Chapter 10
The writing was clumsy and terribly crooked, as if scribbled in a hurry against a bumpy wall.
If you dislike the High Priest as much as I do, then I’m probably the perfect person to chime in when you’re tearing him apart, Madam.
So please don’t hate me.
If I had to be a temple informant, I’d rather write my name with my butt in the middle of the Imperial Square.
The Duchess stared at the small note for a long time.
Back when the temple still operated in the North, it was effectively a place of exile for corrupt saints and priests. Every year, they extorted huge sums in donations and only sent sinners to the North, which naturally enraged the people. But since it was hard to fight monsters without holy power, there was no real choice.
The Duchess still remembered clearly—the night the monsters invaded the dilapidated mansion.
They had been a poor baron’s family with nothing left but the run-down estate and a vegetable garden. But it was a happy household. A father and mother who would do anything to provide, regardless of their title, and a lovely little sister who never once complained even when wearing hand-me-downs.
Up until the moment they all fell asleep together in a warm room heated by the fire, everything had been peaceful. But when she opened her eyes, the mansion was in flames. Through the acrid smoke, she could see, all too clearly, monsters feasting on her family’s flesh.
But they were still alive—if only there had been holy power, they could have been saved. If only she had that damned holy power.
The Duchess had run to the temple in tears, begging anyone to help. But the then-High Priest of the Northern temple looked at the young duchess and said only one thing:
“Do you have money?”
She had knelt and pleaded that she would repay it someday, but the High Priest turned her away. Her family clung to life for five more hours. Perhaps it would have been better if they’d died instantly.
“Sister… you’re not hurt, right…?”
Just before her little sister took her final breath, she whispered,
“…I’m glad.”
Even now, after raising a son twice that sister’s age, she could never forget that small voice.
Henry Dexter, the current High Priest, not only defended that Northern priest, but after becoming High Priest himself, even called the man back to the capital and gave him a high-ranking post.
The moment the Duchess heard that Lily had been raised under such a man, she thought her son must be mad. A girl who might be one of that man’s minions? Could there be anything more horrific?
“A minion…”
The words slipped out more harshly than intended. The Duchess ran her hands over her arms repeatedly, tears falling uncontrollably beneath her trembling eyelids.
“She’s making me owe her… after everything…”
“Lelia.”
The Duke approached and held his wife tightly. He, too, was crying uncontrollably.
They had vowed never to associate with temple folk again.
After that monster attack, the North began rejecting the temple. It was Oscar Lefray who formally severed ties upon inheriting the ducal title.
The Northerners’ belief that the temple was a corrupt, money-hungry institution wasn’t prejudice—it was based on lived experience.
“Why…”
So that girl, raised under the High Priest, should logically be the same kind of person.
“Why wasn’t someone like her there when my family was dying?”
She wept bitterly, just as little Lelia once had. Whether Lily hated the High Priest or was his minion no longer mattered.
What mattered was why someone with the power to lift such a deep-seated curse hadn’t been there on that tragic night.
Even knowing Lily hadn’t yet been born back then, she couldn’t stop the resentment. Gratitude for breaking the curse and the bitterness of her belated arrival tangled inside her, pouring out as tears.
“If we had just fifty gold… if only we had that, they wouldn’t have died!”
Lelia cried with a voice that sounded like it might split her throat. Had her parents and younger sister not thrown her out of the mansion to save her, she would have died that night too.
Why did only the sinner who survived through their sacrifice receive blessings? Perhaps the curse had been the proper price.
Lily stood with her back against the outer wall of the mansion, quietly listening to the muffled sound of crying. She couldn’t hear everything clearly, but it was enough to understand the general situation.
Her lips, visible beneath her lowered head, were trembling. Each time she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, it came away soaked as if touched by rain.
“Mother, did you see the holy light just now—?! Mother?”
Stuart, who came rushing in, gasped in shock at his mother’s healed skin, then quickly embraced her. In his arms, the Duchess trembled.
“Did you bring that girl here for me?”
Stuart didn’t answer.
But both the Duke and Duchess interpreted his silence as affirmation. Still, Stuart’s lips quivered slightly.
He patted his mother’s back quietly, hiding the complex mix of joy, sorrow, and unease on his face.
❀ ❀ ❀
“…Did you see that? That blue…”
Ugh, so noisy.
“The light… it was completely…”
Too loud to sleep!
Lily’s red, swollen eyes shot open. The Duchess’s sobbing had haunted her ears until dawn, and now the knights’ chatter made it impossible to get any rest.
“Ah? …Miss?”
