“Why should I tell you? What kind of show would I get out of that?”
There was still some lingering resentment in her voice. It looked like getting advice from her would not be easy either. Elysia straightened her back.
“Fine. Teacher. It’s true that I held back a little. I admit it.”
“Sure. Your precious body must be protected, after all.”
Madam Rosalie was still being sarcastic.
“It was my first time, so I felt awkward. What can I do to make you feel a little better?”
“The fact that you’re asking me that in the first place means you’ve already got it wrong. Why should I have to think of that for you too?”
It seemed like asking any more questions in this state would only backfire.
Watching Madam Rosalie continue to bristle, Elysia was reminded of a child at the orphanage who used to fuss over meals.
Whenever she held out a spoon, the child would clamp their mouth shut and refuse to eat. What had she done back then?
After pondering for a moment, Elysia slowly spoke.
“When I went underwater earlier, I almost ran out of breath.”
“What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?”
“You know what I thought then? That at this rate, I might die without ever getting to kiss anyone even once.”
“What?”
“A kiss.”
Elysia answered emphatically.
“Teacher. I really want to try it at least once before I die. I mean it.”
“That’s a pretty boring dream.”
“You’re right. But it’s still a rather scandalous dream for a nun.”
When Madam Rosalie shot her a sidelong glance, Elysia brazenly shot back,
“This is a convent, so there’s nothing I can do about it. At least among all these stuffy people, wouldn’t I be the most entertaining?”
“…….”
“While you’re here. Six might be too much, but I’ll at least try two-timing. I guarantee it. You won’t find another shameless nun like me anywhere else.”
“You really are persistent.”
“Ah! And I’ll massage you every day too.”
“That goes without saying.”
Madam Rosalie grumbled as she put on her nightgown. In the end, the two sat facing each other with a bedside table between them.
“So who are you planning to kiss first?”
“Whoever gets there first, obviously. It wouldn’t be fun if I planned it in advance.”
“Stop saying ridiculous things that don’t suit you and get to the point.”
“Thank you, Teacher! Even if two-timing tears me in half, I swear I’ll never hold back again.”
“You call yourself my disciple. Work on your flexibility. Why would you tear your perfectly good legs apart? How embarrassing.”
She had finally taken the bait. If you tried to force-feed someone, they would clamp their mouth shut, but if you tempted them with the smell of something delicious, they would eventually give in.
Elysia’s eyes lit up as she scooted closer. She was holding a notebook and pen she had taken out to make notes.
“About him. Do you think he’s still sulking?”
“Why?”
“His reaction wasn’t as strong as I expected.”
“What reaction were you expecting, exactly?”
“Nothing in particular. It’s just… someone who used to be happy with even the slightest bit of attention seems a little more… defensive than usual.”
Fiddling with her pen, Elysia cautiously added,
“I know what happened in the infirmary hurt his feelings. That’s why I tried as hard as I could to make it up to him, but he keeps acting sullen…. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m doing this right. Has he lost interest in me?”
“No. Testing someone and losing interest in them are two different things.”
“You mean he’s deliberately testing me?”
“Who knows. He doesn’t seem like the calculating type.”
Madam Rosalie tapped Elysia on the forehead with her index finger as Elysia tilted her head.
“Hey, don’t you know that guy better than I do? Think carefully.”
…I don’t think there’s much difference.
Elysia forcibly swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.
At least she agreed with her teacher’s assessment that Tristan Loch was not the calculating type.
Following her teacher’s instructions, Elysia decided to retrace what had happened today once more.
“Let me treat you before I go. It’ll get infected if you leave it like this.”
“Leave it. Just let it. Let it get infected.”
Tristan had stubbornly refused treatment even when she spoke with concern for him.
“Then don’t just say you’re worried. Prove it.”
“How?”
“Help me wash.”
Yet he had asked her to help him if she wanted to prove her concern. When she did not answer, he apparently became embarrassed and started talking more and more.
And even though he had chased her away and told her to hurry back, he soon became worried enough to follow her until she reached her lodging.
In other words, he was doing contradictory things at the same time. His behavior was too inconsistent for it to be deliberate.
“So Tristan is doing all of that without even realizing it himself…?”
“Right. He’s probably irritated with himself too.”
