Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“What? Move up the time…? Do you mean you will reveal to them that you’re conscious before we can gather more evidence?”
Originally, he planned to come back to consciousness and dispose of Madam Quillian after he gathered all the evidence. But there was an unexpected problem while he was waiting for the evidence – Alice Podoori.
‘She can go out of the Duchy if it goes well.’
The problem lies in what she said yesterday while pretending to attend to him. If he delayed the time to get evidence, Alice would become a priest and leave the Duchy. He didn’t know how much progress their plan had, but he had to prevent her from going to the temple.
Kaillus opened his lips towards the puzzled Tessiri, “… That’s right.”
“But I think it will only take about half a month….”
“No, I need to have the position of the Family Head before that. So we need to hurry up.”
Tessiri didn’t speak anymore and lowered his head as he saw the resolute eyes of Kaillus.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Then you’d better stand up.”
“I would like to say that we should go back to the temple now.”
As Kaillus spoke, Lady Meltain added as she checked her pocket watch.
“Your Excellency, please be careful.”
“We will do our best to get all the evidence.”
David and Tessiri spoke in a serious voice to Kaillus, who was about to leave.
“Don’t worry. I will never fall again.”
Patting the shoulders of his concerned subordinates, Kaillus wore the ring and left the old building with Lady Meltain. And as soon as they left the building, they warped to the quiet alley close to the temple.
“Your Excellency, then I will return to the temple.”
“Wait, Sienna.”
“What is it?”
“Did the Duchess show any particular behavior in the temple over the past few days? Like meeting someone.”
“I’m not sure. I warped as soon as I entered the prayer room…. Oh, I heard something.”
“What is it?”
“I heard that the Duchess has been actively volunteering in the relief center for the poor of the temple these days.”
“… Relief center for the poor?”
“Yes. Was it three days ago….? That was when she started volunteering.”
“… I get it. You can go back now.”
Lady Meltain remained silent and went straight to the prayer room.
“Relief center for the poor….”
Kaillus frowned after Lady Meltain disappeared and headed towards the temple at a fast pace.
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“Thank you.”
“No. It’s hot, so take it slowly.”
As the last ladle of the soup was given, it revealed the bottom of the pot. Only after the soup had completely drained did Alice straighten her back.
“Uhh….”
There were more people today than usual. Violet came to help her as Alice tapped her sore back.
“Priest, let me do it.”
She said to Little Violet as she felt sorry to have her lift the pot with her body, but Violet told her with a grin, “No. There were so many people here today that you couldn’t even take a break in between. You should take a break even for a moment. I will do the cleaning, Madam.”
“It’s fine….”
Even though she said that, Violet had already turned her body and was moving the pot. Giving up, Alice turned her head to look for a person. And she could instantly find Prion’s back in the place where the sick were lined up.
“Today, too… I had no chance.”
She was proud of her service, but she had one problem. She had to get close to Prion, but she had no time to talk to him because there was too much work. This is a good time to approach him now that he was starting to loosen his guard against her.
Alice had a chance to take a breather in the middle, but Prion really had no time. She couldn’t talk to him except when she arrived at the relief center for the poor and when she left. She almost felt like she had to get hurt and lie down on that bed to be able to talk to him.
Alice sighed more tiredly as she stared at his back, fully focused on the patients.
Should I keep an eye at him for another week and openly say that I have something to tell him?
At this rate, this would be her last service before Madam Quillian kills her.
If I die, I want to be reincarnated in a better place where I can get plus points in volunteering. I felt useless because I was already tired.
As she shook her head with her thoughts, two little boys approached her.
“Do you need bread?”
“Yes, and do you have some soup with the bread? My brother has an upset stomach so he can’t eat bread only….”
He was only around seven years old. The child with a dirty face was holding another kid’s hand tightly, which seemed to be his younger brother. His younger brother, who had an upset stomach, doesn’t look particularly well. His blue lips seemed to tell that he had been starved for a long time.
“Oh, wait a minute….”
Alice couldn’t say she wasn’t there, so she headed over to where the pots were.
“Violet, do you have any soup left?”
“Uhm, there’s a little bit left here….”
“Give me this too.”
Alice took the leftover soup and approached the children with two rye breads.
“Here. Take a seat there and eat.”
The older brother bowed his head before accepting the bread and soup. But then, the soup that the older brother was barely holding slightly shook and soup spilled over the younger brother’s hand.
“Uwaa…!”
With his hand soaked in hot soup, the younger brother burst into tears.
Alice hurriedly wiped the soup from the child’s hand and looked around. It wasn’t to find cold water, but to find priests to treat the poor. It wasn’t a severe wound and was only slightly burned, so a lower ranked priest could heal it. But the priests were all busy with their own work. Even Violet.
“What to do….”
“Hyung, it hurts….”
The child said in a painful voice while Alice felt troubled. His body was already not feeling well, and now his hand had a little burn. Seeing that, she couldn’t wait for any priests anymore.
Alice checked if no one was around and lowered herself to the child’s eye level. Making eye contact with the child on the verge of tears, Alice smiled.
“Noona will make you not feel hurt anymore.”
Alice carefully covered the back of the child’s hand.
Please let this child not be in pain anymore.
As soon as she made that wish in her mind, a small light wrapped around the child’s hand and disappeared. And when she let go of the child’s hand, the back of the child’s red hand was now clean. And his pale lips also turned pink.
“Wow, are you a priest?”
“Uhm… I would like to be. I am not a priest yet. So, this is a secret between us, okay?”
“Yes, we will.”
“Thank you.”
Alice patted the older brother’s head, who nodded his head, and lifted his body up. And just as she was about to say goodbye to the two children, she heard a low voice.
“… Did you just use divine power now?”
Oh no
. Alice stiffly turned her body in the unexpected situation. And behind her, the stiff-faced Prion was standing.
When on earth did you get here? You were definitely looking after the patients lying on the bed.
“That….”
Alice’s golden eyes were tinged with embarrassment. Because she had never thought to be caught like this.
With Alice visibly perplexed, Prion said in a soft voice, “I didn’t mean to interrogate you. I was just asking because I felt the Madam was using divine power. Did you treat the child?”
Prion gently smiled at her, as if telling her not to be afraid. With his gentle smile, Alice’s shoulder lifted with tension relaxed. He seemed to be trying to tell her that he was thankful for treating the children ever so genuinely.
There was no need for her to be a priest in this world even if she had divine powers, so being surprised wasn’t necessary as if she was caught doing something bad. He was just surprised to find out about her divine power even before he could ask her if she wanted to become a priest.
Alice smiled softly and spoke calmly, “Yes, I can use a little bit of divine power.”
“The Lord seemed to take care of Madam because you have a kind heart. Thank you for treating the child.”
“No, I was just doing what I had to do. Rather… High Priest.”
Alice pondered for a moment. She was thinking if it was better to tell him she wanted to become a priest now, or to wait for a little more, now that her divine power had been discovered.
“Duchess?”
Dragging the end of her sentence and not saying anything after that, Prion called her out of bewilderment. Facing his blue eyes, Alice thought:
Now is the right time.
“I have something to tell the High Priest. Would you listen to what I am about to say?”
Prion’s blue eyes slightly widened at Alice’s eager face. He then cautiously asked her.
“… Is it something that only the two of us should talk about?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s the case… Please follow after me, Madam.”
Alice followed Prion out of the relief center for the poor.