Then, that fateful day came.

  Right after the annual prayer ceremony, when all the guests had left, Lilia, the saintess candidate, manifested her power within the private quarters. It was so potent that I, in my charmer far away from that place, could sense it. Paul informed me later that only Aria and Cardinal Dive were present at that time.

  Apparently, Aria, as if she had noticed beforehand, had cleared the vicinity. However, Cardinal Dive had accidentally stumbled into that quarter. His lustful nature never changed. He was having a tryst with a deacon there. Ah, I should not show this to Lucy. As a result, things got out of hand.

  After that, Aria took a drastic measure. She ‘ordered’ a pair of priests to take Lilia out of the main church. Apparently, even before that accident, she orchestrated the first encounter between Duke Willow and Lilia before the annual meeting. And she also ensured that Duke Willow witnessed the moment Lilia was taken out of the main church. Paul was instructed to monitor everything in case things went awry, in case the insurance was needed. From the very beginning, Aria planned to place Lilia under Duke Willow’s guardianship.

  I was kept in the dark until the end. When I inquired about it later, I received nothing but her ‘confession.’

  It was in the evening. It was getting cloudy. Indeed, a storm was coming, literally.

  “Aria, what happened? Why are you looking so down?” Her mood was growing gloomier by the day, yet it was at a critically low point.

  “Your holiness…” She fell down in front of me. “I have sinned against the next saintess, Lady Lily.”

  Upon seeing that, I rushed to get her up. “… Could you tell me what happened?”

  “I,… A day before the annual prayer, I instigated High Priest Adwin to punish Lady Lily.” Then she began to tell me about what happened that day.

  “…” I could not comprehend it at first. I knew she must have had her reason.

  “Today, I instructed Priest Ellen and Priest Sier to harm Lady Lily.” She started to quaver. As I held her in my embrace, I asked her about her reason. “…. Aria, I believe you have your reason… Could you recount everything in detail?”

  However, she did not reply to me. Then, Paul stepped up to explain it to me.

  “Please allow me to explain things. Regarding High Priest Adwin… Milady asked Sister Lily to carry a heavy box containing his favorite tableware. I was tasked to make her drop it in front of him and allowed him to punish Sister Lily in front of a guest, Duke Willow… and..." his eyes kept nailing at Aria crying in my embrace.

  “Yesterday, as you know, Sister Lily’s power went out of control. It was witnessed by us and a cardinal. ………. So,……” Paul hesitated to explain the next thing, but I pressed him forward. I subconsciously tighten my embrace of Aria.

  “Please continue.”

  “To protect Sister Lily, milady took it upon herself; she ordered Priest Ellen and Priest Sier to…” Then he walked close to us. After he lowered to my eye level, he continued. “She told them to take Sister Lily to the bluff in the forest behind the main church……”

  His explanation came to a halt as he was unsure how to proceed. I silently plead with him with my eyes.

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  “Milady asked them to silence her.” I could feel Aria’s body jerk. Paul, too, noticed it. Then he hurriedly added.

  “However, she asked me to protect Sister Lily in secret. In addition, Milady also ensured that Duke Willow witnessed their actions.”

  After getting the whole picture, my emotions welled up immediately. At the time, the most prominent one was furious. “…. Aria…………… I am mad at you.”

  “I am sorry. I will await any punishment.” She pushed herself out of my embrace.

  “…… However, the reason I am mad at you is not the one you think.” I did not pursue her immediately. Instead, I extend my hand to caress her cheek.

  She was stunned by my behavior. Her eyes became round the moment she could feel my hand.

  “I am mad at you, not because you hurt Lily, but because you hurt yourself.” I could feel tears fall from my face. Although the rain began to fall, I could clearly hear the sound of it hitting the ground.

  “…” Aria tried to speak, but no voice came out.

  “Why are you always trying to hurt yourself? There are many ways to handle the situation. Why did you choose the one that hurt you the most? Are you playing with this old woman?” I was really mad. What did she think of me? Why did she not tell me before she took action? Why only now that she reported to me? Was I just a decoration? Lucy, please tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you get angry too? How would you respond to it?

  “……. I dare not, your holiness.” Her body shook violently.

  “Aria… My child……. My ……, what is your reason for doing it? Tell me.” I could not stop my tears. It fell down uncontrollably.

  Silence falls upon us. After what felt like an eternity, Aria started to talk again.

  “Father knows about me. He knows that I won’t become a saintess. He would eliminate anyone who would threaten my position.”

  She cast down her gaze before looking up again.

  “He was suspicious of me. So, I have to take the initiative proactively.” That was her reason. She needed to make them think that she was one of them. She needed to make them know that she could not get back. She was willing to fall down with them. Even if it would bring her pain, she was willing to do so. She has always been like that. Never cares about herself, only cares about others.

  However, there were many more ways to do it. Aria was destroying her future. Then, I shift my wrath at Paul. He was an adult, and he had always been with her. He could have stopped her and offered her more advice. Yet, he neglected his duty. He, too, needed to be blamed for it.

  “… Paul, why did you not stop her?” I piercingly stared at him.

  “……… I tried………….. But I was bound by the eternal oath to milady.” And that was his excuse.

  At that time, I really felt disappointed with him. I thought I could leave Aria in his care, and it proved to be a disaster. “I always think that you are a reliable adult. I seem to misjudge you.”

  “… Forgive me, this is the only way to get milady out of his surveillance.”

  I could not buy his excuse. There were many more ways to do it. Yet, why did he choose to get along with it? I could never understand these two. Can you understand them, Lucy? Although they are always flexible with the right thing, why are they steadfast with their principle at the wrong time?

  However, what he said next made me have hope. At least he had it under control.

  “To protect milady’s honor and for their future relationship, I ensured that only Cardinal Peter knew about milady’s direct involvement. I told those priests that Cardinal Peter was the one giving the order.”

  “……I see. At least, you know what you are doing.” Although he was unreliable at that time, I could at least have some trust in him. He did not completely disappoint me.

  Then I shifted my attention to Aria. I gently embraced Aria and stroked her head as I comforted her.

  “So, Aria… You do not have to feel guilty. It is for Lily’s safety, right? You did nothing wrong. I believe Lily will not resent you. Duke Willow is a good man. Iris, too, is with him. You did not harm Lily. Instead, you give Lily a new home and a new family. She won’t hate you. Instead, she will feel grateful to you.”

  That night, Aria cried herself to sleep. Paul and I stayed with her the whole night.

  I thought back to our conversation in the garden that day. That was the thing that she talked about. I could not say this is the best method, but it was a good method to smuggle Lilia out of Duke Ellon’s sight and hide her until Lilia matures. However, the psychological burden placed on Aria was too enormous for her. Aria has been blaming herself to this day. From that day, we have never been graced by her genuine smile. I really long for Aria’s genuine smile.