Chapter 131
“Sister Torea, I’ll be going now.”
“Oh, take care! Thank you again for your help today, Father.”
“Wait, just a second—!”
No, wait—future husband!
After all that trouble to finally meet you, and now you’re just going to walk away?
Even though I instinctively called out to stop him, he pretended not to hear, calmly straightening out his wrinkled robes. Of course he would tidy his clothes with such poise and grace—he is a high-ranking priest, after all.
“Um…”
“Did you have something else you wanted to say?”
He could keep playing hard to get for all I cared, as long as he’d just agree to marry me. I barely held back the urge to blurt it out, forcing my trembling lips into a smile.
“Well, I was hoping I could maybe… do confess with you sometime…”
“The doors of the temple are always open.”
Sure, I bet they are. But the temple without you there means nothing to me!
Just like that, my would-be husband left me with another perfect iron wall line and walked off. I was left standing there feeling utterly empty, like a poker player who’s just lost everything at the table.
And as if to fill the void left by his departure, a familiar voice slipped into my ear.
“Didn’t expect to see you here again. You really do come regularly.”
“….I know you have to stick with things once you start, okay?”
My reply came out a little sharper than I intended, mostly because my mood had soured after finally seeing Vice only to walk away empty-handed.
Even so, Ren didn’t seem to mind. He just smiled as usual, and when the kids recognized him and ran over, he picked one up and asked Sister Torea,
“Sister Torea, what should I do today?”
“Oh my, your enthusiasm is always such a delight!”
We divided up roles much the same as last time: Ren would play with the children first, then I’d take over and do educational activities after finishing up with the books.
After getting my instructions from Torea, I made a beeline to get away as quickly as possible. Between the mess at Crudi’s place and everything else he’d said and done lately, I just didn’t feel comfortable being around him.
“I feel like I met you a long time ago, Miss Camilli.”
[Affinity: 77]
Just like a floater in my vision, I couldn’t shake those unforgettable fragments of the past.
Maybe that’s why I was so distracted by old memories that I lost my footing and twisted my ankle.
“Ow!”
The sharp pain shot up my leg, and I collapsed to the ground. Ren, seeing me fall, set down the child he was holding and rushed over.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, it’s just—”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
With those words, he took out a handkerchief and gently wrapped my injured ankle, making sure he didn’t touch my skin directly. It was a gentlemanly touch, even in a rush.
He then asked a string of medical questions—does it hurt if I do this? And like this?—checking the severity of the injury with all the seriousness of a real healer.
I guess working as a knight, he’s probably dealt with injuries like this plenty of times.
After carefully watching my reactions, he seemed to decide it wasn’t broken, and set my foot down with a look of relief.
“It doesn’t seem to be a fracture, but just in case, you should go home early today.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s really necessary…”
Maybe if it swelled up I’d need to take more care, but if it wasn’t broken, I’d probably recover quickly. As much as I was here for ulterior motives, I didn’t want to skip volunteering now that I’d come all this way.
Ren didn’t argue with me, but instead reached for my bag, which I’d dropped.
“Wait—!”
I only realized he was going through my things when he was already picking up my stuff, and I yelped, quickly snatching it back.
“G-give it back!”
I could only hope he hadn’t managed to see what it was. But judging by the look on his face, he’d already read the title.
Oh god, out of everything, why did he have to see my rolled-up marriage certificate?!
“Why are you carrying something like that around?”
“Th-that’s none of your business.”
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