Chapter 11: The Bridge of Salvation (4)

Perhaps someone had uttered it first. Indeed, it was a bridge befitting its name.

Abigail’s golden hair, like threads of light, brushed against the child’s cheek. A glimmer of empathy crossed her eyes, and then tears, like pearls, scattered onto the collapsed bridge.

The awe of the miraculous scene was short-lived. Imperial carriages came to a stop beside the collapsed bridge.

Through the swirling dust, red hair reminiscent of autumn leaves fluttered in the wind.

“His Highness the Crown Prince approaches! Everyone, show your respect!”

Before I could even whisper his name, I had to kneel on the dirt ground.

“…So, the search for the missing is well underway, I see.”

Victor, surveying the wide expanse of debris, let out a bitter laugh and spoke.

“A search? At this point, we’d be lucky just to retrieve the bodies.”

There was a subtle hint of sarcasm in his tone.

“I personally found all the missing people. Aside from minor bruises, none of them are in life-threatening condition.”

Abigail lifted her chin and spoke firmly, causing Victor to let out a dry laugh.

“You found them all? Not the royal relief team I organized?”

His usually curt voice was now laced with thorns. Was it because Abigail hadn’t become the crown princess? Victor, who used to blindly believe in the Saintess, was now looking down at her with a chilling gaze.

“The Saintess herself indicated the locations of the missing people. We merely dug through the debris where she pointed.”

Jaylon, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, finally spoke up, and a nervous crease formed between Victor’s brows.

“…It seems the Saintess of the Empire has been through a lot while I was away.”

Victor forced a smile, but his voice was still sharp, causing Abigail to grow increasingly tense.

I gazed at him with eyes full of mixed emotions.

How was I in the past? I blamed myself for being powerless, for lacking any proper divine power. Victor would comfort me and hold me close. Hadn’t I wept endlessly in his broad chest?

As I stared blankly at Victor’s face, his gaze suddenly shifted toward me. In those red eyes, like cornelian cherries, he saw a nun covered in dust.

My hair, peeking out from under the tightly pressed veil, was tangled and damp with sweat, and my skin was covered in dark dirt.

“You are…”

Did he remember me? As I knelt on the ground, he took a step closer.

“Sister Alicia!”

Someone roughly pulled me to my feet. I was grabbed with a forceful hand and led away into the streets of the slums. I could only stare at Victor’s face as it grew more distant, until I finally came to my senses.

When I did, I found myself in an alley of the slums. The first thing I noticed was the thick wrist awkwardly wrapped around my waist.

“…Father Edwin?”

He must have run over in a hurry; his rough breath brushed against the back of my neck. Like me, his silver hair was streaked with sweat, and there was soot smudged along the edge of his jaw.

“…Really…”

He let out a long sigh, bending slightly. His silver hair brushed gently against my shoulder.

“What were you thinking, sitting there in a daze in front of the Crown Prince!” 

Father Edwin raised his voice, gripping my shoulders. Was I really in a daze? No, I was just reminiscing about the past.

“Were you worried?” 

“Is that even a question…!” 

He was about to explode with anger, but then he grabbed a fistful of his silver hair. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he clenched tightly.

“Father Edwin?”

I cautiously called his name, and his head, which had been hanging helplessly toward the dirt floor, slowly lifted.

“Alicia…”

The man who had always maintained a cold composure, who always sent sharp glances my way, now looked at me with eyes filled with unease, like a child who had lost their beloved toy.

“You keep testing me… over and over.”

He murmured, sounding like someone resigned to their fate. His sorrowful golden eyes met mine, leaving me unsure of what to say next.

“Father, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t intending to space out… I’ll make sure to keep my wits about me next time.”

Was this not the answer he wanted? As I awkwardly smiled and apologized as usual, his face contorted with a look of concern.

“…We have a lot of work to do. Stop talking and follow me.”

He sighed briefly, almost as if in resignation, and led the way out of the alley. Following him, I saw the clergy of the monastery busily distributing relief supplies. Though all the missing persons had been found, the work of a clergyman was just beginning.