It was still before sunrise. Lily irritably threw off her blanket and sat up. She pulled back the curtain covering the glass door to the terrace, not even checking who was outside, and opened the door wide to stick her head out.
“Excuse me, could you please keep it down a little? The sun’s not even up yet…”
“Ah… Did I wake you?”
But the one she locked eyes with wasn’t the knights—it was Stuart.
He had been chatting with the knights on guard duty but now approached, his brows slightly furrowed. Leaning casually on the terrace railing, he greeted her with a gentle morning smile.
“Sorry, did I wake you? I should’ve kept my voice down.”
“G-Good morning, Young Master…”
“Get some more sleep. You look tired.”
“No, I’m not tired at a—actually, I am tired, but I slept well! I must’ve been talking in my sleep, sorry…”
Lily rambled awkwardly. Stuart listened with amusement, even though none of it made much sense.
Her ears flushed bright red, and eventually, she trailed off, chewing her lip.
“Did you really sleep well?”
“O-Of course! I don’t lie!”
“Then… want to go for a walk with me?”
He smiled and held out his hand.
The lingering sleep weighing down her mind instantly vanished, and Lily’s thoughts went blank. She hesitantly reached out her hand.
Unsure whether she should actually touch his, she faltered—so Stuart, without hesitation, grabbed her hand and pulled her gently over the terrace railing into his arms.
“Y-Young Master?”
As the knights murmured behind them, Stuart cast them a pointed glance, prompting awkward coughs as they quickly looked away.
“It’s chilly in the early morning.”
He draped his outer coat over Lily’s shoulders and began walking ahead—toward the main residence. Lily followed. His pace gradually slowed until she caught up and walked beside him.
“Young Master, is your wound okay?”
“Of course. But are you okay? Didn’t you overuse your holy power?”
“I-It was nothing!”
She clenched her fist with determination, and Stuart chuckled softly. That sound made Lily’s chest feel warm and ticklish.
“I didn’t sleep well last night either. Neither did my parents.”
“Oh… right.”
Of course not. The Duchess’s long-standing illness had vanished overnight. If Lily was sleep-deprived, the ducal family must’ve had it worse.
As she nodded, Stuart spoke again.
“Thank you. Truly.”
What should she say? It’s nothing? I’m glad to help? None of those felt right. As she hesitated, he continued.
“You’ve helped me twice already. I don’t even know how to repay you.”
“Twice?”
“Yeah, you healed me before too.”
“That wasn’t help—I was the one who needed help! If you hadn’t stepped in then, who knows what might’ve happened…”
Embarrassed, Lily dropped her gaze, but when she heard a low chuckle beside her, she looked up.
The sun was rising. Soft morning light spread across the garden, illuminating Stuart’s clear face. That’s when Lily noticed how neat and flawless he looked.
Unlike her, who had run out with messy hair, he looked perfectly groomed, even his silver hair swept neatly back. She belatedly smoothed her own hair.
“It’s time for breakfast.”
“Ah, yes! Please enjoy your breakf—”
“Let’s eat together. My mother wants to speak with you.”
“With… the Duchess?”
Stuart gave a small nod.
❀ ❀ ❀
Before they knew it, they were in front of the main residence. The head butler and chief maid were already waiting.
They bowed politely to Lily as well. Embarrassed, Lily waved her hands in protest, but they remained courteous and led her to the dining room. With the butler and maid behind her and Stuart at her side, there was no escape. Lily obediently stepped inside.
At the head of the table sat Duke Yvonne, with the Duchess beside him. Both were dressed neatly, not like people coming for breakfast, but like they were attending an important meeting.
“Wow…”
Lily forgot that she hadn’t even washed her face, gasping in admiration as she looked at the Duchess.
Even the servants stared at the Duchess in stunned silence. Compared to her usual attire, the Duchess wore a surprisingly fresh and vibrant dress.
When Lily had first arrived, the Duchess had worn a high-necked dress with gloves—but today, her gown had a plunging neckline and ornate design.
Lily quickly bowed as she entered.
“Thank you for inviting me to breakfast.”
If she’d known, she would’ve dressed better.
At least she wasn’t in pajamas—she had worn a comfy shirt and pants to sleep, and now had Stuart’s coat over it. She looked vaguely knight-like, at least.
“Father, maybe we were too early.”
“I was just wondering if we woke her up. Miss Hegelstern, did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Duke! Thanks to your hospitality…”
“Haha, I should be the one saying that.”
Following Stuart’s lead, Lily sat opposite the Duchess and tried to read the room.
The Duke looked noble and refined, even more so than Stuart. The Duchess, with her sharp and elegant aura, looked—
Well…
Lily wasn’t sure what to think.
