CHAPTER 052
The High Priest remained silent, looking thoughtful.
In the meantime, tea was served to each of us.
"It seems we must explain our situation."
After the servant left, the High Priest began to speak.
"This temple's history began with the founding of the empire."
I knew the temple was a very old building.
"Most of the temple's major secrets are passed down, but some information has been lost. Do you know about the fire that occurred at the temple 100 years ago?"
"Ah, yes!"
Now that I think about it, I remember reading about it while searching for various information in the library.
There had been a big fire at the temple.
It was noted that some important documents were lost as a result.
"It seems that the records about that room disappeared at that time. Considering there were frequent wars centuries ago, it's possible that there were secret spaces within the temple."
"I see..."
I nodded.
At that moment, Lewis spoke up.
"It's understandable that there could be a secret space and that it could be enchanted. But-"
Lewis, as bold as ever, raised a question.
"Why would there be a room with a magic circle in the temple? Isn't holy power opposed to magical power?"
That's true.
I waited for the High Priest's response, but no clear answer came.
"We'll have to investigate. We only learned about this due to the recent incident..."
With the High Priest admitting he didn't know more, our discussion ended without resolving the mystery.
Before leaving the drawing room, Lewis spoke to the High Priest.
"I'll personally compensate for the damage to the temple. Send the bill to the Magic Tower. Let me know if you need any magical assistance."
At least he didn’t say anything off-kilter like earlier about only having money. That was a relief.
* * *
After leaving the temple, we returned straight to the duke's residence.
Bella and Charlotte, who had been waiting outside during our conversation with the High Priest, came with us.
Everyone insisted I should rest since I had been startled, and led me to my room.
"Rest well, Lady Elsner."
Even Charlotte was saying this, which made me feel a bit guilty...
"What should I do? We went to the temple and caused such a commotion."
Even though they said they’d repair it! We broke the temple that Charlotte frequents!
Luckily, Charlotte seemed understanding.
"It couldn’t be helped. The hidden space in the temple was the cause of today's events."
Insisting that I needed to rest, Charlotte guided me to the bed and covered me with a blanket.
"Lady Elsner, you need to take it easy."
"I'm not even hurt."
I had only briefly felt pain from a fall earlier.
Still, since they insisted I should lie down, I ended up under the blanket.
Then, I spoke to Bella, who was standing over me.
"There are only three days for the founding festival, and the first day ended up like this. What should we do?"
When I suggested they go have fun without me, Bella sighed.
"It can’t be helped. Why are you apologizing? It’s all because Lewis broke the wall."
Bella glared at Lewis, who retorted.
"Who was just standing there helpless before I arrived?"
"I could’ve done it too, but I held back, you idiot! When did you get in here? You’ve become quite natural at this."
"Um... Both of you? Lady Elsner needs to rest!"
If it weren’t for Charlotte’s intervention, their quarrel would’ve continued for a while. Definitely.
"See you later. Rest well, Selina. We’ll be going."
Bella and Charlotte turned to leave.
Lewis, however, didn’t seem to be planning to leave. He kept looking at me.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"I'm leaving."
Only after Bella pointed it out did Lewis leave my room.
That night, I received a communication from Lewis. He seemed to have something to say earlier, and now he was contacting me.
The first thing Lewis did was ask about my condition.
-Are you feeling better?
"Yes. I took a little nap. I was already feeling fine earlier!"
It was the temple wall that broke, not me.
I mentioned what had been on my mind earlier.
"Marquis, about the magic circle we saw earlier. It’s really strange."
A magic circle in a secret room within the temple! I was very curious about why such a room existed.
-It is strange. It won’t be easy to uncover the truth. There’s no record of that room.
"I guess that’s true."
-Forget about the temple and focus on resting.
"Got it. But I really did rest well today."
Receiving such concern when I was perfectly fine made me feel a bit awkward.
"I'm really fine. Would you like to go out tomorrow?"
-You really want to go out?
"It’s a three-day holiday... I’m not even hurt."
-Then, alright.
Lewis agreed immediately.
"I made plans to go out with Bella and Lady Yanils tomorrow. Would you like to join us-"
-If it’s like that, I’m not going.
But he didn’t seem to want to hang out with everyone.
Would he prefer just the two of us?
-I don’t like moving around in a big group.
