EIITAB - Chapter 50 < Oath >
Even If It Is Trampeld And Broken
Aslan asked if there was anything else to do, and he responded that he was bored. Hestia nodded her head with careful movements.
"Yes."
Then Aslan straightened up without hesitation. Hestia was a little embarrassed but soon understood.
'I mean, praying to a God you don't even believe in...'
It must have been hard work for Aslan. Considering his personality, it was fortunate that he did not get up in the middle of the prayer because he was annoyed by it.
She swallowed her sigh and belatedly stood up to follow him. However, her body felt heavy, perhaps because she wore a loose dress and knelt for a long time reciting prayers.
"Oh."
Her legs became weak and she stumbled. But she didn't fall. This was because Aslan quickly grabbed her arm and supported her.
"Be careful."
Aslan frowned and clicked his tongue roughly.
"It's okay to be sloppy."
"... Thank you."
Hestia greeted him in a whispering voice and bit down on the delicate flesh inside her mouth, giving her strength. In the past, she wouldn't have gotten tired so quickly just by kneeling down like this.
'I'm losing strength more and more.'
How long could she last? How could it not get any worse, at least by the time she reached Kalathi?
She thought as she caught her breath. When the two people fully stood up from the prayer table, the middle-level priest who was standing against the wall, making his presence felt, made a gesture of approval.
"Now let's proceed to the next step."
He carefully carried holy water on a gold tray and stood in front of the two people.
"It's holy water. Lightly dip your finger into it and gently press it between the other person's eyes."
If she obeyed obediently, it was not Aslan. He stared at the bowl filled with holy water with a suspicious look in his eyes.
"What on earth is the meaning of actions like this?"
Hestia opened her mouth on behalf of the middle-level priest who looked troubled.
"It's the final step of the ceremony. It's a common gesture at weddings to signify that you share each other's souls now that you've become a married couple."
'Do we share a soul?"
Aslan looked as if he was saying such terrible things. Hestia, who had been pricked for no reason, curled her lips and bit her, then whispered softly so that only she could hear.
"I'm not saying that's true... It's just a formality. This is really the last time."
"Tsk, that's annoying."
Aslan clicked his tongue dipped his right index finger into the holy water and pulled it out. The determination to do it quickly and get it done was evident. He lightly shook off the moisture and pressed his index finger to the center of Hestia's forehead.
"Are you done?"
Hestia nodded, rolled up her sleeves as if it was her turn, and dipped her fingers into her holy water. But the problem came after that. Aslan was so tall that even if she stretched out her arms, she could only reach the bridge of his nose.
"Now, just a moment."
Hestia, who could not bear to ask him to do anything more, began to make efforts of her own. She began to hop, hop, and hop under Aslan's chin. But there was no way she could reach it, and Aslan, who was standing quietly watching her do what she did, chuckled without even knowing it.
He found it quite amusing to see the little woman trying so hard to touch his forehead. He sighed lightly and spread his long legs a little wider on either side. He then bent his upper body and lowered his head towards her.
"Are we done now?"
In an instant, his face came closer. As Aslan's breath tickled her skin, Hestia stiffened. His golden eyes were staring at her right in front of her nose. Hestia's cheeks heated up in an instant. Her parted lips began to tremble helplessly, and she quickly bit them down.
'Poetry is bad for the heart.'
Hestia pressed her wet finger to Aslan's lowered brow, intent on moving away from his handsome face. The holy water dried quickly, and Aslan lifted his hand and gently touched the area where Hestia's fingers had touched.
"It seems warm somehow."
"Well, it's holy water."
Aslan asked, lightly catching his breath.
"So it's all over now?"
Hestia nodded her head with her newly flushed face.
"It's done. Let's get out now."
At those words, Aslan headed toward the door. Hestia was about to follow him out of the prayer room.
"Please wait a moment."
A mid-level priest called the two people and stopped them.
"Uh, Saintess."
The intermediate priest could not bear to speak to Aslan, so he held on to Hestia. He opened his mouth in a very cautious manner. As much as he had memorized all of the formulas, he was worried that Hestia might have forgotten something, so he tried to tell her so she wouldn't be offended.
