TNDOBM 25

Chapter 25

Time flowed like water, and before she knew it, the day had come to leave for the Great Temple.

Cecilia packed the heavy book the archbishop had left behind, a few changes of clothes, several jewels just in case of unforeseen circumstances, and her beloved writing instruments.

Her luggage was modest enough to fit easily into a travel bag made by a craftsman who had layered leather multiple times. As she was sluggishly packing it, Melanie, who had been helping beside her, let out a soft sigh.

“Are you reluctant to go?”

“Mm-hmm.”

It wasn’t as if she’d be staying for that long a period, and the biggest issue—her divine power problem—had already been resolved. But separate from that, she had no desire to willingly walk into hardship.

The temple. Unlike the lifestyle of a dissolute noble lady, it seemed like she’d have to live quite a diligent life there.

In other words, it was dreadful.

“I won’t be able to take naps or eat snacks there, will I?”

As she muttered glumly, Melanie soothed her with practiced skill.

“There, there. Whenever I get the chance, I’ll sneak you some Sachertorte from Sweets, so cheer up.”

The Sachertorte sold at Sweets, the best dessert shop in the Weberdin territory, was a treat Melanie occasionally bought for her as a great reward.

But that was Cecilia Weberdin’s favorite snack—not *her* favorite snack.

Since she couldn’t reveal the truth, Cecilia gave a vague nod. Then she listlessly cast her gaze out the window.

In the distance, she caught a glimpse of a high wall covered in tangled vines. Beyond it would be the familiar mansion.

*’I wanted to say goodbye to Lien one more time before leaving, but it looks like that won’t be possible.’*

As she had expected, the day after her secret outing, knights were stationed everywhere, and she couldn’t even leave her room, let alone attend lessons.

Fortunately, since she hadn’t actually caused any trouble, she wasn’t scolded, but as a result, the day of departure arrived without her being able to see him again.

*’Should I count myself lucky that I at least said hello in advance?’*

Cecilia sighed shortly and idly touched her neck. The round, smooth amber had absorbed her body heat and grown lukewarm.

At that, the touch of fingers that had brushed past at a similar temperature, and the smile dyed in sunset, naturally came to mind.

“Oh my, miss! Your face is red—are you hot?”

“It must be because it’s summer.”

Yes, her face growing hot and her heart pounding—it was all because summer had drawn so close.

Fanning her hand to cool herself down, she suddenly stood up from her seat.

“I’m going to go find Charles!”

“You need to leave soon, so don’t be too late!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Quickly escaping the room, Cecilia gave a small, soft cough and called for Charles.

Even if Lien was impossible, at least she should say goodbye to Charles, shouldn’t she?

She’d have liked to take him with her, but cats were territorial animals. No matter how smart a cat who had claimed the front yard and the neighbor’s flower garden as his territory, taking him outside would surely stress him out.

She’d thought to at least give him a treat directly since she wouldn’t see him for a while, but Charles seemed to have claimed even this vast mansion as his territory—he was nowhere to be seen.

“Charles! I know you can hear me!”

Honestly, what a butler-obsessed cat.

Just as she resolved to pat his rear end firmly when she found him—

*Myaa.*

From not too far away, she heard Charles’s meow.

Out of sight, out of mind—it was from the small study connected to her bedroom.

“Charles? Since when were you here?”

Charles was curled up in a ball on the lowest shelf of the walnut bookshelf that took up one entire wall.

How on earth had he squeezed in there after pulling out the books?

Cecilia roughly cleared away the books lying around and pulled Charles out.

“You’re covered in dust, you little troublemaker.”

“Myaa!”

She carefully set down Charles, who struggled fiercely without easily accepting the butler’s touch.

It seemed their sentimental farewell would have to wait for the next life.

She was about to put the disheveled books back when she noticed something odd about the depth of one slot.

*’What’s this?’*

Looking closely, she found a small notebook placed deep inside the bookshelf, lying parallel to the shelf.

Cecilia took out the notebook, sat down haphazardly on the floor, and examined it carefully.

It had some dust on it but didn’t seem very old.

*’Could this be…?’*

<Cecilia Weberdin>

<Year XXX, 9th day of the Month of Green Greenery.

On my physician’s recommendation, I have started a diary.

This notebook was actually purchased for memorizing prayers, but I believe the gods will forgive me for using it for personal worries.

At first I refused, saying it was a bother, but my physician said that writing a diary helps one reflect on one’s situation and inner self, having the effect of calming anxious emotions.

That simply arranging letters could have such a remarkable effect.

