Chapter 78

The epidemic was gradually brought under control after a week, with fewer
and fewer patients. Many people recovered their health, though some
unfortunately passed away. The priest and the monks devotedly prayed for these
poor souls, expressed their condolences to their families, and assured them
that God saw the goodness in these patients and would welcome them into heaven.

The monks from the church in Esburg, inspired by the priest, also came
forward. They lit candles for the deceased outside the infirmary and brought
holy water to pray for the departed, ensuring they could leave this world with
dignity and peace.

The church’s actions greatly increased its prestige and influence. Randes
understood that everything was orchestrated by the priest. He saw clearly the
priest’s boldness and ambition to win people’s hearts. This man, filled with
ambition, made no attempt to conceal it, even from someone who knew him well.

In an era where modesty, elegance, and restraint were considered virtues,
such overt actions would inevitably attract disgust from the discerning.
However, Randes was always out of step with such evaluations. He personally
admired this wolf-like ambition.

Everyone loves wealth, power, and beauty; some just prefer to disguise their
desires and feign loftiness. Randes had always been one to openly display his
desires when he wanted something. He wasn’t afraid of negative judgments and
even took some pride in his uniqueness.

About a few feet away, the priest was holding a patient’s hand, softly
murmuring prayers with a gentle expression.

Randes focused his gaze on the priest’s face.

Outwardly, the priest’s cunning, hypocrisy, greed, and ambition were well
concealed. Anyone would think he was a selfless, kind-hearted man. It was this
perfect disguise that revealed how contrary he was to the worldly praise of
purity and sincerity.

“If he only had beauty, he wouldn’t provoke my heart so…”

“There is some resonance in our souls; perhaps if I spoke of it, he wouldn’t
admit it, but I know it truly exists.”

The prince’s heart was in turmoil.

The arrival of love had caught him utterly unprepared.

It struck him like a blow to the head, leaving him dizzy and defenseless. At
the same time, Randes thought of the derogatory term “sodomy,” coined
specifically for male sexual behavior.

Throughout the continent of Austen, male-male sexual behavior was considered
shameful and immoral, especially in places with strong religious beliefs.

Of course, among the nobility, many principles were blurred. As long as
things didn’t come to light, no one would criticize. Lasey was quite open in
various aspects, and even though Randes seldom mingled with the royal nobility,
he knew some dukes secretly engaged in unsavory activities.

However, the most unfortunate part was that his interest was in a priest.

Although Randes was certain that the priest’s faith was nearly non-existent,
the priest’s goal was to restore faith across the continent and rule it through
religion.

For this goal, the priest wouldn’t tarnish himself and fall into an
irreversible situation.

“But why should I help him, allowing him to rise above me?”

“He dreams of becoming the Pope, but I don’t need to be his stepping stone.”

“He must not know my feelings for him. A person like him would not hesitate
to use and trample on them, I’m sure.”

Randes thought to himself, like a lovestruck youth, unable to come up with a
good way to win the priest due to his pride and awkwardness. He gradually began
to think in his usual manner.

“Even if I’ve developed feelings for him, it doesn’t mean I have to
surrender to him. He can do what he wants, and I’ll do what I want. He sees my
power and wants to use it; I see him and want him to submit. This could be
considered a fair exchange, with each taking what they need…”

Mo Yin was doing his best to play the role of a great, good man. He
displayed his ambition, his abilities, and his influence over the people,
believing this was akin to a peacock showing off its feathers to Randers.

He noticed the prince’s gaze, which was so intense that even without
heightened senses, he should have felt it.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before the prince confessed his love.

Everything was falling into place. In the previous world, he didn’t want the
protagonist to love him and tried to avoid and distance himself. However, he
already knew the eventual outcome in his heart.

It’s hard for a powerful person like him not to attract the protagonist’s
attention.

The protagonist would either hate him or love him—there’s no mediocre middle
ground. Two strong forces are bound to clash and create sparks.

Night fell, and the neighborhood was very quiet, even peaceful. It was
usually chaotic here, and it was rare not to have to search for food. They were
almost grateful for the terrible epidemic, as hunger was ten thousand times
worse than disease.

With the picky prince around, the priest could enjoy high-quality beef, and
cheese, and it’s hard for a powerful person like him not to attract the
protagonist’s attention.

The protagonist would either hate him or love him—there’s no mediocre middle
ground. Two strong forces are bound to clash and create sparks.

Night fell, and the neighborhood was very quiet, even peaceful. It was
usually chaotic here, and it was rare not to have to search for food. They were
almost grateful for the terrible epidemic, as hunger was ten thousand times
worse than disease.

With the picky prince around, the priest could enjoy high-quality beef,
cheese, and soft bread. Today, there was even some juice. The priest and monks
prayed before the meal, thanking God for His gifts. They dined together in the
dimly lit small room, with only a thumb-sized candle burning to save on
supplies. By the time they finished eating, the candle would be almost out.

Bunier had regained his health and spirit. A few days ago, he thought he
would die, but the priest’s prayers and his own resilience pulled him back from
death. Clean food and water gradually restored his depleted body. Besides
thanking God, Bunier had to blush and confess to the priest that he was also
grateful to the rude prince.

