"So, how was the lovebirds' honeymoon?"
Argus served tea to Skyler and Lucian, who were talking in the drawing room. Although the butler was surprised by the sudden coming of the priest, he treated him with due courtesy since Lucian accepted his visit. Mainly because it's only been a few hours since your masters arrived from their honeymoon.
Was that priest watching the entrance just waiting for the most suitable time to enter?
Lucian picked up the cup of tea and felt the warm, sweetish aroma before sipping a sip. He kept calm and elegant as always, despite being surprised with Skyler looking at him so carelessly. I mean... there was a priest candidate for the highest position within the temple, acting more like a long-time friend.
Not that the prince would complain.
"It was relaxing for both. But may I know the reason for your sudden visit?"
"The High Priest sent me here to talk about your new role", he said bluntly, stretching his long arm to reach a buttery cookie and biting it. "After all, you are the Saint."
"I never said I wanted to be one. Besides, what does a saint do?"
"Boring things that the Priests do, but with the differential that you are the closest to the Goddess, so your opinion is very important for us."
"I have no intention of doing the work of a priest, as you may imagine... I am not someone 'pure'."
Skyler uttered a derisive laugh, understanding the many layers of meaning hidden behind his words. Biting the cookie again, the priest crossed his legs looking accommodated in the Grimwood mansion.
"I can smell your husband impregnated in you. But do not worry, the Goddess is not jealous."
It was Lucian's turn to laugh, clearly amused by hearing such an esteemed priest speak so intimately of the divine figure he serves. Either Skyler had too much security over his position within the temple, or he was too foolish not to take his work seriously.
"Does the temple wish to take me out of Grimwood?"
"If we wanted we would not have accepted your marriage. I think it's time to talk about your visions."
Lucian held his breath for a moment and signaled Argus to leave them alone. The apprentice butler bowed his head and quietly withdrew from the drawing room, and Lucian was already mildly anxious to touch on the subject.
When he was in the temple, he did not mention many details about his "visions" because they do not exist. Precisely because Skyler has seen Luciano, the prince chose to stay alert and watch first before giving mouth.
"It is interesting that you saw in your dream the statue crying, and at your wedding this happened."
"Yes, but in my dream I had a sword stuck in my chest and I was dying slowly. So I may be wrong."
"On the contrary, Your Highness", Skyler crossed his arms slightly "This was only a concrete proof, since you dreamed of the Goddess before the wedding and the statue of Her wept and illuminated you indeed. That is why I appointed you as Saint immediately."
A cold passed through Lucian's spine, his fingers stiffened around the handle of the cup. The diamond eyes rose hesitantly to the priest, who returned the look with seriousness.
"And does that mean something?"
"The vision about his supposed death will happen."
The tea's sweet taste became bitter in Lucian's mouth. The happiness he carried during the last days of his honeymoon were swept away by anxiety and worry. All the stress of which he left aside to live love and pleasure, now came back with force to put it in its proper place.
"I understand... It seems that I can't escape my destiny."
"I remember very well what I witnessed when I examined your soul, Your Highness. I tried to look for something in the old inscriptions, but found absolutely nothing that made any sense."
There goes Lucian's last hope.
Well... Skyler must look for what he saw in his soul that day, but Lucian omitted several informations from the priest because he did not fully trust him. Before Lucian fall into frustration, wouldn't it be better if he used that word that has been in his mind since he read the books of the Imperial Palace?
"By any chance... do you know anything about transmigration of souls?"
Skyler was silent even under the prince's intense gaze.
"Was this what you were looking for that day, Your Highness?"
"It's a term that keeps popping up in my head", Lied Lucian, "Just like I've been dreaming of the hunting festival..."
"Transmigration of souls is an extremely ancient ritual that is currently forbidden. Bringing a soul into a body is delicate and dangerous. You don't intend to do that, do you?"
"No, not at all", Lucian explained quickly "I just wonder if... someone touched my soul."
Saying that aloud made it sound ridiculous and pathetic, how could take himself seriously if he were talking about soul trading? Only that Lucian did not stop thinking about it. I mean, look where he was! Inside the favorite story!
Let's dive into madness!
