Chapter 8: The Dawn at the Central Temple (4)

Salivating at the sight of crispy chicken skin and slightly charred vegetables, I carefully transferred the food to a plate and headed towards Abigail’s room.

As I knocked on the door, Abigail opened it promptly, as if she had been waiting.

“Alicia, come in.”

Had she already warmed up to me enough to come to the door after just two days? A faint smile spread across my face.

“What’s this?”

“We were short on ingredients today, so I made something with what was left. I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste, but… would you like to try it?”

For someone who must have always eaten delicious food made from fresh ingredients at the Miller Count’s house, this was a humble offering. Abigail, her face filled with curiosity, picked up a piece of chicken skin and took a bite, her eyes widening like a rabbit’s.

“It’s really delicious.”

“Is it that good?”

“Alicia, you should try it too.”

Half worried, half expectant, I took the chicken skin she offered and put it in my mouth. The crispy, salty flavor spread throughout my mouth.

“It is delicious.”

Perhaps because it had been so long since she had eaten something so rich, her appetite was piqued. Sitting on the bed, Abigail seemed to be in a good mood as she started eating, swinging her legs happily.

“Thank you for always taking care of me, Alicia.”

“It’s just a meal made from leftover ingredients. Oh, right. I brought a book from the library in case you get bored.”

“A book?”

“They’re all theological books, but I picked the one that seemed the least complicated. It must be so boring to be alone in a room with nothing to do.”

“Thank you. For thinking of me this much.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s just a book.”

So happy over just a book. How will you react when you find out that I’m the one who pushed you to the edge? You’d probably be trembling with betrayal.

“But, Alicia, are you allowed to go into the library?” Abigail asked as she looked over the cover of the book. It was an old theological novel titled “The First Priests.”

“Father Revencio warned me not to go in there because of the prophecy. He said ancient scriptures are scattered all over and that I shouldn’t enter until it’s cleaned up.”

“A seminary student was cleaning the large library alone. I went in to help with the cleaning, so it should be fine.”

Abigail’s fleeting unease turned into a bright smile.

“That’s a relief, then.”

I sat with her, chatting until she finished her meal. Her lips, which had been tightly shut all day, began to loosen as she cheerfully chattered away. Dimples formed charmingly on her still-rounded cheeks. Though I wished to stay by her side a little longer, our time together was fleeting.

I waved goodbye to her, who looked disappointed, promising to see her tomorrow. Carrying the empty tray, I stepped out of the room and found a familiar seminary student standing by the door, arms crossed.

“Lucio?”

“Alicia, I wanted to have dinner with you, so I waited until you came out.”

Lucio’s innocent smile stirred an inexplicable unease within me.

“Please wait in the dining hall next time. Standing in front of the Saintess’s room could lead to misunderstandings.”

With Lucio’s small frame and delicate features, he was likely to cause misunderstandings. I was worried that baseless rumors might spread about Abigail. If Father Edwin had been here, he would have made sure to put Lucio in his place, telling him to straighten up and act properly.

“Ah, I didn’t think of that.”

With a hint of a warning, he quickly deflated and apologized. Maybe the uneasy feeling I had earlier was just my imagination?

“Alicia, I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

“…Today’s menu is grilled chicken skin.”

I’ll let it go this time. There don’t seem to be any other clergy around, and he wasn’t waiting with bad intentions.

Moreover, it was difficult to scold him sternly like Father Edwin would because he had such a fragile, boyish face. Undoubtedly, he often didn’t fit in with his seminary peers and always ended up eating alone last.

“Chicken skin?”

“Yes, I’m sure it will be delicious.”

I recalled Abigail’s face as she handed back the empty bowl, having enjoyed her meal once again.

Poor Abigail. Filling her hunger and sharing a brief conversation might be her only joy. Watching her innocent smile, a heavy sense of guilt welled up within me like smoke.

***

The room I was assigned in the central cathedral was nothing more than a storage room.

A small, windowless room where no sunlight reached, and the walls were covered in mold. The damp blankets emitted a musty odor.

“Please let today pass without any trouble.”

I straightened my crooked veil in the dusty mirror.

If there were no particular tasks today, I planned to help Lucio clean the library. As I stepped out of my room, an eerie stillness hung over the central cathedral, thick with tension.

“I am deeply disappointed that someone has broken the rules within this sacred cathedral.”

The voice came from below the railing. Silently, I descended the stairs.

Clerics and seminary students were gathered in front of the fountain in the central cathedral.

“I had clearly stated that no one was allowed to enter the library until it was fully organized.”

My heart sank at the mention of the library. As expected, Lucio stood before Father Revencio, head bowed.

“A mere nun wouldn’t dare commit such a bold act, so can I assume it was one of the seminary students?”

At Father Revencio’s words, the terrified seminary students slowly raised their heads.

“To dare lay hands on the sacred texts… A single word from me, and not only will you be stripped of your duties, but you’ll also be expelled from the seminary.”

Father Revencio’s wrinkled face was filled with anger, his upper lip quivering as he struggled to contain his rage.

“I saw it.”

In the suffocating tension, one seminary student raised his hand. It was the man with the round glasses, whom I’d encountered a few days prior.

In a situation where even the ordained priests of the sanctuary couldn’t raise their heads, he alone stood tall with his head held high.

Was he really Father Revencio’s great-grandson, as I had suspected? No, I couldn’t draw such a conclusion based on such a thin reason.

“Last evening, around the time dinner had ended, I saw a nun walking alone with a book,” the seminarian reported.

Father Revencio’s eyebrows twitched violently at his words.

“A nun…”

He glared at the nuns of the central sanctuary who were standing with their heads bowed.

