What else should I talk about? Since tomorrow is your first time supervising a confession, should I talk about that time? Chronically, it's alright to talk about it here, as it was after that fateful day. I believe you should be aware of it so you can prepare for the future. After, you have to be careful of some stray dogs and cats taking advantage of you.

  It was a sunny day. It was like the day a storm just passed us. It was that kind of day.

  I was in the Great Hanging Gardens, enjoying tea with you, Lucy. It offered me a nice view of the main church entrance. Well, it was to soothe you as you wanted to greet your mother the moment she returned.

  Looking at the sun, it was about time for Aria to return from her volunteer activities. While I thought that, I caught sight of Aria entering the main church. Behind her was your ‘brother’, as usual.

  Officially, he was known as my knight, but he spent most of his time with Aria. Instead, Paul, who was Aria’s knight, was guarding me. How strange, how ironic. However, I did not feel bad about this arrangement. Paul never failed to prepare my favorite cake for me, and it felt peaceful without that boy’s restlessness.

  Then I noticed someone was also walking alongside her. That armor looked like a capital guard. The way he tried to get close to Aria told me he was up to something not good.

  So, I immediately turn to Paul. “Paul, it looks like someone is clinging to Aria.” Noticing this was unusual, I asked Paul in concern.

  “… He is the captain of the capital guard. At least, he is not a pest. He is a decent man.” After he took a glance at them, he nonchalantly replied and continued to feed you a cookie.

  “Oh, for you to say that. He must be a man of great quality.” I could not hide my surprise. Indeed, it was rare for Paul to praise anyone. That, too, was a rare case in which he allowed someone to get close to Aria.

  “Much better than that garbage.” Without lifting his face, he continued to feed you another cookie. He was still strict with Andres.

  “fufufu.. it seems he found himself a formidable competitor.” Seeing him like that, I could not hide my smile. More and more good people continued to gather around Aria. It made me happy. I shipped my tea with a light heart.

  We patiently wait for Aria.

  “Mommy, welcome back.” Immediately after seeing Aria enter the garden, you enthusiastically greeted her with a big hug. At that time, if I have to point out, you throw your whole weight into Aria's embrace without any care. Aria just recovered, and I was worried that you would hurt her.

  However, seeing Aria smile at you while caressing your head, I did not point it out. Instead, I asked her about her volunteer work. “Aria, how was it? Did you face any difficulty during your outing?”

  “Thank you for your concern, Your Holiness. Everything is normal.” After giving her usual reply, she turned to you and carried you up. “I am back, Lucy. How are you doing? Were you well-behaved?”

  “Lucy is a good kid.” You raised both of your hands. Aria almost lost her balance because of this. It was Andres who saved both of you. He held Aria’s back so she did not fall back.

  “Yes, Lucy is a good kid.” I also chimed in to support you. Perhaps I spoiled you too much.

  After everyone sat down, I decided to ask her about that ‘man’. “It seems everything is good on your side. However, I could not help but notice that we have an unusual guest today.”

  “… Ah, I happened to run into Sir Ramond on my way back. He was on his way to offer prayer, so we decided to let him join us.” Aria calmly replied to me while holding you on her lap.

  “Hmmm, it seems that both of you are old acquaintances, too.”

  “We first met during my first volunteer activities. He was the captain of the guards sent to help us at that time.” That was how they met.

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  Yet, I remembered that Aria’s first volunteer activity was when she was eleven. He first met her at that time. Did he fall for her then? If so, he might be a p*d*philia. He was a dangerous person. Yet, Paul has already guaranteed his character. He also looked young. So, I might be wrong at that time.

  Then, I tried to confirm it with Aria. “Oh ho. What was he like?”

  “Pardon?”, facing my concern, Aria was taken aback.

  She cutely tilted her head to me. I could see someone turning red at that time. I ignored him and chose to clarify my question with Aria again.

  “What kind of person is he to your eyes?”

  “That…” After pondering for a while, Aria replied, “I think he is a respectable knight. He is a serious person and has a great personality. The townspeople like him a lot.” It proved that my previous worry was unfounded.

  So, I decided to get to the main point. “Seems like an ideal man. What about you, Aria? What do you think of him, personally?” I could see someone halt their hands holding the tea cup midair.

