Carson held Ines tightly in his arms and waited until she stopped shaking. When he thought she had calmed down, he ran his hand through her hair. The ends of her hair, which were gently wrapped around him, were completely dry.
“You can’t go with me right away. You will come as soon as the number of people to come with you is ready.”
In fact, he had planned to take Ines first.
There was a rule that a priest had to go with him, but if he promised more donations, it wasn’t that hard to do.
However, after meeting the Empress, the situation changed. He had to return to the estate right away and check on the issue going back and forth between Puldurfin and Keynes. And there was no way to avoid giving in to what the Empress wanted.
Now he finally had a way to take Ines to Landhill, but going to Monstera was out of the question. He had to leave her alone for a while to keep her by his side again.
The day after Carson left, Ines wrote a very long letter to her father for the first time in a long time.
Ines's parents often sent her letters.
The content of the letters was nothing special.
They talked about how the dahlias bloomed longer this year than before, or how a black cat under the pavilion gave birth to many kittens and ran away.
Ines's mother was relieved after hearing her father's explanation. It was clear that the reason her daughter tried to kill someone was a comfort to her.
However, Ines's actions were not all forgivable. Her mother was clearly deeply hurt by the incident. However, it was not a pain that could not be overcome.
In the end, her mother was still healthy. She heard from her father that her mother sometimes smiled. Ines was satisfied with that.
She also wrote to her parents about the little things that happened at the temple and wrote them back.
However, today's letter was different from the beginning.
She ended the letter by asking them to come and take care of the business she had asked for since she was going to the lord's castle of Landhill soon.
In the postscript, she wrote that if the mother cat did not come back until the end, she should bring the two kittens of the black cat.
The day she was to leave the temple and go to Landhill was three days away.
In the meantime, Ines had learned about Monstera.
Monstera was actually the name of a vine that grew in the southern region. It is unknown why the territory was named Monstera, but ironically, monstera could not grow there.
Monstera, an epiphyte that grows by climbing other plants, could only survive in humid areas. Monstera was a dry territory that took on the form of a desert in part. There was a lot of wind, but little rain.
People guessed that the name was given because of the shape of the monstera leaves.
The leaves, which grew much taller than a person, had holes here and there that allowed them to withstand heavy rain and strong winds. And those holes allowed sunlight to penetrate all the way to the bottom.
Monstera was such a place. A land that would send light to the empire even if it meant tearing its own body apart.
“Ines.”
Ines was pulled out of her thoughts when Charlotte came to her and called her name.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Yesterday, Ines cautiously asked Charlotte if she would go to Landhill with her. She hesitated at the name Landhill. It was a place with painful memories, so there was nothing she could do. And today, Charlotte came to find her to give her the answer.
Since the well was brought inside the temple, the maids’ mornings were a bit more relaxed than before. Three maids shared the same room as Ines. Two of them had already gone out, and the maid who slept a lot in the morning was still asleep.
Charlotte brought some of the cookies from last night’s dinner as a snack.
“Have you thought about it?”
Ines was a little nervous as she waited for an answer. She sincerely wanted to go with Charlotte.
“Actually, I made up my mind quickly, but it’s late at night, so I came now. I wanted to go somewhere other than Landhill, but being with you is more important.”
She smiled brightly at Charlotte’s permission.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you... I’m the grateful one. You left Edmont earlier than me anyway. I had no idea what to do after that, but this is really great. I’ve even been given permission to stay in the lord’s castle even after you become a noble again. I’ll take my time and think about it. How should I live from now on?”
When Ines nodded, Charlotte stood up, dusting off her clothes.
“Oh, the one who’s going with us is Father Hansen.”
“Really?”
She would be reassured if it was Father Hansen. Hansen was a mid-level priest who would soon be on his way to becoming a high-ranking priest.
There was no visible discrimination here in Edmont, but there was hierarchy and distinction.
People distinguished between those who sinned and became maids and those who did not, and the two were naturally divided without any intention.
Since priests were also people, they were a little reluctant to come to them because they had no choice but to sin.
