Diana opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Startled by the appearance of a stranger, the puppy quickly covered its head and, as soon as it made eye contact with Diana, whimpered and curled its body into a ball.

Diana quickly picked up the cute and pitiful puppy in her arms.

“Poor thing… Why are you here alone?”

Naturally, there was no answer.

Diana scratched its neck while looking around.

“Where’s your owner?”

No one was in sight.

Diana felt sorry for the trembling puppy with drooping ears and gave it a small kiss on the nose.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared of elder sister?”

Again, there was no answer.

Just then, she heard the voice of the nun calling for Diana.

“Lady?”

Diana turned her head while holding the puppy in her arms.

“Yes, Sister.”

The nun looked down at the puppy in Diana’s arms with quite a surprised expression.

Diana tilted her head and approached closer.

“Sister, you don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah, no, I’m fine. Where did that wolf come from…?”

“…It’s a wolf, not a puppy? Now that you mention it…”

It was hard to tell due to its small size, but upon closer inspection, it did resemble Raoul in some ways. The gray fur and blue eyes were similar.

“…Ah, I must be getting old, sometimes I misspeak. It looks like a wolf, but it’s a dog.”

The nun briefly observed Diana’s reaction, then slipped her arm between the puppy’s forelegs.

The puppy, uncomfortable being suspended in the air, whined and struggled irritably.

“It’s an animal we keep outside, I’m not sure how it ended up here.”

Diana, feeling empty without the puppy in her arms, absentmindedly scratched its soft head a few times.

The puppy, which had been constantly squirming in the nun’s arms, became docile when Diana’s hand touched it. It was a strange occurrence.

“I should take this little one back to where it belongs. You go ahead and have your meal.”

“Alright. See you later, puppy.”

Diana waved her hand slightly.

Diana stroked the heads of the children who were sitting in a row in the dining hall and starting to eat their stew.

As the fine hairs kept falling into the stew, she tied them back with the hair tie she had.

While feeding one child, another would whine, and when one finished eating, another would doze off with their nose in the stew.

Diana found this cute and amusing, so she gently patted the back of the dozing child.

“You shouldn’t sleep while eating. Wake up and eat, okay?”

“Mmm… Yes…”

The nun who was helping another child eat nearby made eye contact with Diana and burst into laughter without resistance.

After finally finishing the meal, it was nap time.

Diana also lay down next to the children and closed her eyes for a moment.

The mischievous Theo and the pretty-eyed girl Emilia from the monastery fought over who would take the spot next to Diana.

“I’m going to sleep next to the teacher!”

“What are you saying, ugly! It’s me!”

Soon, Emilia’s puffy cheeks trembled as she began to cry.

“Theo, you’re mean. Why are you trying to hog the teacher?”

“When did I! You slept with the teacher last time too!”

Diana’s head was spinning.

In the end, she couldn’t even lie down and had to sit up because of the children pulling each other’s hair.

“Teacher won’t lie down anywhere.”

“Sniff… It’s because of Theo.”

“I’m really going to twist your nose…!”

“Ouch! Theo!”

After the two bickered for a while and finally fell asleep, Diana found peace at last.

In her dazed state, Diana headed for the bench in the courtyard.

As she was about to close her eyes under the shade of a large tree, she heard whimpering sounds from somewhere.

When she turned around, she saw a puppy struggling, stuck in a small dog hole.

“Are you the one from earlier?”

Diana was startled and approached the puppy, acting as if she knew it. Beyond the wall where the puppy had come through was an enclosed empty space connecting the prayer room to the cemetery.

‘The children said they heard ghost sounds around there, but they were actually keeping a puppy?’

Diana tried to pick up the puppy in her arms. But surprisingly, the puppy’s body was suddenly sucked back through the dog hole.

Diana was so shocked that she let out an “Oh my!”

Diana quickly lay down on the ground and looked through the dog hole. However, all she could see was a desolate cemetery.

Wondering if it might be the nun, Diana called out to the other side.

“Is that you, Sister?”

But there was no answer. It was clear that no one was there, yet somehow she felt a presence.

Just then, a pale hand landed on Diana’s shoulder. Diana was so startled that she screamed and collapsed to the ground.

“Kyaa!”

“Lady, what are you doing here?”

It was the Mother Superior.

Diana blushed and quickly got up, dusting herself off.

“There was a puppy stuck in the dog hole that the monastery keeps, but it suddenly disappeared. It was as if someone on the other side of the wall was pulling the puppy’s body.”

“Oh my, when did such a gap appear here…”

The Mother Superior seemed more concerned about the hole in the wall than what Diana had said.

“Do you keep puppies in the cemetery?”

“No. We let it out in the courtyard for a while, but it must have wandered over there through the dog hole. It’s quite a mischievous one.”

