Chapter 16

“No, Marquis, no need to apologize… What’s troubling you?”  

“Randelon. When you can’t share what’s on your mind with someone, what do you do?”  

The frustration was obvious, and with such a question, it seemed to be a worry he couldn’t share with anyone.  

Randelon paused to think, then offered his own answer.  

“Hmm, I go to the cathedral.”  

The cathedral? One of Robert’s eyebrows rose. Was Randelon really suggesting he go to a cathedral?  

“Do you mean to pray?”  

“No, I mean confession.”  

Randelon’s answer was puzzling.  

Robert had just considered going to a cathedral himself, to control the desires within him.  

But Randelon went to confession simply because he felt frustrated? Cathedrals weren’t meant for that.  

“Of course, if you haven’t committed any sin, you shouldn’t go to confession. Maybe just to pray.”  

As someone who saw Robert daily, Randelon added this explanation, reading the atmosphere.  

“There’s a place called the Bondage Cathedral. It’s still a cathedral, but it’s a place where you can let out your worries and frustrations.”  

Randelon explained further, recalling that Robert had been away from the empire for a long time.  

“It was closed for a while, but reopened about two years ago.”  

Randelon assumed Robert wouldn’t know about Bondage Cathedral.  

“Unlike other cathedrals, you don’t have to confess a sin. You can just talk about what’s weighing on you, so it’s popular.”  

He added that, since stories shared there never leaked outside, it was especially favored by nobles.  

“Bondage Cathedral, huh.”  

“Why not try visiting, Marquis?”  

“I appreciate the advice. You may leave now.”  

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

Randelon bowed. Then, hesitating for a moment before leaving the office, he added:  

“And tomorrow… It might be good if you come in a little later.”  

Normally, Randelon would never have dared to suggest anything to Robert about how he should act.  

But today, he felt compelled to say it—for the Treasury staff, but also for Robert himself.  

He didn’t know the exact problem, but it seemed to be related to Robert’s wife. Avoiding it forever wasn’t the answer.  

***

On his way home, Robert instinctively guided his horse toward the mansion. Then he stopped in his tracks.  

‘…….’  

Randelon’s suggestion to visit Bondage Cathedral echoed in his mind.  

Neigh—!  

A moment later, the horse whinnied as Robert pulled the reins and turned in the opposite direction, toward where Bondage Cathedral was located.  

Clip-clop, clip-clop—  

What was he thinking as he rode?  

Soon, the cathedral came into Robert’s view. Surrounded by walls as tall as a person, the cathedral in the center had a surprisingly cozy atmosphere.  

‘Is this Bondage Cathedral?’  

But even after coming this far, Robert hesitated to enter.  

If he went in dressed as he was after work at the Imperial Palace, it would be like announcing he was Marquis Dalton.  

And once inside, what could he confess?  

That he harbored dark fantasies about his wife? That he struggled to resist the urge to bind Celiana and leave red marks on her pale skin?  

‘Tsk, that’s absurd.’  

Robert clicked his tongue.  

Why had he come all the way here? He scoffed. What would talking here accomplish?  

He decided to turn back; this was just a waste of time. As he turned his horse,  

“You there, Young Man.”  

An old woman’s voice stopped him. She looked to be seventy or eighty.  

“Are you calling me?”  

Robert was a man born and raised as a noble to his bones. Even if she was elderly, she was a stranger with unknown status. He had no reason not to look down on her.  

And her attitude, calling out to him so boldly when he was obviously a noble, made Robert’s face show his displeasure.  

“Yes, Young Man. I’m calling you.”  

But the old woman didn’t care, chuckling that he was colder than his wife.  

Robert’s eyebrow twitched. 

‘My wife—could she mean Celiana?’

‘Or was it just a saying?’

He didn’t know who she was, and her words weren’t trustworthy to begin with. Robert decided there was no need to talk.  

“If you have no business, I’ll be going.”  

Robert tried to leave immediately.  

But—  

“Wait a moment, what’s the rush?”  

The old woman stopped him again, then claimed she’d come because she was frustrated after watching him, so he should be grateful.  

‘What was she talking about? Was she just crazy?’

Robert thought if he’d known he’d end up talking to someone like this, he’d have just gone straight into the cathedral. He didn’t bother to hide his annoyance.  

