Iserin smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
The task was complete. Logically, Rosa should have left Iserin’s office.
Yet, Rosa remained standing in place, unmoving.
She gritted her teeth, her expression conflicted.
“What is it, Rosa? Do you have any other questions?”
“Even though I know I shouldn’t question your judgment, Mowan… she’s my best friend. I believe she can control herself.”
Aside from the matters concerning Iserin, everything Rosa had told Mowan was the truth.
Of course, she did not know if Iserin’s experiences were actually true; everything regarding Iserin’s past was merely what Iserin had asked her to relay to Mowan.
Yesterday, when Iserin found Rosa, she had spoken to her with earnest concern.
Mowan was a dangerous individual.
Her body contained extremely hazardous Magic energy.
If left uncontrolled, it would lead to endless trouble.
If Mowan were to lose control one day, the rampaging energy would not only endanger society but would also strip Mowan of her sanity, completely erasing her normal personality.
To minimize the harm.
Iserin chose to keep Mowan by her side, hoping Mowan would open up to her to make it easier to call back Mowan’s sanity in the future.
However, Mowan seemed reluctant to confide in Iserin.
Thus, Iserin chose an indirect method, having Rosa relay stories of Iserin’s tragic past.
Once Mowan developed feelings of sympathy for her, Mowan would involuntarily want to care for her.
As for why Iserin did not tell Mowan herself.
Iserin’s reasoning was that a tragic past not spoken from one’s own mouth is more capable of swaying a person’s heart.
Rosa believed her.
In Rosa’s heart, the Saintess was a perfect existence.
Every word from the Saintess was a divine oracle, an absolute truth.
The Saintess’s judgment could not be wrong.
But for some reason, when it involved the person she cherished most, she could not help but harbor doubts toward the Saintess.
The cause and effect, the logic—it all made sense.
Yet, Rosa’s sixth sense was screaming from the depths of her soul, reminding her that the Saintess’s words were wrong.
“Do you wish to see Mowan reach a point where she is no longer Mowan?”
“I don’t.”
“Then listen to me. It is for Mowan’s sake, and so that you can see a much better version of her in the future.”
“I… Alright, Saintess. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Mhm. You’ve done well. Do not let your heart be burdened; this is not deception, it is a white lie. Mowan likes you very much. She often mentions you to me. I was thinking that in the future, the mission locations I arrange for your team will all be near the Holy City. That way, you’ll save a lot of travel time. Perhaps you’ll even be able to see Mowan twice a month.”
Iserin’s words were very gentle.
She gazed at Rosa with a faint smile, her eyes like the gentle touch of the Virgin Mary.
The tension in Rosa’s heart was gradually being softened by Iserin’s smile.
“Thank you, Saintess!”
At the thought of being able to see Mowan frequently, Rosa tossed her small internal doubts to the back of her mind.
***
After settling things with Rosa.
Iserin finally left the Church.
She walked toward Mowan’s home, once again bringing dinner for her along the way.
When Iserin arrived at the door.
She raised her hand to knock, but then lowered it again.
She didn’t need to be polite with Mowan.
She should make Mowan get used to her intruding into her territory without greeting.
Mowan should not have any privacy before her.
Iserin pushed the door open directly.
Mowan was not in the living room.
She activated the perception from the Ring, listening for Mowan’s movements.
The Ring transmitted the sound of gurgling, flowing water to her mind.
Mowan was bathing again.
Iserin walked to the bathroom.
“Saintess!”
Mowan quickly covered her delicate skin and stared at the white-haired woman who had suddenly appeared at the bathroom door.
“I didn’t see anyone outside, so it’s good to see you here.”
“You… if you couldn’t find me, you could have just called my name.”
“But, compared to hearing your voice, seeing your face puts me more at ease.”
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Mowan lowered her head and muttered.
She had finally realized it.
Iserin was a little neurotic—she was almost obsessed with confirming that Mowan was still in this house, still within her sight.
Mowan couldn’t help but think of what Rosa had said to her that afternoon.
What exactly did Iserin think of the current her?
Was she the enemy who killed her younger sister?
Or… just like the Princess, someone to fill the role of her sister?
“I brought you dinner. Come out and eat once you’ve finished bathing.”
“Okay.”
Iserin lifted the things in her hand.
The aroma of dinner drifted through the thick mist of the bathroom and into Mowan’s nose.
Her stomach growled right on cue.
Iserin turned and left the bathroom.
Mowan scrubbed herself quickly, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and returned to her room.
Iserin was standing in her room, holding a white dress.
“Put this on. I want to see you in this.”
She handed the dress to Mowan, her tone brooking no refusal.
“Alright.”
After Mowan took the dress, Iserin stepped past her and closed the door, standing silently facing it.
Mowan knew this was Iserin giving her space to change.
Mowan had already grown accustomed to the way Iserin interacted with her.
She was used to being monitored by Iserin.
She no longer felt embarrassed.
Unwrapping the towel, she made rustling sounds as she changed into the new dress.
“I’m ready, Sister Iserin.”
Iserin turned around.
She nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Mhm.”
Mowan lifted her arm and sniffed the sleeve.
“I feel like this dress smells very nice.”
Her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she instinctively spoke her true feelings.
But then Mowan thought it didn’t really matter if she was blunt, and she continued.
“It feels very similar to the fragrance on your body.”
“Is that so? These clothes I gave you were all sitting in my wardrobe previously.”
“Were they all things Her Highness the Princess didn’t want?”
“No, only the first two were. The ones after that are not. I thought they looked nice, so I bought them in advance. I bought them a long time ago, but they’ve just been sitting in the wardrobe.”
“Oh…”
Mowan seemed to have guessed something, but she didn’t dare ask.
They arrived at the dining area.
Mowan opened the dinner Iserin had brought.
It was a portion for one—bread, fried meat, and raw vegetables.
Even though the dinner was simple, Mowan tried her best to maintain her composure, using a knife and fork to eat slowly.
Iserin sat opposite her, quietly watching her.
Very quiet, and very focused.
The eyes of someone who hates you would never be so calm.
If Iserin truly hated her, she would probably feel disgusted just breathing the same air, wouldn’t she?
If Iserin hated her, she should have killed her the moment she saw through her identity at the beginning.
Yet, Iserin’s eyes clearly hid a faint, flickering ambiguity.
Perhaps Iserin didn’t hate anyone; she only hated herself for not being able to protect her sister back then.
It was precisely because she possessed such a noble character that she had become the Saintess.
Mowan made a judgment about Iserin in her heart.
And these clothes were likely items Iserin had bought to channel the memory of her sister—year after year, buying clothes for different ages, as if watching her own sister grow up.
“Sister Iserin, do you have your own home?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask?”
“Because, you always seem to live at the Church.”
“The Church is my home.”
“Then do you live together with the Nuns?”
“No, I have my own courtyard.”
“Are outsiders not allowed inside?”
“Yes. Generally speaking, the Nuns living in that courtyard are not allowed to bring anyone back who doesn’t live there, including women.”
That really was a shame.
Mowan wanted to go and see where Iserin lived.
She was curious and wanted to verify the guess in her heart—to see if Iserin’s room had many wardrobes filled specifically with girls’ dresses ranging from five to eighteen years old.
“But I manage my courtyard alone. As long as it is dark, even if I bring someone back, no one will notice.”
Mowan’s eyes widened.
That little look of pleasant surprise practically had the words ‘eager to try’ written all over it.