She remembered the way he had rubbed his face as though overcome with self-loathing.
That was true.
Elysia slowly nodded.
“If you look at it the other way around, the reason someone tests another person is because they want to trust them.”
Madam Rosalie’s words gave Elysia a rather important clue.
What Tristan needed right now was trust. Until that trust was restored, he would probably keep testing her without meaning to, and since he was not opening his heart to her, there was a good chance his affection would not rise either.
“Should I be more proactive and treat him even better?”
“No.”
Madam Rosalie cut her off firmly.
“You already know the answer.”
“I do?”
“Yeah. Think about how you persuaded me just now. You were pretty good at it, weren’t you?”
Looking at Elysia’s thoughtful expression, Madam Rosalie lightly patted her cheek.
“Don’t get impatient. Trust is always troublesome, and it takes time.”
Elysia was silently contemplating her teacher’s words when there was suddenly a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
Who could it be?
Madam Rosalie gave a casual wave of her hand, and Elysia opened the door.
“Elysia. Are you busy right now?”
“Sister Veronica?”
Standing outside was the Mother Superior.
“There’s somewhere you need to come with me. It’s urgent.”
All of a sudden?
Elysia’s eyes widened.
***
She had said it was urgent.
“Welcome, Sister Elysia.”
The instant their eyes met, those blue eyes curved pleasantly.
The problem was that Elysia did not find that smile pleasant in the slightest.
Valentin de Arcane.
Of all people, this man was the urgent matter the Mother Superior had been talking about.
She had intended to deal with Tristan first. Instead, before she could even mentally prepare herself, she had been dragged into Valentin’s office.
Standing at the door, Elysia recalled what the Mother Superior had told her.
“Thank you, Elysia. I’m counting on you.”
“Wait. Sister Veronica. What do you mean…?”
“If it gets difficult, think of the grace House Arcane has bestowed upon our convent. I’ll pray for you, Elysia.”
She had not even been given a chance to ask.
Sister Veronica had personally knocked on the door, then vanished like an arrow the moment Sir Berg, Valentin’s aide, came out. Since they had already argued over Elysia being assigned to guide him around the convent, it seemed Veronica had decided not to give her any chance to refuse this time.
Still….
Did she really have to spring it on her this suddenly? Elysia could not shake the feeling that she had been swindled right under her nose.
“Um… High Priest. May I ask why you called me?”
“You may leave, Sir Berg.”
The instant the order was given, Sir Berg bowed and left. Only Valentin and Elysia remained in the room.
Why are we ominously alone again?
A chill ran down the back of Elysia’s neck, and she clenched her fists tightly to pull herself together.
“What did you need…?”
“Valentin.”
“What?”
“You should call me by my name. It’s just the two of us now.”
Elysia steadied her breathing and spoke again.
“Valentin.”
“I promised, didn’t I? That I’d arrange for you to work somewhere more comfortable. Don’t you remember?”
“So this is that place?”
“Yeah.”
That was not what he had promised.
This place was not comfortable for Elysia in the slightest. Moreover, with Tristan’s affection currently stalled, getting entangled with Valentin was dangerous in more ways than one.
Elysia complained,
“I don’t think I’ll be comfortable here at all.”
“I haven’t even given you any work yet. What exactly is there to be uncomfortable about?”
The problem isn’t the work. It’s the person I’d be working with.
She wanted to say that, but then he would obviously start interrogating her about why she found him uncomfortable. Elysia firmly shut her mouth.
That control freak would make things go his way no matter what she said anyway.
The problem was his affection.
[System]
BALANCE MODE : Measuring the weight of affection.
Valentin de Arcane 39 (+9) > Tristan Loch 30
This was a game where she had to maintain balance. If the difference in affection reached 30 or more, she would be forced into an ending.
With Valentin already in the lead, letting his affection rise any further was dangerous.
She had already promised to meet Tristan at midnight. It seemed best to buy some time, at least until she could resolve things on that side.
“I’m sorry, but as you know, the convent has its own system, and I already have duties I’m responsible for. At the very least, you should notify me a few days in advance and give me time to hand over my work….”
“Wait.”
At that moment, Valentin’s face suddenly drew close.
Elysia stopped breathing for a moment at his abrupt behavior.