That night, Cassian went to a pub in the village square outside the temple. Beside him was Tezette, who he had dragged along.
The smell of alcohol hit them the moment they stepped through the door. Inside, a familiar figure sat with her back to them.
She was the one who had arranged the meeting.
Cassian approached the table where Ruel was sitting, gently tapped her on the head, and took the seat beside her.
“The others aren’t here?”
“Astaire said he couldn’t make it. He had something else to do.”
Ruel gave that answer and called over a server to order two more beers for Cassian and Tezette.
Cassian frowned, clearly displeased by Astaire’s absence.
“He’s too busy to have even one drink with you?”
“Well, he is a cardinal. He must have a lot on his plate.”
“It’s not like the Holy Nation’s gonna fall apart if he postpones a few duties.”
Just then, the server brought over two beers and set them down in front of Cassian and Tezette.
After wetting his throat with a drink, Cassian asked,
“What about Elsez?”
At the mention of her name, Ruel’s expression stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and answered calmly.
“It’s been such a long time since we’ve all seen each other. We’d probably talk a lot about the past—things only we’d understand. I thought Miss Elsez might feel left out.”
“Wouldn’t that be all the more reason to invite her? We’re comrades now—we should get to know each other better.”
Cassian gave Ruel a puzzled look, sensing her quiet effort to leave Elsez out.
If this were really Ruel, she would’ve taken the initiative to bring the team together—even before I mentioned it.
Noticing the subtle shift in Cassian’s tone, Ruel hesitated, then changed her response.
“Actually… I did ask her to come. But she didn’t reply. I think she finds me uncomfortable.”
“You said you reached out, but she didn’t respond?”
“Well, it’s understandable. I showed up out of nowhere and joined the team. Of course it’s awkward for her.”
Ruel offered a bitter smile as she watched Cassian’s reaction.
But it wasn’t what she expected.
“Her? She’s not like that. She’s probably just busy.”
At Cassian’s words, Ruel’s expression visibly soured.
So you trust that woman over me—even when I say it myself?
To hide her slipping expression, Ruel turned her head away from Cassian.
And met eyes with Tezette, who had been quietly watching her from the other side of the table.
His deep green eyes, emotionless and cool, sent a chill down her spine.
The eyes of a predator observing its prey.
How long has he been watching me…?
Did he see my face just now?
Panicking, Ruel composed her expression—then noticed the untouched beer sitting in front of Tezette.
He hadn’t even lifted it.
Only then did she recall a detail about Tezette from Ruel’s body’s memories.
“Oh, right. You don’t like bitter things, do you? Sorry, I totally forgot—it’s been so long.”
“……”
“Since we ordered it already, why not use this chance to learn? You’re an adult now. You’re a duke—there’ll be plenty of occasions to drink.”
But Tezette only stared at her, saying nothing.
…I have no idea what he’s thinking.
Ruel felt uneasy around Tezette, who remained unreadable.
Still, according to Ruel’s memories, he never does anything he doesn’t want to. So the fact that he came at all must mean something… right?
While Ruel was thinking that, Cassian—who had been watching—reached for Tezette’s untouched beer.
“If you don’t want it, give it here. I’ll drink it.”
“Cassian, shouldn’t you be cutting back?”
Ruel laughed as she watched Cassian down the beer in one gulp.
Tezette, meanwhile, quietly watched her and recalled Elsez—who had reacted very differently in a similar situation.
Reni, could you bring some grape juice instead? I want something cold. For the duke, too.
Instead of insisting on what he didn’t like, Elsez had offered what he did.
Then suddenly, something he had overlooked came back to him.
Since you like desserts… I just guessed you wouldn’t like bitter things.
Elsez knew that he disliked bitter tastes.
When she came to the ducal estate to call off the engagement, she had sent him madeleines through the butler. When she visited the barony, she had served juice instead of tea.
But there was a flaw in her logic—that she guessed he disliked bitterness because he liked desserts.
How did she know I liked sweets back then?
The woman currently in Elsez’s body had no connection to him before meeting at the temple.
And even after that, they never had tea together or spoke about his tastes.
Yet she had guessed it so confidently.
