The curtains hanging by the window were gently lifted from time to time by the breeze.
Occasionally, a few stray wisps of white fog drifted in with the wind, only to vanish abruptly afterward.
Breakfast consisted of two slices of toast and a cup of warm milk.
Finihiya sat gracefully at the dining table, accompanied not only by Danila but also by two maids standing nearby.
Picking up a piece of bread, she took a small spoonful of jam from a glass jar and spread it evenly over the slice.
Actually, the breakfast could have been more plentiful, including sausages and fried eggs.
But she couldn’t eat that much, and in the early morning, she didn’t want anything greasy, so she had Danila prepare only the toast and milk.
Hmm…
As she slowly chewed the bread, a strange craving suddenly surfaced in her heart—a desire to taste soup noodles she hadn’t eaten in a long time.
Not the kind of soup noodles from this place, but those from another era.
Come to think of it, it had been ages since she last had them.
Like…
As if entering the interior of a gigantic shell, the library inside was decorated in a creamy white tone.
Just like the style outside, the slightly larger library walls were adorned with many intricate and delicate murals, and two sculptures stood carved and placed before the door.
Of course, the manor’s private library could not compare to those properly established libraries meant for book storage.
Still, this small library held quite a number of books.
A rough estimate put the number at nearly ten thousand volumes, housed on bookshelves hollowed out of the room’s three walls.
Setting aside those books she found uninteresting, this amount was enough to dispel her boredom for the next two years. In this era of old civilization, there truly were too few sources of entertainment.
Fortunately, she enjoyed reading very much. If the civilization had been a few hundred years earlier, in those classical times when there were hardly any books, it would have been a real mental torment for her.
Selecting two books from the left bookshelf that caught her mild interest, Finihiya sat down at the rectangular teak table in the room and quietly began reading to pass the time.
Lost in thought.
Chanting.
She didn’t even know how long she had been reading.
Until the summer breeze outside blew in, rustling the pages of the book with a soft fluttering sound, she finally snapped out of her immersion and shifted her gaze to look outside.
The early morning sea fog had completely dissipated by now.
“Hmm.”
Feeling a slight weariness rise in her limbs, Finihiya stretched her arms wide in a lazy yawn, a drowsy sigh escaping from her cherry-colored lips.
“The weather is really nice.”
Gazing at the clear and bright sky outside, her lips, fresh and rosy like cherries, murmured softly to herself.
Tilting her head with a slight hesitation, she closed the book in front of her, hugged it to her chest, and left the library.
On a small hill by the beach, Finihiya found a spot shaded by tree leaves and sat down, immediately opening the unfinished book to continue reading quietly.
The cool, humid sea breeze stirred Finihiya’s gorgeous golden hair once again.
At this moment, Danila was gazing toward Finihiya through the French-style glass window. Then she spoke to the Demon Race maid beside her.
“Go fetch a parasol.”
“Yes.”
With that, Danila turned to another maid nearby and instructed,
“Prepare a glass of iced water with a slice of lemon.”
“Yes, Miss Danila.”
Leaves slowly drifted down from the branches, landing gently on Finihiya’s delicate shoulders before sliding down her exquisite dress to the grass below.
Just as she was absorbed in the words of the book, the shadow on the ground suddenly deepened.
Curious, she raised her head.
She had expected rain, but instead, a large pure white parasol appeared in her line of sight.
“Lady Finihiya.”
Danila’s voice made her tilt her head and look in that direction.
“Miss Danila.”
“The sunlight here is strong. If you don’t take proper sun protection, your skin will easily get sunburned.”
“Thank you~” She smiled faintly, nodding lightly to Danila. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Danila was indeed right.
Her skin was the kind that burned easily. If she stayed under the sun for hours like this, by nighttime, her skin would be red and sore.
***
After Danila left, Finihiya tilted her head and gazed into the distance.
The vast summer sea shimmered under the bright sunlight.
Looking at it like this, an unusual feeling quietly stirred in her heart.
It had been a little over a week since she arrived here, and life during this week had greatly eased the anxiety she had felt when she first came.
The harsh and difficult imprisonment she had imagined never came to be. Instead, an incredible, vacation-like leisure and comfort had taken its place.
Perhaps thinking like this was wrong.
At night, when she set aside her unease and reflected, sometimes she felt that life here was a bit easier than in the Theocracy.
Though she was the Saintess, revered high above in the Theocracy, she still had work to do.
Apart from daily prayers with the nuns, she also had to listen to the confessions of the “lost lambs” every day.
Not to mention attending ceremonies during festivals, she also had to face important noble donors and offer them lengthy prayers.
Being a Saintess meant a great deal of responsibilities.
Therefore, after spending several days here, without all those tedious tasks, life felt much lighter—every day was as comfortable as a holiday.
Upon waking early, the only thing she needed to consider was how to spend the day pleasantly and leisurely.
There was no need to think about her schedule, who she needed to meet, or where she had to go.
“De…”
Her drifting thoughts interrupted, Finihiya shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum, trying to throw off this feeling of “laziness” from her mind.
No matter what, the Church had raised her and given her work that wasn’t so hard.
How could she think this place was better just because there was no work?
Though she tried to persuade herself this way, the creeping laziness in her heart made her admonishment ineffective.
Realizing this clearly, she clasped her hands together in a prayer posture.
“Lord! I am sinful…”
Inside the castle of black iron and glass.
Darlian was seated in the room she usually used to review official documents.
Bright sunlight poured in through the glass windows, scattering over the iced tea Ailus had brought in, the beautiful amber color reflecting chaotically on the room’s walls.
She picked up another document with her fingertips.
Darlian’s finely shaped brow furrowed slightly as she carefully considered it for a moment before placing it among the pile of approved papers.