~Chapter 14~
Selen bit her lip tightly.
If she didn’t, tears would burst out.
“I have to do something. If it means I can save my brother…”
Lory held his tearful younger sister in his arms and gently patted her back.
“Selen. I don’t know why my little one is suddenly so worried, but don’t worry—your big brother is here.”
“Okay…”
“If you get sick, I’ll bring the best priest I can find. If they aren’t in this country, I’ll go abroad and get them. And if they refuse to come, I’ll… kidnap them myself.”
Selen deliberately spoke more cheerfully to stop the tears that were threatening to spill.
“Lory, you’d even consider kidnapping someone?”
“Of course. If it’s for our little one, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”
“Lory, you might not be able to get married if you do that.”
“Then I’ll just live happily with our little one forever. If you really had a deadly illness, how could I even think about getting married?”
Selen, resting in Lory’s embrace, thought of Kirien.
She hadn’t realized before that just holding hands could make her heart race.
The face flushed by the night sky, the mischievous smile, the low voice, the way it felt like he existed only for the two of them on the beach…
The trembling she felt for the first time in her life was far too strong to forget.
So she kept thinking about Kirien the entire time.
Why had he done all those things for her?
Even though he had only approached her intentionally, why did he listen carefully to her random stories?
Why did he rush to her side upon hearing she was ill, despite having threatened to kill her before?
Why did he not give her the memory-erasing medicine, even though he held it in his hands?
Between his gentle smile and his ferocious words, which one was the real him?
Selen didn’t know the answer and pondered it for a long time. But Lory had already given her a hint.
It seemed Kirien’s true nature was… kind.
After dinner, the dreamlike time came to an end.
“Selen, can I come along for the next father-daughter outing too?”
“Lory, you’re always welcome. Bring Nico too.”
“No. I’ll leave Nico behind.”
“Then I’ll have to tell Nico to come to the temple.”
“What? You really like him more than me? Answer me right now. Me or Nico. I won’t let you go until you say it’s me.”
Selen found jealous Lory adorable and teased him even more.
At that moment, Count Leclair subtly took Selen’s hand.
“Selen, take care until next month.”
“Yes. Father, please take care of your health too. Don’t work too hard.”
Hugging her father and older brother in turn, Selen felt tears threatening to spill.
She wanted to say all the things she felt—thank you, I love you, I want to see you every day—but her throat tightened, and she couldn’t speak a word.
How wonderful would it be if she could hold their hands and walk home together?
Then she could immediately run into her mother’s embrace.
On a sunny day, she wanted to place a rocking chair in the garden and learn knitting from her mother.
And she would give winter socks as gifts to her family.
Mother in green, Lory in red, Nico in sky blue, and herself in purple.
Father… she decided pink would suit him.
Sometimes she would wake her sleeping brothers.
And the three of them would sneak into the kitchen like they used to when they were little.
They would secretly eat her mother’s special night stew and her father’s whiskey. Even if they got scolded, it would still be fun.
How about a vacation by the sea?
Then she could hold her father’s hand walking along the night beach and tell Lory and Nico to get a sand massage—then bury the two of them in the sand.
Just imagining it made her happy. How wonderful would it be if it became reality?
If she could always be with the family she loved.
If only that were possible.
“Selen, be careful on your way back. Don’t forget to contact us when you arrive.”
Selen swallowed her tears and forced a bright smile.
If she cried now, her father and brother’s hearts would hurt too much.
“Yes. I’ll do it at the usual time! See you next month!”
After lightly kissing Count Leclair and Lory on the cheek, she left.
Lory took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Count Leclair.
“Father.”
“Sorry. I guess as I get older, I cry more.”
The Count turned his back and wiped his tears.
His grown son looked at him with a pitying gaze.
“At first, you threw a tantrum about not going back to the temple. Now you’re leaving with a mature smile.”
Lory recalled the times when he had forcibly sent his little sister back to the temple and gave a bitter smile.
“Honestly, throwing a tantrum might have been better.”
Father and son stood silently, watching the place Selen had left for a while.
Selen woke up earlier than usual that day.