“Everyone has their temperament. The prince only seems wild and rude, but he
has a good heart. Just the fact that he didn’t abandon us and stayed with
everyone through this crisis makes him a noble person. But I cursed him
terribly in my heart, Father, and I feel ashamed of it.”

Bunier couldn’t hide anything, especially from the priest. He couldn’t lie
to him and always had to speak his mind as if he were in confession.

The priest empathetically replied, “Bunier, except for God, no one is
omniscient. We can’t fully judge any person or matter. It’s not a big deal.
You’ve realized your misjudgment, and correcting it is enough.”

Bunier felt happy and relieved. The priest’s words always touched his soul
and cleansed him.

“Then, Father,” Bunier asked, “will you baptize the prince?”

“If he’s willing,” the priest said gently.

“Who wouldn’t want to be baptized by you, Father?” Bunier said without
hesitation.

The priest smiled and continued eating slowly.

They finished their meal in a harmonious atmosphere. After clearing the
table, Bunier said, “I’ll fetch some water for you.”

Since recovering, Bunier has taken up his duty of caring for the priest
again.

“Thank you.”

The candle in the room flickered, providing no use to the priest but casting
a veil-like glow over his face for the approaching prince. The steady rhythm of
a sturdy cane on the wooden floor paused briefly.

“Prince?”

The priest greeted him first again.

The prince was annoyed at his momentary distraction. He immediately
straightened his face and voice, saying indifferently, “Has the Father finished
his meal?”

Heavens, his tone was so awkward and affected—

Randes was deeply frustrated but also secretly glad the priest couldn’t see
the embarrassed grimace on his face.

“Just finished. Thank you for the meal. It was delicious,” the priest said
naturally.

Randes hadn’t come specifically to seek thanks, but he had nothing else to
say, so he casually greeted him. Now it seemed as if he was looking for praise
for such a trivial thing, which made Randes regret speaking and fall silent.

If he were to insult or sneer, it would be fine. But simple, straightforward
communication was a struggle, making Randes wish he were mute rather than lame.

If he were mute, he could say nothing and just quietly admire the priest’s
face.

How long had it been since he looked at him this closely?

It was his own fault for stubbornly keeping his distance.

Those lake-green eyes… Green suited him. His blond hair was beautiful,
though perhaps black would be even better. Blond made him look more saintly,
but Randes disliked that kind of sanctity.

Randes thought he was keeping his gaze restrained, but the priest felt like
his monk’s robe was being singed by that intense stare.

“Where’s Monk Bunier?” Randes’ tone was lazy, seemingly casual.

The priest replied, “He’s gone to heat some bathwater for me.”

Randes hated this response. It made him inexplicably feel a fire on his back
and sweat on his forehead. If he were an animal, there would be no doubt—he was
in heat. He didn’t want to describe his current state with such vulgar
frankness, but who cared? He wasn’t a noble person anyway.

Randes closed the door.

The creak of the wooden door sounded like a deafening roar in his ears, and
his hands were trembling, which was unlike him.

After closing the door, Randes turned around. The candle on the table was
flickering heavily, almost about to extinguish.

The priest heard the door close and asked, “Prince?”

Randes walked over with his cane, and the sound of the cane’s tip hitting
the wooden floor drowned out his heartbeat.

Randes stood in front of the priest. The priest sat upright, both in attire
and demeanor.

“I…” Randes cleared his throat. “I want to talk to you about
baptism.”

The prince, who was accustomed to being straightforward, used a roundabout
way.

The priest looked interested. “Please, go ahead.”

“I want to be baptized in Esburg.”

“By me?”

“Of course.”

“That’s wonderful.”

The priest’s face lit up. “Prince, you’ve made the right choice. I
assure you.”

Seeing the priest’s happy expression, the despicable suggestion in the
prince’s belly suddenly became difficult to articulate.

“Just like what we achieved in Colby this time, your leadership
combined with my ability to garner public support will be a powerful weapon. In
a couple of days, your enemies in the palace will regret giving you such an
opportunity to build prestige in the capital. They’ll beg you to leave, and
then you can freely humiliate them…”

“…After that, I’ll be baptized by you. As long as we reach cooperation, we
will surely be able to conquer the entire continent together.”

Randes remained silent. Two forces were battling in his heart, pure
affection against dirty lust, raging like a seesaw within him.

The priest’s calm yet cunning words were undoubtedly another kind of
temptation for him.

Randes took a deep breath, an especially long one, sucking in the residual
scent of food in the room and the faint fragrance from the priest’s body.

Meanwhile, the priest felt the small room, now closed off, growing
uncomfortably warm. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He lifted his hand to reach
for a handkerchief to wipe it, but before he could touch the handkerchief, his
forehead was kissed firmly.

The prince’s lips were hot and fleshy, the kiss was solid and full-powered.
The warm breath trembled slightly as it sprayed onto the priest’s fair, soft
skin.

“Prince?” The priest’s voice sounded puzzled.

The cane fell to the ground as the prince’s hand cradled the priest’s face.
The candle was on the verge of extinguishing, but the prince’s deep brown
pupils were ablaze with desire.

“I agree with all your views, but before we can cooperate, do I have
the right to obtain some guarantees from you, Father, that won’t be
betrayed?”