* * *

“Garnet” was the room Ethan used, and aside from piles of books on magic, there was barely anything in it to indicate someone had lived there.

The wardrobe was completely empty, and since the room was located in a remote part of the Count’s estate, even sunlight barely reached it.

While she was here, Chloe opened drawers and the wardrobe, wondering if there might be anything worth selling. But when she found nothing, she irritably kicked a chair.

Felide’s discarded child, wasn’t he? So no one really looked after him either. I get that he left for the Magic Tower, but why is this place completely empty?

Even so, her anxiety made her bite her lower lip.

Yuta Orgon.

The person she had been secretly in love with for a long time.

The moment she heard his name, Chloe forgot all about the morning’s commotion.

She didn’t care about Monica anyway. Monica seemed smart enough not to mention her or Felide’s name.

After all, he was her child—surely she wouldn’t go as far as to kill him. If Monica wanted to secure her future, keeping Chloe as an ally would benefit her, too.

And so, Chloe put it all out of her mind and began reminiscing about her memories with Yuta.

“I can’t stay at the Temple anymore due to circumstances. Clara, so I have a favor to ask…”

The butterfly brooch he had gifted her when asking that “favor” was her most treasured possession.

That’s why she always wore the butterfly brooch when she changed her appearance—so that Yuta could recognize her.

It was only natural that she used the butterfly brooch when framing Rosie for theft.

Because the theft incident gave her an excuse to always wear it, claiming she felt anxious without it.

Normally, people from noble families frequently swapped out their accessories, so having a reason to wear the same one every day added credibility.

Anyway, the “favor” Yuta asked when he gave her the brooch was—

“There’s a girl named Rosie Trian.”

“Trian? So she’s an apprentice?”

“Yeah. If anything happens to her, could you let me know?”

Rosie Trian.

She was just a plain apprentice—aside from her somewhat cute appearance, there was nothing noteworthy about her.

But one day, Julian Noart—who had hidden his identity—came rushing into the Temple and took her away.

And Chloe immediately reported it to Yuta.

So she really was someone important… Julian Noart took her? Did Lord Yuta sense something going on there? Or is it a trap?

Yuta didn’t say much, just asked to be informed again if anything else related to her came up.

At the very least, it was clear Yuta was keeping an eye on Rosie.

So when Rosie said Yuta’s name, Chloe simply couldn’t ignore it.

Is there another order…?

Chloe exhaled lightly, heart fluttering.

Lord Yuta really does think I’m special.

Just thinking about Yuta’s shimmering blond hair, his gentle green eyes, his fair skin that perfectly matched the priest’s robe—her spirits lifted.

It’s just… he’s a high-ranking priest… He probably can’t express his feelings because of our difference in status…

The Temple had a rigid class hierarchy, even within itself.

Yuta was a high-ranking priest, personally favored by the High Priest—a promising young figure.

Meanwhile, Chloe was only a mid-ranking priest and had never mustered the courage to confess.

But… if I succeed in this mission, then maybe Lord Yuta won’t have to hide his feelings for me anymore.

Chloe’s heart pounded wildly.

If I succeed in this task, I’ll become a high-ranking priest. Then I’ll marry Lord Yuta and rise to a position everyone in the Temple envies.

And after waiting in the empty “Garnet” room for a while—

Rosie came trotting in by herself.

Just seeing the cute ribbon and the pretty dress made Chloe’s anger rise.

An apprentice living this comfortably? So annoying…

After briefly experiencing life as a noble daughter at the Noart estate, she realized just how wonderful it was.

And it made her irrationally resentful that Rosie had been enjoying such things far longer than her.

Whether Rosie sensed her thoughts or not, she tilted her head and held out a letter.

“I don’t know why I was told to deliver this to you in a place where no one else is around… but it’s the assistant instructor’s request, so.”

Then, glaring at her with sharp green eyes, she added,

“But just in case, read it in front of me.”

“What?”

“After all, Assistant Instructor Yuta is someone from the Temple, so we have to stay on guard here in the Noart estate.”

Wow.

Chloe looked into Rosie’s wide eyes and thought:

She’s really not threatening at all.

The letter was sealed tight.

With trembling hands, Chloe opened it.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

There’s something I need to urgently verify about this girl. Handle it with your ability and keep it hidden.

I’ll be visiting under the pretense of a birthday party celebration today, so when I arrive, guide me to her.

The handwriting was messy—likely written with the left hand.

Chloe swallowed dryly.

Only a select few in the Temple knew about her “ability.”

It’s him. This is definitely Lord Yuta.

Having observed Yuta for a long time, she knew well—he sometimes confused the spellings of “Antata” and “Theol.”

She noticed signs that the word “Antata” had been hastily corrected to “Theol.”

It was only a slight alteration, hard to catch without careful inspection—but Chloe didn’t miss it.

He’s asking me to use my ability? Sounds like he wants her put to sleep and stashed somewhere…

Her eyes paused on the word “visit.”

I’ll get to see Lord Yuta.

Her heart pounded even harder.

It’s been so long… I’ll finally see him again.

It felt like fireworks were going off in her head.

Maybe this letter about Rosie was just an excuse. A chance to be alone with him in a remote place.

Maybe… maybe Lord Yuta would confess his feelings.

Secretly, in a place where no one else could hear him—saying he’d loved her all along, and Rosie Trian was just an excuse.

From the moment she heard Yuta’s name, Chloe had already lost her composure. She no longer had the clarity to think through things carefully.

She’ll just get in the way, so I’ll put her to sleep for now…

Her eyes moved toward Ethan’s wardrobe.

I’ll shove her in there.

With her ability, putting someone to sleep for a few hours was nothing.

She’s been getting on my nerves anyway. This is perfect.

She didn’t think beyond that.

As long as she followed Yuta’s instructions, everything would be fine.

If anything, she could even use it to stay close to Yuta—saying things like “What should we do now? Rosie will wake up soon…”

At that moment, Rosie crossed her arms and raised her chin threateningly.

“I’m delivering this as a favor because Assistant Instructor has treated me well at the Academy, but I’m not comfortable with this, so I’ll read it myself. And if it’s something serious, I’ll tell my grandfather…”

“What are you saying? Shut up.”

Chloe shoved Rosie with all her strength.

“Aah!”

Rosie’s petite frame flew like a paper ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) doll.

“So arrogant for an apprentice.”

Chloe stepped on Rosie’s cheek and poured in the altered divine power.

Rosie instantly lost consciousness—without a doubt, she was trapped in a nightmare now.

Grunting, Chloe dragged the limp Rosie and stuffed her into the wardrobe.

She had already checked it—it was empty.

Even a rat like this gets a room this big at the Noart estate?

With a bang, she slammed the wardrobe shut. “Garnet” returned to its calm stillness.

Chloe, her face relaxed, walked back into the banquet hall alone.

The place was now bustling with people.

The Count’s busy interrogating Monica Noart… The others probably don’t even care about Rosie Noart.

No one would notice Rosie’s disappearance for a while. And conveniently, Zahid wasn’t around either.

And then, not long after—

A man jumped off his horse in a rush.

His expression was grim, his clothes disheveled, as if he had ridden in a panic.

Ah.

Chloe’s heart began to race.

He’s here.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

That note… It was real.

The man who leapt off his horse, cradling a small rabbit in one arm, was none other than Yuta.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep