‘Is it Leo, by any chance?’

Could it be that the clue to Leo, which I couldn’t find even after searching remote temples, was here!

‘Where is it? Where is the voice coming from?’

Even though I looked around, all I could see was the wall.

‘Could it be?’

I slightly extended my head. Giovanni and High Priest Uranus came into view. I rolled my eyes.

‘There’s nothing conspicuous.’

It was an ordinary scene.

Except for the aquamarine necklace hanging around the neck of High Priest Uranus, which was unusually bright.

‘Why is it shining like that?’

Squinting my eyes and focusing on the gem for a moment, my mind suddenly echoed.

“Yes. It’s me! Look at me!”

The aquamarine shone brightly.

It seemed to shine when it received the sound in my head, not just reflecting light.

‘Oh my God.’

A jewel speaking…

‘I hope I’m not sick.’

“It’s dull-witted.”

The sound of a tongue-clicking was sarcastic. If this was really my delusion, it was a big problem. Since it wouldn’t be an ordinary mental illness.

Shortly after, Giovanni, who finished the conversation with Uranus, approached the wall where I was hiding.

“You can come out now.”

“…….'”

“Why are you acting like that?”
Lowering the hand that was covering my head, Giovanni shot me a curious look.

“Please go ahead. I don’t think I should go yet. Something just came up.”

“…….'”

“Of course, I won’t refuse if you help. As intimate partners in our cooperative relationship.”

“…….'”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just got the feeling that you’re a more troublesome woman than I expected.”

“How did you think of me before?”

“A talented person.”

“And now, has it changed?”

“Now…….'”

He stopped speaking as his eyes met mine. A strange expression flickered in his gaze.

In the ensuing silence, I too felt bewildered.

Why are you hesitating so much? Is it unnecessary now? I could have easily broken this silence playfully with some words. However, those trivial words got stuck in my throat and just wouldn’t come out.

The memories of the dawn flashed quickly before my eyes.

Does he perhaps have similar thoughts?

Anyway, such silence felt unfamiliar.

Fortunately, not long after, Giovanni regained his usual gruff expression and asked.

“What do I need to help you with?”

One hour later.

I was still inside the temple, pressed against the wall, observing the white corridor that connected the entrance to the temple.

The massive marble door was still shut. Inside the door, the priests were probably still washing themselves.

According to Uranus, all the temple priests had gathered in the prayer room, continuously praying for the well-being of the flooded Riorza.

It seemed the prayers were offered throughout the pouring rain, making the temple unusually quiet.

I only prayed during the flood, so it must have been quite awkward. Thanks to that, the bath time was quite long.

Whispering quickly while keeping my gaze fixed on the motionless marble door.

“Do you know what you need to do?”

“…….'”

No answer.

“Your Highness?”

I glanced briefly behind.

Giovanni, who had been silent with his mouth shut, raised an eyebrow.

“I said I wanted to help you.”

“…….'”

“I didn’t know I’d be involved in theft.”

“Oh, it’s not theft. It’s a confirmation task, a confirmation task.”

“What kind of confirmation task?”

“That Aquamarine might be a fake.”

Giovanni closed his mouth. A complex expression crossed his face.

“This is the first time I’ve thought about your princely honor.”

I casually scratched my chin.

“You’ll get used to it. After all, I’m an expert.”

“Well, as long as you don’t get caught.”

I raised my thumb.

“It’s a good mindset. Do you have the potential for it?”

Giovanni squinted his eyes.

“I ordered you to get the artifact first.”

“…….'”

“Although I have nothing to say since I told you to get the artifact first.”

“…….'”

“Perhaps soon, the day will come when your moral decay will be corrected.”

“Wait a minute. I think someone is coming!”

I quickly raised my hand to show him and then looked outside.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the marble door remained silent. Still, just in case someone came out, I quickly spoke.
“You need to watch the corridor carefully. If it were dark, I could do it alone, but it’s too open here.”

With a subtly melancholic expression, Giovanni nodded his head.

“Hurry up. Before getting caught.”

For now, I’ll help. Giovanni gestured with such a face.

“This person has a somewhat funny side.”

Suppressing a laugh internally, I entered the clothes room.

The priests’ clothes were neatly arranged in individual baskets.

“What’s in the basket of the head priest? They all look so similar, making it hard to distinguish.”

The attire of the temple priests was uniformly standard. I had no choice but to search through them all.

There were about ten baskets in total.

Searching wasn’t the problem.

“As long as he didn’t go into the bathroom with the necklace still on.”

To prevent jewelry from getting damaged, it’s common to remove accessories when washing, but some priests never took off their symbolic jewelry even during bathing, making me somewhat uneasy.

The first basket had a necklace, but there was nothing noteworthy. Pass.

The second basket didn’t have a necklace.

The third basket was the same as the first.

Now, it was time to examine the fourth basket.

There was a necklace inside the clothes. The aquamarine was dazzling and beautiful, but it didn’t seem to belong to the head priest, as it was excessively clean without any signs of aging.

“Could he really have brought it in with him?”

I checked the entrance to the bathroom.

“Phew…”

I urgently pressed my lips together.

Giovanni, with clenched fists, was staring at the bathroom door, monitoring.

“This is going to be interesting.”

It was something I hadn’t experienced even after living for a long time—a prince of the empire being caught in such a situation.

The fact that the necklace could speak was as peculiar as it gets.