After Giselle left, Lydia headed to the marquis’s residence with her certificate of temple registration.

Though she wanted to leave with Arsen right away, that could cause trouble for him.

So Lydia planned to proudly tell Devon and leave the marquis’s residence.

“What did you become? A priestess? Ha.”

As expected, Devon was furious about Lydia becoming a priestess.

If Lydia hadn’t come with Arsen, he would surely have struck her.

His hand that had risen in the air to strike Lydia’s cheek when she entered the marquis’s residence in priestess robes trembled even after moving behind his back.

“Even the temple has become corrupt. To accept someone like you as a priestess.”

“What matters is what comes next.”

“Oh? Planning to live an honest and pure life from now on?”

Devon sneered heavily.

Since she had expected this fully, Lydia responded without being flustered.

“Yes, I’m going to follow Sir Arsen to the border of the marquisate. I plan to build a temple there and live following the Goddess’s teachings.”

“Wait, where are you following? You’re following Sir Arsen?”

As expected, she knew he would react to that part.

Devon’s gaze moved from Lydia to Arsen standing beside her.

“Did you agree to this, Sir?”

“Yes. If the young marquis allows it, I would like to take her with me when I return this time.”

At Arsen’s unhesitating answer, Devon’s expression twisted strangely.

He had thought they had lost Arsen because Lydia became a priestess, but look at this? He’s taking Lydia to the border?

Did Arsen have feelings for Lydia while Lydia didn’t feel the same?

But if she went to the border, that harsh land, Lydia would have no choice but to depend on Arsen.

And then, wouldn’t they end up making eyes at each other, and more?

She could then abandon the priestess position after maintaining it for about 2 years.

Devon’s calculations flowed exactly as Lydia had intended.

Except for one thing.

“Fine, if Sir Arsen agreed, I have no reason to object. But since you’ve become a priestess, you’ll have to behave properly?”

If he kicked her out penniless, wouldn’t she have to depend on Arsen even if she didn’t want to? Devon predicted.

“Don’t even think about taking anything from this marquis’s residence, Lydia.”

* * *

“What?”

“Don’t think about taking anything.”

Devon called the butler and head maid and firmly ordered them to watch carefully so Lydia couldn’t take anything.

Lydia, who had planned to sell her jewelry for travel expenses, bit the soft flesh inside her mouth at Devon’s petty behavior.

“Why that expression? You should live purely and honestly now that you’re a priestess.”

As if he had never been angry, Devon smiled broadly looking at Lydia’s face that seemed to be chewing something.

“Take a few sets of clothes.”

Devon spoke like he’s being generous and Lydia glared at him, lost for words at the absurdity.

However, she couldn’t hurt Devon with just a glaring gaze.

“Sir Arsen, have some tea before you go since you’re here.”

“That’s alright.”

“Don’t decline, come.”

He practically dragged Arsen away forcefully.

As if he didn’t care whether Lydia stood there blankly or sat down.

Lydia kept her mouth shut tight and turned around sharply.

Take a few sets of clothes? How filthy and petty, really.

Suddenly regretting giving the sapphire necklace as a bribe to the High Priest, she wished she had given just the sapphire without the chain.

Even just the necklace chain would have been enough for travel expenses.

At this rate, she really might have to entrust her entire being to Arsen.

Though Arsen wouldn’t turn her away, she hated having to ask for favors every time.

Wasn’t there some way?

“Miss, did you really become a priestess?”

As Lydia returned to her room pondering solutions, Anna, her personal maid, quickly ran up and asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh my, Miss, you never even went to the temple before.”

“……I plan to start going from now on.”

Anna, we seemed to get along well, so why are you hitting where it hurts?

Lydia was feeling awkward as she headed to her room, but changed direction.

“Where are you going, Miss?”

“The dressing room. Devon said to take a few sets of clothes.”

“Those clothes probably don’t mean dresses.”

Though she opened the dressing room door, Anna wore quite a troubled expression.

“I heard downstairs too, and I think the young master meant for you to take a few sets of underwear and nightgowns.”

Lydia, who had been heading toward the dress hangers, stopped.

Right, it would be funny to take dresses after becoming a priestess.

Lydia, who had planned to sell even dresses for travel expenses, was frustrated once again.

Still, since she was already in there, Lydia looked over all her dresses.

Usually when she wanted to wear a dress, the maid would select and bring it, so she never had the chance to see so many at once.

Seeing them all gathered, it was a festival of colors—yellow, pink, sky blue.

Among them, Lydia liked the sky blue dress with a long ribbon tied at the back the most.

Or she often wore the light green dress made of flowing fabric with expensive lace.

Richard had praised both, saying they suited her very well.

“What? These are all Richard’s taste?”

Indeed. Come to think of it, all the clothes with ribbons, lace, and frills were Richard’s taste.

Richard liked feminine and lovely feelings.

To match that, at some point Lydia only wore flowing dresses in soft colors with lots of fluttering decorations.

Yet Richard ended up falling in love with Giselle who had a mature and seductive atmosphere.

“How could I have been so stupid?”

Each and every dress was a product of stupidity.

