Chapter 2 (Part 4)

Even after Rasilia left the room, Cecilia’s uneasiness didn’t subside. She couldn’t leave her room and instead focused on the sound of footsteps passing through the hallway. She was worried that someone might knock on her door.  

Did he tell Father about it, or didn’t he?  

As she paced nervously near the door, she heard a knock from outside. Knock, knock. A maid carefully opened the door and spoke.  

“Um, the Priest would like to meet with you, Miss.”  

“The Priest?”  

Cecilia opened the door with a surprised look, having assumed it would be Viscount Bucklew calling for her. Behind the maid stood Priest Ian, his expression serious.  

Why would he want to see me? Is he here to reprimand me for what happened last night?  

As she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he greeted her politely, as if last night’s events had never happened.  

“May I have a moment of your time? I won’t take up much of it.”  

“Uh, sure.”  

Cecilia nodded at the Priest and motioned for the maid to leave them alone.  

Although the door was closed, she couldn’t hear the maid’s footsteps moving away. It seemed she was eavesdropping outside, intending to report to the Earl that Cecilia had met with the Priest.  

Ian seemed to realize this as well, as he whispered in a low voice.  

“I haven’t told anyone about what happened last night. Instead, I gave my brother another reason why the engagement couldn’t proceed. As a result, he discussed it with Viscount Bucklew and decided to call off the engagement.”  

“The engagement was called off?”  

Cecilia’s eyes widened as she asked, wondering if she had misheard.  

“Yes.”  

Ah, thank goodness. 

Having achieved her goal, Cecilia felt relieved.  

She was glad she could help Rasilia, but she couldn’t fully rejoice. After all, an unfortunate incident had occurred in the process, and how could she feel good about that?  

Cecilia glanced sideways at Ian’s face. She wouldn’t have any reason to go to the Atheon Temple, so she wouldn’t see him again. Still, she couldn’t let him leave like this.  

I should probably apologize for last night again.  

“I’m truly sorry for what happened last night.”  

Carefully observing his reaction, Cecilia apologized.  

“I’ll consider last night as if it never happened, so I don’t need to hear your apology. However, since the engagement was broken off because of you, I hope you’ll feel guilty and apologize to those you’ve inconvenienced.”  

“Yes, I will.”  

Though his tone was soft, his words carried thorns, and Cecilia’s heart sank heavily. Her reply came out weak as a result.  

It seemed like everything had been said, and she was about to bid him farewell when Ian spoke again.  

“I have one last question.”  

“Ask me anything.”  

Now that her mind was at ease, she didn’t care what kind of question he asked. She was confident she could answer anything.  

“Did you do something to me?”  

“What?”  

Cecilia’s face turned red, thinking he was asking about what she had done last night. How could she possibly put into words what she had done?  

“Ah, I don’t mean that blasphemous act. Didn’t we agree to consider that as if it never happened? What I mean is, did you do anything else to me?”  

Reading her thoughts, Ian looked flustered and blushed as well. Somehow, seeing his reaction made Cecilia feel strange, as if she had committed a crime.  

“No, not really. I just crawled on all fours in the dark, groping around to find the bed.”  

She answered as calmly as she could.  

“That’s all? You didn’t light any incense or give me any kind of medicine?”  

“No, nothing like that. I thought it was Earl Beaufort’s room, so there was no reason for me to give you anything.”  

He had asked just in case, but her answer didn’t reveal anything new. With that, Ian had no further business with Cecilia.  

“Understood.”  

After bowing politely, he left the room, only to see the maid still standing outside the door. Startled, she flinched, and Ian nodded at her before heading to the guest room.  

There was no longer any reason for him to stay here, so it was time to leave the Bucklew estate. At the same time, he planned to forget about what had happened last night forever.  

***

Why did he come to see me?  

After Priest Ian left the room, Cecilia replayed the questions he had asked her in her mind.  

What did I do to him? Aside from that shameful act, I didn’t do anything else. What exactly was he trying to figure out?  

This morning, the priest’s face had looked a bit different than it had yesterday. Strangely, for someone who had suffered such an absurd incident, his expression seemed refreshed.  

Unlike her, who hadn’t slept a wink, he looked like someone who had slept deeply.  

Did he already forget what I did to him last night?  

Cecilia stared at her palm, which still held the memory of what she had done to him. The absurdly large object she had touched kept flashing in her mind.  

I don’t want to think about it….  

Staring blankly at her hand, Cecilia moved toward the window. From there, she could see Earl Beaufort and his party preparing to leave.  

I guess I won’t see them again.  

It wasn’t until she watched them leave completely that she fully realized the engagement had been called off.  

She felt relieved, but at the same time, uneasiness crept in. Although Priest Ian had said he didn’t tell anyone about last night, she couldn’t predict how her father would react.  

I hope this all blows over without incident.  

Cecilia sat on her bed, trying to calm herself down. Just as she was attempting to steady her nerves, there was a knock at her door.  

“The Viscount would like to speak with you for a moment.”  

So it’s finally come.  

Her mouth went dry as she swallowed hard and nodded.