The underground prison was guarded only at the entrance, with cells lined up on both sides of a long corridor.

Currently, Maxium was the only one imprisoned there.

This was because ordinary people would not survive long after being brought here.

Being a deep space dug under rocks, there was no light seeping in and no human presence, causing most to die from psychological pressure.

“Wait, Maxium. I’ll open it soon!”

The bars of the underground prison, which was even more terrifying due to its emptiness, opened.

Maxium appeared even more emaciated in just a few days, with dark circles under his hollow eyes.

“Let’s go. Orders came to bring you.”

Maxium left the prison, half leaning on Cole with legs that wouldn’t straighten properly.

No one knew why Maxium had suddenly been imprisoned in the temple’s underground jail.

After Edan and Lati disappeared, Hillstain had abruptly ordered him thrown in prison with a smile.

Maxium stepped on the ground and saw moonlight for the first time in a very long while.

Cole brought Maxium to the priest’s room, sat him on the bed, and asked while handing him water and a small biscuit:

“What on earth happened for you to end up in that awful place? No one knows the reason. Say something. Hey, Maxium. Maxium?”

Despite Cole’s urging, Maxium just blinked and drank the water without answering.

‘Why? Because Hillstain found out I’d been spying for Duke Edan all this time, plus I let an outsider infiltrate.’

While imprisoned underground, Maxium had thought about his mistakes.

Sneaking an outsider into the temple in the middle of the night under false pretenses was clearly wrong. But it wasn’t something deserving of the underground prison.

After all, Lady Latieana was a friend the Great Saint Ivy was looking for, and in the end it was Commander Hillstain who guided her to that room.

‘What on earth happened in that room?’

Maxium flopped down on the bed and tried to recall Latieana’s appearance.

It was just for a moment, but her hands were definitely withered.

So… like she had become a mummy, like the saint candidates.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Maxium fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long while.

Several days passed after that.

It was as if nothing had happened, like he’d never been imprisoned underground.

He was summoned by the High Priest, but the fact that he had let Latieana into the Great Saint’s room had not been revealed.

‘I hear you made a big mistake with the Knight Commander. Be careful not to slip up in his eyes from now on.’

‘Yes. I’m sorry.’

It seemed the conversation had gone that way, though Maxium hadn’t actually done anything wrong to Hillstain.

Maxium bowed deeply and accepted the reprimand.

And in the early dawn, it was a time when sleep wouldn’t come.

His sleep pattern had become a mess from being confined in the underground prison without knowing day from night.

Maxium finally got up from bed and headed to the library.

The moonlight dimly illuminated the garden towards the pure white temple.

Just as Maxium was about to move after briefly scanning the temple, a faint red light leaked out from the building housing the saint candidates.

“What’s that?”

It was such a late hour.

Dawn, when only the temple knights on guard duty patrolled the garden on schedule.

Maxium stood still, staring quizzically at the building until the light disappeared.

Meanwhile, two temple knights on patrol passed by the front of the building.

It seemed they hadn’t noticed the light, as it had happened in such a brief moment.

Maxium hid his body behind a building pillar out of the light’s reach.

And not long after, Great Saint Ivy walked out of the saint candidates’ building.

She glanced around as if she had done something secret, then quickly headed to her own building.

“There’s definitely something going on.”

Maxium, now wide awake as if doused with cold water, entered the saint candidates’ building Ivy had come out of.

‘It was the 4th floor.’

When he reached there, Maxium’s eyes filled with shock.

‘Good heavens…!’

The door of the room where the light had leaked from was slightly open. And inside were two saint candidates who had become mummies.

“La-ti-e-na nim.”

Bang!

I flung open the front door at the annoying, teasing voice.

“Sir Hillstain!”

“Good morning.”

“Haa.”

Really, I’m going crazy so early in the morning.

Whether I sighed or not, Hillstain boldly stepped into the lobby, carrying huge bouquets in both arms.

Now he even heads to the reception room as if it’s his own home.

“I told you to stop bringing flowers. There’s no more room for them.”

“I see. Then I’ll bring gold and silver treasures next time.”

Gold and silver treasures, really.

“I don’t need them.”

“All women say that. But you’ll feel good when you receive them.”

I said I don’t need them!

The reception room and first floor were already filled with flowers Hillstain had brought so far. The mansion was full of a dizzying floral scent. The flowers weren’t to blame, but we were short on vases and had to leave them scattered around. As a result, we had to start disposing of the withered ones first, which was no easy task.