Considering we’d be five people including the twins and the lady, it would indeed be quite a sight.
I could understand his reasoning. Lewis would definitely dislike that.
-We can hang out just the two of us.
"Wouldn't people find it strange?"
-We’ve done it more than once already.
Is that so?
With him insisting like this, I couldn’t refuse Lewis's suggestion.
"Then, how about the last day?"
- That sounds good.
Lewis responded immediately. Even faster than before! How could he be so decisive...
Two days later, the day to meet Lewis arrived.
When I met Lewis in an alley near the square, he was wearing a black hood.
"Didn't want to draw attention."
"You could’ve told me in advance!"
Considering my outfit, there’s no way I wouldn’t stand out.
I looked down at my appearance in a light green dress.
I had dressed up for the festival. I didn’t realize Lewis wanted to move around quietly...
Besides, if anyone who knew me saw us, they’d easily guess who the person with me was.
"Maybe I should’ve worn something less conspicuous."
"Why? It’s fine."
"Didn’t you say you didn’t want to stand out?"
"This will do."
As soon as Lewis finished speaking, something black appeared and fluttered in the air.
As it fell, it draped over Lewis’s arm. A cloak?
Lewis unfolded the black cloak.
"Just throw this over yourself. No need to fasten it."
Is this alright?
I put my arms through the cloak as Lewis instructed.
Without fastening it, the light green dress was still visible between the black cloak.
Even so, Lewis seemed satisfied and smiled.
"This is enough."
"But I didn’t put the hood on."
"No need."
Since he said so, I moved around with just my arms through the cloak.
As we walked, Lewis asked,
"What did you do yesterday?"
"I went around the streets with Bella and Lady Yanils. We watched the parade too!"
I had fun watching the royal parade with Bella and Charlotte!
Although I said this excitedly, Lewis seemed indifferent.
"You watched that? You know what the royals look like."
"It’s different because it’s so splendid. It’s different from seeing them at a ball."
The parade with its beautifully decorated carriages and endless procession was not something you could see often.
Hearing this, Lewis seemed to understand.
As we walked through the bustling streets, it suddenly struck me.
"I can’t believe the temple incident happened just two days ago."
The street atmosphere was so lively that you wouldn’t guess the commotion that had occurred.
Of course, this place had nothing to do with the temple, so it was natural.
"Is it okay for me to be enjoying myself like this when it happened because of me...?"
I do have a conscience, you know?
With a troubled expression, Lewis spoke very calmly.
"It wasn’t destroyed, just a hole was made. A round one."
"The priests were saying it was blasphemy."
"Money solves everything at the temple!"
The phrase "It’s blasphemy!" echoed in my mind again.
This man really was at odds with the temple in many ways.
I just quietly smiled.
"It’s a good thing you have money, Marquis."
Destroying things and still being able to enjoy the festival so nonchalantly!
Since the building wasn’t completely ruined, we comfortably explored the street stalls together.
There were stalls selling dolls, toys, accessories, and all sorts of shops.
What caught my eye was a stall selling accessories.
"Is there something you want?"
"I like these kinds of places because there are so many cute things. It’s fun just to look."
The jewelry stores I visited with Bella were filled with precious items you couldn’t casually touch.
The intricate, extravagant designs in those stores were completely different from the ones here.
Stalls like these were charming because you could see so many cute things!
"This one looks nice."
I pointed to one I liked. It was a simple silver ring.
A single thin band circled around the middle, not too thin.
"Isn’t it too plain?"
"Simplicity is the best. It never goes out of style."
"Please match them together. We also have men’s sizes."
At that moment, the stall owner, overhearing our conversation, tried to make a sale.
"You want me to wear this?"
"Yes! It would suit you well."
Despite seeing Lewis's reluctance, the owner continued to recommend it eagerly. How brave!
"It’s a versatile design, popular among many. Especially as a pair."
"As a pair?"
Suddenly, Lewis reacted.
What exactly made him interested?
After a moment of thought, Lewis said.
"Then I’ll get one too."
"But you don’t usually wear rings."
"I want to now."
What is it about this ring that made Lewis want to buy it?
It seemed unusual for someone who usually wasn’t easily swayed.
The stall owner, who had succeeded in making the sale, prepared our rings with a beaming smile.
Lewis paid for them and showed me his hand with the ring.
"Same ring."
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