Chapter 53
They’re already here?
I’m doomed!
Floria panicked and quickly looked around. First, she put the ledger back where it had been.
But… she only knew how to open the wall, not how to close it.
If the High Priest came in now, he would immediately discover that she had secretly opened the hidden room.
What should she do? What do I do?
She touched different parts of the wall and even pressed the place where the hidden passage had opened.
But the wall did not return.
Floria stared blankly at the wide-open secret room, trapped in panic.
How can I fix this…?
Then—
“Third row of the right bookshelf. Press the red book titled Trust Comes from Faith.”
Suddenly, her mouth moved on its own.
It took her a moment to understand what had just happened. When she realized, she quickly covered her mouth in shock.
This wasn’t something she could say unconsciously!
But there was no time to be surprised. She hurried to the right bookshelf.
Trust Comes from Faith… red cover.
Surprisingly, the book was really there.
Even in this urgent moment, she hesitated before pressing it.
What if it didn’t work?
And if it did… what exactly was happening to her body?
Pushing aside her fear, Floria firmly pressed the book.
Rumble—!
The entrance to the hidden room shook loudly, and the wall slowly returned to its original place.
Soon, only a clean, ordinary wall remained.
The room that had been visible just moments ago completely disappeared.
It… really worked.
She hadn’t even known what books were on the shelf. She never had time to check.
Yet the voice had told her the exact row, the title, and even the color.
There was no way this was just her unconscious mind.
The original owner of this body… is still here.
Before, it had only been a guess. Now she was certain.
She didn’t know why the voice never answered her questions, but it was real.
Her heart pounded with many thoughts, but this wasn’t the time to think about them.
At least… she had escaped before the High Priest arrived.
She quickly returned to her seat.
Now the footsteps were right outside.
Soon, the door would burst open.
Floria sat stiffly on the sofa, only her eyes moving quickly.
Only after confirming that all traces of her search were hidden did she finally relax.
Then—
Ah… the ledger.
She had not brought the ledger with her.
Just as she realized this terrible mistake—
Creak—
The High Priest opened the door.
He entered with a faint smile, as if his conversation had gone well.
I found the hidden room… I even learned how to close it…
but I didn’t bring the ledger.
How could she be so foolish?
“Welcome back,” Floria greeted calmly, hiding her tears.
She had to struggle not to keep glancing at the wall where the ledger was hidden.
“Sorry, Priest Floria. I had an important discussion with the Duke, so I was gone a while.”
“No, it’s fine, haha.”
Even while apologizing, the High Priest wasn’t looking at her.
From the moment he entered, he stared intensely at the teacup in front of Floria—
so openly that it was unsettling.
Thank goodness. If it weren’t empty, he would have been suspicious.
She had already thrown every drop out the window.
But instead of relaxing, the High Priest’s gaze became strange.
After confirming the empty cup, he carefully examined Floria’s face.
…Why is he acting like this?
She straightened her back and blinked several times, trying not to shrink.
He looked displeased.
“My lover must have been very thirsty.”
Caspar suddenly dropped onto the seat beside her, breaking the tense silence.
The High Priest, who had been staring as if he wanted to say something, only cleared his throat and sat across from them.
But Caspar didn’t stop.
He leaned slightly toward Floria—
and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“……!”
Floria’s eyes widened in shock.
Until now, their only contact had been her placing her hand on his when he escorted her.
But now, he held her naturally.
As he bent slightly to pick up the empty teacup, their faces came dangerously close.
If she turned her head, their lips might touch.
She could clearly feel his breath.
What are you doing…?
She tried to pull away, but that only pressed her back closer to his chest.
He hadn’t taken the High Priest away just to buy time.
He was showing off that they were lovers.
Considering everything Caspar had done before, he must have another plan…
but this was far too bold.
Still, Floria stopped thinking and stayed quietly in his arms.
After examining the teacup for a long time, Caspar finally put it down.
Only then could she escape his embrace.
Ah… thank goodness…
But he gave her no time to calm down.
He took her hand.
Her head turned toward him immediately.
On the outside, she only looked surprised—
but inside, her eyes clearly asked, What are you doing?
Caspar simply smiled faintly and looked at the High Priest instead, ignoring her desperate gaze.
“So Floria won’t need to visit the confessional anymore, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Duke.”
“Good. Now I won’t have to worry about pests clinging to her like today.”
From their conversation, it was clear:
Floria’s promotion to Senior Priest was fully decided.
But she couldn’t even join the conversation—
because Caspar still held her hand loosely, with no intention of letting go.
What if he notices how fast my pulse is beating…?
Seeing the High Priest glance at their joined hands,
Caspar’s lover act was clearly working perfectly.
His grip wasn’t even strong—just gentle.
So why was she so embarrassed?
It’s not that different from escorting…
They were only holding hands—
no, interlocking fingers. That was the problem.
Whenever Caspar shifted slightly, his hand brushed softly over each of her fingers.
He probably didn’t mean it,
but the touch was so gentle that her face grew hot.
Floria kept her mouth tightly shut and stared at the table, trying to hide her blush.
The empty teacup.
The silver spoon reflecting her faint face.
And when the reflection changed to Caspar’s face—
his breath came close again.
“Once a week, I’ll pray in the annex prayer room.
Floria, I want you to come with me every time.”
His soft voice tickled her ear,
and she saw the slight curve of his smiling lips.
“I want to go tomorrow already.
Floria… what do you think?”
Ah.
At that moment, Floria realized it.
No—she had known already,
but she could no longer deny it.
I think… I like this man.
This crazy, flirtatious Duke!
Since when? And why?
Her mind spun wildly until one simple answer remained.
I must have fallen for his face.
Yes… it had to be his face.
“Yes… then I’ll see you in the prayer room tomorrow…”
She tried to avoid his gaze,
but the crescent-shaped golden eyes caught her again.
Instead of covering her burning face,
Floria could only make a tearful expression.