  “… I think he is a good friend.” Only after hearing her reply did they continue to sip their tea as if nothing had happened. That duo was too funny to watch.

  “Oh, just a friend, huh?” While I applaud Aria with a smile, I turned to them with a teasing smile. “Well, that is good enough. I am glad you can find a good friend.”

  “Yes, Your holiness.” Obvious to it as usual, Aria just weakly replied to me while feeding you a cookie.

  Andres, too, tried to do it. But you pushed his hand coldly.

  While I was laughing at both of you, someone also entered the garden.

  “… Your holiness, Lady Aria, Sir Ramond is asking if he could make a confession.” Bishop Theo bowed to me while sneaking a peek at Andres and Aria.

  “… isn’t it the duty of the priest and nun to listen to confession. I do not remember that saintess candidate also taking on this duty.” I immediately understood his intention. Paul, too, noticed it. He showed a displeased face and moved his hand to his sword after feeding you a cookie.

  “Please forgive us, your holiness. It appears that most of the priests and nuns are currently occupied. It would take a while to listen to his confession.” Unfazed by Paul’s threat, he nonchalantly continued. Then, he turned to Aria after throwing a smirk at Andres. He, too, began to give you cookies. “When we informed him about it, he asked if Lady Aria could assist him in that regard. He could not wait for long. He needs to return to his duty soon.”

  Perchance, he was the only person in the main church who would dismiss both Paul and Andres as if they were flies. We must salute his courage, or rather, his boldness. He has been with Aria since he was a High Priest. They accompanied Aria on her pilgrimage for a whole year. So, they might have forged a bond stronger than we thought.

  “Indeed, some people really want to see the world burn.” I let out a sigh and turned to Aria. “What do you think, Aria?”

  “If he's fine with me, I don’t mind.” Indeed, she was obvious about the ongoing psychological warfare in front of her.

  Then, she put you down and lowered herself to your eye level. After your eyes met, she gently stroked your head and spoke softly to you. “Lucy, mommy still has some work to do. Could you wait for mommy a bit more? Let's play together after this.”

  “Umm, let’s play, let’s play.” And you immediately agree to it, like usual. You were indeed a good child, Lucy.

  “Andres, could you help take care of Lucy for me for a while? We cannot trouble her holiness any longer.” Aria turned to Andres. With her looking up to him, with him looking down at her, I could understand what he was seeing.

  Those upturned eyes were too much for him to resist. Yet, he tried to resist. I could see that his mental strength was increasing by the day. “Your--”

  “Let go, let go. Poo Poo.” However, before he could protest, you pulled him out and ran off. I really did not know what was on your mind at that time. Could you tell me, Lucy? What were you thinking at that time?

  “Lucy, you should not call him like that.” Aria was about to run after the two of you. However, she was stopped by Paul.

  “Milady, he desired it.”

  After seeing you run off with Andres, I turned to Bishop Theo. “However, we cannot leave Aria unprotected….” After seeing him smile, I turned to Paul, “How about this? Paul, could you escort Aria to the confessional room?”

  “Your holiness, I will be fine.” It was not Paul. It was not Bishop Theo. It was Aria who denied it.

  “That cannot be done. Hmm, how about I accompany you too? It’s been a while for me to go there, too.” Then I looked at that bishop. “How about it? Can I also go to observe? I want to see how it progresses, too.”

  “… I dare not.” He gave me a meaningful smile. That man, I really wanted to burn him at the stake.

  “Then, that settles it.” So, I stood up and led them.

  En route, I asked Paul about Sir Ramond. Apparently, that man, Sir Ramond, was sent as support for the main church’s volunteer activities. It should end after that. But he kept finding excuses to attach himself to the subsequent activities. He seemed to fall for Aria after their first meeting, that p*d*philia. Since he always took his work seriously, Paul did not complain much. They even sparred with each other sometimes. It was also he who helped them sneak into the capital during the coup accident.

  How about it, Lucy? Between Sir Ramond and your ‘brother’, which one is better? Sir Ramond is strong enough to be Paul’s sparring partner. And his demeanor told us that he is not from a sample background. Aria even vouched for his character. So, we can trust him.

  However, before you decide, you should also learn about his first encounter with you.