Elios agreed with Snow’s assertion that she needed to learn more about the world as a saint, but he truly believed the world was still a dangerous place for someone as delicate and inexperienced as her.

As Snow was looking around, a strange sight caught her eye. Three burly men with flushed faces were walking toward them, arms around each other’s shoulders, staggering with each step.

‘Why are they stumbling like that? Are they sick?’

Judging by their reddened faces and dazed smiles, they didn’t seem to be ill. They appeared to be in good spirits, singing songs that were almost like shouting.

‘Ah, they must be drunk.’

The thought finally occurred to her. Having lived in the temple where alcohol was prohibited, Snow had never seen drunk people before. She stared at them with curiosity until Elios gently pulled her hand. Snow turned to look at “El.”

“Snow. We agreed to only see part of the world today, remember? That’s not something you need to see right now.”

Snow’s eyes darted around with curiosity, but she nodded obediently. She thought it best to follow El’s guidance. He understood what she wanted and knew what could happen when her emotions changed. He would surely only show her what he judged she could handle at the moment. Once she became accustomed to this, he would gradually introduce her to more intense experiences, helping her adapt to the harsher aspects of the world little by little.

Elios naturally held her hand, then hesitated and loosened his grip as if about to let go, but then firmly held on again. When he explained that this would prevent her from getting lost, Snow nodded in agreement. The warmth of his large hand felt pleasant.

Snow and Elios continued walking hand in hand through the streets. As Snow began to adjust to the new surroundings, Elios made a suggestion.

“Snow. Would you like to try the food that ordinary people eat? It’s not too late, so there should be plenty of restaurants still open.”

His tone was light, as if making a playful joke. Snow, eager to experience everything possible, nodded without hesitation.

Elios navigated the maze-like streets with remarkable ease. Fortunately, he found an open restaurant he was familiar with. It was a place that served as both an inn and a restaurant. It was also where he had left his horse when he came to visit Snow previously. Since the weather outside was quite cold, they quickly went inside and found an empty table. Snow watched with fascination as El confidently ordered from the menu.

“How do you know all this so well, El? Even though you’re a nobleman, do you come to places like this often?”

Snow asked while waiting for their food. Elios gave an embarrassed smile.

“I do, actually.”

“Why? The food you can eat at home must be much better than what they sell here, right?”

Snow behaved like a curious child asking about everything. Elios didn’t mind at all and answered as sincerely as he could.

“I enjoy the free atmosphere outside. The mansion is too suffocating. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe there.”

Snow thought she could understand his feelings. She too spent most of her days confined within the Santarium, and today was her first time venturing outside the temple. She had often felt stifled as well. But thinking there was no alternative, she had endured it her entire life.

“Yes, I think I understand. I rarely leave the Santarium because I’m afraid of losing control of my emotions, but when I stay inside the building for days or weeks at a time, it becomes unbearably stifling.”

Snow said. Elios was grateful that she empathized with him.

“The physical confinement is part of it, but what really suffocates me is knowing that there are always people watching me. That doesn’t suit me. Isn’t it better to eat slightly less fancy food in peace than to choke on good food while everyone is watching?”

“El, do you find your position burdensome?”

Snow asked cautiously.

“Hmm? Ah, I suppose it might seem that way.”

“You’re the eldest who will inherit the family business after your father, right?”

Elios was taken aback.

“Why do you think that?”

“You told me long ago. That your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all remarkable people, so you needed to be remarkable too. You also said that becoming an excellent person was important not just for you alone, but for many others. That’s why I thought so.”

Besides, if he had been close enough with the princes since childhood, his family must have considerable influence. Snow was piecing together what she knew about El based on what he had told her. Elios was surprised that Snow remembered a conversation from six years ago as clearly as he did.

But more than that, he was startled by Snow’s sharp reasoning. He thought that if he wasn’t careful, she might soon discover his true identity. The charade needed to last until the coming-of-age ceremony for his prank to succeed. He would need to be more careful with his words from now on.

“I see. Perhaps I do feel burdened.”

Elios said. He wasn’t entirely sure himself. Becoming Emperor was his destiny, and he had been working toward that goal. Sometimes he felt overwhelmed and stifled, but he had never strayed from that predetermined path. He believed he shouldn’t.

