In an instant, Reyna couldn’t think of a word to respond to his question.
Even so, all of a sudden? Why did he out of the blue bring luck to the topic? He didn’t even priorly say anything like “I was lucky that there were no injuries” or “I was unlucky to have an accident like this.”
He just asked her straightaway.
He really asked if today was her unluckiest day.
But she wasn’t the only one who suffered the incident.
“I apologize, but Your Majesty, I wasn’t the only one who experienced the accident.”(1)
“I know. So Lady, is today your unlucky day?”
“I can’t get my head around what you said.”
“You don’t have to think so hard. The Lady’s answer is only between yes or no.”
“Are you asking me… if today is my unluckiest day?”
“Yep.”
She stared at him and answered, “It’s not.”
His gaze was also fixated on her.
Reyna noticed the growing curiosity and interest that suddenly appeared in his gray eyes but had no idea what kind of things that drove him so. She then parted her lips to say something, but someone’s voice interrupted it.
“I apologize if I intruded upon the conversation.”
Looking at the epaulet’s embellishment, it seemed like he was the Prince’s attendant.
“Your Majesty, the preparation is done.”
She hardly witnessed any worry on the attendant’s face and voice even though Einar just had a devastating accident. He didn’t even look to regard the smattering dust.
“I get it.”
After peering at his attendant for a second, Einar asked her again.
“Lady, is the reason you came to the temple today is to receive a blessing for tomorrow’s well-being?”
He asked another odd question that still had the same context as the previous one.
Did he assume it because he thought that she had an unlucky day today that she needed God’s blessing for her tomorrow’s well-being?
Her suspicion grew more and more, but she still shook her head.
“No.”
“I see. Indeed.”
“Your Majesty.”
Einar looked like he had not finished yet with the things he wanted to say. But unfortunately, he should lend her goodbye because of his attendant’s persistent call.
“Then excuse me first. I think we’ll see each other again soon.”
Even after Einar left with his ambiguous farewell, Reyna just stood still there and observed the spot where he just stood.
“It’s strange.”
“Lady, are you okay?”
Her maid’s reaction was quite different from Einar’s attendant’s. Wasn’t a normal reaction supposed to sound like that?
It was such a huge befall. One or both of them could be dead.
However…
Reyna scrutinized the area where people were moving busily.
There were stones, dust, and boulders that were larger than most human bodies scattered all over the place.
But, in one place…
There was a clean spot that appeared like a hollow hole. It was the spot where Einar stood and afterward pulled her there. It looked like the crumbling stone statue had just steered right out of the way only from that place.
“La… dy?”
She then responded to the careful call from her maid.
“I’m fine.”
She almost died, but she didn’t.
She didn’t even get hurt anywhere.
Wasn’t that quite a pretty good thing in her unlucky life?
However, Reyna suddenly stopped in the middle of her walk.
‘Then, why did both of us survive safely?’
They should have died.
No, even if this was a sudden gift in her tough life, Einar, who was with her, should have died.
Einar’s groundless questions and this strange situation swirled round and round in her head.
Regardless, she swiftly shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
Wasn’t there something that must be done soon now?
She had to finish what she was about to do, or dirty luck may prevent her from separating from Smith forever. Since things never went the way she thought they would, even something might come to obstruct her from filing the separation letter.
“Wait here.”
“Yes— Yes? Lady, after an accident like that, you want to walk around alone?
“I’m fine, so just wait here. Don’t argue about it with me.”
How many people died or were injured just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Reyna hurriedly moved to her ultimate destination, leaving behind her maid, who didn’t know what to do.
Shortly after that, she finally arrived at the center of the temple, the great hall. There were several doors at the hall’s side, and Reyna opened one of them.
“Who is it? We don’t have any appointments at this time—…”
The head priest clammed up his mouth, stopping what he was about to say.
It was because he didn’t need to ask who was the person that interrupted his time without making up any appointments or even knocking on the door first. Everyone could tell who she was by her flaming red hair and cold blue eyes.
“Lady Bolshik.”
“Head Priest.”
After giving a light bow, Reyna immediately spoke about what she wanted.
“I’m here to file a breakup.”
“Yes. Breakup… Break— Break up?”
The head priest’s face, who was usually calm, was instantly dyed with bewilderment after hearing what she said.
Reyna affirmed with an unruffled face.
“Yes. A breakup. To be more precise, this is my and His Majesty the Third Prince Smith Raban’s disunion.”
Reyna continued, “I know. It’s only been a few days since I’ve thrown a ruckus for you to create the engagement letter. I won’t do crazy things like that again today, so don’t worry.”
