Episode 93
At Victoria’s words, Lillian recalled Theo’s past actions. From the moment he suggested going together when she brought up the reading club, to opposing her when she offered to accompany Victoria, citing it as suspicious.
‘Surely Theo hasn’t felt comfortable here from the beginning.’
But if Theo had been dropping hints, was he then watching over Lillian?
Instead of simply preventing her from going, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to choose to accompany her and watch over her?
Theo’s actions alone were suspicious, and there were many parts that didn’t add up to simply dismiss as nothing.
‘To be honest, I’m not sure.’
But one thing was certain: Victoria wasn’t lying. She had mentioned receiving baptism when entering the Order of Knights, and Lillian distinctly remembered that when she reunited with Theo.
— I thought I would receive baptism in the oratory, but there was a separate place for it. It wasn’t where the altar to the deity was, nor was it where the common altars are. Instead, there was a large crystal… They said that as long as you raise your hand and recite the prayers alongside the priest, the basic procedure is done.
It was something she had heard with little thought, but was it part of the implication process?
To drop hints, it required strong sanctity and high skill level together. While Lillian had the former, she lacked the latter, so she couldn’t yet use implications. So it made sense that it was not just an ordinary priest but a priest who conducted the baptism.
Furthermore, Lillian knew how implications worked on people. Without even realizing that she was moving according to someone else’s will, she just naturally flowed along with it as if it were part of her own thoughts. Like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, to Lillian, Swan was everything. To someone under the implication, that command became a matter of course.
‘I thought it wasn’t just a whim to bring Theo to the temple, but…’
She hadn’t expected the surveillance net to tighten around her like this.
Seeing Lillian’s bewildered expression, Victoria smiled as if understanding.
“Don’t worry too much yet. Your friend still doesn’t know anything, after all.”
“…Yes.”
To say Theo didn’t know anything would be a stretch. For example, that Lillian was impersonating Swan. Theo was her only refuge and the only person she trusted.
Did Theo really reveal his secret to the temple?
Apart from Lillian’s anxiety, Victoria’s words were affectionate.
“Take your time to think. I’ll wait for a positive answer.”
Instead of answering, Lillian closed the door and left.
Thunk, as the door closed and footsteps faded away, Asher let out a breath he had been holding and collapsed onto the sofa.
“Victoria, I find this situation truly difficult. Miss Lillian is truly brave. If it were me, I would have been trembling and unable to handle this situation.”
“Haha, you’re timid. You’ve done well.”
“Thank you for your kind words… But I can’t help but think that you’ve told me too much. Do you really think Miss Lillian won’t come back?”
Instead of answering Asher, Victoria made a hmm sound. As if trying to gauge something. Then she replied.
“You seem curious. Why do you think she won’t come back?”
“Haven’t you made her too anxious? Even though you’ve already instilled confidence in her to trust us…”
“Oh, so that’s what you were wondering. Don’t worry about that. Types like Miss Lillian don’t act on confidence. Only fear and anxiety move her.”
The more she feels she has no one to trust, the more she feels she’s in danger, the more desperate Lillian will become. That’s what Victoria had observed about Lillian.
“Moreover… Now there’s no one left who can tell her about the Daughters of Moonlight except me. If she wants to know about her lineage, she has no choice but to come to me.”
“Do you really believe that she is Maynard’s daughter who disappeared?”
“Yes. Lillian Maynard, she’s the real daughter.”
Victoria nodded lightly. She seemed to be smiling, but at the same time, she wasn’t smiling at all. Beneath the half mask hiding her face, her blue eyes sparkled, seeming sad.
“So wait. We’ll get what we want.”
* * *
Is Theo really under the implication of the temple? Lillian’s concerns persisted throughout the entire way back from the reading club. However, Lillian, who had been harboring lies for years, found it easy to hide such concerns and talk about them as if they were nothing.
“They weren’t particularly suspicious people. I told you there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Really? Well, that’s a relief, but…”
Upon hearing Lillian’s words, Theo brushed the back of his head as if feeling a little embarrassed about his overreaction, then sighed and said, “Actually, there have been rumors circulating about the temple lately. They say that heretics are luring believers away with events like this reading club. It’s not good for me to associate with heretics, regardless of my status as a knight. I was just a little concerned.”
Heretics. At the mention of that word, Lillian pressed her lips together. In any case, Theo’s concerns seemed to be justified.
“…I haven’t heard much about heretics. Are they dangerous people?”
“Well, there are many with unclear identities…”
Before going to the reading club, Theo recalled a few things he had heard about heretics. Among them were stories about conducting biological experiments for sanctity research, and there were quite a few ominous rumors. It seemed entirely plausible that heretics who operated outside the temple’s watchful eye could do such things.
But since he couldn’t tell Lillian such stories, Theo chose to hedge his words.
“…Sanctity is a dangerous power, you know. Just secretly researching it without informing the temple is enough to make someone a potential threat.”
“By that standard, I would be a potential threat too. Since I’m researching sanctity without informing the temple.”
“What? Oh, no, that’s not what I meant—”
Realizing his mistake, Theo hurried to add more words, but the carriage happened to stop at that moment. They had arrived at the temple. When the carriage came to a complete halt, Lillian didn’t even look in Theo’s direction before speaking.
“Thank you for accompanying me today. I’ll handle things myself from now on. Take care.”
“Lillian.”
However, what returned was not a farewell but a call. Theo’s hand grasped Lillian’s arm. When Lillian involuntarily looked up, there was Theo right in front of her, looking slightly furrowed just below his impression, always clouding Lillian’s determination, or rather, making things difficult for Lillian.
“Can we see each other again.?”
“…?”
To be honest, she hadn’t thought about seeing him again until everything was over.
Continuing to meet under circumstances where it wasn’t certain whether Theo was watching her under the implication of the temple or not wasn’t possible. Perhaps even saying such words now might be because of the temple’s implication.
But.
“…What’s the point of seeing each other again?”
“What?”
“You’re a Paladin. I had forgotten for a moment, but we can’t go back to the way things were.”
We can’t go back to the time when you confessed that you liked me, and I could close my eyes and lean against you.
“But what’s the meaning of seeing each other again?”
In response to Lillian’s question, Theo frowned slightly instead of answering and pulled Lillian into a hug. Their hearts touched. Lillian could feel Theo’s heartbeat.
“If we see each other again, I can see you again. That’s all I need. I don’t want anything else…”
“…”
“It’s been agonizing not being able to see you all this time.”
At Theo’s words, Lillian slowly closed her eyes. It was always people who made her suffer. Swan, Theo. It was clear who was more precious, but she couldn’t know who made her suffer more now.
“You will be punished, Theo.”
* * *
Theo stepped down from the carriage. As he watched the departing carriage in silence, he suddenly brushed the back of his head and turned around. As he walked into the hall that had become like his home, a middle-aged man in high priestly robes approached him with a warm greeting.
“Welcome back, Theodore. Did you enjoy your outing?”
