“Mm...”
A faint rustling sound came from beside him.
Aiden wondered if Selina had woken up, but her eyes remained closed. Instead, the bright sunlight was pouring down on her face.
Her pale complexion looked even whiter, and her sky-blue hair gleamed like a summer sky.
Aiden raised a hand to create a shade over Selina’s face.
As she stopped shifting uncomfortably under the sunlight and fell back into a peaceful sleep, Aiden let out a small smile before turning his gaze back out the window. The weather was pleasant.
Between the increasingly dense clusters of houses, a towering clock tower stood in the distance. Staring at it, Aiden recalled something Sir Lukas had told him a few days prior.
“Aiden, if Selina ever says she wants to climb that clock tower while I’m not around... you must stop her.”
The clock tower... Could it be...?
Aiden clenched and unclenched his free hand, deep in thought.
If his suspicion was right, what was he supposed to do? Should he recall that day when he was seventeen... or should he focus on the person lying before him now?
Meanwhile, about three hours earlier.
Another carriage was rattling along its route, moving swiftly toward its destination.
Aaron continued waving until his sister was no longer in sight. Once she had disappeared completely, he straightened his posture, his face full of pride and satisfaction. Then, narrowing his eyes, he turned to the man sitting across from him—Lukas.
“What?”
Lukas, seated with perfect posture and a smug smile, asked nonchalantly.
His voice was so composed that anyone listening might think he truly had no idea what Aaron was talking about.
“What do you mean, what? You just grabbed my sister’s hand like it was nothing. What do you mean, what?”
“When I said I’d treat Selina like a dear younger sister, weren’t you the one who was the happiest about it?”
Lukas smirked, lifting a corner of his mouth in that infuriating way of his. Aaron pressed his fingers to his temple and shook his head. He felt like he had been played.
“Yeah... I mean, that’s true...”
“See? It is true.”
“Wow, look at this shameless bastard... Even as her brother, I barely get to hold her hand...”
“Oh? Well, then, you should work on that. Good luck, my dear friend.”
Lukas grinned at Aaron, who was sulking across from him, then turned to look out the window. The blue sky stretched wide above the city, and in the distance, the clock tower stood tall.
“Is that clock tower really necessary in this square?”
Lukas’s sudden murmur made Aaron shoot him a bewildered look.
“Of course it is. Most of the common folk aren’t wealthy enough to own a clock in their homes.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
Lukas raised an eyebrow at the clock tower before shaking his head.
Destroying the clock tower would be too extreme. No, it was more than extreme—it was childish. The fact that he was even entertaining such thoughts irritated him. This wasn’t like him.
“Anyway, tell me more about that priest.”
“You mean the one from Ariana?”
“You keep throwing around the name of a god like that. You’re going to get struck by divine punishment.”
“Oh, come on. Even His Imperial Majesty says it however he pleases.”
Tsk, this guy... Aaron gave Lukas an unimpressed look before continuing.
“So, you’re saying that priest of the great goddess Ariana actually used healing magic?”
“Yes. And it wasn’t just ordinary healing. He completely erased all pain, all scars, every trace of the wound.”
Lukas recalled that day.
The sacred light before his eyes. His knee, healed in an instant.
“That priest is something else.”
But there was something strange.
The decline of the priesthood had been largely due to the weakening of divine power, especially healing abilities. Nowadays, priests struggled to heal even the smallest paper cuts.
As a result, the medical profession had flourished, and priests had been relegated to little more than ceremonial figures attached to noble households, offering prayers rather than tangible miracles.
The most capable ones had partnered with the Mage Tower, lending minor blessings to the potions they produced... In other words, they had become a purely symbolic profession with little actual power.
But that priest was different.
His healing abilities were worthy of historical record. Even in the past, the most powerful priests had required multiple attempts to heal severe injuries, and even then, their miracles were mostly limited to external wounds. Treating broken bones or internal damage had been beyond their capabilities.
“And yet, he kept saying his divine power was weak?”
Aaron’s voice carried disbelief.
Lukas agreed. If that level of ability was considered ‘weak,’ then every priest in the empire might as well strip off their robes and quit. Not that anyone would care if they did.
“Yeah. I asked if he was affiliated with any noble house, and he said no.
Then he insisted that his divine power was too weak to be of any use to a ducal family. He didn’t seem to be lying... He really meant it.”
That stiff-faced, rough-looking priest had bowed his head uncomfortably throughout their entire conversation.
His demeanor didn’t match his appearance—he was hunched over, withdrawn, genuinely convinced that he was worthless.
And yet, if someone with his abilities really existed, why wasn’t his name known among the nobility? It didn’t make sense.
“Well, it works out in our favor.”
Lukas muttered, his violet eyes gleaming. Aaron let out a sigh at the sight of his friend’s villainous grin and turned back to the window.
There, in the distance, stood the clock tower—the same one Lukas had just questioned the necessity of.
A clock tower... a tower...
Aaron’s thoughts drifted to his sister, to the day she had tried to jump from the bell tower of the ducal estate.
