After that, Seiyed offered Vicious a guest room among the many at the Hilan mansion and invited him to dinner with Kisa.

As it was just about sunset, they left Vicious’ luggage with a servant and the three headed straight to the dining room.

Seated at the table, the young monk could not hide his amazement at the dishes laid out.

“Wow! As expected of the Hilan family. My mouth is watering. I wonder if it’s okay for me alone to receive such lavish treatment.”

“This is nothing special.”

Seiyed shrugged and took a sip of wine, while Brother Vicious looked at Kisa and Seiyed and offered flattering praise.

“Looking at you two, you really suit each other well. You’re like a couple straight out of a famous painting.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Brother Vicious.”

Kisa smiled and responded to his words, while also keeping her senses alert to gauge the atmosphere between the two men.

If by some chance Vicious was really Seiyed’s accomplice, he might let something slip during the conversation.

“More importantly, Brother Vicious, how is Fabella Monastery? Is everyone doing well?”

“Of course. Thanks to the Hilan family’s patronage, the monastery and Bonzmos are flourishing day by day. There’s no reason not to be doing well.”

“That’s good to hear then.”

“Oh yes, by the way, Brother Emil left a few days ago because of some family troubles back home. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Is that so? Did he not give any details?”

“Well, no. As you know, he rarely reveals his personal matters unless absolutely necessary.”

“That’s true.”

“How have you been lately, Your Grace? Even today you seemed quite busy with various matters.”

“I try not to show it, but it is rather burdensome in many ways. I’ve only just gotten used to leading the family recently. And there are also the wedding preparations.”

However, the sight of the two men catching up on each other’s recent news appeared perfectly ordinary.

“Wedding! Just hearing the word makes me excited. Come to think of it, the Abbot also seemed to be contemplating what to send as a congratulatory gift. There was even talk among the regular monks about collecting money to prepare a modest gift. Isn’t it funny? Half of them used to constantly badmouth you when you were at the monastery.”

“It must be an awkward situation for them.”

Listening quietly, it seemed that most of the talking was coming from Brother Vicious, while Seiyed limited himself to appropriate responses.

‘…Is he being cautious about something?’

But then again, it also appeared that he was naturally speaking less as he dealt with the talkative Brother Vicious.

“By the way, it’s truly a shame.”

Just then, Vicious, who had been going on about the trivial daily life at the monastery, let out a deep sigh.

“It being the wedding of none other than Hilan Su… the Duke, I would have liked to congratulate you in person at the event. It’s unfortunate that I can only offer my congratulations so far in advance like this.”

Hearing those words, Seiyed gazed at his old colleague for a moment before making an unexpected suggestion.

“In that case, why don’t you attend the wedding too?”

“Pardon?”

“Instead of just staying tonight, you could remain here until after the wedding ceremony before returning.”

“But I’m only here on an errand…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll send a letter to the Abbot and get permission.”

Brother Vicious swallowed hard before carefully asking.

“Is that really alright?”

“Of course. I too would be happy to have a friend I’ve known since my time at Fabella Monastery attend as a guest and offer congratulations.”

An exclamation escaped Brother Vicious’ lips.

“If that’s possible, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m sure the Abbot will gladly grant your request, Hilan Brother. Thank you!”

“No need for thanks. By the way, if you’re not used to calling me Duke, just address me as before. I find it more familiar and comfortable that way too.”

“Oh my, I’ve been mistaken all this time… Anyway, I understand. Hilan Brother, let me pour you a glass.”

Brother Vicious smiled brightly as he politely poured wine into Seiyed’s glass.

A warm and friendly atmosphere enveloped the table, and not only Vicious but Seiyed also appeared to be enjoying himself.

However, to tell the truth, Kisa alone could not smile with ease.

‘Brother Vicious staying here…?’

At that moment, the image of one person flashed through her mind.

Coby Brown. According to Brother Emil’s confession, he was Seiyed’s accomplice and currently whereabouts unknown.

Like Brother Vicious sitting there, he had suddenly appeared before them and disappeared not long after.

Logically speaking, it was unreasonable to connect the two based on just that, but for some reason Kisa kept feeling uneasy about Coby’s existence.

What if, as Kisa suspected, Brother Vicious was truly another of Seiyed’s collaborators?

If Seiyed had really… murdered his brother and even disposed of his accomplice Coby to silence him.

