Chapter 22………………………..

Cassius steadied his mind and suppressed his powers.

Thankfully, no more thoughts leaked in.

Sonia spoke politely.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

All the work was already finished. The only thing left was reviewing and signing a few documents—something that wouldn’t take long.

But he didn’t want to send Sonia away just because there was nothing left to do.

“As a matter of fact, there is something. Please take this.”

Of course, there wasn’t.
If he wanted to keep her near, he had to invent work for her.

Cassius opened a drawer and rummaged through it.

If he gave her something difficult or troublesome, she wouldn’t like him—she’d dislike him.
He needed something easy, something she could spend a long time on without suffering.

Preferably something that would make her keep coming back not just today, but in the next few days as well.

Even just something to read would be fine.

As Cassius thought hard, Sonia’s eyes drifted over his desk… and landed on a stuffed rabbit.

It hadn’t been there the last time she visited.

It was an adorable little rabbit plush with a faint rosy-pink color.

Cute.

Why did he put something like this on his desk?
Did His Holiness like cute things?

Just looking at it made her bad thoughts melt away and her mood lighten.

After digging for a while, Cassius found a thick stack of documents.

It was a report about searching for the Sanctuary of Healing.

Conveniently, Sonia was a priestess of healing.

It was technically classified, but it was perfect for keeping her here.

He placed the report on the desk.

“This is the report I mentioned earlier—about the search for the Sanctuary of Healing.”

Sonia recalled their previous conversation.
He had said he’d been searching for the sanctuary for years to cure the Omega Fever.

She looked over the thick pile.

Just from a glance, she could tell it was impossible to finish reading even if she dedicated an entire day.

“This is a lot. May I take it with me to read?”

“You can’t take these documents outside. It’s troublesome, but please come back for the next few days.”

“……I see.”

“I won’t hold you for long each time.”

He added that quickly, afraid she might find it bothersome.

“Yes.”

The classified documents became a perfect excuse.

And so, Cassius spent quite a long time with Sonia.

***

Several days passed, and I had new duties.
I was assigned to serve as a confessor priest.

I had done confession counseling a few times during training, but I was nervous.

Official confession work done by an ordained priest was different.

Everything spoken inside the prayer room had to remain secret—even the prayer offered moments ago.
Depending on the case, I might have to counsel the same person for months.

I hope my first assignment is an easy one…

I opened the door to the prayer room and stepped inside.

The worshiper had already arrived and was offering wine in front of the statue.

Not wanting to interrupt, I approached quietly and whispered.

“I am Sonia Theodore, servant of the god Magnus.”

The person kneeling before the statue pushed herself up with her cane.

“Nice to meet you, priestess.”

The visitor was an elderly woman with a heavily stooped back.

She seemed too frail to walk to a seat on her own, so I extended my hand politely.

“Please take my hand. I’ll help you.”

The old woman looked at my hand—and her eyes widened.

“Hiiik—!”

She jerked away as if terrified.

Her reaction startled me.
Keeping her distance, the old woman gave a sheepish laugh.

“I’m not… quite old enough to need help yet, hohoho!”

Then she tapped her cane briskly on the floor and made her way to the seat.

I guessed she felt offended that I treated her like a fragile elder when she was still lively.
I followed her and sat down as well.

After offering the prayer of secrecy, I began.

“What brings you to the holy nation today?”

“I have a granddaughter about your age, but I simply cannot understand what she’s thinking.”

It sounded like counseling.

There is a difference between counseling and confession.

A confessor priest cannot speak of anything that happens inside this small room.
I had just sworn not to reveal even the content of the prayer I offered.

Naturally, people who come for confession usually carry secrets they can’t tell anyone else.

And because confession required far larger donations than ordinary counseling,
it was rare for someone with a simple worry to come here.

“……Has something serious happened to your granddaughter?”

“Oh yes. She’s at a marriageable age, but she refuses to marry and won’t even attend social gatherings. I’d like to understand what’s going on in her head, so I wanted to talk to a young lady about her age.”

Judging by the flow, it was just ordinary counseling.

“Please continue.”

“Do you have a fiancé? It would be ideal if your circumstances were similar to my granddaughter’s.”

