TNDOBM 19

Chapter 19

“Excuse me? But… weren’t you forbidden from going out?”

“That’s right.”

—

At the unapologetic affirmation, Rien was at a loss for words.

After the accident—no, even before the accident—the only outings permitted to her were the mansion’s garden and, at most, Rien’s estate right next door.

And even then, she had to be accompanied by a full escort.

Indeed, even now, as she stood before this entrance, a line of the family’s knights awaited her.

For a trip next door, to meet a tutor whose identity was guaranteed—even if a little subterfuge was involved—the fuss was immense.

To think of going into the very heart of a festival, teeming with all sorts of people.

It was clearly destined to be shot down before she could even finish asking.

But…

“There’s one way to avoid the surveillance.”

Cecilia smoothly curved her lips into a smile and stepped close to him.

“All I need is you, Rien.”

At her sudden proximity, Rien drew in a sharp breath.

“Teleportation magic, you can do it, right?”

“Ah…”

“You can’t?”

Surely the great Tower Master, who could even wield time-altering magic, couldn’t say he couldn’t use teleportation magic?

When she didn’t bother to hide her disappointment, Rien hastily denied it.

“I-I can do it.”

“I knew it!”

Cecilia clapped her hands together. Though nothing was confirmed yet, she chattered on excitedly.

“Use the lesson as an excuse to come to your mansion, then we’ll just slip away with magic—it’s the perfect crime!”

“But isn’t it too dangerous…?”

He was the man who, no matter how rudely she acted, would just smile like a fool. She’d thought he would readily agree this time too.

But his lips did not easily form a yes.

“Rien, please.”

Cecilia grabbed Rien’s robe sleeve tightly and looked up at him earnestly.

Unable to shake off the small hand clinging to him, Rien let out a faint sigh.

A moment later, his nod was a foregone conclusion.

—

* * *

—

The next morning.

Cecilia’s eyes snapped open not from a disturbance, but from anticipation.

Without her usual morning dawdling, she quickly got up, finished her preparations, and even had a light breakfast.

Melanie gave her a suspicious look, as her mistress’s attitude, who usually whined that the world outside the bed was dangerous, had changed overnight.

“Mistress, did something good happen?”

“No, I’m just in a good mood today, that’s all.”

Something was definitely off.

Melanie muttered quietly, but with the Tower Master as her accomplice, this perfect crime had no chance of being exposed.

After stroking Charles’s back as he slept, taking up the center of the bed, Cecilia immediately left the mansion.

And she safely made it past the main gate… or rather, she *didn’t*, as she came face-to-face with the Marquis and some unfamiliar guests.

“Cecilia, perfect timing.”

“Father, these people are…”

It seemed he had been in the middle of welcoming priests from another region. A group of middle-aged men in white priestly robes stood beside the Marquis.

“Greet them. They are priests who have come from another territory.”

For a moment flustered, Cecilia recalled the greeting she had once heard the Pope give to the priests.

“May the warmth of the divine be with those who follow His will.”

“May God’s grace be with the Lady Saint.”

Judging by the Marquis’s attitude, they seemed to be high-ranking priests, yet they returned the greeting with considerable politeness.

*’It’s probably because of the title ‘Saint-in-Waiting’ rather than ‘Eldest Daughter of Weberdin.’*

Cecilia interpreted the interest and faint goodwill they sent her way as such.

“I hear you will be conducting the ceremony alongside His Holiness the Pope at this upcoming relief festival?”

“Yes, it is a great honor.”

The Marquis answered proudly.

It was just as the person in question was barely suppressing a rising sigh.

Her eyes met with one priest, of ordinary appearance, who seemed strangely familiar.

The man, who had been openly observing her for a while, finally spoke.

“I heard that a remarkable divine power was displayed at the Grand Cathedral recently…”

*’Surely he won’t ask me to show him? Should I pretend to have a sudden stomach ache?’*

Just imagining it made her break out in a cold sweat.

“…It’s nothing remarkable. I believe the grace bestowed by God has merely been exaggerated.”

“How humble of you.”

Fortunately, the priest did not demand to see her divine power.

He leisurely averted his gaze, which had been fixed on her, and merely left a rather meaningful remark.

“I look forward to it.”

It was unclear whether he meant he looked forward to the ceremony, or to her role as the Saint.

Cecilia nodded awkwardly and hastily ended the conversation.

“Well then, I’ll be going…”

“Cecilia.”

She wanted to escape this minefield immediately, but the Marquis called out to her again.

