{ Chapter 18 }
Ah—seriously. That scared her to death.
Floria clutched her chest like her heart was about to jump out.
How can someone show up without making a single sound?
And that too, this close!
Someone had suddenly appeared behind her, and when she turned around, she ended up bumping her nose into someone’s chest.
She didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.
“This place is only accessible to upper-ranked priests. So… I take it you’ve finally agreed to become the Saintess?”
The low, rolling voice—It belonged to Duke Caspal von Has, someone she’d been running into a lot recently.
“W-What? Saintess? Absolutely not!”
And I didn’t even go inside…!
Floria quickly stepped back, still holding her pounding heart.
Caspal was right in front of her, dressed in his neat black uniform, tilting his head curiously.
Why is he here?
At this time, of all times?
Floria felt like stomping her feet in frustration.
The High Priest had specifically told her that no one came here in the morning.
And yet this guy, right here, right now…
Caspal, wearing black gloves, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“I come here often during the early hours. It’s a prayer room for nobles, after all. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
…Does he have mind-reading powers or something?
Or was she just too easy to read?
Feeling exposed, Floria awkwardly rubbed her forehead.
But that wasn’t the issue anymore.
Does he come here often in the morning?
Then why didn’t the High Priest mention this?
That meant she could run into him anytime during early prayers now… which she didn’t really like.
“More importantly than why I’m here… shouldn’t we talk about why you’re here, Priestess Floria?”
“I… asked the High Priest if I could get a bigger room to stay with Rose. He gave us a room—right next to the prayer room. I was just looking around…”
Floria felt like she gave a decent explanation despite being flustered.
Technically, she hadn’t entered the prayer room.
Since her room was right next door, it made sense that she’d be walking down this hallway.
So she confidently lifted her chin…
But Caspal only frowned.
“I could’ve sworn you were peeking inside.”
“I-I didn’t go in though…”
Under his sharp gaze, Floria’s voice got smaller and smaller.
She hadn’t really gone in—honestly! The door was just wide open, and it was really hard to resist…
She mumbled excuses to herself, shrinking under his stare.
Then Caspal suddenly smirked, like he’d thought of something.
He smiled with just one corner of his mouth raised—and it didn’t feel like a good sign.
“Still, you were standing right in front of the prayer room.”
Yes, well… that was true…
“If I go to the High Priest now and say that you entered the prayer room… will you have to return to your original room?”
“Isn’t that a little cruel of you?!”
The words shot out of Floria’s mouth before she could stop herself.
Normally, she avoided saying anything bold or cold outside of the confessional, but this time, it just came out.
Even the villainess soul inside me must’ve agreed with me this time.
That’s what she told herself.
Seriously, that’s so unfair.
Of course, she wasn’t in any position to talk back to a duke…
But she couldn’t help feeling wronged.
She had barely managed to get a nice room—Was he really threatening to send her back to that tiny little room?
She remembered how Rose had walked through the new room in awe, eyes sparkling and filled with joy.
But the man in front of her…
He was clearly more heartless than even the so-called villainess soul inside her.
“If I don’t tell the High Priest anything… what do I get in return?”
“…What?”
“If you want something from me, you should give something in return.”
“….”
“I don’t make deals unless there’s something in it for me.”
His voice was cold and flat. And Floria’s face fell.
Seriously… what did I even do wrong?
They’d met a few times now.
They’d even been kidnapped together.
They’d shared a meal.
And now here he was, tossing around words like “deal” and “benefit” so casually…
It honestly made her feel a little sad.
Didn’t he say he fell for me at first sight and insisted on going to the festival together? And now this?
Thinking about it now, the fact that he even brought up a deal so casually…
Floria, who had looked nervous just moments ago, suddenly grew calm.
She cleared her throat and slowly spoke.
“What is it that you want, Duke?”
“…What?”
“You mentioned a deal, so I assumed there’s something you want from me.
Deals are about exchanging what both sides want, right?”
“…Hah.”
Caspal sighed quietly and brushed his lips with his finger.
He had been emotionless and almost bored before, but now there was a hint of interest in his expression.
Light from the prayer room poured out into the hallway.
Since the rest of the annex was covered in curtains, that room was the only source of light, and even that was just the faint moonlight filtering in through stained-glass windows.
Caspal was standing on the darker side of the hall, but today, his bright golden eyes seemed to gleam even more sharply.
He covered the lower half of his face with one large hand.
Even through the black gloves, the sharp bones on the back of his hand stood out clearly.
“You’re the first person to offer me a deal. Since my days as a slave, I’ve always been the one making offers.”
…There it was again—his past.
Even though it seemed like the tension had eased a little, Floria didn’t have time to feel relieved.
The air had suddenly grown heavy.
She had to focus hard just to stop herself from shivering.
His eyes scanned her face like he was testing her.
And this time, he wasn’t making up strange scenarios like being bought for 10,000 gold.
It felt as if she made even one wrong move, something truly dangerous could happen.
Like a rabbit caught by a lion.
Caspal stared at her for a long time… then let out a short, unreadable laugh.
After that, he slowly began circling her.
“One day, I had this thought. Why should slaves fight each other in the stadium?”
“So I looked my opponent in the eye and said, ‘Let’s kill everyone in this stadium together.’”
“…!”
His voice whispered low into her ear as he deliberately brushed past her shoulder.
Floria instinctively curled her toes, and goosebumps shot up her arms as she wrapped them tightly around herself.
Then—his footsteps stopped.
“But sadly, that guy didn’t take my offer. So I killed him too—and everyone else. Even the master who was watching me.”
Caspal was now standing directly in front of her again.
The problem was, he had leaned in just slightly—and if he came any closer, their lips might touch.
Floria found it hard to breathe.
The pressure in the air made it impossible to stop her body from trembling.
How can someone talk about killing people so casually?
Right… he had killed a baron during the festival too, with no hesitation at all.
“Now I’ve found a new master. Ah… I guess this is the third one.”
Caspal looked up as if remembering someone, then flicked his gaze back to Floria.
Was there a hint of mockery in that look?
He finally stepped back, and the heavy pressure weighing down on her disappeared in an instant.
Whew…
Floria let out a shaky breath.
“Anyway,” he said, “my offer is simple—come with me to the graveyard behind the prayer room.”
…Okay, well. As long as he’s not planning to kill me, I guess I can do anything?
For a moment there, she was seriously worried she’d get killed by Caspal, who wasn’t even one of the main characters in the original story!
“Ack… okay—wait. What?”
She had almost answered out of reflex, but then stopped.
Something was weird.
Did he really say… graveyard?
Had she heard wrong because she was too nervous?
Floria tilted her head, confused, and Caspal raised an eyebrow, amused.
“You didn’t know? There’s a graveyard right behind this place.”
…What do you even mean by that?!