He comes every day with arms full of flowers, smiling brightly saying it’s to make me feel good, but actually he’s probably tormenting me until I give him healing power.

“Isn’t the Imperial Knight Commander busy?”

“I’m busy, but I have enough time to come see Lady Latieana.”

“Couldn’t you allocate that time elsewhere?”

“That’s impossible. It’s time I set aside for Lady Latieana. I should use it to come see Lady Latieana.”

“…”

Hillstain Mathias, you sly fox of a man! He’s completely unaffected by my sarcastic words.

I thought he’d gone back well with the pepper, but he’s been visiting the mansion almost every day.

Never mind him coming in, but seeing him leave after being cursed at by Edan every time showed his patience was no joke. He must be number one in the empire when it comes to shamelessness.

I could see why he was in charge of guarding the supposedly fussy empress.

Plus, he seems to have made some kind of deal with Edan that I don’t know about.

From what I subtly asked Ruben, it seems they made a deal to quickly release Maxium and leak some imperial information. Of course, with the conditions of keeping information related to me strictly confidential and not touching my body carelessly.

“Next time I’ll bring something more expensive and better than flowers, so please hold my hand.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Just once.”

“I refuse.”

He always clings on like this at the end, which I don’t appreciate.

“Get lost.”

In the end, Edan came out and stood behind me, looking at him.

“Alright then. I’ll come again.”

Of course, Hillstain left with a smile, not minding at all, and repeated this several times.

Thanks to this, I gradually got used to Hillstain, who I had only seen as a cold and scary pervert, and gained the courage to respond coldly. Though it was still the same that his visits took up my time and were annoying.

“Where on earth is it?”

It was around the time when I was getting anxious about not being able to find a book about witches, and my wariness towards Hillstain had subsided.

“Lady Latieanaaaaa.”

Even though I had chased him away so many times, Hillstain came again.

Determined to put an end to these annoying visits once and for all, I flung open the door with all my might. Bang!

“Hills…!”

“I’ve brought a guest you might like.”

Since I refused when he said he’d bring gold and silver treasures, he’s bringing a person this time?

Frowning deeply, I glanced over his shoulder to see Maxium standing behind the smirking Hillstain.

“Oh my! Priest Maxium?”

“Hello, Lady Latieana.”

Judging by the atmosphere, he looked like someone who had been through all sorts of trials and hardships after being caught in a typhoon. Maxium bowed his head with slumped shoulders and a dark expression.

“Have you been well? I heard you were imprisoned in the underground jail and released. I’m sorry. It was because of me…”

“No, it’s fine. I survived, so it’s okay. Oh? Why are my eyes suddenly tearing up…”

Ha ha. Maxium laughed awkwardly as he rubbed his dark circles, worn out from fatigue.

He must have really had a hard time…

Edan, Hillstain, and Maxium.

One more person was added to the guest sofa in the reception room.

“Thank you.”

Maxium, who had clearly been brought here semi-forcibly by Hillstain, drank the coffee I gave him with an expression of having seen it all.

He was originally thin, but his complexion was so bad that it looked extremely worrying.

“Sir Hillstain, why did you suddenly bring the priest here?”

When I asked a bit curtly, Hillstain crossed his legs arrogantly and replied:

“Of course, to make Lady Latieana feel good.”

Why would bringing Maxium make me feel good?

But it wasn’t a bad thing. I had something I wanted to ask Maxium anyway.

I grabbed Maxium’s priest robe sleeve and stood up.

“Master, I’m going to the library with the priest for a bit.”

“Do as you please.”

Edan readily gave permission, probably finding it more unpleasant for me to be in the same place with Hillstain than with Maxium.

“Ha, shi.”

“Shi?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’m dying.”

“Your Highness’s language is consistently crude.”

“No matter what crude words I utter, I’m more dignified than you.”

“That must be your delusion.”

“I can turn your being alive into a delusion. Want to experience it now?”

“I’ll pass.”

Trying hard to ignore Hillstain and Edan’s conversation behind us, Maxium and I headed to the library.

“Is it okay to leave those two like that?”

“Probably. More importantly, there’s something I want to ask you, priest.”

For now, Maxium was the only person I could ask about this anyway.

Sitting down at the work desk in the library, I took out a black book and showed it to Maxium.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a book about black magic.”

“What?!”