Since that day, the atmosphere around David and me turned much more chilling than before.

  He still fulfilled his duty.

  Yet, the thing that has changed was his gaze.

  Unlike before, I sometimes found him looking at me with pity.

  He also showed me his frowning face at me from time to time.

  It might have something to do with that girl.

  Thus, I decided to dive deeper into that problem.

  I tried to gather more information from my only source.

  It was after Lilia casually mentioned her past as a saintess candidate.

  After that, I tried to ask her about that girl.

  It was during our afternoon stroll around my hut.

  “Lilia, I heard you were a saintess candidate.” I tried to act as naturally as possible as I asked her.

  Receiving my question, Lilia nonchalantly replied.

  “Ah, yes. I was.”

  Hearing that, I turned to her.

  We turned to a stop.

  Then I asked about her life inside the main church in concern.

  “How was your life there?”

  She might actually meet that girl.

  She might live in the same environment as that girl.

  Knowing that girl’s nature, I was not sure if Lilia’s life there was comfortable.

  Lilia also turned to look at me.

  Before answering me, she cutely tilted her head at me.

  She was acting as if she were deep in thought.

  As she did that, she cutely hummed along with it.

  Then, with her eyebrow frown, she said.

  “It was… how should I say? It was full of hard times and good times. Although it was strict at some times, it was also fun at some times.”

  At the end, she smiled brightly at me.

  From what she said, I noticed that her life there wasn't that easy.

  Thus, I softly spoke to her.

  I was careful not to hurt her feelings.

  “Was it hard for you?”

  Then she denied her hardship.

  “No.” She weakly shook her head.

  Then she smiled.

  She started to walk as she continued,

  “I was able to eat three meals a day. I could sleep on a warm bed. So, life was not that hard. It is just that we had to wake up very, very early for morning prayer. And we have to go to bed late. Ah, the instructors were strict, too.”

  She playfully recounted her hardship.

  Seeing her action like that, I stood still.

  I looked at her back as she walked.

  Her profile, illuminated by the sunset, was truly breathtaking.

  After I came to myself, I ran after her.

  After I came shoulder to shoulder with her, I looked sideways at her.

  “It sounds like it was not a good environment.”

  I spoke gently to her as I tried to sympathize with her.

  Then, she looked at me.

  She cutely shook her head.

  Her hair flustered, reflecting the sunlight.

  As I blankly looked at her, she cheerfully said.

  “Compared to other people, I found my situation to be a blessing. I could live without worrying too much. I got to meet many wonderful people. It was a good time for me.”

  She was really a nice person.

  With just simple things, she could be satisfied with it.

  She showed no desire or greed like most people.

  Then, we walked together.

  After a while, I asked her.

  “Did you make many friends during that time?”

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  With that question, Lilia showed me her sadness for the first time.

  She looked down as she sadly said that.

  “... Sadly, I could not. The saintess candidates were not in a position to make friends.”

  I could see her body getting smaller as she said that.

  It might not be a good memory for her.

  Realizing I reminded her of something she did not want to talk about.

  I sheepishly apologized to her.

  “Sorry. It might be painful for you.”

  Seeing my disheartened face, Lilia consoled me in panic.

  She even waved her hands at me in denial.

  “Oh no. It was not like a bad thing. Instead, I was told that we were the luckiest generation.”

  As we came to a standstill, I peered at her face.

  As I looked into her eyes, I asked her.

  “How come they said that?”

  I tried to check whether it was true or it was just her attempt to console me.

  Receiving my gaze, Lilia was not shy away.

  She also looked into my eyes.

  With a smile on her face,

  With a cheerful tone.

  As if she were reminiscing about something good, she refreshingly spoke.

  “We did not have to fight each other. Instead, we all have someone we look up to. So, everyone was of the same mind. Come to think of it, I really miss Lady Aria.”

  That was the first time Lilia mentioned that girl.

  She said as if she really missed that girl.

  She said as if it were a good memory.

  I was astonished that it was blurred out.

  “Aria?”

  Hearing me say that, Lilia jumped at me.

  She energetically pressed on me.

  “Do you know Lady Aria, too?”

  She even called her ‘Lady’ too.

  I could feel my face turn red instantly.

  However, I forced myself to forget about it because I had something else to focus on.

  Was Lillia also the same as David, falling into that girl’s trap?

  I thought so at that time.

  However, I dare not tell Lilia about my thoughts.

  Because I learned from my experience.

  If Lillia truly was the same as Devid.

  She would not listen to me.

  She would even turn hostile toward me.

  So, I decided not to antagonize her.

  I tried to deny it.

  I hid the fact that I met that girl.

  I refused to tell her about my encounter with her.

  Thus, I tried to act as naturally as possible while lying to her.

  “.... no, I don't. I only heard about her name.”

  Upon hearing that, Lilia took a step back.

  With a dejected face, she said to me. “It can't be helped. You are stuck in here after all.”

  Then she made a face, taunting me. “Blegg. Too bad for you.”

  I could see her cute red tongue peeking out beyond her small lip as she did that.

  Seeing that, I felt something rising inside me.

  I knew it was getting dangerous.

  I was about to lose myself.