"It makes sense... but why would anyone touch your soul? Also, the Goddess would not allow it to happen", Skyler crossed his arms and stroked his own chin as he thought, "This is a dangerous rite that only the temple contains instructions on how to proceed. The Goddess would never let something like that happen without making the people involved suffer the consequences."
"Is it still possible?"
Skyler shook his head slightly.
"Yeah, can be... I can look more about..."
The door was opened suddenly. The figure of Magnus in a bad mood appeared in the visiting room, casting a sharp look at the priest, who only opened a mocking smile.
"Look who's here!"
"What is this dove doing here?", Magnus marched to Lucian's side and crossed his arms "Did you come to burn in hell?"
"I'm just visiting the Saint."
The word "Saint" made Magnus frown and crack his tongue, which already announced the increase of his bad mood. Lucian refused to meddle, he just sat drinking his tea while watching closely that conversation.
"I don't remember my husband having accepted to become a dove."
"Now now, do you know how to help him when he has the visions?"
Magnus' hesitation caught the attention of Lucian, who then turned to the priest with even more curiosity.
"What do you mean?", Questioned the prince.
"The Saints always present certain symptoms when they have their visions, symptoms that put their lives at risk... in some cases the Saint person is unconscious for hours while receiving the divine guidance of our Goddess. After all, we are mere humans in contact with the divine, we are not always ready to withstand Her grace."
Ah, Lucian remembered that very well. He also fainted once, and in Magnus' arms. Also had strong headaches when thinking about the original story, reaching extreme days where he had nasal bleeding. These are really worrying situations, and clearly Magnus agreed since he growled at that exact moment.
"What's to be done? Just call a doctor and let him rest."
"Bwahahaha, Your Grace, you don't know how things work when it involves the sacred mission of a saint. Your husband needs me."
Lucian shuddered and turned his face to the side already imagining the immense fury that Magnus felt.
The air became hot and heavy suddenly?
"It seems that the High Priest sent you here to die."
"Do not make empty threats, Your Grace", Skyler opened a boastful smile and looked at Lucian too, "Anyway, the Saint seems to have had some interesting vision. The temple will always want to record about it."
Magnus looked furiously at the prince, who only smiled innocently.
"The hunting festival just appears in my dreams as a complete mess. All I remember of the dreams is seeing a confusion, screams, fear and mercenaries."
"Um... interesting", Skyler murmured while thinking.
"I have already sent a request to the Emperor to reinforce the hunting field. We will ensure that no one other than the noble participants enter the field."
The way Magnus spoke that was as if he wanted to be one step ahead of Skyler. Of course, Lucian would not fail to notice the arrogance in his husband, and so he smiled innocently ready to caress his ego.
"Oh, how kind of you, my dear! Thank you for believing in a dream of mine."
As expected, Magnus fed his chest and poked his nose, with that empty expression as if it did not matter with mere words praising his caracter, despite being the complete opposite.
"Of course... After all, it is your duty as husband of the Saint", pointed the priest, keeping the derision tone only to annoy Magnus. "Whatever vision you come to have, Your Highness, you must notify the temple. After all, if there is something catastrophic that requires intervention even of the Emperor, it must be analyzed by the temple.
"Humpf, did you really crawl all the way here to give orders to the Grand Duke's consort?"
"These are protocols that not even the Emperor can refuse."
"All right, I'll send letters directly to you, in which case", Lucian said, getting a sharp and angry look from Magnus "Don't look at me like that, I need their help and you know it."
"Humpf."
Ah, he got in a bad mood. Lucian sighed down and looked at Skyler with a smile apologizing for it. The priest just shook his head not seeming bothered by the situation, and so he ended his visit just explaining a few things to Lucian about how they should keep in touch for now.
After Argus accompanied Skyler to the entrance of the mansion, Lucian raised his head to Magnus and sighed at seeing him frowning and staring out the window as if he wished for Skyler's death.
"Please, dear, don't make that face. You know they can be of great help."
"I'm not stopping you, after all you do what you want, isn't it?"
Sighing again, Lucian left the cup on the table and looked at Magnus again.
"Anyway we're back, what do you want to do now?"
His husband understood exactly what he was referring to and so he relaxed his shoulders and became more serious when looking at the window.
"It's time to hunt the worm."