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Chapter 32
As promised, Killian dropped off Emily in front of the temple and reminded the butler once again.
“Albin, take good care of the lady.”
“Don’t worry, Your Grace.”
Watching the two talk, Emily checked if Albin’s ears were bleeding. Killian had already said the same thing six times.
“You don’t need to worry. Just go now.”
Emily hurried him along, since Killian kept repeating himself.
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Yes, I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.”
Killian couldn’t seem to tear himself away and watched until Emily disappeared completely into the temple.
Only once she was fully out of sight did he finally leave.
Meanwhile, inside the temple, Emily glanced around to see if there was anyone she knew. Fortunately, there was no one.
“Albin, please wait here for me.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Emily was about to enter the confessional for confession.
“Do you have anything to confess as well?”
The confessional had three doors: the priest sat in the middle, and the faithful entered from both sides. While one side confessed, the other waited in reflection.
Albin quietly shook his head at her question.
“I’ve never lived this righteously in my life.”
Having been unexpectedly thrown into the role of a butler, Albin had left behind his shadowy lifestyle quite some time ago.
“…That’s an enviable kind of confidence.”
With a sour expression, Emily entered the confessional.
Apparently, the person on the other side hadn’t finished, as the priest didn’t open the window. Emily decided to pray reverently while waiting.
After a while, she heard the priest clear his throat in the next booth, and finally, the window opened.
“What sin do you wish to confess, my child?”
Making the sign of the cross, Emily spoke heavily.
“I committed a sin yesterday.”
“What sin is it?”
“For the first time in my life, I pointed a gun at someone and pulled the trigger.”
After a moment of silence, the priest asked again.
“Is the person alive?”
“Yes.”
Though she heard no sound, Emily somehow sensed a feeling of relief from him.
“…By confessing your sin, you are already walking with Sister Siska.”
“Amen.”
“Confessing evil is the beginning of good. Whenever you sin, you must repent.”
Emily clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in prayer.
“Please grant me the opportunity to atone.”
“As penance, pray every night.”
That wasn’t too difficult. She already prayed before meals anyway.
“Yes, I’ll do that without fail.”
“In the name of Saint Siska, your sins are forgiven. Amen.”
“Amen.”
Feeling much lighter, Emily exited the confessional—and immediately ran into someone unexpected.
“I didn’t expect to see Madam Star here at this hour.”
It was Count Enoch Blois, whom she had met at Duke Sadi’s estate. Emily tried to suppress her surprise and greeted him.
“Count Blois, what a coincidence seeing you here.”
“You didn’t know I attend this temple?”
“No, not at all.”
The temple had separate seating for men and women, so it wasn’t unusual not to recognize someone of the opposite gender even after years of attendance.
“I knew you came here, Madam, so I feel a bit slighted.”
That wasn’t surprising. Emily tended to attract attention wherever she went.
“You’ve become quite well-known recently, so I thought I’d never get the chance to talk to you. I guess my timing was perfect.”
“Is there something you wanted to say to me?”
Enoch scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I wanted to be introduced to Lady Wiffer.”
Emily’s expression turned sour at the mention of Marilyn.
“You had plenty of time to talk to her that day. If nothing came of it, isn’t that a sign there’s no hope?”
“…That’s a bit harsh. That hurt, you know.”
Emily couldn’t care less whether he was hurt. She really didn’t want to act as Marilyn’s matchmaker.
“Either way, that’s not my territory. I suggest you write her a letter directly.”
“Hm… I see.”
Nodding with disappointment, Enoch suddenly clapped as if remembering something.
“By the way, Madam, are you becoming a mafia now?”
What nonsense this time? Emily narrowed her eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
Enoch quickly pulled out a newspaper clipping he carried with him. It showed a photo of Emily pointing a gun at someone.
“…You carry this around?”
She didn’t like the photo—it looked worse than in real life.
“Anything entertaining is worth keeping.”