  Thus, I turned to look at the sunset.

  My face was getting hotter and hotter.

  So, to calm myself, I tried to distract my mind by shouting at her.

  “Why is it so bad for me? I get you here with me after all.”

  My tone even betrayed me; I could not hide my embarrassment.

  I could see that Lilia said that with a surprised look.

  Her eyes turned round.

  Then, she asked me in a confused tone.

  “What are you saying?”

  It was getting dangerous for me.

  I was about to reach my limit.

  Thus, I tried to distract my mind by changing the topic.

  I tried to get to the bottom of the critical problem I have been dying to know.

  “By the way, did she do anything strange to you?”

  I tried to sound as stern as possible.

  However, Lilia was still confused.

  “Huh? Who?”

  She asked me as she tilted her head.

  Seeing her like that, I looked away again.

  After I cleared my throat, I tried to be more specific with her.

  “I mean her…”

  Only then did Lilia understand my intention.

  “You mean Lady Aria?”

  She cutely replied to me.

  “.... Yes.” I nod my head at her.

  I also focused my mind on her.

  I tried to observe her every action to gather as much information as possible.

  Unknown to my real intention, Lilia innocently talked about that girl in a cheerful manner.

  “She always helped us. I evaded many punishments thanks to her. She always looked after everyone and tried her best to take care of us.”

  Lilia kept on smiling as she said that.

  However, the content of what she told me was unbelievable to me.

  Did that girl help Lilia?

  I could not believe my ears.

  I could not help but ask her with a surprised face.

  “That girl did?”

  In response, Lilia smacked the back of my head.

  Then, she naughtily said to me.

  “Hey, you should not address Lady Aria like that.”

  It was really hurt.

  Then, when I looked up, I saw her put both hands on her hips.

  She was staring down at me.

  She pouted and showed me her angry face.

  Seeing her like that, I let out an apology.

  “I am sorry. Could you continue?”

  I knew it.

  She and David really were fooled by that girl.

  So, I asked her to continue.

  I needed to learn more about that girl.

  Then, after hearing me ask her to continue, Lilia misunderstood my real intention.

  She happily hopped on me.

  She energetically grabbed my hand and got closer to me. “Oh, you want to know more about Lady Aria? Alright, leave it to me. I will teach you about her greatness.”

  I could see her eyes sparking with excitement.

  Thus, to evade her eyes, I looked down at our hands.

  Then, I was pulled by Lilia toward my hut.

  I was told to sit down as Lilia began to talk about that girl.

  That was how I obtained the information about that girl, Aria.

  That girl began her pilgrimage when she turned nine years old.

  It was unbelievable; however, I could not bring myself to doubt Lilia.

  That girl also served as the caretaker of the saintess.

  Additionally, she was tasked with managing the orphanage.

  From Lilia’s pov, that girl may have looked like a superhuman.

  But from my perspective, it was nothing but a facade.

  They manufactured it that way.

  It happened to the imperial family, too.

  When we want to elevate someone’s position, we would place them on some tasks.

  However, in reality, all tasks were handled by those below.

  They would just stay there as a figurehead and take credit.

  That girl was also the same.

  They may fool a pure girl like Lilia, but not me.

  I wanted to point it out for Lilia.

  However, when I saw Lilia smile brightly when she talked about it, I could not bring myself to shatter her dream.

  Another unbelievable thing was what Lilia told me next.

  With an exaggerated hand movement, with an overemphasized tone, Lilia, who was standing up, looked down at me, who was sitting down in my chair.

  “You know, Lady Aria also adopted an orphan, named Lucy, as her daughter. She was so cute. Ah, those red eyes were so adorable.”

  Hearing that impossible news, I could not content myself.

  I immediately rebuked Lilia.

  “Wait, wasn’t she only 10 years old at that time? How could she adopt a child?”

  However, this time, Lilia did not violently attack me.

  She received my rebuke in kind.

  Instead, she went into depth thinking.

  I could see her face frown as she did that.

  After a while, she spoke to me in a questioning tone as if she was asking herself.

  “About that, I don't know. Ummmm, I heard Lady Aria grew attached to Lucy after she saved Lucy. And the main church just accepted it. Come to think of it, Mother is also the daughter of her holiness. Ummm, it may play a big part. I think I just uncovered a mystery.”

  At the end, she proceeded to talk to herself as she walked back and forth around my hut.

  Thus, I silently looked at Lilia as she began to lose herself in thought again.

  That was all the information I could obtain from Lilia that day.

  From that point, I could see it. It was truly a facade. They tried too hard to elevate her. They even mimic the current saintess.

  For them to make a 10-year-old girl adopt a nameless orphan as her daughter, and for that girl to go along with it, they are really power-hungry wolves.

  And that girl, too, went along with them.

  10-year-old… she might just be an innocent girl, mindlessly following her father.

  However, she might no longer be as innocent as she once was.

  She might be drunk with her power.

  She might have turned dark like her father.

  The way she manipulates Lilia proved it.

  The most concrete evidence of all was the way she played with David.

  No innocent girl would be able to pull it off.

  She might be the loosest woman to be able to fool a man like that effortlessly.

  I am sure of it.