His adorable little sister, who now spoke bluntly with a blank expression. She used to tremble with rage at the very sight of him, yet now, she let him hold her hand.
That made him happy. So happy.
And yet, there was an uneasiness gnawing at him. Something deep inside him felt unsettled.
His parents’ excessive protectiveness—it must have stemmed from the same feeling.
“Lukas, what do you think of my sister?”
“What, are you trying to set me up with her?”
“Please, don’t be an idiot.”
“Wow, that’s a little harsh coming from you, young master.”
“That would be nice. If you could help me avoid saying harsh things.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Lukas and Aaron burst into laughter at the same time. But Aaron was the first to sober up, his expression turning serious as he looked at Lukas again.
“Selina... do you think she’s doing better now?”
Lukas absentmindedly tapped his fingers. If the question was whether she had stabilized...
The answer was an obvious no.
Selina hasn’t given up on dying. She’s just hiding it behind that same unreadable expression.
There were things he wanted to say, but he worried that speaking them aloud would only shock Aaron. So instead, he simply shook his head in silence.
Aaron let out a small sigh and ran a hand over his face.
He wanted to bring that priest to the White Duchy. If that priest... if he really could heal everything...
Then maybe, just maybe, he could heal the emptiness inside his sister’s heart.
“Please, let me bring that priest here.”
With his hands clasped together, Aaron prayed to Ariana, the Chief God. It was the most sincere prayer he had offered in a long time.
“My lady, we have arrived.”
“Ah...”
My mind felt hazy. That dream again.
The dream where Selina clung to me. I vaguely remembered considering pushing her away, telling her to stop, but... It seemed like my warnings went in one ear and out the other. That was just so like Selina.
“Yeah, alright... I had a comfortable ride. Thanks for the blanket, Aiden.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
“...I’m glad. Shall we step out, then?”
I absentmindedly smoothed a hand over my hair.
It was just loosely brushed down, so a quick pat here and there was enough to fix it. This should be fine.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
There was still about an hour left until my meeting with Lady Jonas.
We had arrived much earlier than expected, but that was intentional.
I needed my outing to look like it was just a casual trip. No matter how much Aiden was pretending to be a simple servant, he was still a mage.
If I slipped up, I’d be dragged back home before I could even put the “plan” in “planning.”
I had no intention of failing again.
“My lady, there’s still quite some time before your appointment... What would you like to do?”
Aiden lowered his head slightly as he asked. What else? I needed to go somewhere. Preferably somewhere I could sit down.
I scanned my surroundings.
There was a place I had seen a few days ago when I came out with Lukas... Ah, there it is.
What I found was a large, two-story cake shop—the most famous spot in the square for tea and pastries.
There were some people inside, but since cake was considered a luxury, it wasn’t as crowded as other places. Besides, I was planning to ditch Aiden and run away today, so I might as well give him something he liked before that.
“There.”
Aiden turned his head toward where I was pointing. Then, he looked back at me.
His eyes were practically saying, “Are you serious? That place?”
Had he given up acting lately? Maybe being a performer wasn’t his calling.
For Aiden, who was looking completely dumbfounded, I shrugged and repeated myself.
“There.”
We took seats on the second floor, which had a great view of the square. The round table, engraved with floral patterns, looked almost too cute.
Soon, a waiter approached with menus.
The menu had colorful illustrations of cakes, along with their names and prices.
Sure enough, these weren’t cheap. Most commoners wouldn’t be able to afford them. Aiden’s eyes sparkled as he admired the cakes—only for his excitement to vanish the moment he saw the prices.
“What looks good?”
I slid the menu toward him so he could see it better. Cake was the one luxury Aiden allowed himself, so he probably knew better than I did.
Aiden glanced at me before returning his focus to the menu.
“Well... the lemon yogurt cake sounds nice... or maybe the strawberry shortcake... Oh, or the cookie cheesecake...”
He kept listing more.
Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about.
What...? Short...? Yogurt cream...?
As Aiden’s face lit up while talking about cake varieties, I decided to let him go on. If it made him happy, then whatever.
By now, he was explaining the flavors in detail.
Even the waiter standing beside us seemed fascinated, watching Aiden with curiosity as he rambled about cakes.
Time passed.
I felt bad cutting him off since he was so excited, but this was getting boring. Even the waiter’s expression had changed from interest to “Please, just order already.”
At this rate, I might as well invite the waiter to sit with us. Aiden was basically part of the restaurant staff now.
Clap.
I lightly clapped my hands.
Only then did Aiden snap out of his cake trance and lift his head.
I asked what looked good, not for a full lecture on cake flavors.
At this rate, we’d run out of time just listening to Cake Studies 101.
“Enough. At this rate, we won’t even get to eat.”
“...I apologize, my lady.”
Realizing he had gone overboard, Aiden lowered his head.
No need for such a formal apology.
I gave him a slight nod before turning to our poor, long-suffering waiter and handing over the menu.
“We’ll take the three best cakes and two cups of the best tea.”
Waiter, I’m sorry.