Chapter 5 (Part 5)

“Today will be the last time I help you, Priest. I’m glad to see you’ve been sleeping well lately.”  

Late at night, Cecilia met Ian and purposely put on a bright smile, as if she were genuinely happy to be leaving the temple.  

“Yes.”  

Even after hearing that it was their last meeting, Ian didn’t say much. His expression was blank, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.  

“We’ve been through a lot together, but I think it’s best for us to forget everything and return to our own lives.”  

“Do you think returning home is the right choice?”  

“Of course. Do you know how much I’ve endured? Praying for 100 days straight isn’t my kind of lifestyle.”  

Cecilia exaggerated her gestures, making an expression that suggested her time at the temple had been dreadful.  

“I see.”  

Ian lowered his head deeply. She wondered if he felt apologetic, but then he said something unexpected.  

“Are you really planning to leave like this?”  

“Yes. The contract is over, isn’t it?”  

“Can’t you stay by my side a little longer?”  

She hadn’t expected him to try to stop her, so she was surprised, though she pretended to remain calm.  

“That’s not up to me to decide. Besides, haven’t you been sleeping well lately, Priest?”  

“It’s all thanks to you. That’s why I’m asking you to help me just a little longer.”  

“I think your insomnia will soon be completely cured. So I don’t think you’ll need my help anymore.”  

“Why do you think that?”  

Cecilia’s face flushed slightly, and she hesitated to speak. Eventually, she mustered the courage to say it. After all, it was their last meeting, so it didn’t matter if it was embarrassing.  

“I think your insomnia was caused by suppressing your… s*xual desires. Now that you’ve released some of it, won’t it gradually get better?”  

“That’s a reasonable point.”  

With that, Ian said nothing more.  

Her words were meant to persuade him, but when he accepted them so straightforwardly, she felt oddly conflicted. Cecilia narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at Ian.  

Ian deliberately avoided her gaze. After being rejected when he asked her to stay, he found himself unable to look at her face.  

Today was his last chance to hold onto Cecilia, but since she had refused, letting her go was the right thing to do.  

The event was ending soon, so it was a good opportunity to end things.  

Considering how difficult it had been because of her, this was the best choice for Ian.  

Recently, just seeing Cecilia’s face was enough to stir his s*xual desire.  

He felt nothing when he looked at other women. Only with her did he feel this way. It had reached the point where Ian thought his body had been completely tamed by Cecilia.  

The one saving grace was that he hadn’t completely lost his pure heart yet.  

So, in order to protect the small part of himself that hadn’t been corrupted, it was best to let her go.  

It had to be this way….  

It had to, and yet, he found himself opening and closing his lips, wanting to call out Lady Bucklew’s name.  

He wanted to stop her. He wanted to tell her to stay with him until his insomnia was fully cured.  

How much he wanted to say it. But he held back.  

***

As time passed, full of ups and downs, the final day of the temple event finally arrived.  

The event, which had begun in early summer, was now coming to an end as the cool autumn breeze swept in.  

Is this really the end of my time here?  

Cecilia, who had woken up early in the morning, was packing her belongings.  

The thought of returning home and seeing Rasilia again made her feel refreshed and wide awake.  

While she had been staying at the temple, Viscount Bucklew had gone ahead and arranged Rasilia’s engagement to a young nobleman of his choosing.  

When she read the letter Rasilia had sent, she had been utterly shocked.  

So, she needed to return home quickly to comfort Rasilia, who was surely heartbroken.  

But as she prepared to leave, she felt a twinge of regret.  

After the troublesome ladies had left, the remaining ones had grown closer to each other.  

Apparently, Cecilia wasn’t the only one who felt this way.  

When she stepped out with her packed bag, the ladies were exchanging heartfelt goodbyes with sorrowful expressions.  

Lady Norfolk approached Cecilia with teary eyes.  

“It’s such a shame to part ways now that we’ve grown close. Lady Bucklew, I’ll send you an invitation to a tea party next time, so please come.”  

“Of course, I will.”  

“And next time, attend the banquets too. That way, we can see each other more often.”  

“I’ll try my best to attend.”  

Promising to meet again in the future, they eased their sadness a little and followed the priest in charge to leave their accommodations.  

“If you receive a confirmation slip from the priest standing at the temple entrance, you’ll be able to leave. Farewell, everyone.”  

After receiving the final farewell from the priest in charge, the ladies lined up to receive their confirmation slips.  

Cecilia also joined the line and waited for her turn.  

It was just before her turn when it happened.  

Suddenly, the ladies began squealing.  

Instinctively, Cecilia turned her gaze toward the commotion and saw Priest Ian walking in the distance.  

Hearing the shrieks, he paused for a moment, offered a polite bow, and then continued walking.  

Like the other ladies, Cecilia couldn’t help but watch him until he disappeared from view, wondering if their eyes would meet.  

But Ian never once looked her way.  

So this is really the end.  

Watching him, Cecilia felt as though everything that had happened between her and Priest Ian was like a dream.  