"You haven't sworn your oath yet."
Aslan looked back at her with his wrinkled face. He couldn't understand what the priest was saying. On the other hand, Hestia's face instantly lost its red color and turned pure white. She quickly looked at Aslan's notice and hurriedly opened her mouth.
"I'll skip that."
"Yes?"
The priest looked embarrassed. However, Hestia, who was planning to resolve the matter on her own before Aslan asked what the 'oath' was, spoke a little more forcefully to her impatient mind.
"Didn't you hear? I'll skip it. The procedure concludes here."
"But Saintess..."
Hestia opened her eyes uncharacteristically. The priest was taken aback by Hestia's stern appearance, as he had always seen her being calm and quiet in the temple as if she were not present. She repeatedly followed up her remarks with a strong stance.
"This person must return to the north as soon as possible to prevent winter. Are you going to keep wasting time like this on unimportant things?"
Then Aslan frowned. He looked at Hestia with narrowed eyes. It's not that she's not making eye contact with him, it's that she's avoiding it. There was something strange about her. It was uncharacteristic of her to brush off her situation, and her tendency to rush things was strong.
She seemed to be aware that Aslan thought her strange, and she was startled by even the slightest sound that she would normally hear and ignore.
"Are you hiding something?"
She tried not to pay attention, but his question flew out of her mouth without thinking.
"No. no."
However, she even shook her head and denied it outright. Aslan's eyes narrowed. He instinctively felt that Hestia's attitude was very strange. Jee opened her lips again and again.
"It's for you."
The look in his eyes was as if he was asking him to trust her because she was sincere. She grabbed the hem of her own skirt. Aslan read her earnestness in her feeble strength.
After catching her breath, Hestia hid her initial pout and spoke again to the middle priest holding her holy water in a more subdued voice.
"I can do it later after looking at the situation. I wish I could skip it today. Maybe it's because I've been overexerting myself lately, but my physical condition... It's not too good."
It
wasn't an excuse. Hestia's red lips were looking really dull in that short period. Aslan, who had once seen her fall, hastened to close the distance between him. and her face, which had hardened and opened.
Then, without hesitation, he placed his finger on the tip of her chin and lifted her head. Her pale complexion was revealed as he lifted the veil with his opposite hand at once as if hiding her face.
"Since when has it been like this?"
"Not long."
Aslan could feel the heat in her breath mixing with her words. Aslan clicked his tongue into his mouth. Seeing that she was having a hard time even standing up properly, he let go of Hestia's chin and hugged her shoulder instead. Then he looked back at the intermediate priest with harsh eyes.
"What are you doing? Are you going to keep acting like such a jerk?"
"Yes....?"
"Finish it quickly. Are you planning to kill this person?"
"Oh, no!"
The priest, who felt intimidated by Aslan's rude and harsh tone, swallowed his dry saliva. He thought it would be better to finish the ceremony quickly.
"With this, the holy marriage of Aslan Kalathi and Hestia Ellsworth has been legally established under the protection of God."
As soon as the intermediate priest finished speaking, Aslan picked up Hestia.
"Why, why are you like this?"
"Stay still."
He easily suppressed Hestia's struggles. However, Hestia did not give up due to her embarrassment and once again revealed her will to him.
"I can walk, so let me down. I can walk just fine."
Hearing her snort, he tightened his grip on Hestia's arms and hands as if he had no intention of letting her go. Hestia, who could no longer move in his arms, gave up struggling further and simply relaxed her body.
Aslan quickly left the prayer room and entered the chapel. The guests who were waiting for the couple's ceremony to end were surprised to see Hestia being carried by Aslan.
"Saintess?!"
"Hestia! What on earth is going on?"
However, they were not given a chance to check on Hestia's condition. This was because Aslan only gave them a brief glance and passed straight by. The ceremony was probably over anyway, so there was no reason for him to stay in this disgusting place any longer.
"The ceremony is over. I will go back and see."
Getting kicked out was an instantaneous thing.
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