She prayed to the goddess Athenis longer than normal.
“Goddess Athenis, with the power you’ve given me, I will save Arpiel. I swear before your name that I will do everything I can.”
Selen prayed sincerely for Arpiel.
For a moment, she felt a slight fever running through her body.
Perhaps it was just a hallucination.
She walked along the forest path toward the Athenis Hall.
By now, it was her third time going there, so she was fairly familiar with the path.
However, she did not reach the hall.
From afar, she sensed someone approaching.
Selen climbed up a tree and observed the hall.
There, she saw the holy knights guarding the entrance.
A few days ago, only three had slept in tents, but now the number had suddenly increased to ten.
“Why did they suddenly increase security at Athenis Hall?”
“I don’t know… hmm. I’m so sleepy.”
It didn’t seem like a temporary change either.
Selen ate breakfast at the women’s dining hall on the first floor of the Elenor Palace.
Mia was bringing her own portion of food when she noticed Selen and jumped in surprise.
“Saintess, you’re eating a lot for breakfast today?”
“Ah… I…”
Selen hesitated, trying to find an excuse.
She couldn’t say, I went hiking since dawn and I’m hungry.
As always, she smiled and found her answer.
“Today, I’m just in a good mood.”
Mia, perceptive as ever, understood why Selen was happy.
“Oh, you went out yesterday, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Seeing my father after so long made me feel great.”
“I’m happy because you’re happy, Saintess.”
Mia smiled as she began to eat.
Focused on her food, she didn’t notice Selen glancing at her.
Selen hesitated for a moment, then carefully started a conversation.
“Mia, what do you do on your days off?”
“I usually go to the shops near the palace. There are lots of stores there.”
Mia answered plainly, but Selen smiled brightly.
She had to make it seem like her questions were innocent and kind.
“Do you go on dates?”
Puff! Mia choked and spat out the juice in her mouth.
“Saintess! Why would you suddenly ask such a thing? I… I don’t go on dates!”
“You’re pretty and have a good personality. I think you’d be popular.”
Mia blushed and lowered her head shyly.
“Do you have someone in mind? I heard many get married while serving in the temple… some even to holy knights.”
Selen smiled, watching Mia’s reactions carefully.
Mia answered just as expected:
“Could it be… Saintess, do you have someone you like?”
Selen laughed lightly and teased.
“No, there’s no one like that for me. I see holy knights occasionally, but I don’t know their names or what they do.”
Mia looked puzzled at her, the expression she sometimes made silently asking, Why don’t you know?
“Holy knights mostly do security, right?”
“Hmm… now that you mention it, I’ve seen them occasionally at Teberon Palace, but I’ve never seen them at Elenor Palace. I heard there are female knights too.”
“This place is always crowded, right?”
“Then do they always guard the empty places, like Athenis Hall?”
“That’s right?” Mia casually answered and resumed eating her omelet.
The more Mia ate, the more anxious Selen became.
No, please, tell me… Why did the security at Athenis Hall suddenly increase?
Then, Mia suddenly shouted at just the right moment.
“Oh! That’s right!”
Yes! That’s it! Say it!
“They increased security at Athenis Hall?”
Selen forced a smile but maintained a serious tone.
“Really? Did something happen?”
“No? They just increased it.”
Mia went back to eating, and Selen felt her appetite vanish.
“Elders, it’s serious!”
At times like this, the only people Selen could rely on were her elder sisters.
Upon hearing her cry, several of the sisters appeared.
“Elders, actually… I really want to save my brother, so I went to Athenis Hall again.”
Hearing this, even more sisters appeared.
Among them, the seventh saint, Hanna, asked:
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to help that guy?”
“I didn’t hate him. I was a little angry, but…” Selen continued mumbling.
“But my brother hasn’t done anything wrong. If he’s sick, just watching without helping feels like a sin…”
At that moment, the first saint, Elenor, appeared in a strong flash of light.
“So… little one, what did you plan to do?”
“I was going to get the holy water and make the potion myself.”
“And then?”
“The security at Athenis Hall suddenly increased.”