However, Hansen was not like that. It was impossible to know what was on his mind, but at least on the outside, he treated everyone with the same mind.
He was a handsome man with shiny silver hair and gray eyes. There were many times when Ines heard the maids talking among themselves about how it was a waste to become a priest.
After Charlotte left, Ines shook the maid’s shoulder, who was still sleeping, to wake her up. Normally, she would have woken up, but today she didn’t move at all.
She had been saying that she had no appetite and was tired lately.
“You should get up now. Are you really tired?”
Ines wanted to let her sleep more, but she couldn’t. It was when Ines pulled her shoulder a little harder. Her body fell over in the direction she was pulling.
Ines’ eyes narrowed slightly. The way her body fell down like a tree was definitely not the movement of a living person.
Ines took a step back. She wasn’t surprised to see the corpse.
During her time in Romfield, many prisoners were found dead in the morning, unable to endure the cold nights. She calmly examined the face of the dead woman. There was no reason to die just because they had no appetite and were tired. People don’t die that easily.
After examining the dead woman, she took a deep breath and straightened her chest. Her eyes closed involuntarily as certain memories came flooding back. The face of the dead woman looked exactly like the corpses she had seen in Romfield that day.
The temple specially provided a luxurious carriage for Ines and her party. Although they were not treated as criminals, they were still serving their sentences, so Ines could not set foot in the house even as she passed through Swenden mansion.
She took a deep breath as she passed the border of her former domain. There was Romfield in Lesonia, now Landhill. It was no longer a place-related, but the name still did not feel distant.
“The atmosphere here is really different.”
Charlotte and Ines passed the bustling market.
“That’s right.”
The market was different in scale from the Landhill where she lived. It was hard to believe that this great estate had now become Landhill.
If you pass this place and drive a little further down the quiet road, the lord’s castle where Carson lived would come into view.
She tried to recall her memories. The day she almost drowned in the lake, of course, was ten years from now and the past to her, but Ines spent the night in that mansion.
Carson’s appearance then was completely different from now. His eyes were deep and his atmosphere was sharper. However, his breathtaking beauty was the same now as it was ten years later. When she thought of him, Ines’s heart pounded. Her heart always raced whenever she thought of him, but today it was a little unusual, perhaps because she had just met him. Ines clenched her fist and pressed it tightly to her heart.
“Is something uncomfortable?”
Father Hansen asked Ines at that time. He didn’t say much the whole time he came here. However, he often checked on her condition and took care of his surroundings. There were many moments when Ines felt fortunate to have come with him.
“I think I'm a little nervous.”
He nodded and said softly.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
As she learned when she came here, Father Hansen was younger than she thought. He came to Edmont at the age of fourteen and went through two years as a catechumen and three years as an associate priest.
After that, he served God as an intermediate priest for another three years.
Not everyone who walks the path of a priest can become a high-ranking priest. However, he said that he would soon enter the highest stage. He was the same age as Ines.
Watching him take steps toward his dream, she felt anew how amazing Hansen was. Will she ever live her life diligently to become something?
Perhaps because she had come out of the temple after a long time, she thought about the future, not the past, for the first time.
As the sun began to set, the carriage carrying the three arrived at Carson’s castle.
It was the same. The building itself was large and splendid, but the garden was not flashy. The mansion was Carson itself, so much so that she could picture his appearance just by looking at the exterior.
It felt so practical that she couldn’t imagine that Count Graham’s wife held extravagant banquets every day.
When the iron gate opened and they reached the main garden, Carson and Louisianne came out to greet them.
Louis had grown so much. She had grown a span and her cheeks had gained some nice flesh. Ines no longer knelt down to her. Just by bending down, their eye levels were just right.
After confirming each other’s well-being in a small voice, Louis and Ines hugged each other tightly.
The child who had been holding her for so long and not letting go as if nothing had happened, left her without a second thought. Ines couldn’t help but laugh heartily because her appearance was just like a cat.
After everyone had said their goodbyes, Ines was guided to her room. The maid didn’t stay in the main building, but Ines and Charlotte ended up staying on the same floor as Louis’ bedroom. Naturally, the room was incomparable to the one they had at the monastery.