I don’t believe it, but since I have no one to confide my worries to, I thought it might be better to use even such scraps of paper.

So I will try to fill it with even this rambling story.>

It was Cecilia’s diary—the one she had searched for so diligently in the early days of the possession, to fill the blank “memories” of this body and find clues to why she had awakened in it.

When she had tried so hard to find it, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of it, and had concluded it simply didn’t exist.

Feeling somewhat deflated, she was about to flip to the next page when—

“Miss, are you here? Everything is ready—you need to come down now!”

“I’m coming right now!”

She wanted to read just a little more.

*’Should I take it with me?’*

After a moment’s deliberation, Cecilia shook her head and put the diary back in its original place, carefully inserting the books back in.

Hiding it so thoroughly, not even in a desk drawer, meant it was hidden so that no one would see it. It felt uncomfortable to take it to the temple, which might not have private rooms and where unspecified people came and went.

Cecilia stroked Charles’s back a few times as he stretched with his hind legs out beside her, then stood up.

“I’ll be back, Charles.”

It was a shame, but it seemed opening Pandora’s box would have to wait until everything was over.

—

*Tap tap.* The one who greeted her as she stepped outside with quick footsteps was a large carriage that had finished its preparations, the coachman, several knights assigned as escorts, and her older brother.

Knox, with his hair shimmering like sunlit ripples, was holding a map and talking with the coachman.

*’If only he’d keep his mouth shut, he’d look so neat.’*

It was truly a pity that his most important quality—his character—was ruined.

Sensing her prickly gaze, Knox’s head turned toward her.

“Good morning, Cece.”

His voice was sweet enough to make the nearby servants blush. But Cecilia showed her displeasure without reservation.

“Are you really coming all the way to the Great Temple?”

“Of course. I won’t be able to stay with you the whole time, but at least I can see you off. And I have things to deliver to the temple.”

Thanks to her stern face in front of the Marquess last time, Knox had said he would only accompany her for the journey and not stay at the temple.

[Cece, unlike you, I have a lot of work to do.]

She had even wrinkled her brow at the good news that she wouldn’t have to be stuck with him all day, remembering how smug he’d looked when he added that.

“Now that Cece is here, shall we depart?”

Cecilia grabbed Knox’s hand and climbed into the carriage.

“Take care of yourself, miss!”

“Mm, don’t worry.”

Melanie waved her hand for a long time with a worried face, seeing her off.

Cecilia gazed blankly at the Weberdin mansion and Lien’s mansion growing distant, then leaned back deeply against the seat.

Based on past experience, falling asleep quickly was the best option.

But despite her efforts, she didn’t last long before motion sickness set in as before, and Knox thoroughly mocked her sorry state. After half a day’s journey, the carriage finally reached its destination.

Cecilia, half-lying in her seat, carefully stepped down from the carriage.

“Welcome, Saintess.”

Those who came to greet them were Vice-Captain Miguel of the Holy Knights and Archbishop Kiar.

*’Not junior priests, but an archbishop and the vice-captain.’*

It was a combination that made her stomach feel even worse from the pressure.

Especially since the archbishop’s face was shadowed with darkness, as if he’d been dragged here against his will—that made it even worse.

But Knox apparently didn’t sense the gloom that was about to overflow. He lightly stepped down from the carriage and greeted them with a beaming smile.

“It’s been a while, Your Excellency.”

“Yes… well…”

Kiar, barely nodding as if half-listening, shuffled into the shade.

Knox paid no mind to the archbishop’s eccentric behavior and extended his hand toward Miguel.

“Seeing you here to greet us, I take it you’ve been assigned to escort Cece?”

“Escort?”

Inside the temple filled with devout believers, escorting their idol, the Saintess—what a sudden thing to say.

Cecilia furrowed her brow at the out-of-nowhere remark.

“There was that incident last time, remember. I felt uneasy leaving her alone. I thought I’d feel more at ease if even an escort was assigned, but Weberdin’s knights can’t exactly accompany her all over the Great Temple, can they?”

“So?”

“I just asked them to assign a Holy Knight. Good idea, right?”

Knox rubbed under his nose and puffed up with pride.

He went on with nonsense about how she could rest easy and not to thank him, but she was simply dumbfounded.

“And my opinion?”

“Why would that be necessary?”

At his genuinely curious question, her face twisted in irritation.

Just as words too coarse to utter inside a temple were about to fly out of her mouth, Knox—whose perceptiveness was annoyingly quick—struck first.

“You’re not saying you don’t like it, are you? His Holiness has already approved it. Ah, unless it’s because it’s Miguel that you don’t like?”