If they had s*x because she was that desperate, wouldn’t it be normal to hope things would work out till the end? 

 But Rarien Claude vanished on her own accord. He couldn’t understand it. Though he had threatened to report her to the ethics committee, in the end, hadn’t he practically seduced her into having s*x? 

 He had told her she was pretty while licking and sucking, thrusting all night long. If there were no particular variables, he had planned to keep doing so steadily. From the start, Rarien Claude was the only woman he could have s*x with, so there was no reason not to. More than just being possible, he was obsessed to the point of thinking about it all day. 

 Why on earth did she kick away that opportunity and run away? No matter how much Nicholas thought about it with his common sense, it was hard to comprehend. 

 Was there some other reason? 

 No matter how much he racked his brains, speculation was just speculation. Only Rarien Claude would know the exact reason. 

 He felt he wouldn’t be satisfied until he met her and heard the answer directly. 

 “How are things with the Southern Temple?” 

 “As you instructed, we’ve established connections. Here are the Southern Temple’s current issues and… separately, the profile of the nun who will act as our contact.” 

 Of all places to run away to, why go down to such a rural area? 

 Though he wasn’t keen on it, since the prey he was chasing had entered the rabbit hole on her own, there was no reason not to go. 

 Nicholas carefully reviewed the documents he received. 

 Given last year’s poor harvest, the Southern Temple was struggling with funding issues. The large donation to be given in Reinhart’s name would be an offer they couldn’t refuse. 

 He planned to use that as leverage to take control of the Southern Temple. 

 Nicholas also thoroughly examined the profile of the nun who would act as their contact in the South. 

 “Good. You found a good one. No official position, worldly, and even reckless enough to volunteer for this kind of work.” 

 This type was actually perfect for assigning simple tasks. Being unable to think for herself, she would only do exactly what she’s told. 

 It was better to have someone easy to control rather than someone who might act independently claiming to help. 

 Before Nicholas arrived in the South, he planned to have some preliminary work done. 

 He intended to instruct her to help Rarien adjust well in the South and stick close to her under the pretense of work handover. He had already arranged to have her lodging assigned to the room next to the contact nun’s. That way he could receive detailed reports about Rarien Claude’s every move. 

 He deliberately told her to assign work dealing with holy knights and priests. With that they could naturally find out about that Benjamin or whatever his name was too. As always, the plan was excessively thorough and meticulous. 

 “Good work. When I leave for the South, why don’t you take some vacation time? I’ll put in plenty for vacation pay.” 

 “What? Vacation?” 

 Andrei’s eyes widened at the unexpected vacation. Nicholas Reinhart was a severe workaholic, and it was also the first time he had proposed vacation to his aide first. 

 “Andrei, your family is here. You should spend time with them. I think it would be better for me to find a new aide temporarily in the South as well.” 

 “Then I……” 

 “Don’t worry, you’re not fired. As you know, I’m rather picky about people.” 

 Speaking of being picky about people, why say he’s finding a new aide? Someone who was always logical seemed somewhat inconsistent in his words today. 

 Though the contradictory attitude was a bit suspicious, he couldn’t probe further. 

 “Of course, if you question more here, I can’t guarantee your reinstatement.” 

 Because Nicholas added those chilling words. 

 Though it felt like walking on thin ice every day, this was still the best treatment he could get in this industry. 

 He couldn’t lose such a good position over pointless curiosity. Knowing his superior’s temperament well, Andrei decided not to ask more. 

 ***

 The heir had returned to Reinhart. 

 To become the Southern Temple’s biggest patron, he first had to meet the person he least wanted to see. 

 “Do you even know how many months it’s been? It shouldn’t be this difficult just to see my beloved son’s face.” 

 Nicholas’s mother, the Grand Duchess of Reinhart, poured out complaints as if she had been waiting. 

 “I don’t know when our Nicki will understand this mother’s heart.” 

 But since he needed the money. He’d have to endure this much. Where in the world would anything be free? He decided to think of it all as getting his money’s worth. 

 Nicholas clenched his molars and forced his lips to curl up. 

 “I’ve been too busy to pay attention. I’m sorry. Has your migraine gotten any better?” 

 “Really now. You’re worried about your mother?” 

 “If the medicine isn’t working well, how about changing your physician? I’ll tell William to look into it.” 

 “What use are medicine and physicians? The cause of the headache is something else entirely.”

