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Chapter 17
When I came to my senses, I was inside a dream.
Somewhere within the void, I was observing another version of “myself.”
The me inside the dream looked a little younger, my face buried in the bedding and soaked with tears.
Wondering what had happened, I moved closer—when suddenly, the dream-me issued an order to expel a guest.
“Go away….”
For a moment, I wondered if she was speaking to me, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Another presence had appeared beside me.
“If you tell me to leave, do I really have to?”
“Ah, just go away!”
She easily dodged the pillow the dream-me threw and casually perched herself on the bed.
“Is this because of Mom and Dad?”
“…….”
“Don’t take it so much to heart. You’re already doing more than well enough.”
She—my older sister—had come to comfort me after I’d been discouraged by being compared to her in front of our parents.
I didn’t know why, but I could grasp the situation at a glance, even though it was something that had happened long ago.
“Because you’re not me….”
The dream-me muttered something toward my sister.
“Hm?”
“Because you’re not me, you can say things like that so easily. You’re not in my position….”
When my sister didn’t respond, I suddenly sat up and shouted.
“You’re good at everything, so of course you can say that! But I’m just a pathetic daughter who’s always being compared! What does hearing that change? I know it even if you don’t say it—I’m useless!”
The dream-me’s shouting voice wavered, fading in and out. The empty space around us began to ripple unstably.
I paid no attention to the surreal background and focused only on the scene before me. I wanted to know how my sister would respond to my sharp, defensive outburst.
But—
“I…”
The figures of my younger self and my sister blurred and faded away.
Even though I was already asleep, an odd drowsiness washed over me. At the end of a brief stretch of wakefulness, I found myself in an unfamiliar room.
‘…Where am I?’
Curtains surrounded the bed, making it hard to see clearly, but the space felt rough and utilitarian, filled mostly with wooden furniture. Beyond the white fabric, two silhouettes flickered.
‘One of them looks like Julian… but who’s the other?’
Despite having just woken up, I recognized Julian immediately.
However, I couldn’t identify the other person standing beside him. Probably a man—but was he a friend?
‘Hmm…’
I needed to figure out what had happened while I was unconscious and check the situation outside, so I gently lifted the curtain and peeked out.
Then—
“Julian. To think you’d bring a woman into the temple—live long enough and you really do see everything. Still, fooling around romantically in a holy place isn’t exactly—”
A teasing voice rang in my ears, and at the same time, I locked eyes with a pair of golden ones. Narrow and fox-like, his upturned eyes grew even thinner.
“Hm?”
A white-haired man similar to Julian tilted his head as he looked at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian spring to his feet from the simple chair he’d been sitting on.
“Lady Sera, you’re awake.”
“Ah, yes… Where am I?”
“This is the infirmary of the Grand Temple. You didn’t look well, so I brought you here. Are you feeling any better now?”
After answering my question immediately, Julian asked about my condition. Feeling strangely unsettled, I replied,
“I’m fine. But who is this person…?”
I naturally changed the subject. Julian quickly covered the man’s mouth and explained.
“This is Cardinal Udiël Ordin. We speak casually in private, but he’s not someone you’d benefit from getting close to.”
“Delighted to meet you, my lady! I’m Julian’s one and only dear friend. Please, call me Udiël.”
Shaking off Julian, Udiël flashed a flirtatious smile and extended his hand. Before I knew it, I took it and shook hands with him.
“Ah—no. I couldn’t possibly call a cardinal by name…”
“Oh, come now. If you’re Julian’s lover, you’re practically my sister-in-law. I should be the one speaking more formally.”
W-What?! What is this guy saying?
If I were really aiming for Julian, that would be game over—lover, sister-in-law, he was saying nothing but dangerous things.
“L-lover? That’s not true at all!”
I raised my voice deliberately to assert my innocence. Startled, Julian’s red eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.
“Udiël, Lady Sera is uncomfortable. Refrain from unnecessary remarks.”
“How cold. I was only speaking out of concern for my precious friend.”
“Think about Lady Sera, not me.”
