~Chapter 30~
“I’d like to enjoy teatime a bit longer, but that won’t be possible.”
Caspar stroked his chin slowly with a face that looked genuinely regretful.
Evening was falling, and he said he had another engagement.
His gaze drifted off into the distance—probably toward the cemetery. It felt like he was hinting that Shade was over there.
But in any case, Rose had eaten half her steak and was now practically dozing off in Floria’s arms.
It was clearly time to head back.
“Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.”
“Thank youu…”
Floria bowed politely, and even while half-asleep, Rose clumsily followed her lead.
Though she’d never been formally taught manners, she always copied Floria’s bows, even rubbing her eyes as she did it.
But her body couldn’t hold out. Rose’s lips barely moved before she fell asleep in Floria’s arms.
“Good night, Rose.”
Wow, cheesy.
At Aster’s soft, gentle voice, Floria didn’t even know what kind of expression she should make.
He’s only just hitting puberty, so why is he already this cheesy?
If Rose hadn’t liked him, Floria might have shouted, “This romance is invalid!”
Of course, her head wouldn’t have been cut off for that. It’s not like Aster was tormenting Rose.
Anyway, Floria stood up with Rose in her arms.
Caspar lightly tapped the stack of papers on the table in front of her.
“Read the report when you get the time. Better if you memorize it. I made it by beating Shade up.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Why emphasize the “beating up” part?
Neither Caspar nor Aster saw them off, so Floria simply left quietly with Rose.
In the end, the first day of Floria and Caspar’s “matchmaking project” had been a success.
Even if Caspar never admitted he was part of the project, the results spoke for themselves.
Back at the dormitory, Floria changed Rose into pajamas—a soft pair with a little brown bear on it.
The braids she’d tied so neatly earlier had loosened, so she gently brushed her silver hair and retied it softly.
Then she handed Rose a pink toothbrush and carefully woke her.
“Rose, you have to brush your teeth before bed.”
“Mmm…”
Even half-asleep, Rose never complained. She was always such a good child—well, except for being a picky eater.
Floria let her skip a bath, promising they’d do it tomorrow, and only washed her face. Then she tucked Rose into bed.
But instead of falling asleep right away, Rose whined.
“Sis… can you read me a story?”
She held the blanket tight with both hands, poking only her little face out.
Her eyes were drooping shut, but she still fought to stay awake.
…
Who could say no to that face?
Before she even finished reasoning with herself, Floria’s hand was already moving.
She picked up a book from the bedside table. It was one of the books Rose had gotten recently while learning to read with her guardian priest.
“Alright, but just one story. Then sleep.”
“Okaaay…”
Rose’s sleepy words came with a huge grin that stretched her cheeks.
She looked like a little animal proudly storing food in her cheeks. Floria couldn’t help but smile too.
She patted Rose’s blanket softly, then glanced down at the book in her hands—
—The Holy Power Bestowed by Elio.
Why this book, of all things?
She checked the other books on the table, but every single one was about holy power.
Sigh…
She opened the first book anyway—only to slam it shut immediately.
Didn’t she ask for a fairy tale?
The book was thick and heavy, filled with dense writing. Only the first page had a single picture—someone (probably Elio) kneeling in prayer. That was it.
How is a child just learning to read supposed to understand this?
Sure, Rose lived in a temple, but giving her only these kinds of religious books was ridiculous.
She was only thirteen, and had just barely settled down here after wandering the streets.
Even with proper food and sleep, she still looked under ten years old.
The least they could do was give her simple storybooks with cute animals.
Are they trying to root her into the temple from childhood?
Floria had felt reassured knowing Rose’s guardian priest was said to be the kindest and most gentle of them all. But now she was uneasy.
Especially since Caspar had just told her about the High Priest’s corruption and suspicious truths about the upper clergy.
I’ll buy her proper storybooks myself.
She put the heavy book back on the table with a sigh, blaming herself for not noticing sooner. Then she stroked Rose’s head gently.
Luckily, Rose was already half-asleep. Her silver eyes blinked slowly, barely open, and her small hands loosened their grip on the blanket.
Floria asked softly, as if it didn’t matter whether Rose answered or not:
“Rose, your old guardian priest was a High Priest, right? Did you ever see him use holy power?”
“Nooo…”
Well, that made sense. Holy power was usually used for healing, and there’d been no reason to show it to Rose.
“But Sis, what’s the difference between High Priests and regular priests?”
“Ah—High Priests are priests with a lot of holy power.”
Floria tucked her blanket more securely and drew a big circle in the air with her hand to illustrate.
“Hmm?”
Rose peeked her eyes open, confused.
“But you have more holy power than them, Sis.”
“What?”
“The white thing in your heart. That pretty brother said that’s holy power. You have more than they do.”
Floria froze.
Shade told her that?!
If Caspar hadn’t shown up back then, Rose might have had her holy power stolen.
And apparently, Rose had met Shade several times without Floria even knowing.
But more than that—could Rose actually see holy power?
Her serious face and the way she touched her chest weren’t jokes.
Well, she did have the immense holy power of the Empire’s future Saintess.
Then maybe it isn’t surprising she can see it.
Trying to calm herself, Floria tucked the blanket up to Rose’s chin and sank into the chair by the bed.
She had thought Caspar’s words earlier weren’t fully trustworthy—especially since his source was Shade.
But Rose had just proven it herself.
So… High Priests really aren’t any different from regular priests?
Then why are they even called High Priests?
“Good niiight, Siiis…”
“Mm, good night, Rose.”
With Rose’s voice fading as she drifted into dreams, Floria snapped out of her thoughts.
She turned off all the lights in the dorm, making sure Rose was sound asleep, then sat at the living room table with only a small lamp lit.
The report Caspar had given her was thicker than expected, full of details.
Most of it matched what he’d already told her, but the sections about High Priests were shocking:
—High Priests never work in confessionals. If chosen by nobles, they only pray in the annex prayer room, which is rare.
—Nobles almost never come to High Priests for healing.
—Their position is more like messengers for the High Priest and nobles. Donations and gifts vary depending on what they do.
Some even ended up working for the government if they caught a noble’s eye.
How is this happening in a holy temple meant to serve the god Elio?
To be honest, Floria herself had no real faith. She didn’t even know what Elio looked like. The temple was just a job—a way to earn a salary.
But at the very least, she thought priests were supposed to:
1. Possess holy power.
2. Believe in Elio.
If this report was true, then the temple was nothing but corruption.
And the worst part was—
Rose is supposed to become the Saintess here.
This corrupted temple was the very place Rose would spend her story until the end.
