“So I suppose I am in a good mood.”
It was a rather vague answer, but the apprentice priest felt nothing but relief upon hearing that the vice high priest was in a good mood.
After all, people who smiled all the time were often the scariest. The priest had grown so unaccustomed to Erkael's cold expression over the past few days that it had become genuinely frightening.
“It seems it's already this late.”
After checking the clock, Erkael organized the documents on his desk and stood up.
“Let's end today's work here.”
“Ah, yes!”
The apprentice priest beamed and bowed.
“Then I'll see you tomorrow.”
Once he was alone, Erkael stared at the door the priest had exited through for a moment before turning toward the mirror.
'I look like I'm in a good mood...?'
As always, he couldn't see anything unusual in the reflection.
He traced the corner of his lips with his fingertips.
There was certainly a faint upward curve, but he couldn't quite tell what expression he was making.
'How curious.'
His gaze drifted to the transparent vase on his desk, where an artificial rose rested.
Naturally, one face came to mind.
As he gently stroked one of the petals with his fingertip, Erkael reached beneath the desk and opened a shallow drawer.
Inside were two sheets of paper.
One was a letter from Airel Blandiche.
The other was the contract they had signed together that very morning.
His golden eyes darkened as he looked down at them.
"Can you stand, Vice High Priest?"
She had snatched back the flower she'd given him over nothing more than a half-hearted apology letter...
Yet without the slightest hesitation, she had thrown herself in front of a deranged man wielding a sword.
She truly was an unusual woman.
And yet, he felt no gratitude whatsoever for that desperate act of kindness.
No one ever acted for someone else's sake without an ulterior motive.
'She must have calculated everything.'
To think she had weighed the benefits she would gain in that split second.
The thought left Erkael with an indescribable feeling.
He had faced danger countless times throughout his life, but never once had someone physically stepped in front of him to protect him.
It was the first time.
And yet...
Even that first had been exploited by someone's impure intentions.
Having had two "firsts" stolen through deception, Erkael found himself strangely irritated.
"In that brief moment, I'd already planned our future children."
"I've even picked their names! Since I'm Airel and you're Erkael, our twins can be Kairel and Aikael. Aren't they adorable?"
No matter how he thought about it...
The woman truly had no shame.
She spoke so carelessly without the slightest idea of what stood before her.
What exactly was he supposed to do with someone like that?
Tap. Tap.
As his fingers lightly drummed against the desk, Erkael tilted his head.
'I really have no intention of taking a loss with the third condition.'
His long white hair slid over his broad shoulders as he leaned.
Gathering it together, he tied it back with a ribbon.
'Well... there's no need to rush.'
He could decide on the third condition later...
Depending on how she conducted herself.
With that thought, he turned and quietly left his office.
Yesterday's conversation with Edwin had confirmed one thing.
'There's no way I'll learn anything about Laura through Edwin.'
After Edwin left the training grounds, I had sat there in a daze for a while before slowly returning to my room.
Thinking there might be something I'd overlooked, I dumped out Airel's entire box of letters and searched through it again.
But just as before...
There wasn't a single letter mentioning Laura.
"...Sigh."
Having barely slept all night, I hugged my blanket and let out a long breath.
Trying to learn more about Laura had only ended with me reopening Edwin's old wounds.
'I feel terrible.'
Even if I hadn't known his circumstances, hurting someone was still my responsibility.
Doing it unknowingly didn't erase the fact that I'd hurt him.
Knowing that all too well...
I wanted to apologize as soon as possible.
'But first I need to figure out what misunderstanding I'm even apologizing for...'
Massaging my stiff shoulders, I sat up.
Just as I stretched lazily over my head—
Rustle.
A faint sound came from the wall behind my bed.
I whipped my head around instinctively.
"Your Grace... don't tell me you—!"
Sure enough.
The bluish light of dawn pouring through the window illuminated Lishid as he quietly crawled out of the ventilation shaft.
"...Well."
