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Chapter 47
At last, the long, long ball had come to an end.
It had only lasted five days, but it felt like a whole month had gone by.
Even by the time the ball officially ended, Olivia and Nox never showed up.
Whether it was thanks to Calix keeping the rumors under wraps or not, the other nobles treated me no differently than before.
It was a shame I didn’t get to properly hang out with Saint, but he said there would be another chance next time.
I heard Abel had run off somewhere again. The Duke reacted as if it was just another ordinary day.
I had worried he might end up settling down in my mansion, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.
“Ahhh…”
I flopped onto my bed and savored the rare freedom. Having climbed such a big mountain, I’d never felt so light and carefree.
“You look like you’re in a good mood, my lady.”
“Not you? Father finally went back home, you know.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Right? I’m soooo happy right now.”
When I rolled around clutching my pillow, Ally also smiled in satisfaction.
Better enjoy this peace while it lasts.
You never know when another disaster like that ball will blow up in my face.
As I was mentally planning my lazy, play-filled schedule for tomorrow, Ally came into the bedroom holding something.
“These are the documents you requested last time, my lady.”
“Oh, right. I did ask for that.”
I quickly took the bundle of papers from her.
It was packed full of information about villages near the Empire. I began flipping through the pages one by one, reading carefully.
“…Land by day, sea by night?”
Mudflats? Pass.
“A village where the river and nature blend together…”
Flooded every time it rains in summer? Pass.
“Kind-hearted people, strong sense of community.”
It snows all year round? Pass.
“Splendid scenery, beautiful as a painting!”
But more people than trees?
Pass, pass, and pass again!
By the time I’d finished squinting at the tiny handwriting, my eyes felt like they were about to pop out. I eventually collapsed onto the bed in defeat.
“They say the northern region hasn’t been fully surveyed yet. Maybe there’s a nice place up there?”
“That’d be nice.”
From the map, the north hadn’t looked promising at all. Still, I clung to the faintest shred of hope and nodded vigorously.
“But, my lady…”
“Mm?”
“Why are you suddenly looking for this kind of information?”
Ally asked cautiously, sounding concerned.
“Well… I just thought it might be nice to take a trip.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her the real reason, so I brushed it off.
The truth was simple—
I’d tried to avoid the main characters, and it had completely failed. So I came up with a Plan B: flee to another country.
Sigh.
Honestly, I couldn’t say I hadn’t enjoyed spending time with them.
But what I wanted was true peace—not this tense, calm-before-the-storm kind of peace.
After experiencing the chaos of the ball, I was even more certain.
This world wasn’t exactly the same as the original story, but the general flow was still similar.
The lake incident hadn’t spread far since few people saw it and Calix smoothed things over.
But I had still ended up with a huge misunderstanding from Nox. If Calix hadn’t stepped in, I might’ve been beheaded on the spot.
I stacked the bundle of papers on the table. I planned to look them over again with a clear mind after a good sleep.
“My lady, you should get some rest.”
“You too, Ally. Goodnight.”
As I lay down, Ally blew out the candle and left the room.
The sky was overcast, so not even moonlight streamed in. I stared blankly at the ceiling, completely shrouded in darkness.
Sir Lake said he took leave from the temple.
That had been in the letter he sent when he first arrived at the mansion. He wouldn’t be at the temple all week.
It must’ve been because of Olivia—after all, as her brother, he needed to be by her side after such an ordeal.
So I decided not to go to the temple either. Skipping one more week wouldn’t be the end of the world.
But… I feel like I’m forgetting something.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t remember what it was. Every time I felt close to recalling it, the thought slipped away, leaving me unsettled.
“If it’s important, I’d remember it, right?”
I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until I finally drifted off.
Who knew how much time passed.
Tap, tap. A faint noise, like raindrops tapping against the window, spread through the room.
“Mmm…”
The sound was annoying, but I was too tired to open my eyes. Instead, I pulled the blanket over my head.
Even with my hands clamped over my ears, the sound persisted.
It went on for a minute or so before abruptly stopping.
Finally, some quiet.
…Except something felt off. Rain didn’t stop that suddenly.
At that moment, the question I couldn’t recall last night slammed into my mind.
