CHAPTER 65…………………………………………………….
The chance to confirm Jenny’s words came sooner than I had expected.
“Miss, miss! They’ve departed.”
Jenny came running up to me, whispering into my ear while I was reading a book.
I stood up. Jenny was clenching her fists, ready to dash out at a moment’s notice.
Her face was tense—but somehow, she looked a little excited too.
Part exasperated, part amused, I let out a sigh.
“Jenny, this isn’t a detective game.”
Jenny’s face turned bright red as she stammered, dragging out her words.
“I didn’t mean that! It’s just… this situation feels like The Lady’s Secret Rendezvous.”
“The Lady’s Secret Rendezvous?”
“You don’t know it?”
Jenny’s eyes widened.
“It’s super popular among us lately! It’s a really famous pulp novel!”
Watching her talk about a book she loved, her face so innocent and bright, made me feel happy too.
But thinking of the times in the past when she had sneaked around after Aris like she was a detective, I couldn’t just laugh it off.
‘She’s going to get herself into trouble.’
I glared at her and gave a serious warning.
“Books are for reading, not for stalking someone. You could get into serious trouble.”
Just like in my previous life.
“Of course! I can tell the difference! How could you even think that of me?”
I shook my head at Jenny’s innocent, indignant expression.
A little later, we arrived at the temple.
“This is the first time I’ve been to the temple so late at night.”
Jenny’s shoulders tensed as she stepped into the dark temple, as if suddenly she had found courage to leave the mansion.
How did someone so timid ever stand in front of Lady Emern?
‘She’s a good kid.’
Thinking of that moment warmed my heart.
‘I have to take care of her.’
I grabbed Jenny’s trembling hand.
“Be careful. Water spirits appear here at night.”
“…That’s a lie!”
Shrugging, she stepped onto the stone floor of the temple.
Every vibration through the stones sent ripples across the water surrounding them.
Jenny, who had been silently following me, asked as soon as we entered the temple’s large hall.
“Are you serious about the water spirits?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Believing in ghosts in a temple? That’s a lack of faith.”
“Oh, come on, miss!”
Realizing it was a lie, Jenny shivered but still didn’t let go of my hand.
Though we weren’t related by blood, her hand felt like that of a younger sister—both then and now. I held it tightly.
This was a life I had to protect in this life.
I looked at the silent, dark temple, save for the torchlight along the walls.
My heart slowly sank.
Lately, Aris had been coming to the temple day and night.
The people of Lorenst thought she had finally calmed down, but there was no way.
‘Aris wouldn’t just sit and pray in this situation.’
Aris could be foolish, but when it came to herself, her judgment was uncanny.
She wasn’t naive enough to believe that praying would restore her abilities.
“Where do you think Miss Aris is?”
“She probably went to pray.”
I chuckled; Jenny, not knowing why, tilted her head, then suddenly opened her mouth.
“The prayer room.”
In the dark night, the quiet prayer room.
The atmosphere was so eerie that Jenny froze stiff, clutching only my hand.
I glanced at the prayer room where I had been with Giovanni, then shifted my gaze to another one.
The doors had no windows to guarantee privacy, so you couldn’t see inside. But the color of the door indicated whether someone was inside.
All the handles were white, except one that had turned blue.
‘There it is.’
Jenny pressed her ear against the door, then shook her head.
“I can’t hear anything.”
“If you could, nobody would ever pray in these rooms.”
Jenny scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
“Then should we go back to the carriage and wait for Miss Aris to return?”
Though she said it as if staying here would be pointless, I wasn’t satisfied.
Aris wore her hair up, so she wouldn’t do anything visible to anyone.
Ultimately, this meant we’d have to check inside the prayer room.
‘Should I just act crazy and open it?’
It was the worst possible plan.
Reluctant to leave, I remembered Tyrrin.
I whispered to Jenny.
“We can’t just keep loitering here; the temple guards might spot us first.”
“Then it’s probably impossible tonight, right?”
“Why don’t you go to the carriage first? I’ll follow shortly.”
“Eh? Miss, what about you?”
“I’ll stay here just in case, to see if Miss Aris comes out.”
“I’ll stay with you!”
“No. If we get caught, she might escape. Get the carriage ready so we can leave immediately if needed.”
Seeing my serious expression, Jenny finally nodded.
After she left, repeating several times to return soon, I called out:
“Tyrrin.”
A huge water serpent appeared.
“You can do this, right?”
