“You… You’re too much! This is dinner time!”
‘This person… I already told her that men and women shouldn’t be so close… wait, that’s not right. Women and women shouldn’t be so close! Either way, she shouldn’t launch a sneak attack on me at a time like this!’
Feeling a lingering fragrance on her lips—the same faint scent of flower petals she had smelled on the eye patch earlier that day—Hailey couldn’t help but feel her cheeks flush.
She looked at Idledra’s innocent expression.
The woman was still holding a fork with a piece of pancake on it.
This person—she even had the nerve to lick her lips as if she hadn’t had enough.
What was that supposed to mean?
‘This jerk… does she realize she’s eating my portion? She keeps provoking me.’
“Didn’t Hailey know I was hungry? I was just having some dessert. Even eating requires Mana, right?”
“I only did that because my body reacted subconsciously due to the loss of Mana. Besides, I gave my Mana to you earlier, which is why I’m so…”
Idledra put on a pitiful act, looking at Hailey with wide eyes.
However, the frustration of being forcibly kissed and the anger of seeing her food plundered made Hailey immune to the Charm.
But on second thought, it was true that Idledra had returned the Mana to her earlier.
If she really became weak again, Hailey might end up tied to the bed “counting stars” with her…
‘Fine… I’ll assume you did it to replenish your Mana. But you shouldn’t do it in such an intimate way, and it’s dinner time. It was so sudden… she has no sense of timing.’
“Then what about my dinner? How do you explain eating my pancakes?”
“Um… it’s because Hailey’s cooking is so good. I couldn’t help but eat a little extra.”
‘Hmph, at least you have good taste. Fine, since you appreciate my skills, I’ll be the bigger person and forgive you this once. But I’m still a bit… frustrated.’
“I knew Hailey was the best to me. Look, I even saved a portion for you!”
“How… I haven’t even said I’ve forgiven you yet.”
Idledra hugged Hailey happily and skillfully pieced together the half-eaten pancake with what was left of Hailey’s plundered portion.
‘Even though I didn’t hear Hailey speak, I can feel that the unhappiness in her heart has vanished. She’s even feeling a bit smug.’
‘But I’m the only one who needs to know that. If Hailey finds out, she’ll probably act like a brat and say I’m cheating with Mind Reading again. Oh dear, I really can’t help it with such a spoiled child…’
Seeing the mostly intact pancakes and hearing her stomach protest, Hailey temporarily forgot the heart-pounding scene from a moment ago and began to eat slowly.
‘As expected of my cooking. The honey is just right. That said, I was clearly forced into that kiss… cough, it was just a necessary method for her to absorb Mana.’
Wait, she was eating the half that the other woman had already bitten into.
And the fork seemed to be hers too.
Did this count as an indirect kiss?
Actually, it was probably too late for “indirect” to matter.
‘Hold on, when did my Mana recovery become so fast? Why is it that even though she was so intimate with me, I don’t feel that sense of exhaustion from before?’
Earlier today at the Church, they had only absorbed a little Mana, and she had been forced into a wheelchair, unable to move, her body feeling completely limp.
“Hailey, I’m full. I’m going back to my room to rest…”
As if sensing Hailey’s confusion and suspicion, Idledra guiltily placed the plate back in the kitchen and slipped away to the bedroom.
Hailey was still dazed as she washed the dishes.
Where did it go wrong?
She felt like she had been tricked again.
Wait, if that’s the case, she wasn’t taking the opportunity to absorb Mana at all—she was blatantly trying to kiss me on purpose!
Steam practically billowed from Hailey’s head as her face turned bright red.
She rushed toward the bedroom, intent on demanding an explanation.
‘This time, for sure. This time I’m definitely going to smother her to death with a pillow. That villain…’
However, when she burst into the room, she saw only an empty bedroom and an open glass balcony door.
Idledra was already gone.
—
In the Residential District, Luna was about to close the bakery door for the night when she saw a familiar figure passing by.
“Lady Saintess, where are you going so late at night?”
“None of your bu—I mean, I’m going out for a walk to help my digestion. Goodnight, Miss Luna.”
The Saintess froze for a moment before greeting her gently and hurrying away.
However, compared to the purple jewel tone from the daytime, her eyes seemed to have a pinkish hue.
Luna felt that the Saintess at night seemed more mysterious yet harder to get along with.
Could it be true, as the children said, that the Saintess could transform?
It looked like the Saintess was in a hurry, perhaps even changing her clothes?
‘Forget it, it’s probably just my imagination. I’ve been so busy with the shop lately.’
Luna prepared to count the day’s earnings.
The rent was due again this month.
“Phew… That was close. That baker’s intuition is quite sharp. Luckily, I’ve practiced the way Hailey usually speaks. Cough, goodnight? Good evening?”
‘Pfft… such a gentle tone. Hailey is so cute. I hope she doesn’t panic too much when she finds out I sneaked out. I should have left her a note.’
—
“Dear Hailey, when you see this note, believe that I am no longer here…”
Looking at the final words, which were obscured by ink stains, Hailey was stunned by this creepy message that looked like a suicide note.
‘She couldn’t possibly… I was only upset because she did that so suddenly… I didn’t actually hate her. If the Holy See finds out and blames me, what will I do?’
‘As a Body Double Puppet, not only did you fail in your duties, but you also led the Saintess to her end. According to the final judgment of the Holy See, you are hereby completely…’
Hailey could already imagine the terrifying scene of those old men coming to hold her accountable.
No—unless she smothered her herself, that woman absolutely could not die!
Crosses, guillotines, execution blocks… this wasn’t France, and she wasn’t Louis.
—
Beyond the Residential District lay the Wealthy District where the upper class gathered.
Inside a lavish and luxurious villa, a lazy gentleman was listening impatiently to his subordinate’s report.
“Why has the rent from the Residential District decreased again? Didn’t I tell you to just do the bare minimum for appearances? The Saintess is busy with a thousand things every day; how could she possibly care about those commoners?”
Suddenly, a series of rapid thuds came from the balcony, sounding like a storm hitting the glass.
Looking toward the sound, Julian’s hands trembled so much he couldn’t even hold his reports.
“Ding-dong. If you haven’t done anything wrong, you shouldn’t fear a ghost knocking at the door. Good evening, Mr. Julian. You have a letter.”
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