“Ah!”
I gasped sharply and bolted upright in bed.
I strode over to the window and yanked the curtains open.
The midday sun shone brightly outside—yet a deep shadow fell just beyond the glass.
“What on earth…”
I hastily flung open the window. The breeze blew the curtains inward, and an all-too-familiar shadow stepped into my bedroom.
“Saint.”
He was back in his black uniform, complete with the long sword at his hip—an outfit I hadn’t seen in ages after his recent plain clothes.
“You didn’t think of coming in through the front door?”
“Well, the gatekeeper told me to ‘wait’… and kept saying it… for four hours.”
“Ah…”
He didn’t look pleased. The low rumble of his voice made his irritation clear.
“I told them not to wake me up until I got up on my own. That’s probably why…”
I rattled off excuses at machine-gun speed.
Four hours of waiting outside—no number of mouths would be enough to apologize.
Then my eyes fell to the hem of my fluttering white nightgown.
“Ah! Wait a second!”
I darted to the bed, wrapped myself in a blanket, and quickly patted my face to make myself look somewhat presentable.
Forcing down my embarrassment, I spoke as calmly as I could.
“I definitely didn’t forget today’s lesson. I was just so tired yesterday that—”
“Enough excuses.”
Saint strode toward me, planting a hand on the bed beside me and meeting my eyes.
When his gaze swept over me, I scooted back, and he straightened up.
“You look fine enough.”
Fine? What did he mean by that?
Before I could ask, the door burst open and Ally stepped in.
“My lady, you’re—kyaaaah!”
The moment she saw the dark figure in front of me, she let out a piercing scream.
Then, as if fainting from sheer fright, she toppled over backward.
“Ally!”
It wasn’t long before the sound of clattering footsteps brought every maid in the mansion rushing to my bedroom door.
“You really think coming all the way to my house over missing one day is reasonable?”
After Ally fainted, I’d had to explain the situation to the maids in detail.
Since I’d been secretly learning magic, it took quite a while to prove he was my teacher.
“Of course, it was my fault! But this is way too extreme!”
I pouted as I complained.
“So… is this a home visit today?”
The table in my freshly straightened room now held two cups of tea. I’d asked the maids to prepare it since it looked like he’d be staying a while.
“There’s no lesson today.”
But his unexpected reply caught me off guard.
“I can’t send letters, so I came to deliver this in person. But making me wait four hours? If I’d known, I would’ve just had someone else write it.”
This was the longest he’d ever spoken outside of a lesson. And hearing that one phrase emphasized again made my shoulders shrink automatically.
Wow… he really holds grudges.
Just as I thought that, I heard him chuckle above me.
“You’re bringing that up again just to tease me, aren’t you?”
He didn’t deny it, which only made me more irritated.
“More importantly, have you finished the barrier?”
I was about to shoot back when his question shut my mouth.
“…No.”
His hand came down on the table with a clack, making me flinch. He studied me for a moment, then spoke.
“Then let’s have a supplementary lesson.”
“When?”
“Now.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Now? Now now? Had I heard him wrong?
My bewildered expression didn’t faze him as he rose to his feet.
“I received a request this morning. You can come with me for some practical training.”
“Practical? I can barely use any proper magic yet—!”
“Get ready and come out.”
He cut me off cleanly and walked to the window.
“At least tell me what the request is! What if it’s dangerous?!”
“With me here, what’s there to worry about?”
“…Well… I suppose that’s true.”
I answered with heavy sarcasm, and he stopped mid-step. Turning back, he said:
“There’s a slave market opening. We’re going to shut it down.”
“…What?!”
I practically jumped at his calm declaration.
“That’s—dangerous! And… you’re a priest. You do things like this?”
He might look like a mercenary, but he was still a priest. In the original story, he’d been an assassin—but even assassins didn’t take on this kind of job.
“What is a priest? One who delivers the word of God.”
He spoke in the most composed, matter-of-fact tone.
“And a priest must be equal to all. Even to those forced into slavery.”
He made it sound noble, but this was clearly not priestly work.
Especially for someone who wasn’t the type to save people!
I wailed and protested all at once, but he clearly intended to drag me along regardless.