「Why me?」
I smiled at him as he scratched his ear with his tail.
“If you don’t help, I’ll absorb you.”
「…?」
A puzzled expression.
「Do it?」
“After absorbing and growing stronger, I won’t go near the priests or care about who suffers injustice.”
Tyrrin’s mouth dropped open.
「A-Are you threatening me right now?」
“Ha! Threat? I’m just asking for cooperation.”
「…」
Grumbling, Tyrrin moved. I could guess exactly what he was muttering—something about me.
Hilda’s temper, claims of Hilda being at fault—utterly meaningless.
Swoosh.
I watched the blue form disappear beyond the door.
Not long after, Tyrrin reappeared.
“How’s it?”
He scowled, saying nothing.
‘Why does he look like that?’
“Tyrrin?”
「Sharing the primordial gesture…」
“What?”
「We’re sharing the primordial gesture.”
“What does that mean…?”
「…」
“Oh.”
A few seconds later, I understood. Late at night, in a room with a man and woman, the primordial gesture.
I gave Tyrrin a word of comfort.
“You did well.”
「Never again.」
He ground his teeth.
「Don’t make me do something like this.」
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
「…」
“What did the man look like? You can tell me that, right?”
Tyrrin stuck his tongue out in disgust.
Yet, despite his negativity, he told me.
A familiar appearance. Listening to him, I was instantly thrown back in time.
The spy’s face, bruised and purple, turned toward me.
Just before the guillotine.
People throwing stones, calling me a traitor.
Hubert and Aris holding me in their arms, looking down from the platform.
A chaotic series of images merged and then vanished. I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again.
The spy who had made me a traitor in the empire.
Just like before, he approached Aris.
‘In my previous life, that was the first time I saw him kiss Aris’s forehead. Ugh.’
At the time, I ignored it, thinking Aris had found a plaything—but in hindsight, that was the first mistake.
The next time I saw her, she had allied with the empire’s spy.
I clenched my fist.
‘Good. Finally, you’ve shown up.’
Footsteps echoed in the silent corridor: slow, deliberate, then sharper. Giovanni and Princess Laratu had come to meet the senior priest with expertise in restrictions.
“I regret that my physician couldn’t help, but this one is different. Priest Carlo can treat almost any illness with medicine.”
“I could have come alone.”
“He’s shy, so it’s better I’m here.”
Princess Laratu glanced at Giovanni, expressionless—the face she had seen most over the past six months.
Strange. Why was she so drawn to this stoic man?
Even though there was no need, she had followed him all the way here.
“I hope Priest Carlo’s medicine helps Lieutenant Kitchef.”
Giovanni nodded.
The princess glanced at his strong, angular jaw and silently thought it handsome.
At this hour, the palace maid would be covering her absence. The king wouldn’t appear now, but a sudden call could come—so this wasn’t a time to be leisurely.
Even though we had to leave soon, I was enjoying the moment and had no desire to return.
Though forced to insist earlier, we had learned archery and could now stroll together. Compared to the first time I wondered whether to invite her for tea, this was huge progress.
‘Does she still think of a royal marriage?’
Time had passed since the prince stayed in the kingdom. The father and the kingdom had seemingly forgotten the imperial marriage, but Princess Laratu had not.
From the moment she first saw Giovanni, she had fallen for him. She believed it was fate.
“What kind of woman do you like, Your Highness?”
After much hesitation, she asked, face flushed.
Clutching her skirt, she forced her racing heart to listen to Giovanni’s answer.
“I’ve never thought about it.”
A slightly disappointing answer, but fitting for him, which made her smile.
“…Wait.”
“Your Highness?”
“Go on ahead.”
“Where are you going?”
“The restroom.”
The word startled the princess. She lowered her head and nodded.
The sound of Giovanni’s footsteps faded.
“So in the empire, saying you’re going to the restroom is no big deal, huh?”
Fanning her red face, Princess Laratu walked a few steps, then stopped.
Everything was quiet.
It wasn’t her first time visiting the temple at night, but it had never been this silent.
Looking around, she turned toward the direction Giovanni had disappeared.
Then she returned.
Step, step!
‘The restroom is here… so where did he go?’
She passed the empty restroom, approaching the corridor’s corner, then abruptly stopped, leaning against the wall.
Heart pounding.
Carefully, she peeked. It wasn’t a mistake.
In the middle of the corridor connecting to the prayer room, two people were there.
The person she had been looking for—Giovanni.
‘Egrain?’