* * *

Three days had passed since the Saintess had rescued the missing persons from the collapsed bridge. The rumors of the Imperial Saintess using a miraculous power to find the missing under the rubble had spread quickly throughout the empire. With the debris mostly cleared, it seemed we would finish our work and return to the monastery by tomorrow.

“Ah… it hurts! Father!”

Was it because I had dug through the rubble with my bare hands? A yellow pus-filled blister had formed under my fingernail. Father Edwin, with a needle heated in a flame, carefully lanced the blister on my fingertip.

“You’re quite the complainer.”

As yellow pus and red blood mixed together and oozed out, a sharp pain spread from the tip of my finger.

“…If it starts festering again, let me know.”

Father Edwin, who had been glaring at my ring finger with a sharp gaze, finally looked away.

“Aren’t you two sitting a bit too close? People might get the wrong idea.”

Hearing the voice, I looked up. Jaylon was standing there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall of the building. He seemed quite upset, perhaps not liking the sight of Father Edwin and me sitting together.

“Well, it’s probably less awkward than a knight from the rescue squad and a monastery nun sitting together.”

Father Edwin’s retort only made Jaylon look more like a child who had just had his favorite toy taken away.

“Licia, you didn’t eat earlier, did you?”

Jaylon pulled out a soft, fluffy bread—the kind given to the Imperial Knights. It was a world apart from the dry, crumbly bread that was distributed to the impoverished and the relief workers.

“I saved this for you. Go ahead, eat.”

Caught off guard, I accepted the bread Jaylon handed me. I broke it in half and offered one piece to Father Edwin.

“Father, please have some. You didn’t eat either, did you?”

Father Edwin glanced at Jaylon, raising one corner of his mouth in a smug smile.

“Thank you.”

He roughly shoved the half of the bread into his mouth.

“Licia, are you really going to do that?”

Jaylon sighed in exasperation, then slumped down beside me.

“Jaylon, shouldn’t you be going back to the rescue squad?”

“…Who cares? They manage just fine without me.”

I looked down at the badge of the knight commander pinned near the chest of his uniform. I couldn’t help but wonder how he had become a knight commander in such a short time.

“…Do you want it?”

Noticing my gaze, Jaylon casually offered me the badge.

“It’s important to you, isn’t it?”

“I’ll have to return it as soon as I get back to the Imperial Palace anyway.”

“Return it? So, you didn’t actually become a knight commander?”

“You fool. How could I become a knight commander in that short amount of time? The Imperial Palace decided to form a rescue squad with only low-ranking knights of commoner origin, so I thought I was being sent on a deployment or something.”

Jaylon gently caressed my roughened hand with a tender touch.

“…I heard your monastery was sending out a relief team, so I hurriedly volunteered. Turns out, I’m the senior among these guys. I’m like a temporary knight commander.”

He reached out and tucked the stray hairs back under my wimple. The familiar gesture made me close my eyes in a relaxed manner, but the sharp cry of a wildcat echoed through the air.

“Risking your life to join a rescue team just to meet a childhood friend—what a tear-jerking story of friendship,” Edwin Father sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm, causing Jaylon’s eyebrow to twitch.

“Ever thought we might be more than just ordinary childhood friends?” Jaylon shot back provocatively, making Edwin bare his teeth like an enraged beast.

“I’m worried I might get bitten at this rate. Well, how terrifying. I’ll be off now.”

Jaylon stood up with a playful grin. Was he just going to leave like that? At that moment, his rough fingers lightly brushed against my lips.

“Don’t just nibble and eat like a kid. Oh, right. Did you get the masquerade ball invitation? If you’re thinking of going, let’s go together. Make sure to send me a letter.”

“An invitation?” I tried to ask, but Jaylon had already walked far away.

“Sister Alicia, you’re forbidden from sending any letters outside for the time being.”

All that was left was a lingering sense of unease and Father Edwin, who was gritting his teeth in frustration.