“Well then, which one of you big-hearted thieves is it?”

“…She was wearing a blue habit.”

The nuns of the central sanctuary wore pitch-black habits that did not let any light through. It wasn’t difficult to identify me among the sea of black habits. 

His cloudy eyes, peeking through yellowish sclera, scanned the crowd rapidly. I stepped back, but it was already too late. Those experienced eyes finally found me.

“The nun from Archelio Monastery, I believe an explanation is in order.”

It was true that I had helped Lucio clean the library for half a day and borrowed a book, but I hadn’t touched any of the sacred texts. 

In that moment, a piece of advice Lucio had given me flashed through my mind.

[The ladder was perfectly fine until yesterday. Now, it’s broken in half.]

If there really was a thief inside the shrine, they must have stolen the holy book before Lucio arrived at the library.

“I did enter the library to help clean, but I didn’t steal the holy book.”

“No, Father. I clearly saw that nun carrying a book.”

With conflicting statements, an emotionless smile appeared on Father Revencio’s lips.

“So, one of you must be lying?”

Father Revencio took a step closer and stared at me with a chilling gaze. Despite feeling unnerved, I continued speaking without hesitation.

“I did borrow a book, but it was a general theological book, not a scripture.”

“So, where is that book now?”

Father Revencio’s words made me press my lips together. That book would be in Abigail’s room. I didn’t want to create any trouble for her.

“…I don’t have it with me right now.”

Father Revencio let out a snort of disbelief.

“You entered the library to clean, borrowed a book that wasn’t a scripture, and now you don’t have that book with you?”

Lucio’s eyes were filled with anxiety as he watched me from a distance. I wanted to ask him to tell the truth, but I couldn’t.

If I were cleared of suspicion, Lucio, who had been responsible for cleaning the library, would be the first to be suspected.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I held my head high and met Father Revencio’s gaze. There were few in the Central Shrine who could meet his eyes as equals.

“If we search the shrine thoroughly and do not find the scripture, I will hold the Archelio Monastery accountable.”

Father Revencio raised his arms, his lips curling up to his ears.

“Rebellion! Blasphemy! Heretic!”

And he shouted toward the ceiling so loudly that his uvula was visible.

“I will hold the Archelio Monastery accountable for all the responsibility. So, is that acceptable?”

The answer was already decided. No matter how much I struggled and claimed innocence, no one would listen.

As I bowed my head in resignation, I noticed Lucio, his eyes reddened, looking like he wanted to say something.

No, it’s okay. I can’t let you fall into misfortune for my sake. I silently shook my head at him.

“The book was taken on my orders.”

A voice rang out clearly, and I turned around. Golden hair that resembled the sun’s rays and eyes like blue jewels.

It was her, who had been extremely reluctant to leave her room. Abigail, in a thin slip dress, was walking forward, clutching the book I had given her to her chest.

“Saintess…”

“I was feeling very lonely in my room, so I asked the nun who brought me meals to borrow a book for me.”

Abigail handed the book to Revencio. “The First Priests.” It undeniably looked like nothing more than an old theological book.

“…Lady Miller.”

“How dare you call me ‘Lady.’ I am the Saintess of the Empire. Have you forgotten that, Revencio?”

Her voice was raised with all her might, though her hands were pale with fear. Despite being so intimidated, she mustered the courage solely for my sake.

Revencio glanced around. Perhaps he belatedly realized the need to maintain his dignity as a bishop. Hastily, he donned the guise of a benevolent priest.

“I misspoke. My apologies, Saintess.”

To be treated with such disrespect by the Saintess he had chosen. His anger simmered beneath the surface, his clenched teeth barely concealed behind a forced smile.

“To dare lay hands on a sacred scripture… I shall not easily forgive such an offense in the name of the Saintess. However, that nun did not steal the scripture. I can vouch for that.”

As Abigail defended me, Revencio’s murky eyes glinted with madness.

“How can you be so sure? A nun from another abbey, not even a nun from the central temple. As the bishop, I cannot be certain, so how can you, a Saintess who has not been here long, be so confident?”

A chilling silence settled within the temple. It seemed as though the madness-consumed Revencio might lose control and strangle Abigail at any moment.

“…Father!”

The voice that broke the heavy silence belonged to none other than Lucio. He was holding the broken ladder and breathing heavily.

“Yesterday, before Sister Alicia and I even began cleaning the library, we had already discovered evidence of an intruder.”

“An intruder. In this transparent and pure temple, an intruder.”

“The ladder, which was perfectly fine until the day before, was found broken in two. It’s a task that would be difficult for someone as small as me or Sister Alicia. This is the ladder.”

The ladder was indeed made of thick, solid wood, something even a strong adult male would struggle to break easily. Seeing the broken ladder, Father Revencio’s expression gradually hardened.

“…It seems that an old man, worried about the missing sacred scripture, got a little too excited. I apologize, Saintess.”

“Revencio, I will show leniency just this once.”

Abigail stepped forward, passing by Revencio’s sinister gaze, and stood in front of the fountain. She hesitated for a moment, looking at me, then gathered her courage and spoke.

“Everyone, listen. The clergy of the central temple will suspend all duties today until the missing scripture is found.”

Abigail’s pure voice echoed through the central temple. She was clearly very nervous, clenching her fists tightly to hide her trembling hands.

Shortly after everyone set out to find the scriptures, three volumes were found conspicuously near the storage area.

It was unclear if there had really been a thief within the temple who took advantage of the commotion to place the scriptures there.

Once the scriptures were safely returned to the glass display case, the temple regained its tranquility.

‘Abigail…’

Her clear eyes faced fear. She embodied the very essence of the Saint the empire had long awaited.