Chapter 10 : Requiem Mass (5)

A large basket of flowers arrived at the monastery. Father Edwin checked inside and then, with a perplexed expression, handed the basket to her.

“What’s with the flowers?” she asked.

As she looked down at the red tulips filling the basket, she listened to Edwin’s words.

“They’re for you.”

“…Oh, thank you.”

She accepted the flowers, though she wasn’t sure why he was giving them to her.

“There’s no need to thank me. If you want to show gratitude, it should be to the one who sent them, shouldn’t it?”

Of course. It didn’t make sense for Edwin to suddenly give her flowers.

Then she remembered. The day has come around again—an annual occasion when people give flowers to their loved ones. While she didn’t have a romantic partner, her father had always sent her a bouquet on this day. She was certain the tulip basket had to be from him.

“I think they’re from my father.”

At the mention of her father, Edwin’s expression softened slightly.

“To my beloved Licia. See? I knew it was from my fath—”

She leisurely read the letter that had come with the flowers, only to realize, too late, that the note wasn’t from her father.

* * *

“How is life at the convent? Are you getting by okay? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you that I’m afraid I’ll forget your face. Moments like these make it feel like I’m the only one waiting for you. It’s lonely.”

“…Haha, it’s just a letter from a childhood friend.”

Edwin stared at the letter like a hungry wildcat, his gaze so intense that she quickly hid it behind her back, fearing it might burn a hole through the paper.

“The man who was crying in the market that day, isn’t he?”

“Do you remember him?”

“Well, it makes sense… No, actually, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a childhood friend confess their love to me.”

His tone had a slight hint of sarcasm.

“Are you upset?”

She wondered if he was angry because a nun, who was supposed to dedicate her life to the church, was exchanging letters with an outsider.

“…No, not at all! Why would I be?”

“Because I received an inappropriate letter from a man…”

Given that she had vowed to live as a nun under the watchful eyes of God, she could understand if Edwin was upset.

“…I said I’m not upset. Why would I be?”

But his furrowed brow and the irritation in his voice suggested otherwise. She felt a sudden urge to reach out and smooth the lines between his brows.

“Because I’m a nun in the monastery.”

Was there another reason? My words seemed to catch Father Edwin off guard as he stared blankly at the flower basket.

“…That’s true.”

“Then, what exactly are you upset about?”

When I asked again, Father Edwin ruffled his hair in frustration before speaking.

“…I’m not upset.”

His face had turned pale as a corpse, and he stumbled down the monastery corridor. I watched his slumped figure as I picked up the flower basket I had set down.

“It has a lovely scent.”

Breathing in the subtle fragrance of the tulips, a faint smile spread across my lips. I returned to my room and continued reading Jaylon’s letter.

[Did you know? Today is the day to give flowers to your loved one. Everyone else was buying lilies, but I thought tulips would be better. It took me a while to choose, so I hope you like them.]

If I had received a basket of white lilies, I would have thought of Abigail, all alone in the palace, and felt uneasy.

[Oh, and I passed the knight exam! I wanted to tell you in person, but since I can’t, I’m letting you know through this letter. It’s all thanks to you.]

“All thanks to me? What did I even do?”

[I’ll say thank you in person when we meet. If you don’t meet me, I’ll come find you at the monastery, so be prepared. Got it?]

As I read the letter, I could almost hear Jaylon’s playful voice. The petals held a fleeting beauty, destined to wither soon, but for now, they were still full of freshness.

I took out a single tulip and placed it on Sarah’s bed before slipping back out of the room.

“Ah! Sister Alicia!”

Father Daniel was walking down the hallway on the second floor, his arms full of potted plants the size of fists.

“Ahh! Father, why are you pushing me like that?”

Father Edwin, who quickly nudged Father Daniel aside, handed me a small potted plant. It had a single flower that had yet to bloom.

“What’s this?”

“I gave one to the other nuns as well, so it’s nothing special. It’s small, but it will live much longer than a flower with its roots cut.”

The moist tip of the bud hinted that it would soon bloom into something delicate and beautiful, and I would be there to witness it.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of flower will bloom.”

I lifted the corners of my lips slightly as I looked up at Father Edwin.

“…I see. I’m looking forward to it as well.”

