Riana bowed her head, closing her eyes tightly in front of the sublime temple.

Red blood, black earth, fallen paradise.

It felt as if entering the temple would expose all her sins to the world.

It seemed the temple bell would ring through Ideana’s void, announcing her sins.

The front of the temple with its angel statues looked like it might collapse and crush her.

Just then, the supervisor and workers responsible for temple repairs rushed out from inside.

“La-Lady Giselle Marlhein, High Priestess!”

They lined up respectfully in front of Giselle.

“It’s dangerous over there due to construction, please come this way!”

The devout believers seemed quite excited by the High Priestess’s visit.

The supervisor led them to the back of the temple.

Behind the temple, small low buildings surrounded a courtyard with a single lemon tree on all four sides.

It used to be dormitories for priests and novices, and spaces for administrative work.

“You can use this place. We’ve cleaned everything, but please let us know if anything is inconvenient!”

“Thank you. May God be with you all.”

Inside the small office was a modest but sturdy wooden desk and a cushioned chair.

On the carpet in front of the desk was a small table and chairs for receiving guests or holding brief meetings.

Riana prepared refreshments and a light blanket for Giselle.

“Thank you. You may go now.”

“Then I’ll see you again later!”

The supervisor called out in a spirited voice and left.

As Riana was about to follow him out.

“Riana. You stay here.”

Giselle called Riana to a halt.

The maid had no choice but to stop in her tracks.

Riana took a position by the door where she wouldn’t be in the way.

Giselle left her standing there and focused on her work.

The ceiling was painted with holy divinity, and the walls had murals of noble saints.

Underfoot were scenes from scriptures carved into various colored marble pieces.

Where Riana stood was the image of a demon screaming, pierced by an angel’s spear.

Feeling as if her feet were burning, she shifted her position slightly.

Her stomach felt uneasy, as if the bread she ate that morning had disagreed with her.

She adjusted her collar due to the discomfort.

Just then, Giselle, who had been examining documents related to temple repairs and offerings, spoke up.

“Isn’t it difficult working for the Lester family?”

Riana looked at Giselle, who had suddenly broken the silence.

The High Priestess calmly continued writing without taking her eyes off the documents.

Riana understood her intention.

In this place where everyone had left. Giselle had something she wanted to say to her in private.

Riana opened her lips calmly and respectfully.

“Yes, High Priestess.”

“It must be hard, coming all the way to an unfamiliar, distant place. It’s certainly more challenging than other places, isn’t it?”

“It’s what we ought to do.”

“How diligent and loyal. There should be more maids like you.”

Giselle smiled as she turned the pages.

“I hear you served closely by Count Lester’s side?”

“…Yes, High Priestess.”

“Having served the Duke of Lester for a long time, you must know him better than I do.”

Giselle raised her eyes from the documents.

Golden eyes sparkled beneath long eyelashes catching the sunlight.

Though she was smiling with crescent eyes, there was a subtle coolness to it.

“How is he? Your master?”

It was a more direct question than expected.

Come to think of it, the young Giselle I saw in childhood also had an unrestrained personality.

Rather, that was refreshingly straightforward without beating around the bush.

“His Grace the Duke is a good person.”

Riana answered briefly.

Dissatisfied with the answer, Giselle’s fine eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“I didn’t ask to hear such conventional and vague words. I want to hear specific stories.”

Giselle thought Riana’s polite answer was insincere.

She seemed to have noticed Giselle’s intent in asking, but was pretending not to understand.

As Giselle pressed for details, Riana parted her lips again with lowered eyes.

“He has never been late with wages, doesn’t make us feel uncomfortable about taking time off, and there’s no work overload. So he’s good to us. As with the people of the Marlhein family, there’s also pride in working for the prestigious Duke Lester’s household.”

Giselle’s eyes widened at Riana’s stream of words.

Then she soon burst into laughter.

“You’re quite amusing.”

Everything Riana said was strictly from a ‘maid’s perspective’.

An answer devoid of subjective impressions and judgments.

The expression ‘to us’ was also quite clever.

It showed that it wasn’t just Riana’s judgment alone, so there was nothing to find fault with.

‘Is she determined to strictly maintain boundaries?’

It was cute how quick-witted and rather intelligent she was.

Giselle put down her pen and cast an intrigued gaze at Riana.

“Not that. I want to hear personal stories about His Grace the Duke.”

