TVSP 31🍂

Chapter 31

I blinked in surprise.

“I didn’t know you thought so highly of me. Thank you.”

I wanted to end the conversation quickly and move on, but Leandros, who had been silently watching us, spoke up.

“Lady Nephur is correct.”

His clear blue eyes fixed firmly on mine.

“To step into such a dangerous place with such a frail body, confronting loan sharks directly—even with divine power, that is no small feat.”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”

I reluctantly agreed, caught off guard by his unusually strong tone. Immediately, both of them nodded in unison.

“That is why none are more suited for sainthood than you, Lady Grace!”

“Grace is the one most befitting the role of Saint.”

Had there ever been a time when these two agreed so perfectly?

Flustered, I still answered them with sincerity.

“No, I am lacking.”

Both of them gasped, their faces aghast.

“That isn’t true! There is not a single aspect in which you fall short, Lady Grace!”

“Indeed. No one could dare claim Grace is lacking.”

Round and round the conversation went.

Though I appreciated their passionate support, it was clear they misunderstood me. I decided to make my meaning plain.

“What are you both saying? I meant the Saint’s seat itself is lacking for me.”

“…What?”

“…Eh?”

Their identical dumbfounded expressions made me clutch my head with a sigh. Despite knowing it was hardly the proper place, I had no choice but to speak plainly.

“I wasn’t content with the Saint’s seat. That is why I withdrew my candidacy.”

This time, neither of them spoke. They simply stared at me with stunned faces, as though struggling to process what they had just heard.

I was still considering how best to snap them out of it when I spotted a familiar figure nearby.

The Pope.

He had clearly been eavesdropping for some time. Even when our eyes met, he gave no sign of surprise. It was almost convenient.

So instead of rousing the other two, I called to him.

“Isn’t that right, Your Holiness?”

“Indeed.”

As expected, he nodded and smoothly drew us inside.

“This is not the place for such talk. Come within.”

Mila and Leandros hurried after him, eager to hear more, and we soon sat in the seats the Pope had prepared.

“Well, well. It seems you both hold Lady Grace in high regard,”

he chuckled, amused at how close we suddenly appeared despite having no ties before.

The conversation that followed was hardly new.

“Lady Grace told me herself—she was unfit for sainthood. Instead, she vowed to create a seat that would suit her. So I waited. And then she brought forth a heretic in chains.”

He began with what they already knew, then added weight to it.

“A great divine power blessed by God, a keen eye that instantly discerns the evil faithful, a heart overflowing with piety—surely such a one is fit to fill the vacant Cardinal’s seat.”

He even dressed it up with reasons of his own.

As the Pope laughed heartily, saying that ability and cause had already been proven, Mila leapt to her feet.

“That makes no sense! No one is more suited to sainthood than Lady Grace!”

The Pope waved a hand.

“Grace shall serve as Cardinal—and Inquisitor.”

“…Inquisitor? Ah—yes, that does sound like something she’d excel at…”

The conviction drained from Mila’s voice. Within moments, she nodded, as though the title explained everything.

Her acceptance had nothing to do with me, yet she acted as if it did. I couldn’t fathom why.

I wanted the argument to end here, but there was still one more person present.

As expected, it was Leandros who spoke next.

“An Inquisitor? How could such a cruel task be given to Grace?”

He objected fiercely, unable to comprehend.

The Pope only shrugged.

“And yet, has she not proven her worth? She uncovered Zenom’s vile dealings, revealed his allegiance to the evil god, and judged him with her divine strength. That alone is proof.”

At the mention of my power, his gaze turned toward me.

“It is late, but allow me to apologize for the insults you’ve endured because of the temple’s oversight.”

“It’s fine. The temple has already offered me enough apology.”

Since I had received the Cardinal’s seat, our bargain was fulfilled. I understood he wished to confirm it once more before witnesses, so I gave my assent.

We both smiled, satisfied.
But only us.

Leandros and Mila still wore grim expressions.

“Even so, if she becomes Cardinal in such a way, rumors will spread…”

The Pope countered with practiced ease.

“She is a true believer, blessed with divine power and wisdom. What matter her years or her schooling? The one whose faith burns brightest is most fit to stand near the Goddess.”

“…That’s… true? To demand proof only through age—it does sound like old corruption. No, it is corruption!”

So smooth were his words that Mila accepted them entirely, even laughing with him.

“Now, your questions are answered, are they not? Let us turn to matters of the future.”

What could we say to that?

The rest was dull. Talk of how we had aided the temple, how our deeds would strengthen its future—endless words that meant little, until at last we were dismissed.

As we left the audience chamber, Mila spoke hesitantly.

“Lady Grace…”

Leandros had already offered to escort me, yet Mila still followed doggedly. She must have had something to say.

I gave her a look that said go on. She glanced nervously at Leandros.

“Actually, I wished to speak with you privately…”

“Say it here.”

“Mm…”

Her eyes flicked back and forth to him. Plainly, she meant to bring up matters of rebirth.

“I don’t intend to keep secrets from Leandros. And besides, if you know something, then surely he does too. So speak freely.”

“…Eh? Then—don’t tell me, Sir Leandros, you too have returned?”

“…From your words, Lady Mila, am I to understand that you have?”

“Yes!”

Leandros turned his gaze on me. His expression said he had never suspected such a great secret might be kept from him. I protested quickly.

“I only learned yesterday. Please believe I simply had no time to tell you.”

“…I understand.”

“As I said, I never intended to keep secrets from you.”

He hesitated, but the sulkiness left his face.

“Trust is important between us. I don’t ever want to lose yours.”

Unlike some of my past evasions, those words were genuine.

Still, his brows knit.

“And yet… your actions grow harder to understand.”

Perhaps he had lost a little trust in me after all.

After all, I had concealed knowledge, used it for my own ends, and disregarded his earnestness.

‘If I had been upfront about wanting the Cardinal’s seat, he wouldn’t feel so slighted now. In the end, I ignored his goodwill.’

It had all worked out, yes. But Leandros was a man who valued not just results, but the path to them.

So if he felt disappointment in me, I could hardly blame him.

“I…”

His lips moved, as though he would speak more. I steeled myself to answer honestly. But he faltered, and in the end, said nothing.

“No, it’s nothing.”

He could have rebuked me—told me he was disappointed, asked what else I was hiding, demanded to know if I truly acted for his sake. Yet none of it left his mouth.

“You must be weary from such a long day. Rest well.”

“…”

“I suppose next we’ll meet in the temple.”

It almost seemed he avoided the topic deliberately, as if the conversation itself troubled him.

‘Does he not want to blame me?’

Perhaps it was his kindness. I simply nodded in silence.

Mila, caught between us, gave me a peculiar look. But even she refrained from holding me back, knowing it was late.

“Please get home safely.”

Her voice brimmed with unspoken words, but she only offered a polite farewell.

I boarded the waiting carriage, and it rolled away.

Leaning against the window frame, chin resting on my hand, I sighed.

‘This feels… unpleasant.’

If I had known, I would have spoken longer with Leandros.

His hesitant face lingered in my mind.

‘He seemed disappointed.’

Why did his reaction trouble me so much?

My sighs continued, unbroken, until the carriage arrived at the ducal estate.