‘Brother Vicious isn’t safe either!’

To bury the truth forever, wouldn’t he need to eliminate everyone who knew about his crimes?

Kisa’s hand holding the fork began to tremble, so she forcibly tensed both hands to feign composure.

“…”

For now, it was still in the realm of speculation built upon speculation, so there was no need to worry excessively.

She tried to calm herself by repeating that, but she couldn’t shake the increasingly anxious feeling.

She wanted to prevent Vicious from staying here altogether, but she had no justifiable reason to do so.

‘Forcing the issue would only raise suspicions. In that case, rather…’

Kisa voiced the decision she had secretly made after dinner had ended.

After Vicious had left first for the guest room assigned to him, Seiyed and Kisa headed to the entrance alone.

Unless there was something unusual, Seiyed always escorted Kisa to where her carriage was waiting.

“Um, Seiyed.”

After observing her lover’s expression for a moment, Kisa spoke in a subdued voice.

“I have a favor to ask.”

He responded with his usual gentle manner.

“Anything, please tell me.”

“May I also stay here for a while?”

“…Would you mind telling me the reason?”

Kisa lowered her eyes and gave the excuse she had thought up during dinner.

“Actually, I’ve been having nightmares constantly since that night when you woke me from sleep paralysis.”

Her voice sounded fragile, as if it might break at any moment, even to her own ears.

“In my dreams, I’m always being chased by a faceless pursuer. No matter how much I run away, he keeps following me. I’m scared to fall asleep now.”

“Kisa…”

“Can’t you stay by my side, Seiyed?”

Kisa gently leaned into his strong embrace and raised her head to meet his gaze.

“I feel more at ease here than in that house where my mother passed away… than in that house with my frightening father.”

In reality it was the opposite, but Kisa willingly told the lie.

“Above all, you’re here. Please?”

Had her performance, giving it her all, worked?

“I see that’s been happening.”

Seiyed, looking down at Kisa, gently stroked her shoulders and back as she leaned against him.

“I’m a failure as a lover. I had no idea you were suffering so much.”

“That’s not true. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily. But…”

“Yes, stay here as long as you wish. This will soon be your home anyway.”

She buried her face in her lover’s chest and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you. I’m so fortunate to have you by my side, Seiyed.”

But in truth, her mind was filled with other thoughts.

The next day, Kisa sent someone to the Vanspelt mansion to bring clothes and other necessities for a few days’ stay.

Upon hearing the message through a servant, Count Vanspelt left word for his daughter to focus on wedding preparations, without any particular reprimand.

Having stayed here occasionally before, it wasn’t difficult to adjust to life at the Hilan mansion.

She spent her time in the now familiar guest room, attended to by Lily.

At first, she was on high alert, closely watching the interactions between Seiyed and Brother Vicious, but soon realized there was no need for such vigilance.

This was because Seiyed was too busy.

The family business that he had previously held meetings about continued to cause problems, and he was away from the mansion day and night.

“Due to the winter being colder than expected, the imported raw materials from abroad have frozen. But don’t worry too much. I just want to resolve it quickly before the wedding, it’s not such a serious issue. More importantly, how was last night? You didn’t have another nightmare, did you?”

Seiyed, the very picture of an ideal lover, stayed by Kisa’s side whenever he had a moment to spare.

For his part, Vicious lived quietly within the mansion without wandering outside.

It was unexpected, but thinking about it, while he was outgoing for a monk, he was fundamentally still a monk secluded from the secular world.

However, perhaps feeling bored with nothing to do, he volunteered to help with tasks around the mansion and never refused when Kisa occasionally invited him for tea time.

While drinking tea, he would often lament about having few chances to properly talk with Seiyed despite finally staying at the Duke’s mansion.

Several days passed like this.

It was an extremely peaceful time, and although Kisa searched various places whenever she had the chance, she found nothing that could be considered evidence of a crime.

The suspicion planted by Brother Emil gradually faded, and just as Kisa too was unknowingly letting her guard down.

An unexpected event occurred.

“What? What did you say?”

One morning, Seiyed met Kisa in the dining room and calmly informed her.

“Brother Vicious. He returned to Fabella Monastery early this morning.”

“…Why?”

“The Abbot sent an urgent message. Saying there was an important matter that Brother Vicious needed to take care of.”

Her heart grew cold.