Chapter 89
After parting ways at Countess Pesain’s tea party, Philome occasionally thought of Nadia.
She wondered when they might meet again, where it would be, and what she would look like—thoughts that seemed trivial.
Naturally, dozens of scenarios played out in her mind.
There were even thoughts that they might never see each other again.
Among those countless scenarios, however, there was no assumption that she would meet Nadia again as the Saint.
It seemed impossible.
“I would like to greet you.”
Yet that assumption was now unfolding right before Philome.
“I am Nadia, chosen by the Lord as the Third Saint.”
Nadia slightly lowered her head, then raised it while casting her eyes downward. Dressed in a white cloak and a translucent veil, she was incredibly beautiful.
Perhaps it was the harmony of her clear hair and eyes that made her seem abnormally dazzling.
“What are you all doing? Not greeting Saint Nadia!”
A sharp voice drew everyone’s attention. It was a middle-aged man who appeared to be a priest, his gaunt face and sharp features revealing his stern nature.
His haughty posture didn’t look very pleasant, but Philome felt relieved by his interruption.
She had almost lost track of time, simply staring at Nadia.
“Greet?”
It was Kaien who spoke up.
Noticing Philome calming her startled heart, Kaien gently rubbed their joined hands.
“Who is greeting whom?”
With an arrogant expression, Kaien glanced at Nadia before looking back at the priest.
“Me, to the Saint?”
In terms of status, it was clear that Kaien was above.
Two hundred years ago, when the temple’s position was significant, they might have been on somewhat similar levels, but that was not the case now.
Currently, the influence of the temple and the Wintbell ducal family was incomparable. Whether he realized this or not, the priest trembled and hurriedly avoided Kaien’s gaze.
“That’s not what I meant… I simply meant it would be better to show each other respect.”
The way he stammered, as if he hadn’t raised his voice, made Kaien smirk with a sardonic smile.
“Yeah, I know that’s what you meant.”
Kaien turned to Nadia as he spoke.
“My lovely fiancée will know as well.”
Then he gently wrapped his arm around Philome’s shoulder and pulled her close.
Though their joined hands fell apart, Philome, having calmed down considerably, was now able to smile and look at Nadia.
“I am Theodore Evelon.”
After passing on the title of duke to Kaien, Theodore chose one of the titles he held.
That was the Marquess of Evelon.
Since everyone in the nobility knew Theodore, he always mentioned his current title when introducing himself.
“I am Natasha Evelon.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Nadia smiled brightly.
“And.”
Before the introductions could fully settle, Kaien spoke up.
“Who is that?”
His gaze landed on the priest who had been acting so arrogantly.
The priest cleared his throat and stood with his hands behind his back.
“Nice to meet you all. I am Johannes.”
“Say it.”
At Winston’s addition, Johannes’s chin shot up defiantly.
“Yes, that’s right. The Pope has given me a very special command to assist the Saint.”
“Then are you the one responsible for this?”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
Theodore responded as if he had been waiting for that answer.
“Then you have something to discuss with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why did you send the people back without a word ten days ago when they first contacted you?”
Johannes blinked in surprise.
“What do you mean…?”
“I sent someone to the temple as soon as the monster appeared, but you sent them back without any response. What if more victims had emerged in the meantime?”
“Uh… that’s not within my jurisdiction, so I’m not sure what happened…”
Johannes stammered with a foolish expression, but ultimately, he couldn’t say anything and avoided Theodore’s fierce gaze.
As their conversation unfolded, Philome could no longer hold back and turned to look at Nadia. The moment she turned her head, their eyes met.
Nadia had been continuously watching Philome.
As their eyes locked, Nadia smiled faintly. It was different from the usual smile she wore.
Nadia’s smile was still beautiful, but it gave Philome an unsettling chill. Instead of feeling charmed, a sense of discomfort washed over her.
Once again, Philome’s lips felt dry.
‘Why on earth has Nadia become a saint? ’
It was hard to accept the sudden appearance of a saint, especially when that saint was Nadia.
At that moment, Nadia parted her lips.
“Philome.”
Philome read along.
“…Nice to meet you.”
As if she knew that her message had reached Philome, Nadia smiled again.
Just as Philome flinched at the eerie feeling, a new voice interrupted.
“Please stop, Lord Theodore.”
It was Winston.
“The sudden appearance of the Saint caused quite a stir at the temple. There was no time to contact you, Lord Theodore.”
As Winston surrounded the temple, Kaien narrowed his eyes.
“Who does a mere knight think he is, interrupting the words of a marquess, Sir Winston?”
Winston belatedly realized that he was not currently in the status of a prince. Even as a royal knight, he could not interrupt a marquess’s speech.
Moreover, having referred to himself as a knight several times, he could not take that back.
“Well, that is…”
“This is your final warning.”
Kaien fixed a cold gaze on Winston.
“I hope you understand your status and act accordingly. Such minor mistakes are not tolerated in the North.”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
As Winston lowered his eyes, Kaien finally withdrew his gaze from him.
“Sir Dale.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Interrogate them and provide them with a room.”
“Wait, interrogate them?”
‘What on earth, what on earth could the reason be…?’
“Philome.”
At Kaien’s low call, Philome jumped in surprise and turned to the side. Kaien spoke while gazing straight ahead.
“Don’t let it bother you. That’s exactly what they’re aiming for. Hide your agitation and swallow your confusion.”
As he said this, Kaien intertwined his fingers with Philome’s.
Philome felt the warmth of Kaien’s palm, damp with sweat, and realized that he too had been quite startled by Winston’s appearance.
‘I didn’t notice at all.’
At first, Kaien had only been slightly surprised, but he acted as if he had known Winston would come.
Philome took a deep breath and followed Kaien’s advice.
She hid her agitation and swallowed her confusion.
Philome recognized that this was something Kaien had been doing for a full ten years.
As she calmed down, Kaien turned his gaze from straight ahead to look at Philome.
“Never give them what they want, whether it’s a gap or a weakness—anything.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Eventually, you will achieve what you desire.”
Only then could she escape the thoughts that had been reaching out towards Nadia unconsciously.
