The Servant Who Followed in Secret
Raphael was competent.
Not only had he secured a safe house, but he had also quickly prepared a delicious meal using trout caught from the lake. And it was genuinely tasty.
Yes, it had been delicious.
“So.”
It was all gone now.
Canna set down her fork. Perhaps it was the shock of what she had just heard, but her appetite had completely vanished.
“You didn’t return with Sylvien. Instead, you waited nearby the whole time? To make sure I got back safely?”
“Yes.”
“You saw me fleeing with Orsini and grew worried, so you followed?”
“Yes.”
“Even attending the annulment ceremony as a witness… that was to see me too.”
“Yes.”
He’s lost his mind. The words rose to the tip of her tongue.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Ah. She had said it out loud after all.
“Even if you want to protect me… entering the Great Temple was pure madness.”
No matter how one looked at it, he was a defrocked priest. There must have been countless obstacles just getting to the temple, and even more while he remained inside.
In other words, Raphael had staked his life on attending the annulment ceremony. He had come to watch over her up close and intervene if anything dangerous occurred.
Wait a moment.
Could it be…?
“On the way back from Pailon Island, you were on the same boat as me. Was that intentional too?”
Raphael lifted his bowed head. He met her eyes and confessed.
“Yes.”
She no longer had the energy to be surprised.
Canna simply let out a hollow laugh.
So every time she had needed help, Raphael’s timely appearances had not been coincidences. They had all been the result of his deliberate efforts.
This villa was clearly prepared for me as well. He must have set it up in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Did he really want to protect her that badly?
The daughter of the Holy Spirit.
“To think someone with such a beautiful face would secretly and systematically tail me from behind. You really are a frightening man, Raphael.”
“I apologize.”
“Is an apology supposed to fix everything? I’m extremely displeased right now. I’m upset.”
It was a lie. The real reason for her displeasure lay elsewhere.
I felt a human fondness for him.
But Raphael had not.
“If you wish to punish me, I will accept it gladly.”
“You want punishment? Should I make you stand with your hands raised? Or would you prefer a beating?”
“If that is what you desire, I will gladly comply.”
How rigid.
He offered no excuses. Most people would have said something like It was all for you at least once, but he did not.
He simply acknowledged his actions, apologized, and asked for punishment.
He has no flexibility. He’s completely blocked off.
It was truly infuriating.
“Raphael, you are my servant, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then you belong to me?”
Raphael raised his head. He stared directly into Canna’s eyes.
“You are my master.”
“So, you’re mine?”
“If you would take me completely.”
For a brief moment, a strange heat flickered in Raphael’s eyes.
“I would only be grateful.”
Across his expressionless face, pure, unadulterated desire rippled. Canna was momentarily overwhelmed by its fierce intensity.
How had he endured it all this time? It was impressive that he had hidden his wish to become her servant so perfectly until now.
“Is that so?”
Canna smiled faintly and rose from her chair. She walked toward him where he sat across from her.
“With just words?”
Click, click. The closer her footsteps drew, the more rigidly his neck stiffened. Canna deliberately approached slowly, savoring his reaction. Then she sat on the edge of the table, crossing her legs.
“Is saying ‘You are my master’ all it takes to make me yours?”
She reached out and gently stroked the collar of his black priest’s robe. At that instant, his tension traveled through the fabric and into her fingertips.
The man who could tear apart demonic beasts simply because she was the Holy Spirit’s daughter… was freezing up like this.
It’s funny.
And it made her angry.
“You can’t possess a person that easily. What good is calling yourself my master with mere words? You have to show it through actions.”
“Anything.”
Raphael spoke quietly. His voice was low and hoarse.
“If you command it, I will obey.”
“You’re saying dangerous things. Do you even know what I might order you to do?”
“I will do whatever you command.”
“Then kneel and kiss the top of my foot. If you do that, I’ll believe you.”
It had been a spiteful grumble, but to Raphael it was not. The chair scraped back with a loud scrrrt. He immediately knelt before her.
Oh.
There was no time to stop him. He caught her left ankle, which had been dangling in the air, and lowered his lips to the top of her foot.
The touch was hot and soft. A tingling thrill surged from where his lips met her skin. It raced up from her ankle and calf, all the way to her thigh.
“I will devote my body and heart to you in complete loyalty.”
He whispered with his lips still pressed against her. The scattered warmth of his breath and the soft movement of his lips were vividly felt against the top of her foot.
Canna clenched her fist until it turned white, afraid she might shamefully jerk her foot away.
“Please believe me.”
Raphael slowly lifted his head. He gazed up at her with serene eyes, saying nothing.
In that moment, the same sensation from before washed over her. She was the one looking down, yet she felt as if she were being crushed beneath him.
“…That’s enough. I understand, so stand up and sit down.”
He obediently followed her words. Like a well-behaved student, he rose and returned to his chair. It was audacious how he could act like a slave without a single change in his expression.
“I know nothing about you, Raphael. How can I call you mine under those circumstances?”
“If there is anything you wish to know, please ask. I will answer.”
“When and how did you learn that I am the Holy Spirit’s daughter?”