“You can’t go with me right away. You will come as soon as the number of people to come with you is ready.”
In fact, he had planned to take Ines first.
There was a rule that a priest had to go with him, but if he promised more donations, it wasn’t that hard to do.
However, after meeting the Empress, the situation changed. He had to return to the estate right away and check on the issue going back and forth between Puldurfin and Keynes. And there was no way to avoid giving in to what the Empress wanted.
Now he finally had a way to take Ines to Landhill, but going to Monstera was out of the question. He had to leave her alone for a while to keep her by his side again.
***
The day after Carson left, Ines wrote a very long letter to her father for the first time in a long time.
Ines's parents often sent her letters.
The content of the letters was nothing special.
They talked about how the dahlias bloomed longer this year than before, or how a black cat under the pavilion gave birth to many kittens and ran away.
Ines's mother was relieved after hearing her father's explanation. It was clear that the reason her daughter tried to kill someone was a comfort to her.
However, Ines's actions were not all forgivable. Her mother was clearly deeply hurt by the incident. However, it was not a pain that could not be overcome.
In the end, her mother was still healthy. She heard from her father that her mother sometimes smiled. Ines was satisfied with that.
She also wrote to her parents about the little things that happened at the temple and wrote them back.
However, today's letter was different from the beginning.
She ended the letter by asking them to come and take care of the business she had asked for since she was going to the lord's castle of Landhill soon.
In the postscript, she wrote that if the mother cat did not come back until the end, she should bring the two kittens of the black cat.
***
The day she was to leave the temple and go to Landhill was three days away.
In the meantime, Ines had learned about Monstera.
Monstera was actually the name of a vine that grew in the southern region. It is unknown why the territory was named Monstera, but ironically, monstera could not grow there.
Monstera, an epiphyte that grows by climbing other plants, could only survive in humid areas. Monstera was a dry territory that took on the form of a desert in part. There was a lot of wind, but little rain.
People guessed that the name was given because of the shape of the monstera leaves.
The leaves, which grew much taller than a person, had holes here and there that allowed them to withstand heavy rain and strong winds. And those holes allowed sunlight to penetrate all the way to the bottom.
Monstera was such a place. A land that would send light to the empire even if it meant tearing its own body apart.
“Ines.”
Ines was pulled out of her thoughts when Charlotte came to her and called her name.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Yesterday, Ines cautiously asked Charlotte if she would go to Landhill with her. She hesitated at the name Landhill. It was a place with painful memories, so there was nothing she could do. And today, Charlotte came to find her to give her the answer.
Since the well was brought inside the temple, the maids’ mornings were a bit more relaxed than before. Three maids shared the same room as Ines. Two of them had already gone out, and the maid who slept a lot in the morning was still asleep.
Charlotte brought some of the cookies from last night’s dinner as a snack.
“Have you thought about it?”
Ines was a little nervous as she waited for an answer. She sincerely wanted to go with Charlotte.
“Actually, I made up my mind quickly, but it’s late at night, so I came now. I wanted to go somewhere other than Landhill, but being with you is more important.”
She smiled brightly at Charlotte’s permission.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you... I’m the grateful one. You left Edmont earlier than me anyway. I had no idea what to do after that, but this is really great. I’ve even been given permission to stay in the lord’s castle even after you become a noble again. I’ll take my time and think about it. How should I live from now on?”
When Ines nodded, Charlotte stood up, dusting off her clothes.
“Oh, the one who’s going with us is Father Hansen.”
“Really?”
She would be reassured if it was Father Hansen. Hansen was a mid-level priest who would soon be on his way to becoming a high-ranking priest.
There was no visible discrimination here in Edmont, but there was hierarchy and distinction.
People distinguished between those who sinned and became maids and those who did not, and the two were naturally divided without any intention.
Since priests were also people, they were a little reluctant to come to them because they had no choice but to sin.
However, Hansen was not like that. It was impossible to know what was on his mind, but at least on the outside, he treated everyone with the same mind.