But the old woman, oblivious or unconcerned with Robert’s feelings, shamelessly stated her purpose.  

“Didn’t you recently have a dream you wished for?”  

A dream? He’d heard this line before—fortune tellers who offered to interpret dreams for money. Was she one of those?  

As Robert was about to scoff, the old woman suddenly met his gaze and asked,  

“What if it wasn’t a dream?”  

For a moment, Robert froze. She was just an old woman in shabby clothes, yet suddenly all his attention was focused on her.  

But Robert ignored the feeling and denied it.  

“What are you talking about?”  

“Don’t play dumb.”  

The old woman pressed him, as if interrogating him.  

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You know everything.”  

Why? Upon hearing her words, Robert was reminded of the ecstatic dream he’d had with Celiana.  

No, it was only natural. If it was a dream he’d wished for, there was only one.  

The night he’d indulged his desires with Celiana. Was the old woman talking about that?  

Impossible. And there was no way that hadn’t been a dream.  

Robert decided to end the conversation, thinking he was just encountering something strange. He tried to ignore her and move on.  

“But wasn’t it disappointing that you weren’t fully prepared that time?”  

The old woman continued, as if she could see right through Robert.  

He should have felt uncomfortable with her attitude, but instead, Robert felt something else.  

He didn’t show it, but he admitted it: he had been disappointed.  

Strangely, everything the old woman said pointed to that night—the situation, even Robert’s feelings at the time.  

Robert’s demeanor changed slightly. The urge to leave immediately disappeared, and the old woman chuckled again.  

“This time will be different. You’ll be the reality, and the other will seem like a dream.”  

She added that he should thank his good wife for it, and that she’d give him a tip.  

“Tonight, put everything you like under the bed before you go to sleep.”  

If he did, he’d never regret it.  

It was a conversation full of question marks. Everything Robert liked, under the bed?  

And she mentioned Celiana again. Normally, Robert would have dismissed such vague talk as nonsense.  

But he had a strange feeling. Maybe ignoring it wasn’t the answer.  

Robert decided to trust his instincts. For once, he’d act against his usual rational judgment.  

“I’ll listen a bit more. What are you trying to say?”  

Thud—  

Robert dismounted and turned toward the old woman.  

But—  

‘…She’s gone?’  

She had vanished as if she’d never been there.  

***

A few days ago, Celiana had received an invitation from Erta.  

This time, let’s talk a lot, just the two of us, Celiana.  

-Erta-  

It wasn’t a tea party with other young ladies, but a promise for just the two of them.  

‘She really invited me.’  

Celiana was happy about the invitation. It was a chance to finally let out the frustration she’d been holding in.  

Especially since things had been awkward with Robert lately.  

It felt like she was passing through a dark tunnel, so Erta’s invitation was a small light shining in the distance.  

And today was the promised day with Erta.  

“Lily, call for the carriage.”  

“You’re going to the Ephelmar ducal residence today, right? But it seems there’s still plenty of time before your appointment…”  

Lily trailed off. Even if they left two hours later, they’d arrive early. Wasn’t it improper to go too early?  

“No, I’ll stop by somewhere else first.”  

But Celiana revealed she had another destination before that.  

Lily was curious. Where could she be going?  

“Where shall I set the destination?”  

“Let’s go to the dress shop first.”  

Dress shop? Was she getting a new dress? But normally, it took more than two hours for a noblewoman to get a dress made.  

Was there an urgent need for clothes today?  

But Lily knew there hadn’t been any banquets scheduled recently.  

Celiana soon cleared up Lily’s curiosity.  

“From there, we’ll ride along the wall where I dropped off that old woman.”  

Celiana, who had been pondering for days, had made up her mind.  

‘I need to meet that old woman.’  

She wanted to talk with her, as she seemed to be the cause of that magical night.  

“Yes, I’ll do that.”  

Though Lily found her master’ s order odd, she agreed and prepared the carriage.  

Soon, Celiana’s carriage set off. She kept her eyes on the window the whole way.  

‘I’m sure it was around here. But she’s not here.’  

Even after getting out in front of the dress shop.  

Even after getting back into the carriage.  

Even at the wall where she’d dropped off the old woman.  

There was no sign of the old woman anywhere. It was as if the whole experience had been a dream.