"Well, I guess it's about time... I returned to the Duke's mansion."

The words slipped out as I walked towards the shop, causing Alan, who was beside me, to stop dead in his tracks.

"Returned?"

Alan repeated, his tone questioning, clearly noticing the odd phrasing of my statement.

Right, in this situation, "returned" should have been "went back."

Saying "returned" was as good as announcing that I was currently living at the Duke's.

Alan's eyes widened as he stared at me, and I simply smiled, offering neither confirmation nor denial.

He blinked a few times, and I chuckled softly.

"News about the Duke's family doesn't make it to the cottage, does it?"

"No. If anything, we only get the occasional gazette with news from the capital. That's only because the Lady enjoys reading them. ...But why do you ask?"

"Because there's going to be a fuss soon, with the Lady demanding to go to the capital."

My words seemed to confuse him even more.

As her health improved, April's sensitivity had lessened, but she would eventually revert to her original, fiery personality.

The thought of April returning to the Duke's mansion and confronting me already brought a mischievous smile to my face.

"Head into the shop first."

"Where are you going?"

"I have someone to meet in the square for a bit."

"Who are you meeting...?"

When I met someone while disguised as Bernice, it was usually someone who needed the use of holy power. In those cases, Alan would assess the person's condition before I even met them.

There was no reason to lie to Alan or keep secrets, so I answered honestly.

"A temple priest."

"Excuse me?"

Alan, who I expected to take it in stride, reacted more vehemently than I anticipated.

His voice echoed in the quiet, small village.

I wondered if he was worried about me, someone with holy power, meeting a priest, but his expression suggested something else entirely. He looked anxious, even afraid. His face paled, and I stepped closer to him.

"What's wrong?"

This was the first time I'd seen Alan like this since I took him in. He was sweating profusely, his breathing becoming ragged.

He trembled, his pupils dilating.

Like a cat in a state of high alert, his eyes grew wide, and I called his name softly.

"Alan."

His gasps grew more erratic, and he collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given out.

"Alan!"

I grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face me.

Holy power could heal injuries and illnesses. Not only external wounds like April's, but also internal ailments invisible to the naked eye.

It was a near-omnipotent ability, but Alan had taught me two years ago that it couldn't cure everything.

"Alan, calm down."

I wrapped my arms around Alan, who was shivering as if it were the dead of winter.

"There's no one here. It's just me."

Holy power couldn't heal wounds of the mind.

His breath hitched in his throat. The dark night sky resembled the prison in the temple orphanage.

It had been almost two years since he escaped the temple, but the past continued to haunt him.

The more he tried to bury it, the more tenaciously it clung to his ankles. Even the sight of white robes worn by people other than priests brought back memories of the temple.

He remembered the times his hands and feet were bound, and he was subjected to countless drug experiments.

How many years had he spent in that sunless cell? He had belonged to the temple since he was a young child.

"Alan!"

Just as his hands and feet began to feel numb with cold, he felt warmth on his wrist, and he felt his body being pulled powerlessly toward another.

"Alan, calm down. Calm down. It's okay."

The gentle patting on his back gradually calmed his trembling body.

The faint scent of soap filled his lungs, and his ragged breathing began to normalize.

Even though it was dark, Irina's presence alone made Alan feel as if it were a bright, sunny day.

"...Irina, Miss."

"Are you feeling a bit calmer now?"

Alan nodded, gazing into her concerned, sunset-colored eyes.

As Irina slowly pulled away, Alan was overcome by a powerful sense of longing.

It was the first time he'd felt such a strong desire for her closeness.

"You're in really bad shape."

Irina roughly wiped the sweat from her brow and examined Alan.

The holy power flowing into him reminded him of the first time she had given it to him, two years ago.

Back then, he had mistaken Irina for someone affiliated with the temple because she had holy power.

"Can you make it back to the shop?"

Irina stood up first, offering her hand to help him up. It was a small hand, yet he relied on it every time.

"Miss Irina... please don't meet the priest."

"What?"

Alan gripped Irina's hand tightly, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"You already have holy power, what if the priest finds out?"

"Is that what you're worried about?"

Irina chuckled, easing the tension.

"It's okay. He already knows I have holy power."

"Then you definitely shouldn't meet him!"

Alan's voice rose unexpectedly. The sound echoed in the quiet village, causing Irina to furrow her brow slightly.

The temple people are merciless. They pretend to be messengers of God, sacrificing and serving the Empire's people, but they are actually demons.

"You don't know what the temple is like!"

"I don't know what you're worried about, but nothing will happen."

"... "

"I just need to confirm something. I don't know what you're so afraid of about the temple."

Irina's voice was firm.

"I'm not going to ask you to come with me, so go back to the shop and rest."

Irina's hand slipped from his grasp like sand.

Alan stared blankly at Irina's retreating figure.

From the moment she helped him, to the present day, he only wanted one thing: To repay her and stay by her side.

And it seemed like that was only his thought. Irina didn't seem to care when he left her.

Someone who wouldn't stop him from coming and wouldn't hold him back even if he left.

"Haa..."

He felt pathetic, but at the same time, he knew there was nothing he could do.

Two years ago, Irina's kindness may have been a single whim, but for Alan, it was everything.

"You don't know what the temple is like... huh."

I quietly repeated the words Alan had said to me. If the story of the temple and priests made him react to that extent, it was certain that something had happened in the temple.

Is it related to the fact that his body was in a condition where he could have died at any time two years ago?

He also knew more about herbalism and pathology than ordinary people, which was strange, and if that was because he came from the temple, it all made sense.

However, I'm curious as to why Alan ran away from the temple so much.

His pale face bothered me, so I turned my gaze back. I hope he made it back okay by himself.

If I wasn't meeting Tamitart, I would have gone back with him...

As Irina clicked her tongue briefly, she stopped in front of the village square.

The villagers called it a fountain, but Tamitart, standing in front of a small pond with an angel statue, came into view.

He wasn't showing that he was a priest, but rather he was wearing ordinary civilian clothes and his long hair was tied up neatly, and I got closer to him.

"I heard it from the Princess. I heard you were looking for me?"

With the sound of the breath, his small voice echoed in the quiet square, and he slowly turned his head.

The eyes that reminded her of aquamarine looked at her and carefully answered.

"I am Tamitart of the Great Hall. Thank you for taking the time."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Wait, I want to talk while looking at your face."

Since his face was covered with a robe, he even leaned over slightly to see my face.

I slowly moved the robe behind my head, recalling Tamitart who said that he had nothing to do with Rogian or the temple, and that he was curious about me.

As the untied hair slid down, sunset-colored hair that did not match the navy sky flowed down.

When I lifted my head and looked straight at his face, Tamitart's face, which could be called a pure beauty, was distorted as much as possible.

It was a completely different reaction from when I first saw my face in the capital.

Back then, there was only a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, but now I felt a mixture of light displeasure and anxiety.

"Is it okay now?"