“But no matter what, you didn’t have to say it like that.”

Faced with Ibi’s reproachful gaze, Rio was at a loss for words.

Rio Tuha was baffled by this commoner’s sudden confrontation. And in a way, it felt unfamiliar.

Usually, Ibi Ariate was frustratingly cunning. She was a fox among foxes who always managed to slip away no matter how much she was tormented.

But today, something was different.

“Of course, you’re saying that because you don’t know. You don’t know anything about why I did it, Miss Tuha.”

Ibi Ariate, with a face full of untold stories, looked somehow precarious and desperate as she complained.

Usually, Rio wished for that arrogant commoner to know her place. She had often thought it would be nice to see that ever-smiling face become appropriately gloomy.

But seeing her like this now was more bewildering than satisfying.

Still, Rio didn’t want to lose, so she shouted again.

“If, if you’re going to speak, speak properly! I can’t understand what you’re saying!”

“How can I speak any more properly than this? To someone who looks down on me, treating me as if I’m begging for attention.”

But even that outburst was blocked by Ibi’s calm reproach.

Although she was now blindly lashing out in jealousy, Rio was fundamentally a well-bred young lady.

So, never having heard harsh words even from her family elders, to be reprimanded by this Ibi Ariate…

Her mind began to tangle at this unimaginable insubordination.

She wanted to refute, but no suitable words came to mind.

Seizing the opportunity, Ibi drove the final nail.

“Just because I’m a commoner from Bis, it doesn’t mean I deserve to hear such words.”

Ibi’s stern rebuke pierced Rio’s conscience sharply.

With that, Rio’s face turned bright red, and she was completely at a loss for words.

Looking at that pretty flushed face, Ibi muttered inwardly.

‘Did I take care of it?’

It seems so. She took care of it.

Rio Tuha was biting her lip with a pitiful expression. Her eyes, looking at Ibi, were full of betrayal, but there was no sign of further aggression.

So Ibi secretly let out a sigh.

‘What a humiliation because of this curse…’

Usually, Ibi wouldn’t engage no matter how much Rio barked at her.

She knew that would only make Rio more upset, fuming alone.

Gracefully ignoring it was the dignity of Ibi Ariate, a promising candidate for sainthood, but because of the curse, she ended up saying all sorts of pitiful things.

Ibi was quite upset about it, but now she didn’t even have time to lament.

Because there was still one more person left.

“Pfft!”

Just then, a sweet laugh burst out.

The owner of that laugh was Miel Sedro, who had been watching from the side.

“Ah, Ibi is too funny for Miel.”

Miel chuckled for a while, covering her small mouth with her hands, apparently finding something very amusing. Then, with a charming smile, she said,

“You should be grateful just for being attached to Tienda, how can you expect to be treated like a person, Ibi? You’ve developed such bad habits.”

Miel’s voice saying this was as cute as a child’s. Which made the hidden venom in it seem all the more prominent.

‘Right, there’s no way you’d let this slide.’

Ibi wasn’t surprised by those carefully honed insults.

If Rio Tuha was the one who hated Ibi the most among the purifiers, Miel Sedro was undoubtedly the one who tormented Ibi the most.

Moreover, unlike the very manageable Rio, Miel was a cruel and persistent girl.

“If you keep this up, it’ll be troublesome for Ibi, so Miel will give you some etiquette lessons.”

Sure enough, Miel said with an excited face as she approached.

“When you’ve done wrong, you should kneel. Commoners usually know this better, but I guess you’ve developed bad habits.”

“Miss Sedro, are you telling me to kneel before you now?”

“I’m asking you to show a repentant attitude. Then Miel will cover for Ibi.”

When Ibi asked for confirmation, Miel nodded with an innocently bright smile.

So Ibi thought about planting her knee in Miel’s face instead of the floor, but quickly shook off that wicked thought.

‘How do I get rid of this one?’

Miel Sedro wasn’t as easy to handle as Rio.

Moreover, Miel’s words about education were surprisingly legitimate.

Ibi, an exceptional purifier, is a valuable asset of Manya Tower. So, apart from the tower master, no one could punish Ibi, but Miel Sedro was an exception.

Because Miel was not only the cousin of Rohika Sedro, the tower master, but also the already declared next tower master.

So Miel had the unofficial authority to reprimand Ibi.

Of course, even so, Ibi had no intention whatsoever of kneeling here.

‘Should I just put them to sleep? Both Miel Sedro and Rio Tuha.’

After pondering, Ibi came up with a slightly aggressive method.

Sometimes simple is best. The location is just right, so if she just slightly asphyxiates these annoying kids…

“Someone’s coming.”

But then Miel suddenly muttered in a disappointed voice.

Miel retreated as she said that, and Ibi, not understanding at first, belatedly realized the sound of footsteps echoing in the corridor.

As Miel said, someone was coming this way.

The determined footsteps continued rather quickly, and soon the door of the salt warehouse where they were opened.

At that moment, Rio suppressed a scream while covering her mouth, and Miel shouted with a bright smile.

“Sion!”

The person who appeared without warning was none other than Count Sion Laurel.

Before Ibi could be surprised by his sudden appearance, Miel spoke in an excited voice.

“How did you know Miel was here?”

Ibi was momentarily dumbfounded by that familiar tone, but soon nodded.

