Chapter 5 (Part 1)

The next morning, Cecilia woke up at her usual time, but today, she was awakened by the loud noises coming from the hallway.  

Normally, the dormitories of the acolytes would be bustling with preparations for the morning prayer, but today, chaos had erupted for a different reason.  

After changing into simple clothes, she stepped into the hallway to find many young ladies already gathered there. Amid the crowd, all their gazes were fixed on one spot.  

And at that spot stood Lady Pirus and the eight other young ladies who had been bullying Cecilia. They looked troubled as they faced the bishop standing before them.  

“I didn’t do anything like that.”  

“Me neither.”  

The bishop was pointing out their wrongdoings and telling them to reflect, but they had no intention of admitting their faults.  

“I’ve had observers watching recently.”  

At the mention of “observers,” their faces turned pale. They exchanged uneasy glances, clearly flustered.  

“Surely you don’t mean the young acolytes?”  

Recalling her encounter with a young acolyte last night, Lady Pirus asked nervously, and the bishop nodded.  

“Yes. I heard reports that some young ladies have been engaging in behavior unbecoming of nobles. So, I observed the situation through the young acolytes. How could you bully other young ladies like this?”  

It must have been Priest Ian who reported it, but he didn’t specify who had informed him.  

“The purpose of participating in the 100th-anniversary prayer is to promote harmony. I’ve explained this repeatedly, and yet you’ve caused discord… I’m deeply disappointed. Especially you, Priestess Anna.”  

“P-Pardon?”  

When her name was called, the priestess in charge of the dormitory answered with a troubled expression.  

“I entrusted you with managing the ladies’ dormitory so that you could mediate any conflicts that might arise. But instead, you turned a blind eye to the situation and even fueled the discord. I cannot simply overlook this.”  

“I-I’m sorry.”  

Priestess Anna bowed her head repeatedly. Cecilia found it pathetic that she only admitted her faults now, after the bishop had pointed them out, despite ignoring Cecilia’s cries of injustice before.  

“Priestess Anna, you will spend three days in the punishment room to reflect on your actions. And as for the young ladies…”  

The bishop cast a sharp gaze over Lady Pirus and the eight other young ladies.  

“As I mentioned before, those who fail to follow the temple’s rules and cause discord cannot remain here any longer.”  

“Please, just this once, forgive us. If I go back like this, my father will scold me terribly.”  

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”  

Unable to bear the disgrace of being expelled, they clung to the bishop’s robes, begging for mercy. But he clicked his tongue and shook his head.  

“If it had been a one-time offense, I might have forgiven you. But your actions have gone too far. Therefore, you must leave by the end of the day.”  

“Please!”  

“We promise to behave quietly from now on.”  

Some of them even burst into tears, but the bishop’s stance remained firm. Realizing that pleading was futile, they finally let go of his robes.  

Once the matter was settled, the bishop and the priests accompanying him escorted Priestess Anna away, leaving the scene. Lady Pirus, her eyes bloodshot with rage, approached Cecilia.  

“This is your doing, isn’t it? Last night, the young acolyte handed you a note. What did it say?”  

Having already been humiliated, Lady Pirus seemed ready to lash out without restraint. She grabbed Cecilia’s wrist, attempting to pull her toward her.  

“Lady, what are you doing?! You acted all remorseful in front of the bishop, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.”  

“Exactly! After causing all this trouble, how can you behave like this?”  

The young ladies standing near Cecilia looked at Lady Pirus with shocked eyes. Although they hadn’t helped Cecilia before, seeing the bishop’s attitude earlier emboldened them to step forward on her behalf.  

But Lady Pirus, consumed by anger, paid no attention to their gazes. She showed no intention of letting go of Cecilia’s wrist.  

“Let me go! How can you still behave so rudely until the very end?”  

Cecilia tried to pry Lady Pirus’s hand off, but with the other young ladies close to Lady Pirus joining in, she couldn’t free herself.  

The dormitory hallway turned into a chaotic mess, and the situation only came to a halt when the bishop reappeared.  

