CHAPTER 23
“Miss, a letter has arrived from the Count’s family.”
“Give it here.”
Adele, who had been trimming vegetables, took the letter. The handwriting was Xerox’s. He was the only person from the merchant guild she could trust — or at least, he had been. That was no longer the case.
Seeing Adele’s bitter expression, Jacqueline approached, tense.
“Is something wrong? Did something happen with the guild?”
“…Well.”
At first, she could smile reading the part about her father being a bit delayed due to a “sudden bridge collapse” accident.
But as she quickly skimmed through the sales reports and guild updates, Adele’s eyes froze on the last two lines of the postscript.
[P.S. Noella’s been really worried about you. She thinks you were so shocked you decided to join a monastery. You’re really okay, right?]
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Look at them trying to fish for a reaction.”
Adele scoffed and ran a hand through her hair.
She could clearly imagine Noella sitting next to Xerox, shedding crocodile tears while goading him into writing that.
‘Let’s see how long she lasts with that kind of mindset.’
Tsk tsk.
How many more years could she possibly live, and yet she was desperate to irritate her older sister?
‘Maybe I should’ve just let her meet the heroine after all.’
They hadn’t sent Noella to the capital fearing she might tarnish the family name, but maybe that was a mistake. Now she had no outlet for her villainous energy.
Despite herself, Adele felt a twinge of guilt toward Noella — who, for a villain, was rather fixated on such petty things.
But no, a villain is a villain. You can’t ever let your guard down. Who knew how she might try to wriggle her way into the guild while Adele was gone?
“Miss, are you okay?”
“Hmm… of course. To be shocked by something like that… Ha!”
But just as she was regaining her composure, her hands began to tremble as she turned to the next page.
Now what?
Jacqueline peeked over, her face pale.
[P.S. 2. Oh, and Cayden said he hasn’t gotten a reply from you in days and seems pretty upset. He said he’ll just come back. What’s going on?]
“Oh no! It sounds like Young Master Cayden might really come back! If he does, and finds out you joined the monastery…”
“Wow. These people are just unbelievable.”
Why were all her younger siblings like this?
Were they competing to see who could give their big sister a heart attack first?
“Are they betting on who gets to kill me first or something?”
Honestly, with those two, it was entirely plausible. Though, come to think of it, they didn’t get along well enough to conspire together. If they were to kill anyone, they’d probably go after each other first — that, at least, she could trust.
With a bitter sigh of relief, Adele crumpled the letter in her hands.
“Anyway, I have to hurry. I can’t just spend my life trimming vegetables.”
“For someone saying that, you’re doing it awfully seriously.”
Jacqueline was bewildered as she watched Adele peel potatoes without rest.
Seeing those delicate hands handling vegetables instead of money and jewels was a jarring sight.
‘And she’s good at it, too!’
Her mouth watered at the sight of the peel falling in thin, even strips like paper.
Suddenly saddened, Jacqueline bit her lip, wondering who had driven their noble lady to this point.
“Miss, I hesitate to say this, but…”
“Then don’t say it.”
“Miss!”
“It’s obvious. ‘He’s not the only man out there. Aim for someone more promising.’ Right?”
Adele picked up the next potato, looking almost tragic.
Scrape, scrape. Her hands moved like a machine, flawless even after just a few days of practice.
“You know that, and yet… the other knights all clearly like you. Any of them would fall to their knees if you just gave the word. Do you really…”
“Yes. It has to be him.”
“…When did your feelings grow so deep? You never said anything like this before. I didn’t think you were someone who judged by appearances…”
“Of course I don’t.”
Because I judge by the body too.
Adele recalled the image of Killian walking out from under the waterfall. For a moment, she’d thought a tank was approaching.
Jacqueline looked perplexed by Adele’s sudden declaration of pure love, but hey — good food should look good too, right?
“Miss, aren’t all men basically the same? You shouldn’t…”
“Look here. They’re both potatoes and taste the same. Which one would you eat?”
Adele held out a perfect potato and a squashed one. Jacqueline lowered her head.
“…I’m sorry. That was short-sighted of me.”
Though she half-meant it as a joke, Adele felt strangely unsettled.
She hadn’t observed Killian for long, but everything about him was the opposite of how she lived her life — integrity, restraint, decorum. All those admirable yet entirely unprofitable traits.
‘And yet… he didn’t laugh at me.’
That night as they walked back to the temple in the wind, Killian had listened to her story.
He wasn’t someone who’d feel compelled to be polite or accommodating just because she was the Sergio heir, yet he had treated her with unexpected courtesy.
And more than anything… those eyes, narrowing ever so slightly, as if he might be smiling.
That subtle shift in Killian’s frosty gaze had been a shock to Adele.
Even if there was a 99% chance she’d misread it — if she could hold a decent conversation with her future contract husband, that was something.
And over the past few days, she’d painfully realized: in terms of skill, mind, and body, no one could compare to Killian.
“…Hey, Jackie. Just wondering, do you think maybe… being a holy knight, he might not… be into women…?”
“Shhh! Miss, the priestess is here!”
“…You’re still here, I see.”
At the sound of Rebecca’s voice, Adele and Jacqueline quickly stood to greet her.
She probably came to nitpick something again.
They were so used to it by now, there wasn’t even any surprise.
“As you can see, we’ve finished preparing dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast ingredients…”
“Yes. Of course you’ve done it well.”
“…”
Hmm.
That reaction was suspiciously off, and Adele’s polite smile wavered.
Rebecca’s rare compliments were almost more alarming than Killian’s kindness.
She’d rather Rebecca just insult her outright. When she acted like this, something was definitely up.
“Um, Priestess. Did I perhaps do something wrong…?”
“No, not at all. Why would I harbor such petty feelings toward someone as noble as you?”
“…”
See? Something is going on.
Whatever it was, Adele was starting to feel deeply uneasy.
Still, this time, she was confident.
Even if Rebecca came up with some task, it’d probably just be some job nobody else wanted. But Adele had already completed nearly all the chores in the sanctuary.
“Priestess Rebecca, I’ve pulled the weeds in the training ground at dawn, prepared breakfast, did the dishes, cleaned the prayer room — all finished. Is there still more to do?”
So, she was basically asking — what menial job could possibly be left?
Adele threw the first punch with a smile, but Rebecca surprisingly responded calmly.
“You’ve done all there is to do here, so there’s nothing more for you.”
“Wait… so you’re really saying I don’t have to rewash clean dishes or reboil cooled water anymore?”
“…Of course not.”
For the first time, Rebecca smiled with the benevolence fitting of a priestess.
“Now that you’ve finished your kitchen duties, we must send you to where Lady Agnes originally wanted.”
“…Where I wanted?”
“Didn’t you want to be stationed where the knights are from the beginning?”
…She’s lost her mind.
The one good thing about being Noella’s sister was that Adele didn’t fall for kindness easily.
Besides, Rebecca was far more transparent than Noella. Where Noella slapped you with a smile and yanked your hair without warning, Rebecca’s motives were written all over her face.
And sure enough, her lips were already twitching.
“A lively, spirited place — perfect for someone like you, Lady Agnes.”