‘Of course they’d know each other, being from the same high nobility.’

Ibi was about to understand and move on, but she was surprised again when she saw Miel’s face.

Miel’s cheeks were tinged with a lovely rose color as she looked at the count.

‘Don’t tell me she likes the count?’

Ibi couldn’t help but suspect. No, she was certain.

Miel was smiling at the count with a face more vibrant than ever. It was clearly that of a girl in love, for anyone to see.

But unlike Miel, who was beside herself with joy, the count was as taciturn as ever today.

The count silently approached Miel. Miel also ran towards the count in response.

“Are you not busy today? Then later, with Miel…”

But the distance between the two was fully closed and then reopened. The count had simply passed by Miel who was approaching him.

Miel turned in surprise to look at the count who had sidestepped her.

The count soon stopped walking. It was right in front of Ibi Ariate.

The count looked down at Ibi. Ibi also looked up at the count who had suddenly come before her with surprised rabbit eyes.

The count’s expression was dry as usual. He looked like someone bored and tired of everything.

With such a face, the count looked Ibi up and down from head to toe, then took off the coat he was wearing.

Then, before Ibi could refuse, he draped it over her shoulders.

Ibi, who had been in thin ceremonial attire and half-wet, feeling cold, unknowingly swallowed a gasp at the unfamiliar body heat.

The coat the count put on her still retained his warmth.

Unlike his cold appearance, the count’s body was hot, and so Ibi felt his temperature enveloping her with vivid intensity.

It almost created the illusion of being embraced by Sion Laurel himself rather than just wearing his outer garment.

Embarrassed, Ibi moved her arms to take off the coat.

But then the count grabbed Ibi’s shoulder as if snatching her.

Because of this, far from taking off the coat, Ibi ended up half-embraced by the count for real, not just in her imagination.

As Ibi pushed against the count’s body in surprise, Miel’s suppressed voice was heard from beyond the count’s shoulder.

“What are you doing right now?”

“I have a prior engagement here.”

The count’s answer and attitude towards Miel Sedro were resolute.

After speaking as if cutting her off, the count took a step while holding Ibi’s shoulder. Thanks to this, Ibi was also pushed by the count’s back and began to walk with him.

‘Wh-wh-what?’

Ibi was led by the count’s quick steps and instantly passed by Miel and Rio.

Then Miel called out in a sharp voice.

“Sion!”

But the count did not answer that call.

Instead, Ibi, buried in the coat, turned her head to look back.

Rio had a stupidly surprised face, and Miel was glaring fiercely at Ibi.

So Ibi chose to pretend to go along with the count.

.

.

.

‘…Are you trying to kill me?’

Walking down the corridor with the count, Ibi came to a conclusion after much deliberation.

Thanks to the count personally coming to take Ibi away, Miel Sedro’s eyes were blazing with fury. This seemed likely to become troublesome for a long time to come.

Moreover, with the loud-mouthed Rio Tuha as a witness, it was obvious that this incident would be widely known to everyone in Tienda.

A saint candidate constantly embroiled in rumors. This was certainly not a welcome situation for Ibi right now.

‘But how did he know about the salt warehouse? Did he come looking for me?’

Ibi stole glances at the count, who was still holding her shoulder.

There were a few things that were hard to understand.

Ibi often uses that salt warehouse normally, but only Dies, the butler, knows this fact.

So how did the count know to come there?

Moreover, the count didn’t make any inquiries to the purifiers, including Ibi, in that warehouse.

There were no basic situation assessments like ‘What are you doing now?’, ‘What’s going on?’, or ‘Is there a problem?’

He just strode in as if he already knew everything and snatched Ibi away.

Ibi found all of this strange and suspicious, but she couldn’t ask the count.

It would be troublesome if the curse came out by unnecessarily mixing words.

So now Ibi was trying to figure out how to get away from the count while keeping her words to a minimum.

After walking for a while, the corridor leading to the main hall of the tower came into view.

But the count suddenly changed direction there. Then he started heading towards a corner where hardly anyone passes.

“Um, Count. Where are you going now…”

As the exit grew distant again, Ibi, unable to hold back any longer, opened her mouth.

And before Ibi could finish her sentence, the count opened a door and pushed her in.

The place where the count pulled Ibi into was a stairwell with steep bricks spiraling upward.

In short, this was an even more secluded place than the salt warehouse, and so Ibi internally expressed her shock.

‘A saint candidate… a secret meeting…?’

Just being in such a space with an unrelated man was a big burden for Ibi.

So Ibi, thinking she had to get out immediately, hurriedly smiled at the count.

“…Hello, Count. I was so flustered I couldn’t even greet you properly. May the blessings of the radiant morning be with you, Count. Thank you for lending me your coat. I’m fine now, so I’ll return it to you. Then, Count, I’ll see you again later.”

Then she returned the coat to the count, bowed politely, and quickly turned around to grab the doorknob of the stairwell.

Bang!

But just as the stairwell door opened about a hand’s width, it closed again with a loud noise.

It was because of a large hand that reached out from behind Ibi and firmly pressed on the door.

Without having to turn around, Ibi could guess the situation and quietly swallowed dry saliva.

And right behind her, the count’s calm voice was heard.

“I said I have a prior engagement, so are you just going to leave?”

Yes, I am.

Ibi Ariate’s life,

Has been particularly bitter lately.