Chapter 43
Her instinct screamed that she must not be caught having overheard a conversation she shouldn’t have.
She continued to breathe evenly, as if still asleep.
And inside, she cried endlessly.
Please save me.
***
The task given to Delonas upon waking was still cleaning.
She was spared cleaning the baths, but next was cleaning the temple.
Naturally, she wasn’t given proper clothes, and when the rag made of old fabric tore, the priest said with a matter-of-fact face,
“You should take off even your own clothes to wipe with them, hmm?”
At his words, Delonas was desperately trying to fold the cloth somehow and clean with another part of it.
Just then. As if something had been decided, the knights surged towards her.
“……Is there something else I must do?”
She asked, trying to keep her voice as dignified as possible despite her fear.
Whether she did or not, the knights spoke.
“His Holiness has said he will have you attend to him during his external schedule.”
“External schedule?”
But they had said her heart would burst and she would die if she left the temple.
“The High Priest has granted permission, so let’s go quickly.”
As if reading her thoughts, the knights dragged her outside.
What Delonas originally understood as an ‘external schedule’ required ample time to prepare for the many contingencies of being outside.
But not for her now.
Without even a chance to change her clothes after being notified, she was immediately dragged outside the main temple building.
There, a carriage was already prepared, and there was also a baggage carriage for the Pope’s needs.
“Shall we put her on a horse?” a knight asked.
One of the head priests then fell into thought.
“We can’t put her on a horse. What if she gets ideas?” the priest clucked his tongue and looked at the baggage cart.
“But we also can’t have her touching His Holiness’s belongings…”
The way he spoke of her as if she were a thief made Delonas bite her lip.
She had never even thought of such a thing.
Then, the Pope’s voice came from inside the carriage.
“We are departing late.”
“The preparations are nearly complete, Your Holiness!”
“And the attendant?”
At that moment, the carriage door swung open.
The Pope seemed sensitive to the delay in the schedule.
His gaze fell upon Delonas.
“Load her quickly.”
It sounded as if he were speaking of an object.
But unlike the others, his eyes weren’t cold or glistening with lust.
Those eyes confused Delonas.
‘Yes, slowly. When they think “This must be the bottom,” you show them what’s below. When they endure thinking “This must be the bottom,” you show them what lies beneath that.’
Even though he was the one who had said that, why…?
“Putting her on the baggage cart or a horse—”
The head priest spoke with a troubled expression.
The Pope then raised an eyebrow as if the notion was absurd.
“You intend to place my attendant outside my carriage?”
At his words, the priests looked at each other, somewhat flustered.
“Th-then, you mean to have this… inside Your Holiness’s carriage directly…?”
“Are you suggesting I go outside myself to receive my attendant then?”
At his sharp retort, the priests exchanged glances and eventually nodded.
“U-understood.”
And so, they dragged Delonas and placed her inside the carriage where the Pope sat.
***
“…….”
“…….”
Silence filled the carriage.
Made only from materials soaked in holy water, the Pope’s carriage was sturdy, with minimal rattling and an exceptionally smooth ride, incomparable even to those of the imperial family.
And the Pope, the very presence that unnerved Delonas the most, hadn’t spared her a single glance since she entered the carriage.
Then.
―Rattle.
Feeling a slight jolt, the Pope frowned and handed a bundle of documents to her.
“Hold these for a moment.”
“……Yes.”
Just… like this? Is it okay for me to even see this?
Her eyes were drawn to it against her will.
“……?”
But what he had placed on top was a paper with what looked like a map or a diagram.
Wondering what it was, she saw:
[Order Service Route]
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