ALL NOVEL 4: The Hostage Saint
A week after the post-breakup report.
I arrived in the Kingdom of Bistonia, shaken by the carriage prepared by the royal family.
I had visited this place several times in the past as an escort for the prince. I was never welcomed, and this time was no different.
Even with the carriage curtains closed, I could feel the malicious gazes. Our country and the Kingdom of Bistonia believe in the same god. Therefore, none of the church members discriminated against beastmen, and the beastmen of Bistonia didn’t hate humans.
They disliked the people of Giranga, who looked down on and mocked their race.
The fault lies with our country, and I understand the feelings of the beastmen, so I accept this discomfort.
“It will be even worse when I get to the castle…”
I’m glad it wasn’t another saint who was sent here. As a guest, I’ve visited this country and felt this atmosphere before. It was milder back then.
I should have asked what happened between the two countries.
It’s too late now, and I can only hope that this marriage will prevent any disputes.
“Well then, I’ll leave you here.”
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
We passed through the castle gates, and I got off at the carriage stop. I had no attendants. The coachman handed over the letter of passage and left quickly.
He must have been told to leave before we left our country, eager to get away from the beastmen as soon as possible. His hands were trembling slightly as he held the reins. Unlike me, who was inside the carriage, he had to directly face the malice. I felt sorry for him.
Moreover, though I had ridden in the royal family’s carriage many times, this was my first encounter with this coachman. Whether he was hired just for this occasion or had the task pushed onto him by a subordinate, he had drawn the short straw.
As I watched the departing carriage, beastmen surrounded me. The hostility I felt was incomparable to what I sensed inside the carriage.
“You’re the Saint of the Kingdom of Giranga, right?”
“Yes, I am the Saint Rana Lintos of the Kingdom of Giranga.”
“Follow me. The king awaits.”
They made no effort to hide their hostility, but they walked slowly to match my pace as I carried my luggage.
I thought they came in numbers to intimidate me, but that wasn’t the case. They walked around me to block the stares of other beastmen.
Perhaps because, without this, some beastmen might attack me.
I’ll gratefully accept their kindness.
We walked for a while, passing through a door large enough to accommodate the big-bodied beastmen, leading to the king’s hall. Beastmen lined up, flanking the entrance.
The beastman who guided me urged me to approach the throne where the king, queen, and my future husband, the third prince, Prince Silva, were waiting.
“Welcome, hostage saint.”
The king’s first words called me a ‘hostage’.
I thought it was supposed to be a marriage, but maybe the prince and my sister lied, or the king said this for appearances. However, I am prepared.
I didn’t expect so many beastmen to be gathered here.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”
“Is that all your luggage? What about attendants?”
“I only have the contents of this bag. I have no attendants.”
My response caused not only the king but also the queen and the prince to visibly furrow their brows.
From Bistonia’s perspective, this could be seen as ‘considerate,’ but in a negative light, it could be interpreted as ‘we’re pushing the responsibility onto you.’
Given the previous relations, Giranga’s intention was likely the latter. If the queen were present, she would have handled this more skillfully, but the current Giranga showed blatant malice.
“Although you have visited our country several times, did you not fear being devoured? This is the land of beastmen.”
“? In the Kingdom of Bistonia, there are countless delicious foods. Why would anyone bother eating the uncertain taste of human flesh?”
Nowhere on the continent has a culture of eating human flesh. Especially in Bistonia, a gourmet nation, they surely know of countless delicious meats. They may kill, but they wouldn’t eat.
“I understand your thoughts. However, let me tell you this: do not expect to be comfortable in our country.”
“Understood.”
“…Escort her to her room. Even if she is my son’s bride, do not harm her.”
“Yes, sir!”
The air trembled with the beastmen’s response. It seemed they were gathered to inform them that I was a hostage bride.
In the end, the prince did not say a word.
Afterwards, I was led by the same beastmen from earlier to a room quite far from the king’s hall. My room was at the end of the third floor. Previously, as a guest, I was shown to a room on the first floor, so this was my first time on the third floor. The view from the window glimpsed through the corridor was spectacular.
“This is the room where you will stay.”
Everything was oversized. The bed could accommodate twenty small-framed women. It felt like a bed-sized space designated as my room.
The rooms I had stayed in before were tailored to human sizes.
“Thank you for this magnificent room.”
“Magnificent?”
Their reaction made me realize this was typical for the beastmen’s country. It might even be below average.
Come to think of it, all the beastmen in the king’s hall were large or very large.
Beastmen are divided into many sub-races: the royal family is of the wolf clan, while those before me are from the dog, cat, and bear clans. There were also tiger, ox, mouse, rabbit, sheep, and monkey beastmen. Though mice are generally small, I had never seen a small beastman.
If there were small beastmen, their rooms might be more modest, but regardless of size, the rooms seem to be large.
With so much space, there must be plenty of hiding spots.
I decided to view this positively, thinking I could use a stealth cloak to get by.