“You already know, Master… that I like you.”
At Astaire’s sudden confession, Elsez flinched.
So… he knew I was pretending I hadn’t heard it…
But Astaire didn’t seem to mind in the least and simply continued.
“So don’t worry about me. I’m doing this because I want to, even if it means putting myself at risk.”
Then, seeing Elsez standing there awkwardly, he gave a small smile and added,
“Not that I expect anything from you. So don’t feel pressured.”
He did want to be in her heart, even if just a little—but this wasn’t a selfish kind of desire. It wasn’t about wanting something back.
He simply didn’t want the risks he was taking now to become a burden or a debt on her heart later.
“I think of it as just returning what you gave me, Master.”
“…What I gave you?”
“Back when we first met.”
Astaire began to speak, tracing the memories of long ago.
“When everyone in my family said I was wrong, that I was strange… you were the only one who told me I was right.”
Back then, his entire world had been shrouded in darkness. If she hadn’t appeared, he might have remained lost—and eventually, been swallowed by that darkness.
“To me, you are the light.”
“……”
“Now it’s my turn to support you. To say you’re right, to stand by you as justice.”
Just as she had always believed in and supported the fragile version of him back then.
“No matter what happens, I believe in you. Ruel.”
Elsez stared at Astaire in a daze.
His eyes were filled with a steadfast, unshakable faith.
Seeing that, the ground beneath her feet suddenly felt a little more solid.
At last, a smile spread across Elsez’s lips.
“I’ll make sure that trust isn’t wasted.”
The two of them split up to search the prison.
As Elsez walked through the dim corridor, the question that had struck her earlier returned to her mind.
If Dike really is cooperating with the fake Ruel, then why? Why would she side with someone trying to resurrect the demon?
Elsez began to retrace Dike’s motives.
Then suddenly, she recalled something Dike had said before:
“Why can’t they understand? Light exists only because of darkness.”
As the memory hit her, Elsez’s eyes widened.
That wasn’t said out of pity for monsters—it was said from the perspective of someone who sees monsters as stepping stones.
It felt like the puzzle pieces that had been scattered in her mind were suddenly clicking into place.
If that’s her reasoning, then everything so far made sense.
Why she cast the binding spell on Elsez. Why she had thrown her into the rift between dimensions.
Because the demon’s existence makes the Saintess—and the Holy Nation—shine all the brighter.
Realizing this hidden truth, Elsez grit her teeth.
And now, she also understood why this place had such a large underground prison, filled with captives.
With a hardened expression, she walked over to Astaire and said,
“Astaire. I think… I know what the High Priestess’s next move is.”
****
The next morning, Elsez came out of her room and looked around for the boy who handed out newspapers.
“Can I get one too?”
Like the kids who delivered letters, this boy was a trainee priest who handed out papers every morning for a small fee.
He stared curiously at the bunny doll perched on Elsez’s shoulder, eyeing everything around it warily, then handed over a paper a beat late.
“Ah! Sorry! Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
Elsez sat down on a nearby bench and began reading the paper.
The news she was most curious about was plastered right across the front page.
“Cedric Russell de Hartwig, former crown prince of the Artez Empire who took the imperial palace hostage, is dead.
None of the hostages were killed, and Rinael, who sustained minor injuries, is currently receiving treatment, the royal family announced…”
Reading the paper with a tense expression, Elsez let out a sigh of relief at the absence of any special mention of Rashiel.
Still, even knowing Rashiel was safe, her heart wasn’t at ease.
So Rashiel really was the one who killed Cedric…
She couldn’t even begin to imagine how he must be feeling.
Elsez skimmed through a short article on the back page about the upcoming founding festival and news that Traysha was developing a new magical device. She stuffed the paper into her inventory and stood up.
Then, noticing Reti on her shoulder—still glancing around in alarm—she asked curiously,
“Reti, why have you been so jumpy? Are you looking for someone?”
“That guy! We have to avoid that guy!”
“That guy? Which of the three?”
“The evil one!”
Hearing the word “evil,” Elsez instantly knew Reti was talking about Astaire.
“Why Astaire?”
“He said he likes you!”
Oh, right. He was there yesterday.
Elsez let out a groan and rubbed her forehead.
“…So what does that have to do with avoiding him?”
“What if he tries to eat you? Evil scoundrel!”
Reti trembled violently, leaping in rage at the mere thought.
But Elsez—who was the one who’d jokingly told him “people want to eat the ones they love”—had forgotten all about it and just looked at him with a bland expression.
What is this bunny even talking about…?
Deciding to calm him down first, she gently patted Reti on the head.
“Even if he tries, I’ll win. Don’t worry.”
At her words, Reti finally remembered who he was dealing with and quieted down.
With the now-calm Reti, Elsez walked into the dining hall.
She glanced around casually—and saw a familiar face.
After receiving her food, she walked over and placed her tray across from her.
“Morning.”
To the fake wearing her face.
Ruel, who was eating alone, looked up and greeted her with a smile.
“Good morning, Miss Elsez.”
Speaking in polite formal speech—even though Elsez, who’d dropped the formalities, clearly wasn’t playing nice.
Elsez curled her lips in a crooked smile.
“Sitting across from someone who lived with my face for ten years… feels gross.”
She made no effort to hide that the comment was meant to be heard.
But Ruel kept eating with a calm expression.
Elsez stared at her, then spoke again.
“Ruel.”
“Yes.”
“No—I mean, High Priestess.”
At that title, the smile froze on Ruel’s face.
Elsez leaned in, her voice cold and quiet.
“How did you take that body?”
“……”
“Is becoming the real ‘Ruel’ your goal?”
“……”
“It won’t be easy. Having her memories doesn’t make you her.”
Hit where it hurt, Ruel bit the inside of her cheek to hide her expression.
She was reminded of Cassian’s suspicious gaze yesterday, and Tezette’s unreadable stare.
After a moment, she forced her expression calm again and asked,
“This ‘High Priestess’ you keep mentioning—who is that? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“You’re already wrong. If I were you, I’d be cursing and telling me to shut up.”
Realizing again how far her behavior strayed from the real Ruel’s, Ruel’s expression hardened.
A tense silence stretched between Elsez, who smiled icily, and Ruel, who sat stiffly.
Then—
“There you two are.”
Cassian sat down beside Ruel, setting his tray on the table.
The moment Ruel noticed him, she relaxed her expression—as if she hadn’t just been glaring at Elsez.
An idea suddenly popped into her head—something that might damage Elsez’s image in front of Cassian.
“Oh, right. Miss Elsez, why didn’t you come yesterday? I waited for a while since I wasn’t sure if you’d show.”
Ruel brought up Elsez’s absence from the pub the night before.
She’ll definitely object, say I never invited her. That temper of hers…
People tend to see the first attacker as the strong one, and the other as the victim.
And no matter what the truth is, she was in Ruel’s body. Elsez looked like someone else.
Cassian will end up defending me.
Ruel waited eagerly for Elsez’s rebuttal.
But the reaction that came was completely different from the sharp tone Elsez had used just moments ago.
“Oh, right! I totally forgot. I was so caught up in training!”
Elsez even clapped her hands, playing it up.
Then she added with a cheerful smile,
“I’ll definitely come next time.”
“See? She’s not one to skip something like that.”
Cassian, unaware of what was happening, agreed and backed Elsez up.
Ruel’s face twisted in frustration.
Why?
I’m Ruel. That girl is Elsez Rohen.
Ruel bit her lip as she looked at Elsez’s relaxed, confident smile.
Beneath the table, her clenched fists trembled with silent fury.
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