A fresh spring breeze swept through his silver hair. For a brief moment, his sharp eyes softened into a narrow squint, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

* * *

The tulip I had placed on my desk withered quickly over the course of a few days. I gently touched the now-dry and brittle petals. However, the potted plant Father Edwin had given me was just beginning to open its buds.

Maybe by the time I return from the palace, the buds will have bloomed. With excitement, I stepped out of my room.

“Sister Alicia, you seem to be in a particularly good mood today,” Father Daniel remarked.

I narrowed my eyes into a gentle smile as I replied,

“The flower in the pot the fathers gave me looks like it’s about to bloom.”

“That’s wonderful news,”

Upon hearing that the flower was about to bloom, Father Edwin, who had been walking silently some distance away, subtly lifted the corners of his lips.

After the prayer mass is over, I will know what choice Abigail made. I resolved not to interfere, regardless of what choice she made. I only hoped that whatever she chose, it was for herself alone.

I joined the other priests from the monastery and headed toward the palace. My steps felt heavy as I approached the palace.

“It will be alright,” 

Father Edwin murmured quietly. I wanted to respond with a smile as usual, but my lips, tense with anxiety, remained tightly set and wouldn’t move.

Before long, we reached the Emperor’s chamber. With just one more door to open, the Emperor would be lying in his bed.

“We are here to see His Majesty,”

Father Revencio said as he stepped into the Emperor’s chamber ahead of us. Surprisingly, the Emperor, who usually lay in bed as if dead, was sitting up, leaning against the headboard.

“Your Majesty, how are you able to sit up?”

Father Revencio asked, approaching with concern, and the Emperor responded with a hearty laugh.

“It’s all thanks to you. Your earnest prayers must have reached the heavens.”

At the news that the Emperor’s condition had improved, Revencio’s eyes sharpened.

“…Well, that is truly a most fortunate event.”

The Emperor’s complexion was still ashen and sallow, but the words he uttered seemed to greatly unsettle Father Revencio. Though his mouth spoke of how fortunate the situation was, his eerie, cold eyes fixed on the Emperor betrayed his true feelings.

“Today, I will once again give my utmost effort in the mass, empowered by Your Majesty’s words,” Father Revencio said, donning the mask of a benevolent priest.

The door to the Emperor’s chamber opened, and Abigail, dressed in a pristine white gown, entered the room.

“Ah, the Saintess has arrived as well. Please, come in. Truly, all of this is thanks to your grace,” Revencio continued.

Though Abigail still looked somewhat haggard, she seemed in better shape than she had been the last time I saw her, four days ago.

“I merely did what was required of me as the Saintess,” Abigail said, lifting her chin proudly.

“The priests from the Central Temple and the monasteries are here to assist me in the prayer mass, so they are the ones who truly work hard,” she added, raising the corners of her mouth in a lofty smile.

With a single sentence from Abigail, Father Revencio’s face contorted as he found himself suddenly demoted to a mere accessory.

“…Your words are most appropriate,” 

The cloudy pupils peering through the yellow sclera leered at Abigail’s face with a sticky gaze. It was obvious what kind of curses he must be muttering internally.

“It’s fine to chat, but His Majesty is waiting, so let’s not delay any further and start the mass,” Abigail snapped sharply. Father Revencio’s wrinkled hands began trembling uncontrollably with barely contained anger.

The precarious prayer mass began. Was it because of Abigail’s words? Today, Father Revencio stuttered or repeatedly read the same passages multiple times—a mistake that had never happened even when I was the saint.

While singing the hymn, I noticed that Father Revencio’s rough voice had gone silent.

“He granted us eternal rest. Sing, brothers. Look up to the cradle of God.”

When the old man’s voice, which had been resonating through the room, ceased, the Emperor’s chamber became solemnly reverent. As the priests gathered their voices to sing the hymn, Father Revencio cast a venomous glare at Abigail.

“How dare she….”

A vicious murmur escaped his quivering, liver-spotted lips. His face was too malicious to belong to a clergyman.

At that moment, the Emperor’s red eyes, still sharp and bright despite his condition, turned towards Father Revencio. The intelligence in those eyes remained as keen as ever.

After the prayer mass ended, the long-awaited moment finally arrived. I busied myself with cleaning up, moving swiftly to find an opportunity to slip away.