Which could only mean—
The current Elsez knew I liked desserts before we ever met.
As if she had known him for a very long time.
How… does she know that?
Just as he was unraveling this realization, Ruel—who had been chatting with Cassian—turned back toward him.
“Tezette. Are you really not going to drink? Should I not order more?”
Her face looked no different than before, but for some reason, in that moment, Tezette found it unfamiliar.
He stared at the face he had longed for—and finally replied softly,
“I’m good.”
****
At that moment, Elsez was inspecting the demon resurrection cult’s hideout—the same one attacked the day before—together with Astaire.
They were checking once more in case the cult had left behind any clues.
As Astaire listened to Elsez recount the events, he asked,
“So, that fake ‘Ruel’… she’s the High Priestess?”
“Yeah. She was wearing a mask yesterday, but I’m sure of it.”
“I felt it too. That fake energy.”
Reti, poking just her face out from Elsez’s inner pocket, agreed with her.
Hearing that, Astaire asked,
“Should we tell Cassian and Tezette about you and the fake sometime soon?”
“I’ve thought about that, but… I think it’s better not to tell them just yet.”
Astaire turned to Elsez with a puzzled expression.
“Why not?”
“That fake is going to do everything she can to become the ‘real Ruel’ in their eyes. Meanwhile, we need to focus on finding out how deep the temple’s ties to the demon resurrection cult go.”
“True.”
“And you know how those two are—there’s no way they’d play along.”
Astaire imagined the scene if they were to tell Cassian and Tezette the truth.
…They’d both skip the ‘pretending’ part and go straight for her throat.
The temple would be in chaos.
With that simple thought, Astaire fully agreed with Elsez’s decision.
“Yeah… it’s definitely better not to say anything to them for now.”
Elsez and Astaire finished inspecting the current room and moved to the floor below.
The first room on the lower level was a prison.
The two of them silently examined the space, where only a few scattered belongings remained.
Then, Astaire spoke, almost to himself.
“How deep do you think the temple is involved with the cult?”
At his question, Elsez paused mid-step.
Astaire had served as a cardinal within the temple for the past three years.
For someone like him, who thinks of the temple as home… and family… this might be a painful topic to hear.
But it wasn’t something they could avoid forever.
Elsez cautiously began to speak.
“I… I can’t tell anyone who I am because of a binding spell cast on me.”
“A binding spell?”
“Yeah. Rashiel said it looks like a modified version of the standard kind.”
Astaire stopped in his tracks.
A spell even Rashiel—the Tower Master—couldn’t break?
“…Then the one who cast it must be Lady Dike.”
Elsez nodded.
“I think that’s the most likely case, judging by the circumstances.”
Until now, Elsez had allowed for the possibility that someone else might have cast the spell. But after the fake Ruel’s sudden appearance today, she couldn’t help but suspect Dike.
Based on what they knew, Dike had been hiding the resurrected Ruel for three years.
And no one knew what had happened between them during that time.
Could it really be a coincidence that the most likely person to have cast the spell had appeared alongside the fake Ruel?
Lost in thought, Elsez glanced at Astaire’s expression.
“Are you… okay with this?”
Astaire looked at her in return, silently asking what she meant.
“Suspecting the High Priestess. I know she was someone you respected and followed.”
“I expected it. And honestly… I’m okay. I followed her ideals, not the person.”
Contrary to her worries, Astaire remained calm even in the face of this uncomfortable truth.
I was afraid he might blame himself, like he did when it came to his family’s wrongdoings…
But it seemed he had grown stronger than before, and that gave her quiet relief.
“But hey—you’re a cardinal. Is it really okay for you to be cooperating with a demon’s vessel?”
“You’re worried about me now?”
“Of course! I’m glad you’re on my side, but I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.”
Astaire smiled clearly at her concern.
Tilting his head slightly, he met her amber eyes—eyes that worried for him—and whispered,
“If you keep being this kind to me… I might get the wrong idea.”
“Huh?”
“That maybe… there’s a space for me somewhere in your heart too.”
Reflected in the lake-like blue of Astaire’s eyes was the image of Elsez, quietly floating.
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