CJRD CH 07

Chapter 07

Clunk—
Welfion arrived at the prayer room and turned the doorknob.
With a heavy sound, the thick door opened, revealing a softly glowing interior.

“Come on in,” Welfion said, stepping inside first.

Estelle and I followed him in.

“Wow…”
Estelle let out a soft sound—it was unclear if it was surprise or admiration.

Curious, I looked in the direction she was staring at.
Then I understood why.

At the front of the prayer room stood a statue of the god Habika.
The statue held a single daffodil and had its head slightly bowed.
Even though it was just a statue, it looked incredibly lifelike—its peaceful expression and noble air made it feel like the god himself had appeared.

It was awe-inspiring, but also strangely overwhelming.
Without meaning to, I gulped.

“The prayer room is a place where you can be closest to Habika without any interruptions. You don’t need to be nervous. Just be at ease,”
Welfion gently patted my shoulder, as if sensing my anxiety.

Then he softly stroked my arm and took my hand.

“Let’s begin our prayer to Habika.”

After Welion finished a short prayer for me, I slowly opened my eyes.
Then I glanced sideways at Estelle and Welfion, who was now praying for her.

When he prayed for me, he held both of my hands.
But for Estelle, he was kneeling on one knee and gently placing his right hand on her head.

‘Oh. That looks nice.’

Seeing them like that, I thought they looked like a really good match.
Estelle was, of course, beautiful—and so was Welfion.
He had a gentle, kind, almost divine look that didn’t quite match his age.

And he was also the future Cardinal.
If Estelle ever struggled, he would have the power to protect her.

Their ages weren’t too far apart either. If their relationship developed into something more, I thought it would be a very good thing.

****

[Character – Welfion: Trust Level 0]

…Though it would probably take a lot of effort.

****

Faith: 4 (+4)
Morality: 33 (+3)

It looked like the prayer was finished.
As Welfion gently lifted his hand from Estelle’s head, my faith and morality stats increased.

I quickly shut my half-open eyes again.
Then I slowly lifted my eyelids, pretending like I had been praying deeply.

“Eep!”
But as I tried to stand up, a sharp pain ran through my legs.

From kneeling so long, I’d lost feeling in them.
Losing balance, I ended up plopping right back down.

“Are you alright?”

When I looked up, Welfion was gazing at me with concern.
He must’ve seen me stumble and fall.

Embarrassed by the clumsy scene I just made, my face turned red.

“Here, take my hand. I’ll help you up.”

“Th-thank you.”

Just as I reached out to take Welfion’s hand—

Estelle suddenly grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet first.

“Thank you for the prayer. We’ll be going now,” she said coldly.

Confused, I blinked in surprise as Estelle firmly held my hand and walked out of the prayer room quickly.

I hurried to match her pace, then looked back.

Inside the prayer room, Welfion still stood where he had been, watching us silently.

I gave him a quick nod of thanks before rushing to catch up with Estelle.

****

Welfion watched the two girls walk down the hallway until they were too far to see.
Then he gently closed the prayer room door and turned around.

Step. Step.

His footsteps echoed through the room until he stopped in front of the statue of Habika.

He looked up at the god’s face.

“I felt it the moment I saw her… Like I’ll be seeing her often from now on.”

Welfion took a deep breath.
Then he opened his eyes and softly murmured:

“This must be your will, isn’t it?”

A slight upward curve of his lips…
Though his mouth stayed shut, it looked like he was smiling.

****

Even in the evening, the festival energy was still going strong.

From every street corner, you could hear vendors calling out and people laughing joyfully.

Estelle and I, like everyone else, had fun watching different performances and enjoying the festival.

Time passed quickly.

“I think I’m starting to get hungry. How about you, Estelle?”

My stomach felt completely empty.
We hadn’t eaten anything since we left the temple.

Rubbing my growling stomach, I asked Estelle.

“I’m hungry too.”

“Should we go grab something to eat?”

“But earlier, all the restaurants looked packed.”

“Don’t worry. I know a place where we don’t have to wait in line—even on a festival day. And the food’s really good, I promise!”

Estelle gave me a doubtful look, like she didn’t quite believe me.

I confidently puffed up my chest and told her to trust me.
Then I grabbed her hand and led the way through the crowd.

After a short walk, we arrived at a nearby inn.

“This is your first time here, right?”

“‘Morris Inn’…?”

Estelle tilted her head after reading the sign.
She must’ve found it strange that the inn’s name was the same as my last name.

I could feel her curiosity, but instead of explaining, I just led her into the dining hall.

Inside, there were a few people eating—not too crowded, not too empty.

Compared to the fully packed restaurants outside, it was peaceful.

I walked in like I owned the place and picked a table.
Then I called out loudly to a cheerful middle-aged woman who was serving food.

“Kate!”

She turned around, spotted me, and hurried over with a bright smile.
Her strong, bold appearance softened into warmth.

“Well, if it isn’t Reina! How long has it been?”

“Long time no see, Kate!”

“It really has been! I keep telling you to visit more often.”

“Hehe.”

Kate gave me a big hug.
Her embrace was full of affection and warmth—it made me feel all cozy inside.

“So, who’s this little miss?” she asked.

“Oh! Let me introduce you. This is Estelle.”

“Estelle…? You mean that Estelle?”

Looks like she’d heard the rumors about Estelle too.
Kate put her hands on her hips and gave Estelle a playful smile.

“Nice to meet you, Estelle. You can call me Kate.”

“I’m Estelle. I’m staying with Miss Morris. Please call me Estelle.”

“Oh my. You call Reina Miss Morris? That’s a bit stiff.”

Kate looked surprised for a moment, then shrugged.

“Well, I suppose when Reina eventually comes back to run the inn, I’ll start calling her Miss Morris too.”

“Wait—Kate! What are you saying now?”

“I’m just a temporary owner. When the real owner comes back, it’s only right to step aside.”

“Temporary?! Come on! When are you going to accept it already?”

I pouted and crossed my arms as Kate casually insisted she was only a stand-in.

She laughed heartily and hugged me again, gently patting my head.

Then I noticed Estelle standing beside us, her lips tightly pressed together as she watched us.

She looked confused, clearly not understanding what was going on.
From the inn’s name to my conversation with Kate—it must have left her with a lot of questions.

I gently stepped out of Kate’s hug and explained.

“You saw the name of the inn earlier, right?”

“Yes. It was the same as your last name.”

“The people who raised me like their own daughter… Their name was Morris. They were the original owners of this inn.”

I casually smoothed my messy hair and continued proudly, looking at Kate.

“Before they passed away, they left the inn to me. But I gave it to Kate because I didn’t think I could manage it well. She’s been working here for a long time and knows everything.”

Kate placed one hand on her hip and shook her head.

“I’m still just a stand-in, nothing more.”

“Legally, you’re the owner now.”

“What does that matter? I’ll give it right back when you return.”

Argh, I really don’t think I can run an inn!
I groaned and hit my chest in frustration, giving Kate a helpless look.

Just then—

Grrrrrrr—

A loud stomach growl echoed from somewhere.