SOKM 56

Chapter : 56

In one corner of the lush green lawn stood an elegant observation deck, so refined that it seemed more suitable for a social gathering than for prayer.

Gezian was sitting comfortably right in front of the deck, on the grass where its shadow fell.

When I walked over alone, Gezian glanced up at me.

“Have your prayers finished?”

The animals roaming freely in the garden displayed affection toward Gezian, and his golden eyes, almost translucent in their clarity, softened.

His gaze was sweet, as if honey dripped from it, but surely even such gestures were calculated.

I decided to respond accordingly and spoke.

“Why are there so many animals?”

“They’re the ones abandoned in front of the temple. Raising them has led to this. Thank you for coming all this way, Lady Kalsiren.”

‘Lady…’

I smiled faintly and stepped into the observation deck. Even when I sat and looked down at him, Gezian continued gently stroking the heads and chins of the animals.

“I should be the one thanking you for letting me in. This was such a sudden request…”

My lips curled slightly as I noticed the central pillar supporting the roof of the deck.

Gold in his eyes, jewels on his fingers. The Duke Musern had clearly put effort into this.

“Did the Duke donate this prayer room? All the things I saw on the way here seemed to be works of those he sponsors.”

“That’s correct. You have a good eye.”

“Of course. Our family also has people we support. It seems a shame for commoners to just walk in. Otherwise, I’d want to show it to my mother as well.”

“If you contact us in advance, we can prepare the prayer room to be empty for your visit.”

“Oh my. Wouldn’t that be too much of a bother?”

Gezian assured me not to worry and said that if I visited, I should contact him even on the same day.

‘Just as I heard…’

As the future Hyden said, the Archbishop should not have been ashamed of Gezian’s execution; instead, the moment the controversy surfaced, he should have excommunicated him.

“May I ask why you came here today, Lady?”

“Hyden said there was a place he absolutely had to see, so I thought I should get ahead of him.”

I lowered my voice on purpose, and Gezian seemed intrigued.

“Where is that?”

“The orphanage. I heard you were denied a visit yesterday?”

“That’s correct.”

Following my gaze, Gezian turned his eyes to the prayer room. The open design, with only pillars standing, allowed one to see the interior like a framed picture.

“Does Father Hyden have a particular interest in Narial?”

“Not Narial. He’s an orphan too, isn’t he? Maybe that’s why.”

When I drew the line, Gezian’s transparent eyes met mine directly.

I forced myself to ignore the shiver running down my spine.

Though both had golden eyes, Hyden and Gezian’s gazes felt completely different.

Gezian’s eyes seemed less human, more like those of a bird or fish. They revealed nothing—no warmth, no emotion.

Suppressing my growing unease, I asked again.

“What exactly is there that he’s interested in?”

“I’m not sure. There’s nothing there that our brothers would find interesting.”

Just then, Hyden, having finished his prayers, rose from his place.

The surroundings were so lavish that Hyden, dressed in a neat priest’s robe, looked absurdly like an uninvited guest in a place he didn’t belong.

Gezian and I watched him silently.

“…There’s really nothing suspicious about the orphanage? Not a single thing?”

“Yes. I have nothing to hide, Lady.”

That can’t be.

I was certain one of his charges involved orphans. Clearly, Gezian already knew about the scandal between Hyden and me that likely leaked during the farewell ceremony.

‘He’s suspicious of me.’

The wind stirred, and our clothes fluttered slightly. A girl leaning on the prayer room balcony pointed silently at the white-robed worshippers in the beautiful garden.

Maybe it was because it was a temple, but her tiny finger felt like it pricked my eyes.

I let out a small, rough sigh.

Watching Hyden approach, I spoke in a low voice, offering a warning.

“Father, if there’s anything there that might attract Hyden’s interest…”

“…”

“Go immediately and hide it. Whatever it is, make sure it’s never discovered.”

Even now, my advice might not prevent anything.

Gezian, however, lifted the corners of his lips elegantly at my words.

After Hyden and Nodel had finished praying completely and approached us, Gezian gave them a light bow and pushed the animals that had gathered around aside.

“I’d like to converse further, but I have urgent matters to attend to in the Main Hall. I’ll have another brother guide you through the orphanage, so please wait here for a while.”

He then inclined his head slightly toward me.

“Please feel free to look around, Priest Kalsiren.”

Beyond his benevolent face, his eyes glimmered with mischief.

Apparently, he appreciated my last piece of advice.

A small-minded man, indeed.

Once Gezian stepped away from the group, the girl who had been watching us from the balcony ran toward him.

“Priest Gezian!”

I watched him with the girl, tracing the sign of the cross, and twisted the tip of my high ponytail with my fingers.

Meanwhile, Nodel, approaching closely, asked with surprise:

“Lady Kalsiren, what on earth did you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“To keep that raccoon from following us!”

What was he talking about?

When I didn’t understand, Nodel whispered while glancing at Gezian’s back:

“Yesterday, he watched us so closely, he even went to the restroom with Hyden.”

“Ugh. I didn’t do much.”

Even going to the restroom together…

When I cast him a sympathetic glance, Hyden avoided my eyes with a gloomy expression.

The young boy Gezian assigned as a monitor looked to be about sixteen.

“It’s an honor to meet you, seniors! I’m Ryan.”

I had expected only someone perceptive, not a boy who idolized Hyden, and I silently admired Gezian’s cunning.

Ryan watched Hyden’s every move with sparkling eyes.

“This is the orphanage, Senior Kalsiren.”

“Call me ‘Kalsiren,’ not senior.”

“Yes. It’s almost lunchtime, so you must leave in thirty minutes.”

When the boy took a pocket watch from his jacket, Nodel and Hyden let out short, awkward laughs.

“Wait, a time limit? We can’t even have lunch here?”

Ryan, nervous, looked at Nodel, then spoke to Hyden:

“Yes. Because… ah! If you wish to stay, Priest Gezian said to bring you to the Main Hall.”

“So we must leave in thirty minutes. Can we explore inside on our own?”

“That’s also not allowed. Priest Gezian said to observe Hyden and learn proper conduct from him.”

Ryan repeated only “not allowed.”

I sighed irritably and stepped back from them.

“You’ll go with that boy. We’ll go separately.”

When Nodel came to my side, Ryan’s eyes twitched lightly.

Perhaps he didn’t expect us to split, because he alternated glances between me and Hyden.

Unable to object, Ryan eventually moved to Hyden’s side.

Walking in the opposite direction from Hyden, I looked at the children and let out a long, low sigh.

“You were right, Nodel.”

When I first came to Narial, I hadn’t realized, but seeing it firsthand, I understood what Nodel meant when he said it was “so clean and beautiful.”

“That’s right. Moreover, the children here seem older than the ones we saw on the first day. Normally, after a coming-of-age ceremony, they serve in the temple or are made independent.”

The children sitting neatly in the garden neither laughed nor made noise easily. They sat like dolls, and even when speaking, it was only in hushed whispers.

My gaze drifted to the ornate building behind the orphanage.

“What’s that building?”

Pointing at the red spire, I asked, and Nodel shrugged.

“They say it’s for noble guests. It’s so lavish, I thought it was the Main Hall.”

…Not only that, it’s very close to the orphanage.

As I kept staring, Nodel lowered his voice.

“Should I go check it out?”

“…I’ll take those two kids with me. They’re distracting.”

While Nodel scanned the children in the garden, he beckoned to Ryan, who was farther away.

After Nodel corralled Ryan and moved off with him, Hyden approached me.

“Kyung. What is it?”

“Well, it’s a bit strange.”