“Daddy!”

Eve’s face lit up the moment she saw Eclace.

“Daddy, I missed you!”

Like a squirrel, she darted forward and threw herself into his arms.

“It’s been a while, Eve.”

Eclace stroked her hair gently. The little girl beamed, showing her small teeth.

“Daddy, you’re wearing a prince’s outfit!”

Her tiny hands tugged curiously at his fine jacket. It wasn’t the usual ornate clothing he wore, but to Eve, it looked stylish and grand enough.

“Have you been well, Eve? No illnesses?”

Eclace asked, looking warmly at the child clinging to him.

Eve patted herself here and there as if checking for injuries, then shook her head.

“Nope! Mommy and the bad man protected me!”

“The bad man?”

“Uh-huh! He even let me ride a horse!”

At that, Eclace’s gaze shifted towards Luise. She looked uneasy but remained silent. Strangely, he felt a wave of relief. She had not yet told Eve the truth — that Shed was her real father. This meant that she still intended to leave him in the role of father for now.

Eclace smiled gently and met Eve’s gaze.

“Let’s go home together, Eve. Daddy will take you riding again.”

“Are we going home now?”

“Yes. We’re going home.”

When he nodded, Eve quickly took hold of one of his hands and Luise’s with the other.

“Let’s go!”

The little girl looked up at them both with shining eyes.

Luise’s eyes locked with her daughter’s for an instant.

‘Ah…’

Her chest felt as though it were collapsing. Slowly, she slipped her hand free of the child’s grasp and bent to her knees. Eve’s innocent face looked up at her, brimming with trust.

“Eve, Mommy has to go with the priests here.”

The moment her words fell, the smile vanished from Eve’s face. The shadow that crossed the child’s features struck Luise’s eyes like a blow.

“Mommy, you’re not coming?”

“Mommy has to stay. There’s something I need to do.”

She forced a smile, but worried how it must look to Eve. Was she smiling well enough? She couldn’t tell.

“What thing…?”

“The priests asked Mommy to help with some work.”

“They asked you? Why? I don’t want that. Mommy, come with me.”

Eve stuck out her lips in a pout. Her face looked as though it might burst into tears at any moment, and it was painful to look at her. Luise gripped her daughter’s small hand tightly and absentmindedly rubbed it.

“You know what they said? They said Mommy is too clever not to be needed.”

A faint laugh slipped from her lips. The corners of her mouth felt stiff, almost sore.

At once, Eve stopped whining and only stared at her. Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes shimmering as if waves were crashing against them, breaking apart. It was like watching the resolve she had so carefully built crumble into sand.

Suddenly, a thought of her father flickered through her mind.

How had he done it? How could he have experimented on her like that—driven a blade into his own daughter’s heart?

Even seeing her child wear such an expression was more painful than a knife to her chest. Her own heart felt as though it were being torn to shreds. How had her father endured such agony—and cast it aside so easily?

For the first time, she understood why she had wished never to resemble him.

At last, Luise lowered her gaze, unable to meet her daughter’s eyes, guilt flooding her like a criminal caught in the act.

“So… it looks like Mommy will be going far away for a while.”

She tried to make it sound casual as she stroked her daughter’s shadowed cheek.

“How many nights?”

Eve’s voice trembled, on the edge of tears.

“Well… maybe a hundred nights?”

Eve didn’t yet know how to count to a hundred. All she understood was that it was a very big number.

“No! I don’t want a hundred nights!”

“If you play with Uncle Egon, the time will fly by.”

“No! I want to be with Mommy!”

Eve flung her arms wide and clung tight around Luise’s neck. Sniffling filled the space between them.

Luise bit down hard on her trembling lips. She drew in a long, steady breath, then exhaled in silence.

“Mommy wants to be with you too, Eve. Mommy loves you so, so much.”

“Then stay with me.”

“But if I don’t go, something scary might happen again. That’s why I have to. To protect you, Eve.”

Luise pulled her daughter in for a tight hug. The little girl buried her head in her mother’s neck, rubbing her face back and forth. She stopped whining and only sniffled now. She was accustomed to partings and waiting.

Eclace often left for long periods of time, only returning after a considerable amount of time had passed.

Seeing her child resign herself so quickly made Luise’s chest ache.

“…If I sleep a hundred nights, you’ll come back, right?”

Eve clutched at her mother’s hem as she asked. Luise felt the dampness spreading on her shoulder from her daughter’s tears and snot.

“Don’t cry, Eve.”

‘Or I’ll start crying too.’

“How could Mommy not come back to see the one she loves more than anything?”

Luise gently pulled Eve back and wiped the wet streaks from her face.

She knew she couldn’t keep her promise, yet she lied to her dearest child. The truth hurt all the more because of that. After a lifetime of lies, why did this one hurt so much?

The pain in her body and the torment of her spirit never dulled.

