~Chapter 19~
“I said it was nice because the room was big, but… this is totally a scam.”
Caspar looked troubled as Floria muttered to herself after spacing out.
She really didn’t know, huh.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility. He lightly tapped his cheek with his gloved fingers.
She was staying in the only room in the annex and didn’t even know what was around her. Well, the High Priest wasn’t the type to explain things like that anyway.
Caspar tilted his head slightly.
Light streamed in through the prayer room window, making his golden eyes glow even brighter.
“Behind this place is where the believers of Elio are buried. Some were moved here from other places later on.”
Caspar spoke slowly, as if deep in thought, but Floria was already in shock.
She couldn’t say a word.
Caspar glanced at her and felt a strange sensation from the sudden gloom in the air.
He had never felt awkward in a conversation before. He always did as he pleased, and in front of the Emperor—no, his father—he just had to stay quiet like a puppet.
Even outside that, he didn’t care about being cut off mid-conversation.
But now, for the first time in his life, he felt… awkward.
He didn’t even realize this himself. All he thought was that he needed to fix the situation immediately.
Normally, such a thought would never have crossed his mind.
“Don’t worry. At least, the graveyard looks beautiful during the day.”
But that wasn’t the right thing to say. Floria’s face turned even gloomier.
It was as if her forehead was stamped with the words, “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”
“So it’s true there’s a graveyard here.”
Floria glanced at him reluctantly before looking away again.
“There are flowers blooming all over the graveyard entrance. It’s not like those other bleak graveyards. Honestly, it’s prettier than most noble gardens.”
“…It’s a graveyard, but it has flowers?”
“Yeah. It’s odd, right?”
He realized his voice had come out more bitter than he intended when Floria turned to look at him again.
Her eyes were red, her mouth slightly open, and her pupils unfocused, as if lost.
Caspar stared at her, then suddenly straightened his face, as if trying to read her thoughts.
He looked at her so intently that his golden eyes curved into half-moons, and he let out a soft chuckle.
“I’ve thought this before, but Floria… you’re really fun to watch.”
She looked at him with her mouth hanging open, eyes unfocused but strangely peaceful.
He had never seen someone with that expression before.
Wait—had he ever looked at someone’s face that closely before? He wasn’t sure.
“…What?”
She blinked slowly, always responding too late.
It reminded him of something…
“Floria. You’re like a Catcy.”
To Caspar, she resembled that mysterious spirit with brilliant emerald eyes.
But unlike Caspar’s intrigued expression, Floria was left speechless.
‘Catcy?’
Did he just say Catcy?
Still staring blankly, unaware that her face was being studied, Floria froze.
From what she remembered, a Catcy was a well-known creature from the Kingdom of Basilite, which would later become a supporter of the Empire.
No, it was more like a spirit than an animal.
It looked like a cat, and was known for being cute and playful around humans.
Its adorable habit of tilting its head and staring with wide eyes made it popular as a noble pet.
There was even a saying that those who kept a Catcy would be blessed with good luck.
‘Was that supposed to be a compliment?’
It was sudden, but it sounded like a nice thing, so she felt a bit flattered.
But—
‘How does he know about Catcies?’
As she recalled, in the original story, the Kingdom of Basilite only became part of the Empire once the male lead, Aster, came of age.
Which meant that right now, there shouldn’t be any contact with that kingdom.
And barely anyone knew that Catcies were actually spirits.
So how did Caspar know…?
“Oh, you might not know them. Right, they’re only found in the Kingdom of Basilite.”
Caspar’s words made Floria stop thinking altogether. He stroked his chin with a finger.
He looked like he was trying to figure out how to explain it.
“Ah, right. The way you blink dumbly when flustered—it’s exactly like them.”
Huh?
“When Catcies get flustered, they forget they’re pretending to be animals and start walking on two legs or speaking like humans. When that happens, they act clumsy and confused, just like you.”
“…”
“Haha.”
What’s so funny?
Floria stared at him coldly. His mouth twitched again like he was holding back laughter.
And then he just burst out laughing. Not even trying to cover his mouth.
Caspar laughed so hard that he had to wipe tears from his eyes before he finally calmed down.
Meanwhile, Floria was seriously considering how to make him shut up.
Just as she clenched her fists after mentally negotiating with the soul of the villainess she had possessed—
Caspar spoke again.
“I was just teasing. Catcies may seem sensitive, but they’re actually kind spirits that warm up to humans easily. It’s kind of funny how their thoughts show on their faces, but that’s also their charm.”
She had been ready to punch him, even if it meant getting in trouble.
But her fist slowly relaxed.
What he said this time felt completely different from what he’d said before.
“They bring good luck. Not many people in the Empire or even in Basilite know they exist yet. If you want, I could show you one someday.”
“…”
Morning had already arrived. The sunlight through the prayer room window stung Floria’s eyes.
The shadow that had covered most of Caspar’s face was gone, and now he stood in full light.
His amber-colored eyes, like polished gemstones, now looked serious and deep.
Silence fell between them as they stared at each other.
Then, an animal’s voice came from outside.
‘Wait a minute.’
Floria, who had been looking up at Caspar, suddenly had a bad feeling.
A very bad feeling.
That sound meant it was morning.
She slowly turned, her movements stiff, and looked at the clock on the wall.
8:30.
“…!”
She grabbed her head.
She was supposed to be at the confessional by now—and she was 30 minutes late.
She’d begged other priests to let her take the early shift for confession today!
‘There must be a line of believers waiting for confession!’
Just imagining the long line in front of the confessional made cold sweat break out.
This has kept happening lately. Floria’s confessional was packed with believers until the end of the day.
Her fellow priests were probably dealing with angry complaints from people asking where she was.
‘Are they going to hate me for being arrogant and doing as I please?’
Before she realized she had possessed this villainess character, she had acted coldly, just like the original version of her.
She wasn’t exactly hated, but she had kept her distance from others.
Only recently had she started to grow closer to them, thanks to the mistaken belief that she was a “saint.”
And now she had messed that up again.
Not wanting to ruin things, she looked up at Caspar nervously.
“Um, Duke. I’m really sorry, but… can we go to the graveyard another time? I’m already late for the confessional.”
Please, please!
She even clasped her hands and bowed her head in desperation.
Of course, if the Duke ordered her to cancel everything and go on a date with him, she’d have no choice.
But she didn’t want to skip her duties without a word.
No matter how hard confessions were for her, they were still part of her responsibility.
Perhaps her desperation got through to him. Caspar agreed pretty easily.
“Sure. Then come when I summon you next time.”
“Yes, yes! Of course! Thank you so much, Duke!”
Floria’s face lit up instantly. She bowed repeatedly and rushed down the hall.
Caspar was left alone in front of the prayer room. The door was still wide open.
“Did I just get rejected?”
He’d even brought up Catcies to flatter her, and she ran off.
He watched her disappear down the hall, then turned back toward the prayer room.
He shoved both hands into his pockets.
“I don’t usually talk about my personal life to anyone.”
His quiet voice should have echoed down the hall, but instead, it filled the prayer room.
His golden eyes stared sharply at something inside, as if he might slice it in half at any moment.
“If you spy on me again, I won’t let it go. Ghost of the a
nnex.”
I’m letting you off just this once—because I’m in a good mood.
With those final words, Caspar left the annex.