“Personal stories…?”

“Things that are hard for me to know, things only a maid working under him would know. For example… what do you think His Grace likes?”

The High Priestess asked with delicately narrowed eyes.

There were small thorns in the question.

Giselle no longer tries to hide her feelings.

She brazenly reveals her intentions for why she called Riana, why she’s asking such questions.

Giselle knew she had no need to feel ashamed or guarded.

No matter how intimate the relationship between Sched and Riana might be, it was they who should feel guilty, not Giselle.

Looking at the lips curved in a relaxed smile, Riana recalled the young girl who had visited Ideana long ago.

A confident, bright, and uninhibited girl.

‘She seems to be hoping I’ll be flustered by that question, but…’

Riana answered without the slightest change in expression.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t worked for the Lester family long, so I don’t know much about His Grace, High Priestess.”

“For someone who hasn’t been there long, you seemed to have taken on quite an important role as an attendant maid?”

Giselle’s question was blatant.

At this point, she might as well be directly asking about the relationship between Sched and Riana.

Riana looked into her strong eyes.

Her eyes were shining with the same lovely golden light as always.

There was no jealousy visible in those divine golden eyes.

Giselle Marlhein had strong pride. She was also wise.

Rather than jealousy as a lover, she was angry at herself for failing to hold onto Sched.

That she, so accomplished, couldn’t win Sched’s heart, while a mere maid seemed to have done so.

Additionally, she was simply annoyed by the series of situations and unsavory rumors this had caused.

Riana calmly bowed her head at Giselle’s not-quite-jealousy.

“High Priestess, if I may be so bold, one cannot make a bouquet with dandelions growing between stones.”

At this, Giselle’s eyes widened.

“Though I’m still inexperienced and don’t know His Grace’s tastes, he would surely like a bouquet of white roses.”

White roses were the symbol of the Marlhein family.

Riana Serpens, having perceived Giselle’s feelings, had soothed her heart with a subtle metaphor.

Realizing this, one corner of Giselle’s mouth rose subtly.

‘A maid using such metaphors?’

She might expect it from a lady-in-waiting of noble birth, but she’d never seen a maid converse with such metaphors.

If she was an object, she was certainly an extraordinary one.

‘It wasn’t just her pretty face that caught his eye.’

Such an intelligent and perceptive maid would naturally stand out.

Moreover, Riana knew her place precisely.

Her attitude was not arrogant but extremely humble, and her modest demeanor was quite likable.

Every gesture, glance, and tone of speech showed she was well-trained.

She clearly had a different aura from ordinary maids.

“You said you haven’t worked for the Lester family long, but your behavior is quite courteous and skilled. Where did you learn?”

“When I was young, my mother served a noblewoman. It seems what I observed growing up has remained with me.”

“Is that so? From your accent, it sounds like you grew up in Marlhein territory. Do you remember which noblewoman she served?”

“I don’t remember exactly as it was in my childhood. We also moved around a lot afterwards.”

“I see…?”

Giselle stared intently at Riana.

As a High Priestess, she had learned something from meeting countless people.

It’s not the people with rough words and brash actions who are frightening.

The truly frightening ones are people like this.

Those who don’t break easily, and are difficult to win over to your side.

Giselle furrowed her brow, pressing her fingertips to her temple.

‘Why am I empathizing with Sched Lester’s feelings?’

Giselle felt she understood why Sched had become interested in Riana Serpens.

If it weren’t for the issue with Sched, she would have wanted to bring Riana to the Marlhein household.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door from outside.

“High Priestess. His Grace the Duke has arrived.”

At the mention of His Grace the Duke, Riana’s bowed head whipped towards the door.

Giselle nodded calmly.

“It seems our guest has arrived. Shall I open the door for him?”

Riana barely concealed her startled expression as she pressed her lips together.

Giselle had known all along. That Sched would visit this place today.

Riana carefully opened the door at Giselle’s command.

As the old door opened, a familiar large figure appeared.

Violet eyes filled with bewilderment met hers.

“Why are you here…”

“Don’t just stand in the doorway, come in, Duke Lester.”

As Sched stopped upon seeing Riana, Giselle rose from her desk and greeted him nonchalantly.

Sched’s gaze then turned to Giselle.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“The meaning of what?”

“I asked why a Lester family maid is here. High Priestess.”

Sched spoke through gritted teeth.