“Mm…”

Leah woke from her sleep and looked out of the carriage window.

The grey brick buildings of the city came into view.

“Awake? We’re almost there.”

Her fellow nun, Adele, looked out the window with an excited expression.

“Did I sleep a lot?”

“You even snored!”

“Really?”

“I’m just teasing. But did you dream? You talked in your sleep.”

“What did I say in my sleep?”

“I don’t know. You were just mumbling and calling someone’s name.”

“Me? Someone’s name? Whose name?”

“How would I know? Was it… Zion?”

“Oh…”

Hearing that name after so long, Leah was taken aback.

‘Calling my brother’s name in my sleep…’ 

Zion Verbaine was Lea’s brother – not by blood, but her step-brother. She hadn’t seen him for ten years. 

Since their separation when she was ten, Leah had not seen Zion or heard from him. Until that age she had lived as Leah Verbaine, but then she became Lea Sutherland. 

When her mother died, Leah and her brother were the only ones left on the Verbaine estate. However, her uncle arrived after hearing of their circumstances and took Leah away. It was clear, however, that he hadn’t done so out of a genuine desire to care for her. 

It was her grandfather’s wish, and her uncle, eager to secure an inheritance from him, took Leah in for appearances. 

As might be expected, Leah was mistreated the moment her grandfather died. 

She lived like a servant on the Sutherland estate. 

She wore ragged clothes and was given barely enough to eat. 

Faced with such a life, Leah decided to live in a convent.

Her uncle wanted her to marry a count thirty years her senior. 

Leah couldn’t let that happen. 

Without her uncle’s knowledge, she entered a convent and took her vows as a nun. 

When her uncle finally found out, he was furious, but there was nothing he could do. Once Leah had taken her vows, even he had no power to undo them. In the end, he gave up and left. 

‘If I had stayed in Verbaine, things might have been different.’ 

Although it had been ten years and she was still a child, Leah remembered almost everything about her time at Verbaine. It had been the happiest time of her life. 

‘I wonder if my brother is all right…’ 

Since her departure, Leah had received very little news from Verbaine. 

Her uncle refused to tell her anything when she asked, leaving her completely in the dark. She had no idea what had become of her brother Zion, or if he was well. 

‘He is probably married now, with children of his own.’ 

Zion, her older brother, was eight years older than her. That would make him twenty-eight now. Nobles often married early, so it was likely – almost certain – that he was already married and had children. 

‘Will I ever see him again? I really want to meet him, at least once… even someday.’

If she ever had the chance to send him a letter, she would want to let him know that she was in the convent. But would such a chance ever come? 

Her thoughts turned endlessly, refusing to leave her mind. 

Just then, 

“Looks like we’ve arrived.” 

The carriage rolled to a halt and Leah stepped down beside Adele. 

Towering grey stone walls loomed around them – this was the Central Grand Convent. 

Leah had previously trained as a novice nun at Erlang Convent, a smaller institution not far from the capital. She had lived there for nearly two years, dedicating herself to training among the other nuns. Now that she had officially taken her vows, she was a full nun. 

Her exceptional academic performance and exemplary conduct had earned her a rare invitation to the Central Grand Convent, a prestigious honour. 

The Central Grand Convent, second only to the Great Cathedral, was one of the most important religious institutions in the region. It was home to countless priests and nuns, all dedicated to their sacred mission of serving God. 

The convent’s origins can be traced back to the mother of the first emperor, who founded it during her lifetime. After her death, she was laid to rest on its grounds, transforming the Central Grand Convent into a revered burial site for generations of the imperial family. 

While many nuns dreamed of serving here, the opportunity was a rare privilege granted to only a select few. 

For Leah, being accepted into the Central Grand Convent felt like a miracle. 

Originally, the nun chosen to come here was not Leah, but someone else. 

However, a tragic incident happened to the nun originally chosen and Leah was sent in her place. 

***

Leah and Adele were assigned to the convent’s charity work. 

Charity was one of the most important duties of the Central Grand Convent. The capital was not only home to the nobility, its slums were equally, if not more, populated by those living in extreme poverty. 

The northern alleys of the capital were a vast slum, filled with misery and despair. Death was a daily reality. Disease spread unchecked and crime was rampant. 

To combat this suffering, the Central Convent made daily rounds of the slums, distributing food, caring for the sick and offering support to those in need. 

“I’m glad we can share a room. Aren’t you?”

Adele asked. 

“Yes.”

Leah replied with a smile. 

After being shown to their room, Adele and Leah began to unpack their belongings. Their luggage consisted of little more than spare nun’s habits and a few personal items. 

The convent had strict rules about material possessions, forbidding anything extravagant or unnecessary. 

Not that it mattered to Leah – she couldn’t afford anything luxurious even if she wanted to. 

Adele, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family. Her decision to become a nun was part of her preparation for marriage, a common practice among noble daughters. 

Within the convent there were two distinct groups: nuns like Leah who had dedicated their entire lives to serving God, and those like Adele who entered the convent temporarily to complete their training before returning to their former lives. 

Some may wonder what kind of training a convent could provide for marriage, but in prestigious noble families, qualities such as silence, modesty and restraint were highly valued. Many noblewomen were sent to convents to learn these virtues so that they could return as disciplined, modest brides. 

Unlike Adele, who had a home to return to, Leah had nowhere to go. This convent was her home and her whole world. 

“I’ll take this bed so you can have that one, Leah.”

“Alright.”

Lea began to arrange the blanket and pillow on her bed before changing her clothes. The long carriage ride had left her feeling heavy with fatigue, but there was still the evening prayer service to attend.