“I knew from the first moment I saw you. I noticed because you share the same appearance as him.”
“Does Sylvien know as well?”
“No.”
“How did you come to see the Holy Spirit? I heard that unless one is the high priest, there is no opportunity to receive him. Even the high priests rarely see his face clearly enough to remember it.”
“……”
“Or were you once a high priest, Raphael? That seems unlikely.”
Among the priests excluding the enforcers, rank was strictly determined by age. It was a system where one advanced automatically with the passing of years.
In other words, a young priest could never become a high priest.
“I had a separate opportunity to meet the Holy Spirit.”
An opportunity? That was his way of saying he would not explain further. Canna pretended not to care and moved on.
“How old are you, Raphael?”
“The same age as Sylvien.”
“And when did you leave the Great Temple?”
“When I was seventeen.”
“That was twelve years ago. I ran away around that time too. Unlike you, I failed…”
Canna paused for a moment before asking the question she most wanted answered.
“Why did you leave?”
“I did not wish to follow the temple’s rules.”
“What rules? The one that forbids leaving the temple without permission?”
“…”
“Or the one that forces you to live according to the schedule set by the temple from birth until death? Or perhaps the rule of incestuous marriages among priests who are practically family?”
“All of them.”
“I see. Honestly, even I would have run away.”
Yet even though he had left the Great Temple, it seemed his faith remained intact. That must be why he offered to become her servant.
“Do you happen to know anything about my mother? Her name is Seon-hui. She’s a black-haired woman with an exotic appearance.”
“I have no knowledge regarding that matter. I am sorry.”
She had not held high expectations, so she was not disappointed. Just as she was about to fall silent, Raphael unexpectedly spoke again.
“If you are thinking of leaving Addis forever, please tell me. Thorough preparation will be necessary.”
“Is that even possible? If the Addis family is determined to find me, it would be difficult.”
“It is indeed difficult.”
Raphael readily admitted it.
“But if it is what you wish, it is possible. Whatever it may be, I can make it so.”
It did not sound like bravado. He truly appeared to possess the power to do so. Just what was the secret behind that strength?
As expected, I cannot fully trust Raphael.
She was certain he was hiding something from her. Therefore, she could not trust him. Which meant—
I should use this guy moderately and then discard him.
Raphael had said she was his master. He had told her to do whatever she wanted with him.
So I suppose I can discard him as I please as well.
With a pitch-black heart, Canna smiled sweetly.
“I understand. I’ll think about what to do.”
Using the excuse of contemplating future plans, Canna rested deeply for several days. On the night of the seventh day, she took a solitary walk along the lakeshore.
What should I do?
She was not Alexandro Addis’s daughter. She was the daughter of the Holy Spirit and Seon-hui.
She had been so shocked by that truth that she had fallen into a panic, but now she had completely calmed down.
I cannot simply run away relying only on Raphael. Everything I’ve built up until now would collapse.
…Still, should she just abandon everything and flee?
It was then that a rustling sound came from the bushes. A man’s face suddenly popped out.
“…Huh?”
Canna blinked.
Splendid golden hair. Blue eyes. It was Lord Claude!
“Why are you coming out from there, my lord?”
“My lady.”
Claude grinned brightly as he rose from the bushes.
“Why are you here, my lady?”
He brushed the leaves and grass from his hair and clothes as he approached.
“Ah, first of all, congratulations on your divorce. So from now on, I plan to call you ‘my lady.’ Is that all right?”
“You’re already calling me that… How did you know I was here?”
“Because I searched with everything I had. The Addis mansion is in complete chaos right now, my lady. Lord Kallen’s eyes have flipped.”
“His eyes have… flipped?”
“Yes. If he knew you were here, he would come to capture you immediately.”
Canna understood the meaning behind his words.
In other words, Kallen still did not know.
“I told you not to get close to that defrocked priest, didn’t I? The way he looks at you isn’t normal. It’s annoying.”
“You said Kallen doesn’t know where I am yet.”
Canna completely ignored his comment and continued.
“If it were Kallen, he would have ordered you to report first, no matter what.”
“…”
“Lord Claude, you didn’t come here on Kallen’s orders, did you?”
Claude closed his mouth. Then he burst into laughter.
“Ah, how sharp. You really are quick-witted.”
She had suspected it, and sure enough.
Claude had come on someone else’s orders, not Kallen’s!
At that moment, a voice came from behind her.
“Will you continue your conversation?”
It was Raphael.
Canna was not surprised. She had already assumed he would be watching from somewhere.
“Or shall I remove him for you now?”
Raphael was saying that if she wished, he would dispose of Claude.
“Look at that. He’s been hiding and watching the whole time, only coming out now that the situation seems strange. Eugh, how scary.”
“Lord Claude.”
Even in a moment like this, he could still joke? At Canna’s warning tone, Claude smiled mischievously.
“My apologies.”
“Tell me whose orders you came on.”
“I was just about to say. I came with that person. He is waiting right behind me.”
Claude pointed toward the bushes behind him, buried in deep shadow.
“His Grace, Duke Alexandro Addis, is waiting for you.”