The Grand Duchess of Reinhart glanced at her son reproachfully. 

 “Everything would be solved if you just got married and produced an heir.” 

 The heir talk again. Though he had s*x with a woman as his mother wished, he had no intention of ever revealing who she was. 

 She would surely meddle, insisting she needed to see exactly which young lady it was with her own eyes. The woman was as easily startled as a herbivore. She seemed likely to scare away the woman who already had a tendency to run away at the slightest thing. 

 “It seems Madam Rosalie’s words were true after all.” 

 “What do you mean?” 

 Nicholas quickly asked when he heard his mother mutter as if lamenting. 

 Though he would normally maintain a smile and pretend not to know, today the words ‘Madam Rosalie’ particularly caught his ear. 

 “At your sixth birthday. That woman came. She said she could see the future, and offered to see your future as a birthday gift.” 

 “And then?” 

 “I didn’t really believe it, but I decided to listen anyway, thinking what’s the harm. I was curious about your future too.” 

 A prophecy. In terms of discussing things that would happen in the future, it was similar to a curse. 

 “So, what did she say about me?” 

 “She said you would grow up to be the perfect son of god.” 

 That again. He was thoroughly sick of hearing that. 

 “That sounds more like a blessing than a prophecy. It’s what you wanted, Mother.” 

 “True. But the problem is that wasn’t all she said.” 

 The Grand Duchess Reinhart’s eyes darkened. Her face was somehow completely different from how it usually lit up proudly whenever she heard the words ‘perfect son of god’. 

 “……She said that because you would be so perfect, the thing you loved most would be yourself.” 

 It wasn’t wrong. That’s how it had been until very recently. The thing Nicholas loved most was Nicholas Reinhart, himself. His mind had been completely filled with only himself. 

 “I dismissed it as nonsense back then. But seeing how you torment your mother so. It seems like it might be true.” 

 So it was a kind of curse. They called her a witch. It seems it wasn’t just an empty rumor. 

 Since it was from when he was so young, he had forgotten, but he had met her before. 

 Moreover, Madam Rosalie was someone who had connections to Rarien Claude as well. 

 “That woman. She also said you would never be able to desire another person. People said she was a witch who cast curses… That must have been the curse she put on you.” 

 It was accurate until he met Rarien Claude exactly, and wrong after meeting her. 

 He wanted to completely possess Rarien Claude. 

 His mind was filled entirely with thoughts of her with no gaps, and he was even planning the crazy act of sponsoring the Southern Temple in order to have her. 

 Looking back, he had been strangely drawn to her since Rarien Claude kissed him. And she had spectacularly shattered almost all expectations. That created countless ripples in Nicholas Reinhart’s previously calm mind. 

 At the time, Nicholas thought that too could be a curse or spell. ‘Madam Rosalie’ was the basis for thinking that way at first. 

 The more he thought about it, the more complicated his mind became. 

 ***

 Unable to sleep with his head aching from pondering a problem without answers. Even when he tried not to think about it, his mind was filled with only those thoughts. 

 Nicholas was praying in his study at the main house. 

 “I really feel wronged. I didn’t hide anything at all.” 

 She had such a genuinely wronged expression. 

 He had asked Rarien several times already, but she waved it off saying there was nothing like that. 

 But it seemed too perfect to not be true. 

 ‘What if Madam Rosalie cast the curse unilaterally, and like me, she didn’t know until now?’ 

 This seemed possible. But speculation was just speculation. It couldn’t be the answer. 

 The more he dwelled on it, the more suffocating it felt, like discovering an error he couldn’t solve. 

 At times like this, all he could do was pray. Usually Nicholas only prayed during ceremonial worship or when there was nothing else he could do. 

 Contradicting his occupation as a priest, Nicholas didn’t particularly like praying. He hated the feeling of helplessness when he had to pray. 

 Despite praying all day despite this aversion, prayer gave no answers. Rather, his thoughts only deepened. 

 What use was prayer if it gave no answers? 

 His title of ‘perfect son of god’ seemed ironic as it proved utterly useless. 

 Since he obsessively maintained the same structure and arrangement in spaces where he stayed, the study in the Duke’s mansion had almost the exact same layout as his temple study. 

 The temple study was permeated with Rarien Claude’s scent from having s*x all over. But here there was no trace of Rarien Claude, making him feel so empty he thought he’d go mad.