Enoch tucked the newspaper back into his coat.
“You looked very skilled holding that gun. Where did you learn to shoot?”
Emily, who had just confessed about shooting someone, was startled and lowered her voice.
“When I was young. But that doesn’t mean I’m part of the mafia.”
“Life rarely goes the way we want it to. I always try to walk the straight path, but I keep veering off.”
Enoch shrugged. Now that she thought about it, he was standing near the confessional, so he must have something to confess too.
Looking between Enoch and the confessional, Emily asked cautiously.
“Did you do something wrong?”
Just as Enoch opened his mouth to reply, Albin ran over, shouting, “My lady!”
“Everyone makes mistakes in life, don’t they? I hope you can live the life you want.”
Not wanting to run into Albin, Enoch left after saying that. As Emily mulled over his words with a strange feeling, Albin arrived.
“My lady, who was that man?”
Albin was panting with concern written all over his face.
“That was Count Blois. Do you know him?”
“I only know that he’s an eccentric.”
A fairly accurate assessment.
“Did he harm you in any way?”
Albin must’ve been worried about her serious expression.
“No. We simply greeted each other because we met at Duke Sadi’s estate.”
“That’s a relief, then…”
“Isn’t it almost time for His Grace to arrive?”
At her words, Albin checked his watch.
“I’ll step outside to see if the carriage has arrived.”
“Let’s go together.”
Emily stepped outside with him—and just then, the carriage pulled up in front of the temple.
“Did everything go well?”
Killian stepped down and asked.
“Yes. And you?”
“It was a simple matter. Finished quickly.”
“I see.”
A silence fell between them.
“…Shall we head back?”
Emily’s words prompted Killian to nod.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Albin hurriedly stopped the two just as they were about to climb into the carriage.
“You’re going straight home like this?”
Killian raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“Should we not?”
“Why not take a walk around the market while you’re out?”
“Why would we tour a market?”
Killian’s blunt question left Albin momentarily speechless—but he couldn’t let this rare date opportunity slip away.
“My lady, have you been to the Fleur Market?”
“Not yet.”
Albin stared directly at Killian, almost accusingly.
“My lady has been so interested in decorating the garden lately, and you haven’t even taken her there?”
Emily smiled awkwardly behind them. She had indeed ordered the garden to be decorated because it looked too bare, but truthfully, the gardener was handling almost everything.
Still, Albin’s strategy worked. Killian, feeling vaguely guilty, gestured toward Emily.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you around.”
“Have you been there before?”
Uh… yes, but only as a child collecting debts. As Killian hesitated, Albin quickly jumped in with a cough.
“Then the two of you should go. I have errands to run and will return to the mansion first.”
His attempt to step aside was very obvious, but the pair quietly boarded the carriage anyway, touched by his effort.
Albin cheerfully waved from outside the window.
“What kind of flowers will you buy?”
As the carriage began to move, Killian asked.
“Hm, I should look for flowers for the balcony.”
At first, Emily didn’t care much, but once she made up her mind, she surprisingly felt a desire to decorate it nicely.
“Did you know geraniums have a lovely scent?”
“I don’t know much about flowers.”
“They’re easy to grow. And pansies would look beautiful hanging in pots.”
Emily, caught in the moment, pulled out a pen and notepad from her handbag and began listing the flowers she wanted.
“What else… Oh! I need to buy begonias too.”
As Emily excitedly chatted away, Killian leaned back and listened as if enjoying music.
“I’ll add a side table too. When Johan comes for break, I want to have tea time with him there.”
But at the mention of Johan, Killian’s brow twitched. The thought of that boy running around freely during break already made his neck ache.
“Johan hasn’t written lately. Do you think he’s busy?”
“It’s probably exam season.”
“Oh… So he’s busy studying.”
He absolutely hated the kid—but seeing Emily’s subtle disappointment still made Killian sigh inwardly.
He decided to ask Giovanni about Johan’s situation.
