SVMS 05

~Chapter 05~

Something so ridiculous had happened to Floria that anyone who heard about it would probably laugh.

But she didn’t even have time to think about it properly.

In fact, she didn’t have time to think at all.

Every morning, right after dawn prayers, she headed to the confessional.

To get there, she always passed a hallway with windows showing the outside of the temple.

But now, she didn’t even need to go that far to know what was happening.

“Priestess Floria, please hear my confession…!”

“Floria…!”

She could already hear people calling her name—loudly—from outside the temple, even through closed windows.

Today again, she had to wonder how many people would be waiting.

…At least tomorrow I have a day off.

Floria clenched her fist with determination.

Tomorrow was her one and only day off each week.

On her small temple-issued calendar, she had been marking the days, counting down until this very moment. She’d even covered tomorrow’s date in stars.

She promised herself she wouldn’t leave her bed for any reason tomorrow.

And yet…

“Hello, Floria.”

Why is he here on my day off!?

Waiting in the reception room was none other than the Duke of Fonhas, waving casually like they were old friends.

He had shown up right on her day off, as if he planned it perfectly.

Sigh… what did I do to deserve this?

“…Welcome, Duke Fonhas,”

Floria said through gritted teeth, holding the hem of her dress and giving a polite bow.

As a commoner priestess, she didn’t actually know proper noble etiquette.

So she just copied something she’d seen before and hoped it looked convincing.

She had thought about ignoring the duke.

But then she heard he was throwing a fit in the reception room, demanding someone bring her.

Neither the High Priest nor his own knight could stop him.

So Floria rushed to get dressed, choosing the cleanest and softest dress she owned, and hurried over.

But when she arrived?

Only to find… that he greeted her with a lazy voice, as if nothing had happened.

“You can just call me Caspal.”

…Even though, just moments ago, he had apparently been whining like a child to see her.

And yet, he sat there now, totally calm and relaxed—leaning back in his chair with an air of noble grace.

‘Caspal or whatever… Just let me rest for one day, please.’

Floria gave him a polite smile.

Her face may have looked composed, but it basically screamed, “Please leave now.”

Caspal didn’t care.

He stirred the tea in front of him with a spoon in a refined, almost aristocratic way.

This was a completely different image from the last time they met, when he’d downed the tea in one gulp.

Floria found herself absentmindedly watching his fingers move, then glanced up at the table.

And gasped.

A lavish spread of desserts—some of which she’d never even seen in her entire life, not even in books—filled the table so much that they were overflowing.

“……!”

She nearly dropped her jaw and had to catch her chin with her hand.

Kaspar clearly noticed because he smirked and gestured toward the table.

“Go ahead. I brought them for you.”

I brought this for you.

It was the kind of line every cheesy drama male lead says.

But hearing it in person—from someone like him—hit differently.

He didn’t even seem like he was trying to flirt, but between his sweet voice and the mountain of desserts, Floria nearly reached for one like she was hypnotized.

Snap out of it!

No matter how crazy he is, he’s still a duke!

She forced herself to focus, grabbed a fork as gracefully as she could, and took a small bite of the nearest red velvet cake.

“…!”

This time, she couldn’t hide her expression.

Her eyes went wide, and a soft look of pure happiness took over her face.

Caspal, clearly satisfied with her reaction, smiled warmly as he rested his chin on one hand.

He glanced at the yellow ring on Floria’s fourth finger with amusement.

“I heard women love sweets… Seems it’s true.”

But the way he said it—soft and half-whispered—felt oddly innocent for someone rumored to be a womanizer.

Wait, isn’t he supposed to be experienced? Why does he sound like this is new to him?

Floria silently pinched her thigh under the table to snap out of it. Between the delicious dessert and his good looks, she was seriously getting distracted.

She had to stay focused—this could all be part of his “flirty noble” act.

If she wasn’t careful, she really could fall for him.

She tightened her grip on the fork.

But it seemed like Floria was the only one feeling tense.

But if anyone at this table wasn’t tense, it was Caspal.

