I, feeling a bit guilty, pretended to fiddle with my nails.

“Please, go inside.”

“Where are we?”

“This is the Pope’s bedroom.”

I took a deep breath and cautiously stepped inside.

It was my first time entering a man’s bedroom. Moreover, it was the Pope’s bedroom, a strictly forbidden area for women. But at that moment, I couldn’t care less about such things.

I walked straight across the room towards the bed.

However, due to the draped canopy, I couldn’t see the inside of the bed.

There were no attendants or servants in the room, and the priestess had left immediately, leaving me in a bit of a predicament.

“Um, Your Holiness…?”

I called softly towards the bed, but there was no response.

After some hesitation, I carefully reached out towards the canopy.

Suddenly, a tall shadow appeared.

“You must not touch anything in this room.”

It was Gined. Already tense, I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden appearance of another person.

I was so startled that I couldn’t even scream, narrowly avoiding making a fool of myself.

Clutching my pounding heart, I stepped back, and Gined drew the canopy aside for me.

He probably couldn’t imagine that that canopy had been touched by the hands of at least dozens of women.

Once the canopy was fully drawn back, I hastily looked inside.

The Pope was sitting with his back against the headboard, eyes closed.

“Your Holiness. I have brought Lady Dronay.”

At Gined’s call, he slowly opened his eyes. Although his complexion was pale, he looked better than I had expected.

I sighed in relief, knowing that at least I wasn’t being accused of assassinating the Pope.

“Lady.”

Even after he started speaking, the Pope couldn’t continue for a while. His demeanor was vastly different from a few days ago when he shamelessly ogled me. Having experienced the afterlife while still alive, the shock must have been considerable.

I waited patiently.

After a long pause, he finally managed to speak again.

“Please accept my apology. I heard that Lady suffered due to Roengreen’s misunderstanding.”

He began with an apology.

“While it’s true there was a misunderstanding, I wouldn’t say I suffered.”

Hearing him talk about suffering just because I was locked in solitary for a few days made me feel embarrassed.

“No!”

The Pope almost shouted.

“I caused you trouble due to my carelessness, which is clearly the temple’s fault! I merely had my eyes opened to a new world through Lord Shahar. I was so shocked by His teachings that I couldn’t explain it properly…”

“Aha.”

Although it seemed like he was talking to me, his gaze was fixed on the coal.

Seeing the coal must have brought back memories of that nightmare, as he occasionally grimaced and shook his head. Even after several days, he hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“Whether the lady is aware of all His powers or not… No, no. It’s nearly impossible for a mere human to comprehend His abilities. Anyway, since you are close to Lord Shahar, I ask you to understand with a generous heart. Perhaps you received the same teachings as I did…”

‘What nonsense.’

I was irritated by his subtle probing.

When I didn’t respond, the Pope anxiously continued.

“Are you upset because Roengreen acted on his own judgment and imprisoned you?”

“No, it’s not that—”

Before I could finish, the Pope urged Gined.

“Why are you standing so stiffly, Roengreen? Apologize to the lady.”

Gined turned to me. His usually serene face looked particularly somber today.

“It was all my fault. I sincerely apologize, lady.”

Although I received an apology, I didn’t feel particularly happy. I hadn’t been angry at Gined at all.

In fact, considering what I had done, being dragged to a torture chamber would have been justified. Being locked in solitary was entirely due to his consideration.

“Sir Roengreen’s actions were justified. So, Your Holiness, please don’t hold him responsible.”

“I had heard that Lady Dronay was of a thoughtful and noble character, but seeing her in person, it’s indeed true.”

The Pope pretended to be impressed.

Not to be outdone, I responded with insincere flattery.

“You flatter me. I am endlessly lacking compared to Your Holiness’s mercy.”

“Haha… Lady, you have great spirit despite your young age.”

The Pope seemed quite displeased that I, newly an adult, was responding without hesitation. However, he forced a smile, perhaps still afraid of the coal.

“I’m glad to see Your Holiness has recovered. May I now return to the capital?”

Though it wasn’t a perfect ending, it was a happy enough one for me. I wanted to take Iscallion and return home as soon as possible.

“Please wait a moment, lady. Roengreen, leave us for a while.”

Gined hesitated but eventually complied with the Pope’s order.

“Lady Dronay.”

The Pope lowered his voice to a whisper once the door was closed.

“Yes, please speak.”

“You probably know what kind of teachings Lord Shahar gave me.”

“I don’t know the details.”

“Sigh. Please convey my words to Lord Shahar. I earnestly beg you.”

Suddenly, the Pope threw off the blanket and stood up. He clasped his hands in front of his chest, looking at me with a desperate expression.

“I’ve only known Shahar for a short time… I’m not sure if He’ll listen to me.”

“Please, you are the closest person to Him among humans. I’ll do anything to escape that infernal hell…!”

‘Anything?’

I instinctively glanced toward where Gined had disappeared.

If I had received such a plea a few days ago, I might have asked him to renounce his vows and marry me.

But now, there was no hope with Gined. To him, I was nothing more than a perverted deviant.

“Just say the word, whether it’s gold or land, whatever you desire, I’ll grant it!”

I pretended to ponder for a moment.

“Since you’re pleading so earnestly, I’ll try to persuade Shahar. As a believer, I can’t be at peace thinking of Your Holiness falling into Tartarus.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much. I will repay this debt someday.”

The Pope reached out, seemingly to grab my hand.

I awkwardly stepped back, forcing a smile.

Even in this situation, I didn’t want to touch a perverted, unattractive man for even a second.

‘I’d rather kiss the Crown Prince all day…’

I suppressed the curses rising to my throat and managed a smile.

“But there’s a condition.”

“W-What is it? Just say it.”

“From now on, live righteously. Return any ill-gotten wealth to society and stay away from women.”

‘To atone for your sins, you need to repent, you fool. Don’t think you can sneakily reduce your sentence with a bribe.’

“T-That’s…”

The Pope’s eyes wavered.

“If you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do. You know you can’t deceive Shahar, right?”

“I understand…”

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Do as you wish.”

As soon as I received permission, I left without a moment’s delay.

When I opened the door, I saw Gined standing like a guard. He was looking down with a somewhat dark expression.

I awkwardly rolled my eyes and spoke first.

“Um, His Holiness will be fine. He might have some nightmares for a while, so take good care of him.”

I wasn’t feeling particularly good, but I couldn’t just walk away after seeing his guilty face.

Trying to sound more cheerful than usual, I spoke, and Gined finally lifted his head.

“Are you going straight back to the capital?”

“Yes. There’s nothing for me to do at the temple…”

“I’ll escort you. You didn’t bring many guards from the Duke’s estate.”

“It’s fine. You’re busy, and I can’t keep relying on you.”

“But monsters and different species often appear on the outskirts of Arcadia.”

“Shahar is with me, so I won’t be in any danger. You saw how amazing my mate stone is, didn’t you?”

Gined made an indescribable expression.

“…You are indeed an unpredictable person, lady.”

“Haha, is that so?”

There was no way that was a compliment. He probably thought of me as an unpredictable pervert.

Indeed, there wouldn’t be many noblewomen who would act as disgracefully as I did in front of such a strict priest.

Still, I wanted to be remembered as a pervert with a good character by him.

I gave him the most polite bow I could manage.

“Then, Sir Roengreen. Stay well until we meet again.”

However, I wasn’t sure if I would ever see Gined again.