“Then I’ll count all the way to a hundred.”

Eve tugged firmly at her mother’s collar. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but her tone was firm.

Luise nodded and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be a good mother, Eve. Sorry I couldn’t stay by your side until the end. I’m so, so sorry.’

She swallowed back the words rising thick in her throat.

One day, Eve would realize. Even after a hundred nights, her mother would not return. That she was gone forever.

It would leave a wound too deep for a child. And yet… she couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth.

So Eve would hate her.

Luise wanted that. She hoped her daughter would heap all the blame on her, then find another happiness.

“Since you’ll be leaving with Uncle tomorrow, how about tonight you sleep all curled up next to Mommy?”

Luise smiled as she looked at her daughter. Eve nodded eagerly.

“And, Eve. Because Mommy’s helping the priests, the High Priestess said she’ll give you a present to say thank you.”

Luise rose and held her daughter’s hand.

“A present?”

At that word, Eve sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

“Yes. Because you allowed Mommy to go, even though it makes you so sad.”

“…What kind of present?”

At the mention of a gift, Eve’s sulky face softened a little, and Luise smiled. Yes. Thank you, my darling, for smiling even at something like this.

“Mommy’s not quite sure either. But tomorrow, let’s go together and receive it, hmm?”

Luise smiled gently and gave her daughter’s hand a little tug. Eve pouted, but in the end, nodded.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

Giselle looked at the man seated across from her.

Brown hair tied neatly back, ruby-red eyes, and the air of wealth about him.

The atmosphere was taut, difficult to breathe in. Giselle knew one thing for certain: he never sought out the High Priestess without reason.

And, as expected, her suspicions were right.

“I heard you’ve decided on Lady Luise’s damnation.”

His easy smile, framed by eyes that curved warmly, was sharp as a scythe.

Another one, Giselle thought. Another child clinging as desperately as Shed Lester.

So this was the one called Eve’s ‘father.’

She closed her eyes for a silent prayer, then lifted her face with a smile and nodded.

“It is the law of the temple.”

Her answer was as cold and flat as steel, unwilling to waste time in tiresome debate.

Eclace dropped a sugar cube into his tea with a pleasant smile.

“Of course. The temple always has its reasons for such decisions.”

He nodded lightly and stirred the tea with a silver spoon. The cube dissolved in silence, and a soft wisp of steam rose from the amber surface.

Giselle raised a brow at his unexpectedly compliant response.

“When the other High Priestesses arrive, you said the execution of the sentence will take place?”

Once the sugar had melted away, Eclace laid the spoon gently onto the saucer.

“That is correct…”

Giselle’s eyes narrowed. His questions carried a weight of intent—he already knew the answers.

The sealing of a heretic was rare, and it consumed an immense amount of sacred power. Giselle had already poured much of her strength into healing Shed and sealing Dietrich. To add Luise’s sealing on top of that—possible, yes, but heavy, and it gnawed at her conscience.

Because she had seen with her own eyes what Luise had accomplished.

And beyond that, there was the matter of the other High Priestesses’ pride. They would never allow Giselle to claim all the honors of this incident for herself.

It was about dividing the glory. Some wished to witness—perhaps even participate in—the sealing of a demon, a rarity in all of history. Others were driven by political entanglements.

Either way, Giselle would not be the one to seal Luise alone.

“Then by tomorrow the High Priestesses will have arrived.”

Eclace lifted his cup with an easy smile and took a sip of tea sweetened with sugar.

“They must have arrived in Recherdam by now.”

“Most likely. Let us hope their journey to Faradell is smooth.”

At that moment, someone knocked on Giselle’s door. The urgency in the sound drew Eclace’s eyes lazily toward it as he set his teacup down.

“Seems you have a visitor.”

“High Priestess…!”

It was the voice of her maid, Justine, from outside the door.

“Let her in.”

Eclace said with a tilt of his head, as if granting the interruption with ease.

When Giselle gave permission, Justine entered with a temple cleric in tow.

“What is it?”

“T-The High Priestesses have yet to arrive in Hellingern, my lady.”

“…What?”

“Well now, isn’t that unfortunate.”

The sigh that followed carried a deliberately theatrical air. Giselle snapped her gaze to the viscount seated opposite her, lounging in composure.

“To hear such news just as I offered a prayer for their safe journey… it seems my prayers are, regrettably, rather powerless.”

Eclace’s voice was calm as he took another unhurried sip of tea.

But Giselle’s eyes flicked back to Justine and the cleric, demanding an explanation.

Justine’s glare went briefly to Eclace before she spoke.

“At Hellingern port, they were told to pay a thousand dellana in docking fees—on the spot, and in goods.”

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Eclace.

After all, Hellingern Harbor’s facilities were managed under contract with the Vitel Trading House.

Blinking slowly in response to their intense scrutiny, Eclace answered without haste.

“Everyone pays about that much.”