~Chapter 36~
Caspar had celebrated Rose’s birthday with them and even bought dinner. Today, he’d suddenly appeared and saved Floria right before the count could have her executed.
With a man like that around, Floria couldn’t picture herself secretly leaving the temple to live somewhere else.
She had received so much already—but more than gratitude, guilt welled up inside her.
No matter how slick he acted or how he tossed out silly jokes, she had ended up relying on him without realizing it.
Maybe that’s why her true feelings slipped out.
“…I don’t want to become the Saintess.”
Caspar’s gaze dropped at once—to Floria’s fist clenched tight in her lap.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll make sure you don’t become the Saintess.”
“…How?”
No, really—how?
Even if Floria memorized every line of the report listing the temple’s corruption, she had no way to expose the truth.
There was no physical evidence at all.
“That’s a secret.”
He still joked at a time like this. Floria pulled a miserable face.
But Caspar had already returned to his usual calm.
“For a while, I won’t be able to come to the temple. I’ve got a lot to do.”
“….”
Disappointment flickered across Floria’s face. Maybe because he liked the look of that, Caspar’s lips curved in satisfaction.
Of course, all those “things to do” only existed because he’d rescued Floria without any plan. He simply didn’t mention it to her.
He turned to leave, as if there were nothing more to say—then paused beside her.
Though no one was around, he still bent close and whispered in her ear.
“If you miss me too much, send a letter. If my lover wants me, I’ll come running anytime.”
“…L-lover?!”
Understanding hit late, and Floria jolted, slapping her hands over her ears. Her face flared hot in an instant.
Caspar just grinned and walked out of the garden.
***
The next day—surprisingly—Count Ridante did not come looking for Floria.
She had thought his fury would at least make him tip off the High Priest, but even that didn’t happen. The High Priest gave no sign either.
“What in the world did Priest Raili say to him?”
Before dawn prayers, Raili came to Floria, full of pride.
“I said a few words to the count yesterday.”
“…Huh? You, Priest Raili?”
“Yes! I thought he might come back and bother you.”
How are you still alive?
Floria swallowed the words that rose to her throat.
What exactly had Raili said to make the count leave her alone—and even leave Raili alone?
Or… was it really because of Raili?
Floria knew Raili had helped her, but honestly, it wasn’t realistic to think the count backed off just because of Raili’s words.
So then, of course—
“Was it because of Caspar?”
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one reason the count stayed away: Caspar had stopped him. That was all.
Floria was quietly amazed.
When Caspar rescued her from the count, she’d felt grateful, calling him a savior and all that—but people forget quickly, don’t they?
It still surprised her that the same man who constantly joked around could crush a count with power alone.
But she forgot all about Caspar the moment she saw the line at the front gate—before she could even step into the confessional.
The line of believers stretched endlessly past the temple’s front gate.
There was an official notice that all work stopped at exactly 6 a.m., and priests had to return to their dorms, so Floria only had to endure until then.
Even so, the reason believers kept lining up was because, after Floria finished for the day, the remaining people received numbered waiting tickets for the next time she returned.
She remembered the long lines for idol concerts from her past life and felt heavy-hearted.
And since she had left the confessional yesterday without a word, she was sure people were complaining…
In the end, she couldn’t suppress the heavy feeling and headed out—to the confessional hall, packed so tight there was hardly room to breathe.
“Priestess Floria has arrived.”
But the moment she entered, the buzzing voices went silent.
People who had been staring at the entrance swung their heads away, as if deliberately avoiding her.
Huh?
Floria glanced over the hall, and anyone who met her eyes flinched and turned away.
What is… this?
They had all come for her, but when their eyes met, they looked away and avoided her gaze. It was truly strange.
Then someone suddenly grabbed Floria’s arm from the side—and slipped a hand through the space between her arm and waist.
They were linking arms—like close friends.
Floria knew who it was without even turning her head.
“Priestess Floria!”
After hearing the voice, she was sure.
“Priest Raili.”
She looked over—and of course—bright brown eyes were shining up at her.
Lately, for some reason, Raili would talk to her whenever they crossed paths in the confessional hall, and during mealtimes she would cling to Floria’s side and try to chat.
Today, she even bragged about “putting the count in his place.”
But somehow, Floria didn’t really mind.
People with shady motives usually looked shady. Raili, though, seemed purely eager to become friends.
“The believers will understand. Yesterday, everyone went home worrying about you.”
Raili must have read the guilt about the believers on Floria’s face.
“But… what does their worrying have to do with this weird atmosphere?”
Nothing clicked. And there wasn’t time to ask more.
Floria gave Raili a small nod and headed into the confessional.
Only after the first believer came in did she finally understand Raili’s words.
“Are you alright, Priestess?”
“Pardon?”
“Did something happen? The count yelled at you yesterday. Everyone’s worried about you.”
Every believer who entered the confessional carefully brought up yesterday.
They had waited so long and stood in line to confess, yet they were here worrying about Floria’s safety.
“Oh—yes. I’m fine. More importantly, I’m sorry I left the confessional so suddenly yesterday.”
“Oh, don’t apologize! If you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Floria had stayed at the temple only to save up enough money to run away to a quiet rural area someday.
And to see Rose safely become the Saintess.
But the believers truly cared about Floria.
…
Her head dipped, throat tight.
Even when she left at 6, seeing the believers still lined up tugged at her heart.
***
Back at her dorm, Floria found a letter tucked in her door.
“Huh?”
The envelope was sealed with blue wax—the seal of House Ponhas.
—Floria. Did you finish reading the report I gave you?
A few days later, at dawn:
After morning prayer, Floria returned to the dorm and found—this time not in the door, but neatly placed on the floor—a new envelope.
When she picked it up, it felt fairly heavy. No wonder it hadn’t been wedged into the door.
Floria glared at the poor envelope from a safe distance.
“Does he secretly live in the annex or something? How does he leave letters here from evening to dawn?”
Hadn’t he said he couldn’t come to the temple for a while?
True, he hadn’t shown up. But he’d been sending two letters a day filled with trivial things.
Raising one eyebrow, Floria broke the blue seal. Inside was a single letter and a stack of documents that looked like a report.
She unfolded the letter first.
And then—
—Floria. Are you curious how I sent the letters?
It was as if he had read her mind exactly.
“…”
Feeling silly, Floria glanced around the empty hallway and kept reading.
—There’s a “ghost” in the annex—according to the nasty rumors.
If you ask him, delivering letters to the annex is nothing.
Ah, so Shade helped deliver the letters?
But why did he have to phrase it so creepily?
She felt embarrassed for being scared he might be nearby. Her head cooled down.
“And what if Shade reads this?”
She hadn’t seen him many times, but she had already figured out that Shade was a mischievous, unpredictable spirit.
—If the wax seal is blue, it means Shade delivered it safely without opening it. You can relax.
If it’s red, tell me. I’ll take care of it.
Once again, Floria felt embarrassed, like her thoughts had been laid bare.
