to Arasila as they passed.

Watching the group pass by with excessive politeness, Arasila thought.

‘At times like this, it really hits home that Frederick is the Crown Prince.’

It’s not often one sees the typically haughty Imperial Knights so tense and disciplined.

Since they’re inherently arrogant, they only act this way in front of high-ranking imperial personnel.

It was a moment when she felt that Frederick wasn’t just her academy friend she’d known since her mid-teens, but a Crown Prince who reigned over others.

Well, she wasn’t particularly interested in whether he inherited the throne or not.

She soon turned her gaze away from them and went on her way.

Upon arriving at the temple, Arasila went about checking if the lamps were properly installed in each corridor, just as she had done in the Imperial Palace.

“Oh my, this is really pretty!”

“Indeed, I heard magic lamps are trendy these days. I want to buy one too.”

“You know, they recently installed magic street lamps. They’re really nice. It’s not too dark even after sunset.”

Devout worshippers who had come to pray even on the morning of the National Foundation Day exclaimed in admiration as they passed by the lamps, chattering among themselves.

Arasila, who had unintentionally overheard their conversation from behind a pillar, felt her lips twitch with pride.

It was worth the effort put into developing the luminous stones and creating the lamps.

Just as she was about to enter the temple with a rather excited look to check the lamps inside,

“Lady Vandermir?”

A gentle-looking priest approached her familiarly.

Arasila stared at him quietly for a moment before her eyes widened slightly.

“Priest Taylor?”

“You remember me.”

Taylor smiled softly.

Of course she remembered. He was the priest who had notarized Arasila and Demian’s marriage contract.

“What brings you to the temple?”

“I came to check on the lamps. Demian and I made these magic lamps.”

As she pointed to the tulip-shaped lamp, Taylor looked surprised.

“Oh my, is that so? I had no idea you two were the ones who made such excellent lamps. That’s truly remarkable.”

“We did work hard. My juniors were also a great help.”

Taylor let out a kind laugh at Arasila’s honest response.

“Haha, it seems you’ve been doing well.”

“Yes, how about you, Priest?”

“I’ve been doing fine as well, thanks to the grace of god…”

His voice, tinged with laughter, suddenly trailed off as if something troubling had come to mind.

Arasila, who immediately noticed this subtle reaction, asked with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Ah, it’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. If you have something to say, just say it.”

At that, Taylor glanced around briefly, and after confirming no one was around, he approached Arasila with a hesitant look on his face.

He whispered in a hushed voice.

“Actually… there was something unsettling, so I’ve been debating whether to tell you or not.”

“What happened?”

“There were people who threatened me, trying to find out about your and His Lordship’s contract.”

Arasila’s face instantly hardened.

The fact that they had drawn up a prenuptial contract was kept strictly confidential. But who could have known and approached the priest?

A list of people who might do such a thing flashed through her mind. Arasila hastily spoke.

“Did you tell them?”

“Of course not. As a faithful servant of god, breaking a sworn promise is a grave sin.”

Taylor was a deeply religious person with a strong sense of responsibility as a priest.

He couldn’t violate the promise he had made before god to keep the contract confidential when notarizing it.

Even if the emperor himself came, he would remain silent about the contents.

Relieved by his resolute answer, Arasila furrowed her brow slightly and asked.

“Who were the ones who threatened you? Please tell me in detail.”

Taylor nodded and recounted what had happened to him.

From the day he notarized Arasila and Demian’s marriage contract, Taylor had a strange feeling of being watched.

He thought it might be his nerves being overly sensitive due to his heavy workload, but it wasn’t long before he realized it wasn’t a misunderstanding, thanks to the people who appeared.

Two men with neat appearances approached him, pretending to be worshippers, and proposed a clandestine deal.

‘If you tell us what the Vandermir couple had notarized with you, we’ll compensate you generously.’

‘Wouldn’t it be nice for a priest to have devoted followers who make large donations? We can be such followers for you.’

Taylor didn’t fall for that sweet temptation.

To him, trust and honesty were more important than donations.

It wasn’t for nothing that he had long been preferred as a notary priest by many people.

Taylor was particularly steadfast and incorruptible among the numerous priests.

He had become a respected senior priest because he instilled confidence that secrets shared with him would not leak out.

‘I am a servant of god. I cannot do anything that would tarnish the honor of the temple and disappoint god with worldly desires and greed.’

When Taylor expressed his clear refusal, the men changed their attitude and threatened him.

‘It would be better for you to cooperate with us. If you want to maintain your position as a priest stably in the future, that is.’

‘Do you think the honor of the temple or your devotion to god will protect your life? Think carefully.’

‘No matter what you say, I will not waver. My life’s goal is to fulfill my duty as a servant of god until the moment I die.’

Even when Taylor didn’t yield, they made a few more threats, but lately, their visits had become less frequent.

“Do you know who might have instigated this?”

After hearing the full story, Arasila asked with a serious face, but Taylor shook his head.

“I don’t know. I’m just telling you this because I’m concerned about how persistently they wanted to see your contract.”

He had worked as a notary priest for quite a long time, but he had never seen people act so boldly and recklessly.

Usually, even high-ranking nobles were hesitant to meddle with priests affiliated with the temple. Yet they had threatened him multiple times.

It felt ominous, so he was giving Arasila a heads up now that he had met her.

“Thank you for letting me know. Demian and I really met a good priest.”

“Not at all. I just did what a priest should do.”

Taylor smiled gently.

As Arasila exchanged greetings with him and walked out, she became lost in thought.

‘Did the Vandermir ducal family catch wind of this and investigate? But if they’ve been doing this since right after the notarization, it means they suspected something from the start…’

Yet it seemed odd because the Vandermir ducal family had shown no signs of considering their union false.

If they really knew about the existence of the contract, even without knowing its contents, they would have used it to pressure them or manipulate the situation to their advantage at least once.

They had never mentioned the contract even once.

‘This won’t do, I need to at least get sketches of those two men and find them.’

Feeling quite uneasy, Arasila quickly turned around to meet Taylor again.

If she traced this carefully, she might be able to figure out who knew about this and why they were doing this.

When she returned to where she had met Taylor earlier, he was already gone.

Arasila looked around, searching for Taylor.

Then, sensing voices coming from around the corner, she headed in that direction.

But what she found there was neither Taylor nor any other priest.

“Someone… help…”

It was an old man collapsed face down on the floor.

Startled by the unexpected sight, Arasila hurried to the old man and turned him over on his back.

“Sir! Are you alright?”

“Ugh…”

The white-haired old man, dressed in an elaborate formal uniform with intricate embroidery, struggled to open his eyes and looked at Arasila.

Between his wrinkled eyelids, golden eyes like a ripe wheat field were revealed.

“Me… give…”

“Pardon?”

The old man moved his lips with a pale blue complexion.

Arasila lowered her head and brought her ear close to his mouth.

“Me… medicine…”

“Medicine? You need medicine?”

Arasila quickly searched the old man’s pockets. But all she found was a small handkerchief embroidered with a bird.

After a moment’s thought, Arasila suddenly raised her head and looked around.

‘Oh, that…’

Then she noticed a glass bottle lying a short distance away.