Apparently he'd already noticed I was awake.
He was halfway through jumping down, hanging from the vent by both hands.
Landing lightly on the floor, Lishid sighed as though this was rather inconvenient.
"How strange, Princess."
He folded his arms and looked at me sideways.
"You always slept in, so why have you suddenly started waking up this early?"
"...Excuse me? I'm the one who should be asking questions! Just where do you keep sneaking off through those vents? You don't even need to steal bread from the kitchen anymore!"
Jean Valjean stole one loaf of bread and spent nineteen years in prison.
Lishid was a repeat offender.
He'd easily earn a hundred-year sentence.
'What on earth is inside those vents?'
Did he hide honey in there or something?
At this point, I almost wanted to crawl inside and see for myself.
I swung my legs off the bed and grabbed his ankle with both hands before he could escape.
If he truly wanted to get away, he easily could have.
Instead, he simply let me hold him.
"It's boring staying in one room all day."
Lishid frowned.
"Perhaps you've forgotten, Princess, but you're free to come and go whenever you like."
"I'm not."
He casually slipped his foot from my grasp.
Only then did I remember...
Ever since returning from sending the letter to Cassel, he'd been stuck inside this room the entire time.
'His cold only got better a few days ago... I never even thought he'd be feeling cooped up.'
After thinking for a moment, I asked,
"Then... would you like to go out together, Your Grace?"
Now that my house arrest had been lifted, taking a short trip shouldn't be a problem.
Granted, the Duchess would undoubtedly have someone watching us...
But that was still safer than letting Lishid continue crawling through the manor's ventilation system.
And while we were out, I could buy him anything else he needed.
"What nonsense."
Lishid scoffed.
"This hardly seems like the time for a leisurely outing."
"Oh, come on. I wasn't suggesting we go on a picnic."
"Then what?"
One of his eyebrows rose.
Ah... that's adorable.
"We've been eating quick meals inside this room every day. I thought we could go eat something delicious outside for a change. Is there anything you've been craving?"
"...Something I've wanted to eat..."
He lowered his gaze thoughtfully.
"I suppose there is."
"What is it?"
His expression suddenly became strangely solemn.
"...Cherry pie."
His voice was so quiet I could barely hear him despite standing right in front of him.
I calmly asked again,
"Cherry pie? That's what you said?"
Lishid didn't answer.
But somehow I understood.
'Yes. It's a little embarrassing... but you're right.'
I nodded immediately.
"Great. When Jenis comes later, I'll ask her to recommend a place with good cherry pie."
"But you have to promise me something."
"No wandering through the ventilation shafts today. Understood?"
"I nearly fainted when I heard you fought a giant spider barehanded, you know."
As I held out my little finger, Lishid lazily nodded.
"I give you my word."
...Why did this feel more and more like raising a child?
The odd thought crossed my mind, but I didn't miss my chance.
I immediately slammed the ventilation cover shut.
Watching it with visible dissatisfaction, Lishid spoke again.
"By the way, Princess."
"Yes?"
"Why have you looked so miserable since yesterday?"
"...Me?"
I froze slightly.
Leaning against the wall, Lishid gestured toward the bed with his chin.
"You let out a sigh heavy enough to sink the ground the moment you woke up."
So he saw that.
"I thought everything with the Grand Temple had been resolved."
"You certainly don't look like someone whose problems are over."
He tilted his head curiously.
I hesitated.
Lishid Eppenterion... giving relationship advice?
'That combination doesn't fit at all.'
Then again...
Maybe someone as rational and level-headed as Lishid would offer exactly the kind of advice I needed.
'I've never talked to him about things like this before...'
But trust had to start somewhere.
Sharing at least this much about my situation should be okay.
After thinking it over, I knelt on the floor facing him.
"So..."
"There was someone I always thought hated me."
Lishid listened quietly without interrupting.
"But it turns out..."
"They believed I hated them."
"And now I'm afraid I've hurt them again."
I looked up at him.
"What should I do?"