“No, I don’t have a fiancé.”

“Have you ever received proposals?”

As a proper count’s daughter, I had.

“Yes, several times. I refused all of them.”

“Just like my granddaughter! Wonderful.”

The old woman began asking questions—what gifts girls my age liked, how to mend a strained relationship, and so on.

She said she wanted to know how a young woman thinks.

“I chose the priesthood because I wanted to be useful to my family. Having a clergy member from the Holy Nation in the family helps in many ways.”

“Isn’t life as a priest difficult? Do you regret it?”

“After becoming one, I realized my god’s teachings are truly wonderful. I don’t regret it.”

But as we talked, something felt… off.

It felt like she was digging deeper and deeper into my inner thoughts.

“Is it okay for you to only hear about me? I’ve been away from the secular world for so long.”

The old woman waved her hand lightly.

“It’s fine, dear. People your age think similarly anyway.”

No, completely different.

At this rate, things might get worse between her and her granddaughter…

But she just urged me to speak honestly, so I continued.

“After talking with you, I think I understand my granddaughter much better.”

…I hope so.

“You treasure your family dearly! My granddaughter must be the same—too attached to her family to seek a match.”

She concluded that happily and eventually left, satisfied.

I wasn’t sure it was okay that I talked mostly about myself,
but at least she left happy.

Thus, my first assignment ended peacefully.

***

There are some perks to becoming a full priest.

First, I no longer had to use the public prayer hall—I could do morning prayers in my own room.

Second, I could freely exchange letters with my family.

I wondered how Lancelot was doing—
or more accurately, whether any obsessive, possessive lunatics were swarming around him.

As a trainee, I’d only been allowed contact once every six months, so it was hard to get updates.

But after becoming a full priest, I received a letter from Lancelot every few days.

Resting atop the bell tower after finishing all my duties, I finished reading his latest letter…
and threw it.

**“To my beloved sister Sonia,

I met many new people at the recent ball.

By chance, I even met His Highness the Prince.

His Highness said something strange—
that I smell like an unfamiliar flower. Odd, isn’t it?

But the perfume I used was lemon.

Maybe he confused lemon and flowers. They are a bit similar, after all.”**

Wait.
Wait just a damn second.

I told him—multiple times—NEVER to meet the prince!!

I drilled this into him while teaching him about perfume!

“Isn’t Her Highness the Princess better?”

“Our Lancelot will grow up to become the Princess’s sword, okay?”

“No—actually, just join the border knights. That’s even better.”

As long as he stayed far away from the palace, there would be no chance to meet the prince.

“You don’t want that? You want to stay in the capital? Fine, then the Princess.”

“His Highness the Prince is an alpha. He doesn’t need your protection. He’s strong!”

“If you support the Princess, you’ll naturally be on bad terms with the Prince.”

“So from now on, stay away from him!”

And Lancelot had smiled brightly and said,
“Okay, sure. I will, sis.”

His recent letters even said he’d decided to become the Princess’s sword.
So I had relaxed.

And now he’s suddenly meeting the prince??

Clutching my neck in frustration, I wrote a reply.

“Sonia to Lancelot.

It isn’t wise for someone who will become Her Highness the Princess’s sword to grow close to the Prince.”

Meaning:
Use your brain and stay away from him.

The Princess and Prince lived completely different lives.
They were openly hostile—there was no reason they would ever be in the same room.

A few days later, his reply arrived.

“Sister,

Fortunately, His Highness the Prince holds no political intentions.
He simply likes me—purely on a personal level.

As a friend, of course.

He is especially interested in my perfume-making.

Speaking with someone as knowledgeable as the Prince may help me develop new scents.”

My hands trembled.

An alpha—who could use pheromones like perfume—was interested in perfume.
How was that not suspicious?!

This clueless idiot.

He was every bit the Lancelot who, in Predators’ Domain, never fought back properly and only ever said,
“No, no, yes, yes, yes…”

“Even if he says it isn’t political, the nobles won’t think so.

If people see you with the Prince, you’ll accidentally cause trouble for the Princess.

—from a sister who desperately hopes her brother catches on.”

For the love of God,
don’t walk straight into the original 19+ tragic BL novel!!