After blurting it out, I became more anxious than Millean.

I couldn’t predict how this cunning man would respond.

He stood still and looked me up and down.

With eyes showing pity rather than confusion.

“I think I need to call someone for you.”

He suddenly reached out and touched my forehead.

“No fever.”

“……”

“You still seem quite unwell, should you be walking around like this—”

“I’m perfectly fine. That’s why I could run so fast when you were fleeing from me.”

I pushed his hand away with obvious displeasure.

Millean turned his head and let out a hollow laugh, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Fleeing? Who?”

“I kept calling you, but you ran away.”

“With your behavior always like this, isn’t it natural?”

“Like what?”

He silently extended his hand and pointed at me. I nearly flared up again at this rude gesture but bit my lip to hold back.

Sigh, I’m too excited.

I need to calm down.

Responding emotionally will only hurt me.

Whether I need to coax or cajole him, I need to get Millean to talk.

“Fine, why don’t we both calm down a bit and talk?”

“I’d rather not.”

‘……’

This guy, really.

I counted to ten internally to control the anger that suddenly surged.

Sigh, this is quite effective.

“High Priest, I’m neither sick nor tired, I’m completely fine. So please spare me a moment.”

“Not sick? Then must I answer such a foolish question?”

“What foolish question?”

“Asking if I know who you are.”

Of course, there was no evidence anywhere that Millean was involved in this incident.

All I had about the temple was a single comment I’d heard from my brother recently.

‘Some say the temple was involved, others say His Majesty is hiding something.’

‘The temple?’

‘Of course, these are just rumors. No one knows the exact cause.’

But it wasn’t just because of these rumors.

‘He’s extremely, very suspicious.’

He lied to me.

A high priest like Millean couldn’t possibly be unaware of information known by a low-ranking librarian who resided in the archives.

He doesn’t want me to know the exact truth.

Then why?

‘It means he knows a truth that needs to be covered with lies.’

Just then, Millean relaxed his expression and spoke nonchalantly.

“Duke Chadmon’s young lady, Leonora Chadmon. Is there anything else I should know?”

I gathered my thoughts calmly.

Since I’d managed to meet him with difficulty, I needed to find out something.

Not only did no one know about Millean, but opportunities to meet him rarely arose.

Moreover, with my former father beginning to make moves, I needed to get closer to the truth as quickly as possible.

“I don’t know. But you do.”

Yet he didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“What do I know? Stop beating around the bush and speak plainly.”

With him being this stubborn, I had no choice but to take drastic measures.

I sighed internally once and spoke in a grave voice.

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, I’ll ask just this one thing.”

“……?”

“Help me go back.”

“What?”

“I’ve had enough, so please let me return to my body.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

He muttered too loudly for it to be to himself, then turned abruptly and started walking again.

‘What the! Suddenly!’

Wow, now he doesn’t even want to talk?

I quickly followed him, rolling up sleeves that weren’t even there.

I wasn’t angry at being told I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t stand him ending the conversation on his own terms.

“Don’t you know that the more you act like this, the more suspicious you seem?”

“I don’t understand what I should be suspected of.”

“You told me to speak if I had something to say. To speak plainly without going in circles. So why are you turning away?”

“That didn’t include nonsense.”

It felt like talking to a wall.

I knew I needed to control my emotions and stay calm in this situation, but it wasn’t easy.

Millean’s mask was solid, and I wasn’t experienced enough to see beyond it.

“Isn’t it cowardly to know something and hide it, to turn away from the truth?”

“Who? Me?”

He let out a hollow laugh and then shook his head a bit more slowly this time.

“I’m also very curious about what this ‘truth’ you’re talking about is.”

“……”

“If you ever find out, please tell me too.”

“You know who I am, High Priest.”

Millean might not be involved in this matter.

If so, my behavior would truly seem ridiculous.

But his evasiveness was extremely suspicious.

Rather than reacting with bewilderment to content he didn’t know, he seemed to be cleverly deflecting the conversation.

“Please help me. You’re the only one I can ask.”

“My lady.”

Millean slowly stopped walking and looked down at me again.

‘Why does he have to be so annoyingly tall?’

Just as I straightened my back to not be intimidated by him, Millean took a step forward and leaned toward me.

“You’ve lived so comfortably that everything seems easy to you.”

“……”

Millean muttered to me in an even lower voice.

“The world is not so lenient.”

There was an eerie energy in his voice that I had thought was emotionless.

Frustratingly, I froze. A sense of helplessness washed over me, preventing any retort or reaction.

Then an unfamiliar voice woke me from my frozen state.

“High Priest Hartmann?”

A group of people who had spotted us was approaching.

Judging by their attire similar to Millean’s, they seemed to be priests.

“You were in conversation.”

The man at the front of the group greeted us politely with a friendly face.

‘His name was… what was it again?’

He was a young priest I had met in passing at events.

Just as I thought the name wasn’t important, I glanced at Millean and saw a troubled look flash across his eyes before disappearing.

Oh ho.

This is a new expression I haven’t seen before?

“Hello, I’m Leonora Chadmon.”

“Ah.”

When I said my name, he slowly nodded and looked back and forth between Millean and me.

“So you’re Lady Chadmon.”

Yes, Leonora Chadmon. You know, the hottest name in the palace these days?

“Yes, I’m that very protagonist of all the talk.”

When I placed my hand on my chest playfully, he burst into laughter.

This young priest had a quite different atmosphere from Millean.

With his gentle voice and kind smile.

‘He seems more likely to talk.’

I smiled sweetly and asked him.

“By the way, High Priest, your name is—”

Millean stepped forward to block me and asked the young man a question.

“Simore Tetis.”

“I’m so pleased to meet you, High Priest Tetis.”

When I showed excessive delight, Tetis opened his eyes a little wider.

“Actually, I have something I’d like to pray about. But as you know, access to the temple is quite restricted.”

Tetis answered with a relaxed smile.

“I’m sure it would be possible if you wished, my lady. If you speak to High Priest Hartmann here—”

“Unfortunately, the High Priest.”

I looked up at Millean once with a somewhat gloomy voice, then lowered my head.

“He won’t allow me to enter the temple.”

At my words, Millean turned his head away, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Really now.”

“So I wanted to ask High Priest Tetis—”

As I continued speaking, Millean grabbed the young priest’s arm and pulled him forward.

“My lady, we must be going now.”

“I haven’t finished talking yet.”

When I grabbed Tetis’s other arm, Millean narrowed his eyes and growled.

“That’s enough.”

“You should be the one to stop.”

“Why is a noblewoman from a prestigious family acting like this?”

“Why does a high priest who serves the great god tell so many lies?”

“Shouldn’t there be lines that aren’t crossed?”

“Who crossed them first?”

I immediately stretched my neck toward Tetis.

“High Priest Tetis? I’ll come to pray soon. Understood?”

Then Millean messed up his bangs and let out a long sigh.

“You all go ahead. I have something to discuss with this filly—no… with the lady here.”

When Millean added coldly, the priests hesitated before disappearing with quick steps.

He stared at me for a while without saying anything.

What, what!

This time I confronted him with not only my back but also my neck held straight.

But Millean soon relaxed his expression.

“This is becoming troublesome.”

Then he let out a defeated laugh and opened his mouth.

“I’ll send a letter soon, so please behave yourself until then.”

I chattered at his back as he turned away.

“High Priest~! The world is not so lenient~!”