While Julian scolded Udiël, I quickly checked Julian’s affection level.
If it had increased even a little, that would be bad—it would mean he’d started to become conscious of me.
‘Let’s see…!’
[Affection | 10%]
‘…What?!’
I doubted my eyes at the sudden eight-percent jump.
What, was this really enough to raise it that much? Had he lived such a pure life as a holy knight that he liked any woman at all?
‘N-No… That can’t be it. He was perfectly fine when Charlotte was around before. And maybe freaking out over just 10% is an overreaction…’
Once I’d calmed down, I realized I hadn’t actually introduced myself to Udiël yet.
“My name is Sera Arnshardt. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Eminence.”
“I would prefer it if you called me Udiël.”
“Ah… yes. Udiël.”
Unlike Julian, his friend Udiël was clearly very sociable.
‘If he took an MBTI test, he’d be 100% extrovert.’
At that moment, Julian suddenly addressed me.
“Have you had any chronic illnesses?”
“Huh?”
“You collapsed suddenly. I don’t know your exact age, Lady Sera, but it’s not desirable for a young person to faint so easily.”
A young person… Why was his wording so old-fashioned?
“Speaking of which, I’m curious! How old are you, Lady Sera?”
“……I’m twenty-one.”
I nearly blurted out my real age, but I barely managed to recall Sera’s memories and answer correctly.
Hearing that, Udiël beamed.
“Well, that’s perfect! Julian and I are twenty-six. They say a five-year age gap doesn’t even need a compatibility check…”
“Enough.”
Julian finally snapped at him.
When Udiël shut his mouth, the atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Both Julian and I were taciturn by nature.
Still, it seemed the reason I’d collapsed was glossed over thanks to that.
‘Thank goodness. I couldn’t exactly say I passed out from the shock of watching an execution of a possessed person.’
As I looked away with a sense of relief, I suddenly noticed the sun sinking beyond the window and panicked. It was already late enough that most people would’ve gone home.
“By the way, aren’t you two heading off? It seems quite late…”
“We encountered you on our way out, so it’s fine. We just need to leave as we are.”
“…….”
The air grew awkward again. Udiël glanced between Julian and me, shaking his head.
“With social skills like this… Julian, at times like this you should say you were lucky to meet Lady Sera on an otherwise dull walk home.”
“I’ll handle it myself, so mind your own business.”
“Oh? Handling it yourself—does that mean you do have feelings?”
His relentless teasing made even me anxious just watching. I had to intervene before Julian committed heresy.
“Please stop teasing him. There’s no way Sir Julian has feelings for me.”
“And why are you so certain? You’re beautiful, Lady Sera. You could easily stir feelings where none existed.”
“But the Empire is full of women far more beautiful than I am. Like Lady Charlotte, for example…”
At my words, Udiël’s golden eyes flashed.
He jumped to his feet, exclaiming,
“So you too recognize Lady Charlotte’s beauty!”
“…?”
“Though I now serve the One True God, had I met Lady Charlotte first, I would have worshipped her as a deity without hesitation! For her sake, I would even dare to become a heretic!”
I listened to Udiël’s impassioned speech in a daze.
‘W-What is he even saying? Is it really okay for a cardinal to convert like this?’
He might not be officially part of the Charlotte fan club, but at heart he already possessed outstanding qualifications. I could only marvel at a level of devotion that surpassed even mine.
But since I was currently cosplaying as a devoted follower myself, I had to play along.
“That’s right! Lady Charlotte is the renowned Goddess of Beauty. Just living in the same era as her is an infinite honor to me!”
At that, Udiël’s expression turned strange.
He stared intently at my face, as if weighing something, then suddenly clapped his hands.
“Ah! Now that I think about it—it was you! Why didn’t I recognize you sooner?”
“Pardon?”
I blinked in confusion, and beside me, I saw Julian’s expression stiffen slightly.
Before he could intervene, Udiël spoke first.
“You were the one at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet—the person at the center of that controversy. That was you, Lady Sera, wasn’t it?”