“Are you going to your lesson?”

“Yes.”

To be precise, she was going out to have fun under the pretense of going to a lesson.

“You’ve been working so hard lately. You’ll have to go to the Grand Cathedral the day after tomorrow, so you can afford to rest a little.”

Ah, he just had to emphasize the date she’d been trying so hard to forget.

The excitement that had risen to her head instantly cooled.

But since her departure from the secular world was imminent, she absolutely couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Cecilia gently but firmly shook her head.

“No, I need to eliminate my shortcomings as quickly as possible, even to receive approval.”

“You are very diligent indeed.”

The priests seemed impressed by the Saint’s enthusiasm. Meeting their proud gazes made her worn-out conscience prickle painfully.

“Yes, but if it gets too much, do tell me.”

The Marquis’s kind words were a fatal blow.

Eventually, Cecilia averted her gaze surreptitiously and forced a smile.

“I’m merely worried about bringing disgrace to the name of Weberdin.”

“Don’t feel pressured. Your brother will accompany you to the temple as well, so don’t worry.”

‘Ah, that’s a bit…’

The smile she’d forced onto her face instantly vanished—truly, it was an act of god.

—

* * *

—

Perhaps it was because she’d encountered those unexpected people. Even before they’d departed, she was utterly drained.

Cecilia trudged past the main gate, devoid of any guards, and the still-fresh daisies, finally arriving at the mansion’s entrance with difficulty.

*Thud, thud.*

She knocked a couple of times on the heavy iron doorknob, and as usual, the homeowner burst out.

“M-Miss Cecilia! I had no idea you’d come so early…!”

He seemed to have rushed out; Rien was only wearing a loose white shirt and tight leather pants, with a robe barely thrown over them.

Which meant, through the gap in the untied shirt, one could clearly see his firm chest and the muscular lines of his thighs, more developed than expected.

And his face, uncovered by a hood for the first time in a while, was surprisingly delicate.

The knights behind her audibly gasped.

“Let’s go inside and talk first.”

Cecilia pushed him firmly and stepped inside.

*’So this is why he always wears a robe.’*

He was a man who was, in a different sense, too dangerous to show to others.

“You don’t have to rush out like that every time.”

“I-I just didn’t want to keep you waiting, Miss Cecilia.”

Cecilia gazed quietly at him as he smiled shyly, his ears reddening. Then, she carefully adjusted his shirt and properly put his hood up.

Only when all traces of his ‘harmfulness’ were concealed did the man tilt his head in confusion, but Cecilia pretended not to notice and changed the subject.

“It seems you’re ready. Shall we go now?”

“Yes, yes! Then, would you give me your hand?”

Cecilia extended her hand, palm facing up.

A hand, without a trace of force, settled onto hers like a summer leaf.

“It might make you dizzy, so it would be best to close your eyes.”

She hesitated for a moment between satisfying her curiosity about teleportation and following sound advice. In the end, she chose the latter and gently closed her eyes.

A wind strong enough to rustle her clothes swept through, and a queasy sensation, as if riding a turbulent ship, washed over her.

It was just as she was frowning at the slightly unpleasant and surreal feeling.

“You can open your eyes now.”

The discomfort ceased, and the damp, musty smell reached her nose.

Cecilia forced her fluttering eyelids open.

The place they stood was the entrance to a dark alley, so dim that not even shadows were clearly visible. And at the end of that path, she could faintly see the bustling scene of people coming and going.

We really did come to the festival.

As the realization hit her, her deflated anticipation swelled up again like a balloon.

“Let’s go see!”

The excited Cecilia urged him on, looking ready to dive into the crowd at any moment.

“W-Wait! You forgot your robe.”

“Ah.”

Rien pulled a robe out of a small hand-sized bag and carefully draped it over her.

It was similar in color to the drab one he always wore, and so long it almost touched the floor.

“It’s more stifling than I thought.”

How on earth did he manage to wear this thing every day, all day long?

She hated the stuffiness, and it was a pity that her carefully planned outfit was completely hidden, but she had no choice.

After all, there was no way the people of the territory wouldn’t recognize their proud Weberdin Saint.

To prevent the scandal of the Saint’s escapade making the special news bulletin tomorrow, Cecilia pulled the hood securely down over her head.

“Okay, let’s go for real now!”

Overcome with a giddiness as if stepping into another world, she exited the alley with him.

The moment they fully crossed the boundary between light and shadow, sunlight poured down on them, and the noise and heat generated by the crowd washed over them all at once.