“So, what else do you like?”

Caspel asked casually, continuing as if it was the most normal conversation in the world.

The way Caspel asked the question—it felt like he truly wanted to know what someone he liked enjoyed.

Floria actually took the question seriously.

Not because she thought Caspel really liked her—no way.

Even if he was handsome, he was also a noble, a known flirt, and possibly insane.

Even when he confessed to her, he had looked dead calm, as if joking.

Still, since a duke asked, she had to answer.

She scooped another bite of cake and thought about it.

What do I like…?

The truth was, the only thing she truly wanted was to survive until the young heroine, Rose, became a Saintess—then retire peacefully to the countryside to pick herbs.

But there was no need to share that dream with this strange man.

Then she suddenly remembered something.

Her eyes lit up, and she confidently pointed at the table—with her other hand holding a loaded fork of cake.

“There’s a child I take care of at the temple. Could she have some too?”

“A girl or a boy?”

“……A girl.”

His question caught her off guard. Why did it matter?

Is he one of those horrible types who likes any girl, no matter her age?

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Oh, that child.”

But Caspal mumbled something quietly—too low for her to hear—and scratched the back of his head.

“Sigh… now I have to compete with a little girl too.”

“……”

What on earth was he even talking about?

“Bring her in.”

Well, at least he wasn’t a complete creep.

Floria called for Rose with a cold, unreadable face.

The little girl entered looking even more nervous than usual. Her hand shook as she clutched the door handle.

“Come on in, Rose!”

Trying to comfort her, Floria gently led her to sit beside her and handed her a fork.

But the shy child only fidgeted, holding the hem of her dress.

“Here, Rose. Try this cake.”

Floria took the fork again and fed her a bite.

Only then did Rose’s silver bangs part, revealing joyfully sparkling eyes.

For the first time, she looked her age—just an innocent little girl.

“It’s… yummy!”

Her tiny mouth chewed slowly, cheeks puffed out adorably like a squirrel storing acorns.

She’s so precious.

“Do you like children?”

“Of course! They’re adorable!”

Caspal had been watching the two of them quietly before finally speaking.

Floria beamed with pride and pointed to Rose like a proud mom showing off her baby.

“…I don’t usually like kids, but if you do, then…”

“Pardon?”

“If we had any, I think two would be nice.”

He said it with genuine thought, rubbing his chin.

“……”

Floria decided then and there she was no longer going to react to anything he said.

She kept her expression cold and just focused on eating cake with Rose.

***

Caspal, on the other hand, felt very pleased with himself.

He walked back toward his carriage with light steps, but the knight following behind him looked visibly tense.

The knight hesitated to speak, opened his mouth, then closed it several times—until finally, just before Caspal climbed into the carriage, he spoke up carefully.

“Um, Your Grace… I’m sorry to say this, but… it seems that today’s brainwashing attempt on Floria failed completely.”

“So?”

“…Sorry?”

“Is that a problem?”

Caspal’s face, which had always seemed like it could only smile playfully, instantly turned sharp and dangerous.

His golden eyes narrowed into something like blades, and the knight instinctively flinched and lowered his head.

“N-No, nothing! It’s just… then, won’t she—ugh.”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before Caspal grabbed his shoulder tightly. The pain made him groan.

“Have I ever failed to carry out the Master’s orders?”

“……My apologies.”

The Duke’s voice was cold enough to make the knight’s skin crawl.

He didn’t dare blink or move, just tried to hide the shiver running through him.

A long, painful few seconds passed.

Then, Caspal’s fierce eyes softened—like flipping a switch.

“I’m kidding.”

He gently patted the knight’s shoulder with a bright smile.

It was such a cheerful, innocent grin that it was hard to believe he’d looked like a killer just moments ago.

“Acting friendly like this is the best way to get close without suspicion.”

“…Yes, understood, Your Grace. I apologize.”

The knight said nothing more. When he stepped aside, Caspal climbed into the carriage.

As the door closed behind him—his eyes turned cold again.