He was a handsome man with shiny silver hair and gray eyes. There were many times when Ines heard the maids talking among themselves about how it was a waste to become a priest.
After Charlotte left, Ines shook the maid’s shoulder, who was still sleeping, to wake her up. Normally, she would have woken up, but today she didn’t move at all.
She had been saying that she had no appetite and was tired lately.
“You should get up now. Are you really tired?”
Ines wanted to let her sleep more, but she couldn’t. It was when Ines pulled her shoulder a little harder. Her body fell over in the direction she was pulling.
Ines’ eyes narrowed slightly. The way her body fell down like a tree was definitely not the movement of a living person.
Ines took a step back. She wasn’t surprised to see the corpse.
During her time in Romfield, many prisoners were found dead in the morning, unable to endure the cold nights. She calmly examined the face of the dead woman. There was no reason to die just because they had no appetite and were tired. People don’t die that easily.
After examining the dead woman, she took a deep breath and straightened her chest. Her eyes closed involuntarily as certain memories came flooding back. The face of the dead woman looked exactly like the corpses she had seen in Romfield that day.
***
The temple specially provided a luxurious carriage for Ines and her party. Although they were not treated as criminals, they were still serving their sentences, so Ines could not set foot in the house even as she passed through Swenden mansion.
She took a deep breath as she passed the border of her former domain. There was Romfield in Lesonia, now Landhill. It was no longer a place-related, but the name still did not feel distant.
“The atmosphere here is really different.”
Charlotte and Ines passed the bustling market.
“That’s right.”
The market was different in scale from the Landhill where she lived. It was hard to believe that this great estate had now become Landhill.
If you pass this place and drive a little further down the quiet road, the lord’s castle where Carson lived would come into view.
She tried to recall her memories. The day she almost drowned in the lake, of course, was ten years from now and the past to her, but Ines spent the night in that mansion.
Carson’s appearance then was completely different from now. His eyes were deep and his atmosphere was sharper. However, his breathtaking beauty was the same now as it was ten years later. When she thought of him, Ines’s heart pounded. Her heart always raced whenever she thought of him, but today it was a little unusual, perhaps because she had just met him. Ines clenched her fist and pressed it tightly to her heart.
“Is something uncomfortable?”
Father Hansen asked Ines at that time. He didn’t say much the whole time he came here. However, he often checked on her condition and took care of his surroundings. There were many moments when Ines felt fortunate to have come with him.
“I think I'm a little nervous.”
He nodded and said softly.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
As she learned when she came here, Father Hansen was younger than she thought. He came to Edmont at the age of fourteen and went through two years as a catechumen and three years as an associate priest.
After that, he served God as an intermediate priest for another three years.
Not everyone who walks the path of a priest can become a high-ranking priest. However, he said that he would soon enter the highest stage. He was the same age as Ines.
Watching him take steps toward his dream, she felt anew how amazing Hansen was. Will she ever live her life diligently to become something?
Perhaps because she had come out of the temple after a long time, she thought about the future, not the past, for the first time.
As the sun began to set, the carriage carrying the three arrived at Carson’s castle.
It was the same. The building itself was large and splendid, but the garden was not flashy. The mansion was Carson itself, so much so that she could picture his appearance just by looking at the exterior.
It felt so practical that she couldn’t imagine that Count Graham’s wife held extravagant banquets every day.
When the iron gate opened and they reached the main garden, Carson and Louisianne came out to greet them.
Louis had grown so much. She had grown a span and her cheeks had gained some nice flesh. Ines no longer knelt down to her. Just by bending down, their eye levels were just right.
After confirming each other’s well-being in a small voice, Louis and Ines hugged each other tightly.
The child who had been holding her for so long and not letting go as if nothing had happened, left her without a second thought. Ines couldn’t help but laugh heartily because her appearance was just like a cat.
After everyone had said their goodbyes, Ines was guided to her room. The maid didn’t stay in the main building, but Ines and Charlotte ended up staying on the same floor as Louis’ bedroom. Naturally, the room was incomparable to the one they had at the monastery.
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