She could have bought at least one dress in her own taste.

But what was her taste?

She had lived too long thinking Richard’s taste was her taste.

Lydia had now forgotten even what her own taste was.

Her mouth turned bitter. Just earlier she had been reluctant to leave these dresses behind, but looking again, they were just ridiculous.

“This dress was your favorite, Miss. Please ask the young master to let you take at least this one.”

Anna pointed to that sky blue dress.

Yes, until just now Lydia had thought that. But not anymore.

“No, I don’t like that dress anymore. So pack lots of underwear and negligees instead. Ah, and robes too.”

Well, they should let her take robes at least.

“The border is cold, so pack thick ones please.”

“Ah, then how about that one? You only wore it a few times because it was too warm for the capital with its lining.”

Anna brought out a robe that Lydia didn’t even remember.

“Yes, that would be good.”

As she was touching the robe, marveling at its thick texture, Lydia noticed the bandages wrapped around each joint of Anna’s left thumb and index finger.

“Why is your hand injured?”

“Ah, while sewing.”

Anna smiled as if embarrassed.

At that moment, Lydia shuddered at the realization that struck her mind like lightning.

There might be a way to secretly take jewelry, if she did it right.

“Anna, could you pack the underwear and negligees and bring them to my room now?”

“Now? Are you leaving right away, Miss?”

“No, not that. I just want to pack in advance.”

Actually, I want to play a little trick with the underwear.

Lydia grinned at the thought of completely cleaning out the marquis’s residence.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arsen who was dragged away by Devon, gradually lost his smile. Though he hadn’t been smiling to begin with, his expression hardened more and more.

“I think you’re quite gentlemanly.”

“There’s no temple at the border, so it would be good to have one.”

Though it seemed at a glance they were just saying what they wanted to say… that was indeed the case. They each spoke only what they wanted to say.

Still, they somehow understood each other’s meaning. Because the subject was the same.

They were talking about ‘Lydia following Arsen to the border.’

“If I were you, I wouldn’t have let her become a priestess. They say a beauty should be won over, don’t they? I’m not saying this because she’s my sister, but Lydia is quite a beauty. Don’t you think?”

Arsen answered with just a short nod.

Devon thought Arsen was being shy.

Usually the more fierce a man is on the battlefield, the more wooden he becomes in front of women.

So Devon wanted to pass on methods for making a woman his own.

With sincere feelings hoping Arsen would make Lydia his woman using those methods.

“Though she seems unable to forget His Majesty now, that’s not love. She’s just upset because what was hers was taken away.”

Yes, it certainly doesn’t seem to be love.

For the first time today, Arsen agreed with Devon’s words.

“There’s no one at the border, so if you take care of her a few times, she’ll quickly fall into your arms. Or you could embrace her first. Who else is there that Lydia knows besides you?”

This statement could be quite misinterpreted depending on how one heard it.

Arsen had not the slightest intention of forcibly embracing Lydia.

Taking her to the border was only to watch her because she knew his secret.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“I have no intention of—”

“You really are a gentleman, such a gentleman. That’s why I like you.”

Devon didn’t even try to listen to what Arsen was saying.

Arsen found this conversation tiring.

Was Devon always like this?

He was someone who could be considered close, in a way.

During Richard’s coup, while advancing from the marquisate to the capital, he had been with Devon almost every day.

He had recognized early on that he was a man with much ambition.

However, he hadn’t thought badly of it. Devon had considerable ability, resolve, and knew how to share with his subordinates.

Though there were some in the Black Wolf Knights whose origins were unclear, he didn’t despise or discriminate against them.

So within the knight order, Devon’s evaluation was actually better than Lydia’s.

Had the person changed, or did he just lack affection for Lydia?

How could he try to sell off his own blood?

Ambition had grown into greed, and greed into desire, consuming Devon.

Arsen felt sorry for his corruption in one way, but that was it.

Sympathy was a luxury for him. Besides, he didn’t even want to imagine Devon knowing his secret.

Yes, it seemed it would be more helpful to Arsen if Lydia dealt with Devon instead.

One way or another, he ended up in the same boat as the marquis’s daughter.

When they got involved, they got properly involved. How could their goals, means, and even paths be so similar?

Though Arsen felt uneasy about the unresolved questions, now wasn’t the time to deeply explore those questions.

He didn’t want to spend any more time with Devon.

“I plan to depart in two days.”

“So you won’t stay to see the royal wedding.”

Devon nodded. It was a sign of permission. Arsen paid his respects and left the reception room.

As he left the marquis’s residence, Arsen unconsciously glanced up at Lydia’s room on the second floor.

“……Ha.”

Lydia, who had come to the second-floor window at some point, noticed him looking up and waved.

Her light pink hair flowed as if it would melt in the afternoon sunlight.

Strange woman. Suspicious person. Yet his instincts kept screaming that she was harmless.

He wanted to believe what Lydia said.

How far could she go? A new question arose.

Arsen turned away without bothering to return the greeting.

Though this time Lydia wasn’t sick and wouldn’t have to worry about starving, his steps leaving the marquis’s residence were slow.