“What is the meaning of this?!”  

“Kyaa!”  

Startled by his shout, the young ladies panicked, some losing their balance and falling to the floor.  

“Ouch!”  

Cecilia, caught in the commotion, also ended up falling. As she landed, her fingers bent slightly backward upon hitting the floor.  

While Cecilia sprained her fingers, some young ladies twisted their wrists or ankles. Seeing their state, the bishop’s face turned red with anger as he shouted.  

“It seems I made a mistake earlier. Those who have been ordered to leave should do so immediately. Priests will monitor you until you are outside the temple grounds.”  

After issuing this stern warning, he turned to the injured young ladies and offered words of apology.  

“I never imagined that the young ladies would be so malicious as to only pretend to reflect in my presence. I apologize. Those of you who are injured should go to the infirmary.”  

With the bishop’s help, the injured were able to receive treatment at the infirmary. By the time Cecilia returned, the young ladies who had been bullying her had already been expelled from the temple.  

With the troublemakers gone, the other young ladies who had sided with them now seemed to be walking on eggshells. It was the natural outcome with the ringleaders removed.  

Feeling relieved that she could now spend the rest of her time at the temple in peace, Cecilia’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. From then on, she was finally able to participate in prayers with a calm heart.  

That evening, she received another note from the young acolyte. As before, it only contained a location and time.  

* * *  

“Thanks to you, the dormitory has become peaceful. Thank you.”  

Late at night, Cecilia went to the designated meeting place. As soon as she saw Ian, she expressed her gratitude.  

“I only helped because I thought I could also benefit from it, so there’s no need to thank me.”  

“That’s true.”  

Although nothing had happened the previous night, starting today, Cecilia was supposed to help him as promised. She needed to, but…  

“I’m sorry. I injured my hand, so I won’t be able to help you for a while.”  

She showed him her bandaged hand. With her fingers hurt, she couldn’t close her hand, making it impossible to grasp anything.  

If they had a way to communicate, she would have told him she couldn’t come today. But since they didn’t, Cecilia had no choice but to come and explain her situation in person.  

“Ah… I see.”  

Ian looked disappointed as he glanced at her hand wrapped in bandages.  

“Since I can’t help you today, I’ll take my leave. It’ll take about three to four days for my hand to heal completely, so I think I’ll be able to help you in five days. Let’s meet then.”  

Having said everything she needed to, Cecilia gave a polite bow and was about to leave the lounge when Ian suddenly spoke.  

“Could you… use your mouth instead?”  

“My mouth?”  

Cecilia stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at him.  

“Could you use your mouth to suck it?”  

“What?”  

Cecilia thought she had misheard. She hadn’t expected a priest to say such a thing.  

“Do you know what f*llatio is?”  

“I’ve only heard of it.”  

Sometimes, among the believers, there were those who would engage in obscene conversations. Normally, Ian would have felt disgusted by such discussions, but recently, that was not the case.  

When they talked about women they had spent the night with, Ian found himself curious and listened in on their conversations.  

‘Yesterday, that woman’s tongue work was incredible. It was no joke. I thought she had the tongue of a snake.’  

When they mentioned the tongue, Ian assumed they were talking about kissing. However, the more he listened, the more he realized that wasn’t the case.  

‘You know I usually can’t get it up, right? But that woman made it stand with her mouth. It was amazing.’  

With her mouth…?  

‘Amazing,’ huh…. 

It was a vulgar expression, yet Ian couldn’t help but feel a strange urge to experience that sensation for himself.  

As a priest, he knew he had to exercise the utmost restraint. But now that hands were out of the question, he wondered if it might be acceptable to use the mouth instead.  

Ian didn’t want to acknowledge his lust. So, he created an excuse for himself. He told himself it was an unavoidable situation since her hands were injured.  

“Oh, it’s possible.”  

At her response, Ian’s eyes curved into a beautiful arc. The man, who should have exuded an air of chastity, now radiated a sensual charm, making it impossible for Cecilia to take her eyes off him.