Over the past 100 days, she had spent her time praying daily, but her mind was filled more with memories of Ian than with the hours she had spent praying.  

Though they only met every three to five days, the intense sensations she experienced each time they met completely occupied her mind. How could she forget them?  

At one point, she even wondered if he thought of her as someone special. Considering he had tried to stop her once during their last meeting, it was only natural for her to have such hopes.  

But now, seeing his cold demeanor, she felt as though she was waking up to a cruel reality. She was nothing more, nothing less than someone helping him treat his insomnia.  

It left her feeling bitter, but at the same time, she also felt relieved. If she returned home like this, she thought she could forget everything that had happened at the temple and move on.  

Turning her gaze, she realized it was her turn. She stepped forward, ready to receive her confirmation slip, and extended her hand while stating her name. But instead of handing over the slip, the priest in charge gave her a puzzled look.  

“Lady Bucklew, you cannot return home yet.”  

“What? What do you mean?”  

Hearing those shocking words, Cecilia doubted her own ears.  

Not everyone who participated in the event was leaving. Those who applied could stay for an additional 50 days to perform post-event prayers.  

But this had nothing to do with Cecilia. There had been no word from her father asking her to remain after the event ended, so what was this sudden news?  

“It seems you haven’t received the message yet. This morning, the Viscount Bucklew donated 50 days’ worth of contributions.”  

The priest then explained her situation clearly.  

“What?”  

Cecilia was at a loss for words, feeling as though she had been struck by lightning. She had finally made peace with herself and was ready to leave with a light heart—how could this happen?  

“Can’t I just return home after refunding the donation?”  

“That’s not possible. Once the money is donated, it is used as an offering and cannot be returned. And you know that staying at the temple for lodging and meals is a special privilege, don’t you? It’s not an opportunity given to just anyone.”  

“…”  

Participants of the event were given the opportunity to remain at the temple for an additional 50 days, but the privilege of requesting confessions from Priest Ian had been removed.  

Instead, during this period, they were allowed to pray more freely than during the event, which could be considered a benefit to some.  

However, this meant nothing to Cecilia. Far from a benefit, it was like being thrown back into hardship she had barely escaped.  

But Cecilia had no other choice. If she returned home, Viscount Bucklew would undoubtedly force her back to the temple.  

So her options were either to stay quietly at the temple for 50 days or to be dragged back in disgrace and then remain at the temple anyway.  

Under these circumstances, Cecilia naturally had no choice but to choose the former. After nodding in reluctant agreement, she carried her luggage back to her room.  

“Why is this happening all of a sudden?”  

As she unpacked her belongings again, Cecilia tilted her head in confusion.  

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why Viscount Bucklew would go so far as to donate money just to keep her at the temple. Their original agreement had been for her to stay for the 100-day event.  

Does he want me to keep suffering at the temple?  

Post-event prayers didn’t end after 50 days. Once that period was over, there would be additional 30-day, 20-day, and 10-day extensions. In other words, if a participating lady wished, she could stay at the temple for up to seven months.  

Surely, he’s not planning to make me stay for seven months, is he?  

At this rate, it felt like Viscount Bucklew was determined to trap Cecilia in the temple for seven months.  

Not knowing his intentions, she wanted to write to Rasilia immediately, but just then, a letter from her arrived, and Cecilia quickly understood why this was happening to her.  

[The 100th-anniversary event got extended by 50 days? That’s unfortunate. Do you think it’ll keep getting extended until you end up staying for a whole year? I miss you, Sister. I’ll visit you soon.]  

“Extended?”  

Of the 20 ladies who had been staying in the dormitory, only five, including Cecilia, remained, while the others had left. But who could have sent such absurd news about an extension to the viscount family?  

Why…?  

By now, it was clear that someone had deliberately ensured Cecilia couldn’t leave the temple. And in this situation, only one person came to mind as the likely culprit.  

Could it be Priest Ian?  

Judging by his usual behavior, it didn’t seem like something he would do. But remembering how he occasionally lost control and pounced on her, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.  

Though she had no concrete evidence, Cecilia was convinced Ian was the one behind this. The reason was obvious—his insomnia hadn’t been completely cured yet.  

How could he do this to me?  

Who would have thought he’d secretly devise such a scheme after she refused to help him? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.  

She wanted to confront Ian immediately, but meeting him wasn’t easy. Now that the event was over, he had become a man who was difficult to see, and the only place she could meet him was the confessional.  

The problem was that she didn’t know when he would be assigned to the confessional. Although it was said to be informally announced, Cecilia had no way of obtaining that information.  

How can I meet him?  

Cecilia wandered freely around the temple, trying to come up with a way to meet Ian.  

But as she returned to her dormitory after dinner, she realized there had been no need to worry about that in the first place. A young acolyte approached her and handed her a note.  

The moment she saw the familiar time and place written on it, Cecilia crumpled the note tightly in her hand and bit her lower lip hard.