“I’m sure there was someone there…”

“That’s impossible. The tomb is a sacred place where the prophet is buried. Ordinary people are absolutely not allowed to enter.”

Diana nodded, feeling somewhat uneasy. There was nothing more to say since the Mother Superior had spoken so definitively.

However, she still felt a strange presence beyond the wall. It was truly bizarre.

Diana eventually moved her feet according to the Mother Superior’s words.

As their voices faded away, several shadows flickered inside the dog hole.

Among them was the shadow of a puppy with a pointed snout.

Before leaving the monastery, the Mother Superior lowered her lips to Diana’s forehead.

Although not as powerful as a saint or cardinal, the blessing bestowed by a believer had the power to drive away evil spirits.

“Then please take care on your way.”

Diana bowed her head in gratitude. It had been a very tiring but fulfilling day.

Biche, who had been tormented by the monastery children all day, prepared to leave with Diana. His face also showed clear signs of joy.

“You worked hard today, Biche.”

“It’s nothing…! How can what I do be considered hard work?”

Even after several years together, Biche always lowered himself like this.

He was such a consistent person, even though he could have been more comfortable by now. As Diana was about to praise Biche’s efforts while massaging his shoulders, she heard a voice.

“Are you leaving now?”

A soft baritone voice that brought a smile just from hearing it called out to Diana.

Thin lips curved into a gentle arc.

“Raoul?”

Blue eyes hidden under a black robe were revealed. Diana walked past Biche and straight to Raoul’s side.

It was even more welcoming to see a face that she might only see once a week.

The memory of him leaving the castle without a word seemed to have completely faded from Diana’s mind.

His cheeks looked haggard, as if he hadn’t slept. Diana looked up at Raoul’s face from a short distance away and spoke with a worried voice.

“Did you stay up all night?”

“I rested in between.”

“You’re just saying that, but you probably overdid it again.”

“…No. I really did rest.”

As Diana continued the conversation with Raoul, a horse whinnied behind them.

Diana turned her head at the sound. Biche was feeding carrots to the horse while glancing at the two of them from the corner of his eye.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Biche. Let’s head back now.”

Diana turned her head to say goodbye to Raoul.

However, Raoul’s gaze was directed not at Diana, but at Biche over her shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Do you have something to say to Biche?”

Raoul cleared his throat, and after a moment’s pause, Biche spoke up.

“Lady, didn’t you say you were going to stop by the apothecary?”

Ah, that’s right. Thankfully, Biche had remembered.

With the change of seasons, the children often coughed and had runny noses. Brewing cinnamon or ginger for them to drink would help with the persistent cough.

If they were lucky, they might also be able to get some Flamebird leaves to boost immunity. Diana briefly observed Biche’s expression.

“What should we do? Biche must be tired too.”

“I’m fine. Please go ahead.”

Diana hesitated. It was getting late, should she just visit another day? But Flamebird leaves quickly ran out of stock.

She needed to visit now and secure them as soon as possible, while they were still recently stocked.

Sensing Diana’s thoughts, Raoul reached out from behind and closed the carriage door.

“I’ll go with you.”

What could she do? Diana clasped her hands together and conveyed her apologies to Biche.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes. It’s not like I have anything urgent to do. Don’t worry and take your time.”

Biche smiled as he stroked the horse.

Diana hurried her steps, intending to return quickly. The apothecary would be closing soon, so she needed to move quickly.

As they entered the alley lined with small shops, Raoul approached Diana’s side and asked,

“Do you often come this way?”

“Yes. It’s closer to the monastery.”

“There are a lot of taverns around. You should be careful.”

Sure enough, a drunk man was crouched in front of a store, singing to himself.

Diana nodded as she moved slightly closer to Raoul.

“Don’t worry. I always come with Biche.”

Diana’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she said this. The back of her hand that had been brushing against his was quite distracting.

Diana tried not to be conscious of it, but the sensation of each finger joint brushing against hers was extremely tingling.

Raoul enveloped Diana’s wandering hand. The sensation of their cold and hot hands meeting was very vivid.

She glanced up at his face, which had suddenly become much taller.

The soft, chubby cheeks had disappeared, replaced by a sharp jawline.

His cool gaze reminded her of the ruler of a frigid snowfield, and the straight bridge of his nose followed by softly falling lips remained as beautifully shaped as ever.

Diana lowered her gaze again and chose her words carefully.

They should be chatting casually when together, but holding hands made her feel strangely nervous.

Raoul broke the quiet air first.

“Isn’t the monastery service hard?”

“It is. But the children love it so much.”

“You must have been holding kids all day today too.”

“They need lots of hugs. It’s not a difficult task.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

As they chatted, the sign for the apothecary came into view.

A small light was seeping through the window below. Thank goodness. It’s still open.

Raoul opened the door first, and a small bell chimed. Diana naturally entered the apothecary.

“It’s been a while.”