The head priest was at a loss for words.
‘Did she really just talk about that event lightly?…? For real?’
‘Engagement! I said I’d do it! En-ga-ge-ment! Don’t you know what that means? You should know it! You are a priest! Are you pretending not to know? Smith agreed, and now I’ll do it! Procedure? But we don’t need something like that? Shall I show how we do it without procedure?
It was an engagement between the members of the imperial family and the most powerful dukedom in the empire. From the temple’s standpoint, of course, they never wanted to be clumsy and recklessly dealt with such a situation.
Hence, the head priest wanted to follow the procedure correctly. However, he was tortured by a Lady who was throwing a tantrum…
“… —riest. Head priest.”
After reminiscing about the past for a while, the priest’s mind returned to reality at Reyna’s call. His shoulders straightened up from the surprise.
“Huh!”
“I didn’t do anything though. So, what about the breakup?”
The head priest wanted to say that it was difficult to do that at that very exact time, but he couldn’t get it out of his mouth.
Looking at the head priest’s face, Reyna sighed small as if she had already read his mind.
“I know it will be difficult to do it right away since there is a procedure.”
“Yes? Yes… Yes. That’s right.”
“Then, even if we haven’t formally broken up, is there a way to make an official document about the fact that we are already breaking up—”
Bang!
Pausing Reyna’s words, the door once again opened without being knocked.
Once bitten, twice shy. (2)
After encountering Reyna, the worst person in the temple’s history. At the sight of the second person who entered the door without knocking, the head priest’s heart sank in shock, making him lose consciousness.
Despite that, that person didn’t even show any interest in his condition.
“Reyna!”
“Your Majesty the Third Prince.”
Contrary to Smith’s voice, which had risen reasonably high, hers was very composed.
“Are you here talking about a breakup?”
“Yes, I am.”
It seemed like he rushed to the temple after receiving the sudden bomb that Reyna tossed to him. Reyna, on the other hand, did not share such feelings. She felt like she just threw out one of her misfortunes by this breakup.
“What nonsense!”
“I already explained everything.”
“But you are to me—!”
“To Your Majesty?… Ah, I forgot that part.”
“The whole truth is that I don’t love Your Majesty at all.”
She said that when there was a priest between them.
There must be no lies in what you say to God. (3)
“Reyna!”
Smith screamed. His face and ears were red as if he was about to explode at any moment.
However, she just took it with a grain of salt. Well, she already expected it to be like this.
She wasn’t even expecting to be able to leave the temple with the breakup certificate in hand. Hence, that’s why she asked the head priest for another method.
Reyna stared at Smith, who poured out all kinds of sweet fluttery to lure her with an uninterested face.
“I heard enough.”
Without hesitation, Reyna turned her back and left the head priest’s room.
“Wait! Reyna! Reyna!”
She paused at his call then opened her mouth without looking back.
“Back then, when I asked to be called by you, you were so reserved. But now, like a dog, you keep calling me.”
She didn’t use a cold tone that could freeze bones nor any sarcastic or ridiculing one. She only merely spat out the facts as they are.
While Smith finally ceased his blabbering with a darkened face, Reyna already took a few steps to go back to the great hall.
However, she suddenly lifted her head, feeling dazed at the long shadow that fell right in front of her.
“Lady.”
“Your Highness The Second Prince.”
“We meet again.”
“Yes.”
Like what he said before, they truly met again.
Reyna’s surprised expression didn’t seem to bother him. He just continued to speak.
“This is working properly.”
“Pardon?”
“So—…”
Einar was about to say something more but stopped by the uproar from behind.
“Reyna! If you ever turn your back on me one more time!—… Einar?”
“Smith, you’re making a loud noise at the temple.”
“It’s not for you to intervene.”
Smith rolled his eyes and barged in between Einar and Reynar. Despite that, she relentlessly withdrew from him and instead moved closer toward the other one. Then, Einar looked down at Reyna, staring into her eyes. He smiled and adhered his body close to her. While feeling the warmth that touched her shoulder, Reyna recalled Smith’s remark about him.
‘He’s a weird guy.’
He was… definitely a weird person.
Today was the first time she had a proper conversation with him, but she knew right away that he was a very strange individual.
The moment enraged Smith parted his mouth again-
“Help! Help me! Please!”
A bright-blonde woman screamed loudly enough for the entire large hall to hear.
And seeing her, Reyna let out a long sigh.
No matter how much bad luck she had, she didn’t expect it to be this far.
Herself, Smith, and…
Jane
And so, the untimely tripartite meeting happened in that place.