Chapter 44

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The golden sun of Romagna was warming the cobblestone road leading to San Midre Cathedral.

Around the fountain where the statue of the Holy Mother was built, plump white pigeons are gathered as usual to enjoy the afternoon sunbathing.

Such easygoing and bold creatures, they didn’t look at people even when they sat close.

Even if it was a cardinal that made even an arrogant nobleman shiver.

To be fair, that side also didn’t pay much attention to the flock of pigeons.

The young cardinal’s broad shoulders were not just a perch for pigeons, but also messenger birds with elegant golden tails.

One of the birds quickly flew from the northern capital across the sea to the Papal States, Romagna and proudly completed his mission.

Although he deserved an award, the man who finished reading the letter remained silent for a while.

His black hair, which glowed blue in the sun, tanned copper skin, deep dark blue eyes, and sculpture-like facial features, boasted devilish beauty.

Sitting still, barely blinking, there was no sign of humaneness in him.

“You must be really worried.”

In the end, a servant, who was standing nearby pretending to feed the pigeons, broke the silence first.

In contrast to his superior, the elegant handsome man, he had dark red hair and a scar across one eye.

It was amazing how pigeons fed what he ate without running away.

“I’m worried.”

“Well, I’m glad she got home safely. Your brother-in-law has been searching through Elendale for four days. She feels better, apparently.”

“…….”

“I don’t know what they wrote across the sea. You don’t trust me completely anyway, do you?”

It was obvious Pietro had the nerve to look into his superior’s letter and then pretend to not know about it.

But Cesare did not reprimand Pietro, who was busy feeding pigeons.

If he had wanted to oversmart him, he’d have done that sooner.

It will be difficult to find again a loyal servant like Pietro anywhere in the South.

Where else would he find a man who has the power of all monsters, cruelty to even make Satan cry, the ability to infiltrate shadows, and blind loyalty to his superior?

“It’s a surprise.”

“Seeing how agitated you are, the nations across the sea must have also been quite surprised. Is your sister’s neglect unexpected or your brother-in-law’s attitude unexpected?”

“It’s a surprise how long you’ve been so sarcastic.”

Pietro didn’t budge at all, despite the warning.

He kept talking, even shamelessly shrugging.

“Who knew the obedient lady would make such a fuss? Well, if it was someone your sister’s age, you never know what they’d do. Don’t you think it’s amazing? Even your brother-in-law, who is known to be stone-hearted, was moved by her.”

Brother-in-law. Cesare’s lip pursed as he crumpled the letter in his hand.

To him, his brother-in-law was nothing more than a paper towel to be thrown away.

It wasn’t even slightly pleasing to watch the arrogant b*stards who stood up stiffly and insisted on making his sister happy, eventually retreating with humiliating smiles.

But this time, it was a little different. It was not his choice to send Rudbeckia to Brittania.

The will of his father, the Pope, was crucial. The fact alone is irritating, and the point that he had never got to see his Brother-in-law, added to the irritation. ,

A northern paladin who was going to marry the Pope’s child. Cesare didn’t like him since he was a knight, but when he finished researching what kind of man he was, he was quite relieved.

He would have no objection to the fact that this marriage was a joke.

But what was this uncomfortable feeling?

It wasn’t just because of the fact that Rudbeckia, whom he had asked to stay quiet, broke his instructions and made such a commotion.

His brother-in-law, whom he had never met, was already annoying. He was so annoying that it made his stomach twist.

Cesare wanted to catch the most noble knight of the North and cut off his hand.

The hand that would have taken Rudcbekia’s little hand back home.

“If it were me, I would have broken his limbs twice, but I don’t know how that would be fine for a knight like him. Isn’t that what you’re thinking?”

Cesare lowered his hand holding the letter and a smirk appeared on his face.

Since when had Pietro managed to read his thoughts?

Rudbeckia was always in his hands.

From a very young age to now, this remained unchanged, even though now, she had moved farther across the sea.

He believed so. Yet, at the moment, there was no way to know the cause of this sudden uneasiness in him.

It had been a long time since he had this unpleasant feeling. The first time since that day three years ago.

“You said it right. I want to go after him right now and fulfill my duty as a reliable brother, but I can’t, so I want you to go instead of me.”

As if this was unexpected, Pietro, who was taking out a fist of rice from the sack, paused and looked back at him.

The way his big black eyes grew wide was comical.

“You mean this humble fellow? Oh, holy lord. No matter what, it would be so hard for me to confront the best Paladin in the North. Besides, it’s terribly cold there. What about this little civilian if the frost dragon, who woke up from his long sleep, comes at me?”

“Who but you can give advice to my troublesome sister on my behalf? I’m pretty worried about this. How do I know what my brother-in-law would do to my sister, when she’s asleep? How can I know that he won’t possibly hurt her?”

Pietro no longer pretended to be tactless.

It was because the eyes of his superior made him understand the situation.

Go and keep an eye. Keep an eye on her. Warn her not to do nonsense, never to do anything that made him interested again.

“Can I do whatever I want?”

“When didn’t you do as you please?”

“Sometimes, you’re unpredictable. You were never the type to be complacent with people.”

“When it comes to the unpredictable, that’s just you. Anyway, if you live in the temple, you can avoid getting attacked and becoming a night snack for the ice dragon. Don’t make trouble.”

“Hoo, I’ll look good pretending to be a monk.”

“If you don’t like pretending, become the real deal instead.”

“Do you know that it’s illegal to force that? Before that, it’s blasphemy, master.”

“The benevolent Lord will forgive us. Stop talking nonsense and go get ready. Don’t miss even a little thing, keep an eye on her.”

Lastly, Cescare, who ordered in a calm tone as if he was reciting prayers, added.

His deep blue eyes burned like a blue flame.

“Until I go there myself.”