Ension rolled the word she had spoken around in his mouth.

“Altar… You mean the large table at the front of the worship hall?”

“Yes. It was barely audible, but I think Sister Mannea mentioned the altar too. The secret room might actually be in the main worship hall where many believers come and go.”

“I understand. I will convey your message exactly as you said.”

Kite, who possessed disguise skills, was supposed to infiltrate the temple.

Disguised as a farmer, he had exposed the corruption of the guard captain in Demre, so expectations were high for this mission as well.

Lucilia couldn’t bear to watch a priest who claimed to serve God yet didn’t hesitate to commit evil deeds conducting mass.

The temple, at least, should be sacred.

Only then would someone have the opportunity to repent before that sanctity.

“The temple is virtually empty now. We need to wrap this up quickly.”

“I share your thoughts. I will simultaneously track down the priest’s whereabouts and rally the merchants.”

Though he answered in a steady tone, Ension looked ready to crush the priest at any moment.

His eyes curved like crescent moons, making him appear even more chilling.

Perhaps because he was a knight trained by Aaron, a uniquely cold energy emanated from him unfiltered.

Right now, rather than being frightened, she found his sharp energy reassuring and welcome.

“I’m counting on you.”

* * *

For two days, Lucilia experienced various forms of nervousness.

She was anxious that the priest who had fled might sneak back into the temple, and her heart occasionally raced at having to remain silent before Bessie’s punishment.

Thanks to Ension’s diligent efforts, she received reports that the priest had not yet arrived in Tudra.

And today, after generously hosting and sending off the soldiers from Belrak Castle, Lucilia was startled to discover herself strangely excited.

Looking into her raw emotions, she realized she was thrilled at the thought of Bessie receiving her just deserts.

The moment she became aware of harboring such malicious thoughts, she felt guilty, but it was a natural emotion to feel after being severely mistreated.

Now that she was no longer a saint, the boundaries of how kind she needed to be were unclear.

‘Be too kind and you’ll just end up getting hurt.’

Lucilia shook her confused head vigorously.

Today was the day for preparing the garden for the approaching spring by pruning unnecessary branches from the garden trees and clearing away dead grass.

The servants were crouched in the front yard, pulling weeds.

After breakfast, when Lucilia appeared in the garden, Hans, who was supervising the work, bowed.

Lucilia nodded slightly to indicate that the time had come.

“Attention, everyone!”

Hans’s voice rang out loudly.

The servants who had been focused on their work all straightened their bodies at once.

Then a solemn voice fell upon them.

“Everyone gather without exception! Someone go call the kitchen workers and the remaining servants.”

They glanced at each other in confusion for a moment, but the atmosphere was so ominous that no one dared speak.

Aaron had once called everyone together like this before.

It seemed something significant was happening today as well.

The mistress’s leisurely pacing on the stairs suggested as much.

Her determined stride and expression automatically commanded respect.

Shortly after, the servants who had been working in the mansion came running out in a hurry, but upon seeing Lucilia, they walked in an orderly fashion.

Each swallowed hard, wondering what trouble had occurred to create such a tense atmosphere.

Looking down at the people lined up in a row, Lucilia moved her lips.

Without going through Hans, she raised her voice directly.

“Today, in this place, we will identify and punish the arsonist.”

A buzz of whispers rose as if they had never been quiet.

What had Aaron said when he gathered them by his order?

He had clearly declared that although the arsonist hadn’t been found, he would resolve the fire incident for the sake of fulfilling his duty to the country.

But now they were going to identify the culprit?

It felt like an innocent person might be targeted.

At that moment, the kitchen cook raised his hand and asked:

“The lord has already settled this matter. Has he given separate instructions?”

“That’s right.”

Lucilia swept her gaze across the people.

Her sharp eyes were distinctly different from before.

Gone was her timid appearance, replaced by overflowing dignity. The weakly trembling voice could no longer be heard.

Her firmly matured tone revealed the authority of a master.

“If you doubt my decision, I will call upon Sir Willar as a witness.”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Then are there no objections?”

Her eyes urged them to speak now if they had something to say, but no one opened their mouth.

After a brief pause, she called Karen to come forward.

From the housekeeper’s stern expression and cynically closed lips, the servants were convinced that they hadn’t been gathered for nothing.

It appeared that the steward and housekeeper had already secured physical evidence.

Sure enough, a small object was clutched in the housekeeper’s hand.

Karen pushed up her glasses and explained without hesitation:

“Before the lord departed for war, he gave me one instruction. To search the servants’ quarters and find the item used for arson.”

In an instant, everyone’s faces turned pale.

Though not the culprit, they were all visibly shocked by the fact that no one was exempt from suspicion. A vague fear inevitably followed.

How many people could withstand Aaron’s merciless judgment?

Not knowing that Aaron and Lucilia had specifically targeted Bessie, each person hoped the calamity would pass them by.

Bessie’s complexion was truly wretched.

Having been observing Bessie’s changes all along, Lucilia noticed everything from her trembling fingertips to her fidgeting toes.

Her expression showed she wanted to flee immediately, and she kept biting her lips incessantly.

Faced with the crisis of being exposed, she appeared utterly servile, as if she had never been bold.

Having scraped to the bottom and glimpsed Bessie’s malicious inner self, Lucilia shuddered at human duplicity.

The irritation she had felt toward Bessie transformed into determination.

There was no hesitation in Lucilia’s voice. It was clear and strict.

“Head maid, show the evidence to everyone.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Karen held up a small glass bottle between her index finger and thumb. Her upturned eyes were fixed directly on Bessie.

“This glass bottle was wedged between the bed frame and the wall. The culprit is…”

A tense silence brought fear.

Bessie’s chest heaved as if she would lose her breath at any moment.

Like someone who had forgotten how to breathe, she opened her mouth and desperately gasped for air.

“Bessie!”

All the servants’ heads turned toward Bessie at once.

Under the reproachful gazes questioning how she could commit such an act, Bessie protested vehemently.

“What are you talking about? Don’t blame an innocent person! Would I be crazy enough to set fire to the pergola that the master cherishes?”

“No one said anything about setting fire to the pergola.”

At Karen’s single remark, the people’s gazes grew even fiercer.

How much anxiety had they suffered because of this insignificant maid?

They had been swayed into thinking their precious mistress was a witch.

Whether she had inadvertently confessed or not didn’t matter.

Even if she denied it to the end, with evidence found, the outcome was already determined.

She should blame her own laziness for not disposing of the glass bottle instead of just hiding it.

The fellow maids lent their support to the investigation by pointing out Bessie’s usual behavior.

“No matter how much we nagged you to clean up, you always just talked about it without doing it, and now you’ve finally been caught.”

“That’s right. You live like a pigsty, so of course rats appear. Not only did you cause us harm, but you also framed the master? How could someone like you exist?”

“I knew it! You seemed to admire the master, but you dared to be jealous of the mistress? How could you do this without being insane?”

Besides the maids’ statements, there was one more definitive witness.

The gardener stood next to Karen and spoke with certainty:

“After the fire, the lord ordered the greenhouse to be sealed. Following his orders, I secretly collected the oil that remained on the pergola roof. I discovered that the oil in the glass bottle found by Mrs. Miriam is the same type as the oil on the pergola. Bessie is the culprit!”