To some extent, he was confident in his ability to fulfill his role. He had talent. He possessed the power to command people. He believed that was meant for his role as Emperor. Nevertheless, Elios uttered puzzling words. They just emerged spontaneously from deep within his heart.

“Being good at something, having to do something, and wanting to do something are all different things.”

The statement didn’t seem to connect with what he had said before, so Snow looked confused. The “having to do” part clearly related to inheriting the family business, but she wasn’t sure about the rest. However, thinking that she shouldn’t delve too deeply into something El might not want to discuss, she decided to stop talking about the burden. Instead, she asked:

“What do you want to do, El?”

“Hmm. Right now, talking with you like this.”

“T-that’s already what you’re doing…”

Elios gave a rough smile. Though he usually maintained a polite, noble demeanor with a hint of playfulness, this smile suited him well too. Caught off guard by Elios’s unexpected answer, Snow fidgeted with her hands, her face turning red.

Fortunately for her, the food arrived just then. There was tomato soup, bread, and some kind of roasted poultry—chicken or duck or something else, she couldn’t tell. Having unconsciously expected something unhygienic and unappealing, Snow let out a small exclamation of surprise at the rather decent meal before her.

“Better than you expected, right? Snow, you said you wanted to embrace the lowly and cold, but not everyone outside the temple lives miserably and struggles. In fact, there are more people who are grateful to the saint who ended the one-year calamity, who pray to the goddess every day and live happily. You need to know that.”

Snow realized that she had indeed unconsciously assumed that all commoners, except nobles and temple priests, lived poor and difficult lives. Now she abandoned that prejudice. As Snow exclaimed in admiration and looked at Elios, he kindly offered her the food.

“Come on, don’t just look at it. Won’t you taste it?”

Snow watched Elios tear off a piece of his bread, dip it in the soup, and put it in his mouth, then followed suit. The bread was a bit hard and chewy, but it was a decent dish nonetheless. The roasted poultry was good too. It wasn’t high-end cuisine with expensive spices or specially fed animals that made the meat exceptionally tender, but it was still tasty enough.

As Snow was sampling each dish, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze and looked up. Elios had his arms on the table, chin resting on his hands, watching Snow eat with a pleased expression. Snow put down the bread she was holding, embarrassed. Then she asked:

“What?”

“You’re eating with such enjoyment.”

What he wanted to say was “You look so adorable when you eat,” but he had filtered his words carefully. However, Snow worried that she might have eaten too casually without proper manners in front of Elios, who was a high nobleman. From then on, she paid more attention to dining etiquette until she finished her portion.

With their appetites satisfied, the two continued exploring outside. Snow had become accustomed to the outside world in just a few hours. She had been very nervous before coming out, but being with El made it seem less daunting than she had expected. She was almost reluctant to return to the temple.

When she had sat alone with El in the unused temple and listened to his stories, she had thought the people living in the outside world were quite lovable. Now, having seen them with her own eyes and experienced their world firsthand, an even stronger emotion filled her heart.

The world where everyone expressed their own voice was noisy and vibrant. And that was good. Although Elios whispered beside her that the world wasn’t always this bright and shining, and that she should be more cautious and careful, it didn’t really resonate with Snow.

When Snow asked when he would come again, Elios thought for a moment and answered that he would return within ten days. Although she was disappointed enough to feel momentarily dejected, she understood Elios’s situation of having to sneak out, so it couldn’t be helped. Concerned about Snow waiting for him with the window wide open in the middle of winter, Elios earnestly asked her not to do that. Snow could only respond with a gentle smile, unable to make promises she couldn’t keep.

It was impossible to control. Snow knew that after El left, she would start waiting for him again from the very next day, and when night came, she would be unable to sleep due to the pleasant fluttering in her heart, eventually opening the window to stare into the distance, checking if El was coming or not. But now even that waiting made her happy.

Elios had already become someone who greatly influenced Snow’s life, whether he was by her side or not.

♣ ♣ ♣

Snow visited Ceres directly after quite a long time. Since going outside the temple with El, she had frequently left the Santarium. Ceres Martadia seemed a bit surprised that Snow had come in person, but quickly welcomed the saint with a warm smile. Soon, tea that Ceres had personally and carefully brewed was placed before the two of them.