I Was Forced To Quit Being a Nun and Get Married Because of a Divine Oracle ~the Wise Prince Who I A

Chapter 55: Happy Hour

Thanasios seems to be busy.

I haven’t seen Thanasios for the past few days. There are various rumors going around about an urgent coronation ceremony, advancing the wedding, and so on. The maid explained it to me, but I don’t really understand. I’m still not used to the customs and traditions of the Styx Kingdom, so I couldn’t understand some of the words. It’s a shock.

So, I went to the Temple of Lethe to work, was teased by Helios in the greenhouse garden, looked for offerings to give to the main god Styx and the Goddess of Forgetfulness, Lethe, as a thank you for the other day, and walked around here and there. Even so, I think it shows that the Styx Kingdom is very safe, as I can spend my days peacefully without any danger, thanks to the protection.

I bought two large bouquets of white roses, which are said to be in season, at the flower shop in the castle town, and decided to offer one to the Temple of Lethe and the other to the Styx Temple in the Arche of Apeiron. Fortunately, I had enough coins that Nikita gave me, but there are no more left. I wondered if I could earn some money if I worked somehow, like helping Nikita with his work. I realized later that it’s not something a princess should be thinking about.

In the midst of the evening, I walked through the hallway of the castle, which was tinted red. The light was scarce, shining through the glass that extended up to the high ceiling. At night, the moon and stars became the chandeliers of the hallway, making the navy blue floor and white walls sparkle. From the white hallway of the morning to the hallway that resembled the bottom of the sea in the deep night, everything was fantastic.

I waited in the hallway near the Arche of Apeiron, the sanctuary of the vast castle. This was the perfect place to wait.

What was I waiting for? Of course.

“Nikita-sama!”

I could catch Nikita, who was trying to return to his room, without missing a beat.

Nikita, dressed in black, stood still and smiled warmly.

“Princess Eleni, what can I do for you… This is the second time you’ve asked me that.”

“I have a request. Is there any work I can help with?”

“Why is that?”

“I want money.”

I intended to answer honestly.

However, it seemed quite funny to Nikita.

“Hahaha! That’s how it is!”

“Is there something funny about it? I want to feed Thanasios-sama Calamarachia Tiganita again.”

“I see, I see. I understand. Let me lend you this as a promotion gift,” said Nikita, taking out about ten obolus coins from his pocket. He counted them one by one into my palm and left them there.

“As someone who is still unfamiliar with this country, Eleni-sama, it’s best to avoid earning money. So, when you can earn it someday, please return it to me, and there will be no problem.”

I was impressed that there was such a method.

“Thank you very much!”

“No problem. Whenever you need it, Nikita Bank will provide you with a loan.”

Nikita joked and waved goodbye to me, then went into his room.

I held the obolus coins tightly and planned to go to the dining tavern tomorrow. It’s about a ten-minute walk to my room, and although it’s quite a distance, I’m used to it. I’m finally back and used to having a modest dinner alone.

After dinner, I read books in my study until I got sleepy. Recently, I’ve been reading guidebooks and travelogues for foreigners. I now understand a lot about the royal castle and the castle town. I hope it will be useful someday.

When I was at the monastery before, I used to spend my nights lost in thought. It was a time to reflect on the small things in life, without necessarily thinking about anything in particular. It was a time to absorb various emotions, whether they were happy, funny, sad, angry, or anything in between. I couldn’t sleep until I had calmed my mind. Yorgia, in her lifetime, used to tell me to meditate whenever I had free time, but I often found it boring and tried to avoid it.

Since coming to the Styx Kingdom, I had forgotten all about that. There were too many things happening, and it took time to process everything. The rapid changes in the situation, the ever-changing emotions of the people, the names of unfamiliar things to remember — there was just too much to take in.

Will I ever get used to it?

My aimless and blurry thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening behind me.

I turned around while still sitting in my chair.

It was Thanasios. It felt like it had been a while since I last saw him. He closed the door and came over to me.

“Eleni, I’m sorry for leaving you alone. I’ve been incredibly busy these past few days.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand. But does that mean you’ve finished everything you needed to do?”

“Well, more or less.”

Thanasios sat on the reception sofa. He patted the seat next to him and called me over.

“Come here. I have something to tell you.”

I couldn’t refuse his request, so I put a bookmark in my travelogue and went over to Thanasios like a puppy.

As soon as I sat down, Thanasios said, “Finally, you’re putting on some weight. Your complexion looks better too. I’m relieved.”

It wasn’t the kind of thing you say to a woman, but I was happy nonetheless.

“It’s all thanks to you, Thanasios-sama. And everyone else has been so kind to me too.”

“Is there enough food? You should still avoid guiropita.”

“Please don’t bring that up.”

I’d rather not talk about guiropita, as it’s embarrassing just to think about it. Thanasios laughed as if he found it amusing. Well, if laughing at my past foolishness helps him relax, then that’s fine.

Thanasios slowly reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“May I pat your head? And could you sit on my thigh?”

“Um, is that okay?”

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s just that I’ll be using your lap as a pillow.”

“With those thin, twig-like legs of yours, how are they supposed to be a pillow? It’ll take a few more years.”

“…I see.”

When he said it so clearly, I couldn’t say anything. I reluctantly placed my head on Thanasios’ thigh, being careful not to get my hair tangled in his body.

Thanasios’ hand touched my temple. He gently brushed my hair up to my ear and stroked my recently fluffy blonde hair.

It was warm. Thanasios’ warmth, his consideration, everything was new to me. Maybe I had forgotten, but it was certain that I had rarely experienced this kind of warmth in my life.

I stayed still and surrendered myself to this happy moment.