EP.117 The Worst First Meeting Without a Doubt (2)
I thought he was a clumsy, immature adult.
In the far-off future, it was easy to see that he would become an outstanding member of the clergy, given the talent verified by the Vatican.
But with a lifestyle reliant on others, he spent money lavishly and only babbled shiny words without putting in any effort, a classic case of a loudmouth.
Moreover, he occasionally tripped over nothing and walked around with bread crumbs from breakfast stuck to his clothes until dinner, exhibiting a level of carelessness that was almost suspiciously intentional.
The older Sisters found his foolishness endearing, but having grown up watching her sister, who was much more mature than most adults, she couldn’t look kindly on his childish behavior.
“Goodness… Sister… Was he really the biological brother of Sister Beltein…?”
“Y-yes…?”
She didn’t miss the moment his wide eyes glimmered with a sneaky intention.
“Cough, cough! Sister, do you need anything from me? Is there something you desire…?”
“N-no, I don’t need anything…?”
A handful. A term used to refer to potential candidates for becoming a saint. Among them, her sister was well-known as the top saint candidate in the monastery: Beltein Angelas Ashes.
It wasn’t uncommon for those captivated by her radiance to approach her sole blood relative with ulterior motives.
But seeing someone like him come at her so openly, without even trying to hide his selfish desires, was a first.
I mean, who does that? Yet, she couldn’t deny a flicker of curiosity sparked within her.
Ever since she was suddenly pointed out as a candidate to become a saint, separated from her parents at an early age, and dragged along to the monastery with her sister, she had always been seen merely as her sister’s baggage or prickly thorn.
Unlike her sister, who was revered by everyone as the exemplary candidate with both exceptional talent and beauty, she had never possessed remarkable skills.
She was treated as a target for subtle ostracism even among other saint candidates.
The failure candidate for becoming a saint.
That was an unbearable label that closely followed her like a tag on her tail.
It felt like everyone here, excluding herself, looked down on her with pity and contempt.
And that included her very own sister.
Although she deeply felt her sister loved her more than anyone in the world, that unconditional love translated to no expectation at all.
So in a monastery filled with highly respected clergy, she seemed like the only clearly inconsequential figure.
The first time in her life she thought of an adult as not being scary had blossomed a suffocating sense of relief in her heart.
It was sparked by the twisted impulse born from such cramped thoughts.
That was when their thin thread of connection began.
◈◈◈
Don’t hang out with bad adults.
That was advice her sister drilled into her time and time again, but as a time when self-awareness was flourishing, those words only fueled her rebellious spirit.
“Wow, thank you for this every time, Sister. You’ve saved my life!”
“W-well, it’s nothing…”
The man who awkwardly laughed when he received a small plate from her.
Handing him her share of breakfast every morning and having trivial conversations had become a routine for her.
Given that she couldn’t just callously ignore him as a candidate for the saint, who often skipped meals due to his tendency to mishandle money, this was rather seen as a blessing.
Especially when it came to her sister’s sinister habit of sneaking chopped bell peppers into every meal for her health, at that time, rather than feeling complicated about it, she reveled in an ineffable sense of relief.
“The desire to help someone in need is, of course, a natural act for one involved in the path of the clergy…”
“Ooh, quite so.”
The man, responding to her seemingly defensive statement with a smarmy smile, exaggeratedly clapped his hands.
Her feeling like her words and actions were admirable but exposed under his gaze felt somewhat irksome, but she decided to let it slide.
“Haha, I’ll definitely repay you when I rise to greatness later.”
“Y-yes, yes…”
It was a line he always said when receiving breakfast from her, but honestly, she didn’t expect much.
If he were truly a devout member of the clergy destined for great success, he wouldn’t be shamelessly mooching off a much younger girl for food or losing the spare change to buy breakfast.
“Wow, the quality of ingredients here must be different since they’re meant for future saints. The care in the cooking is on a whole other level compared to the meals served to ordinary priests. How about you have a bite, Sister?”
“Um, um! Th-that! That’s a bit…!”
When, with his eyes closed, he let out a genuine praise and suddenly tried to feed her a bite, her surprise escaped as a yelp.
While it was clear to the world that she was still a child, in her own opinion, she was far beyond the age of someone who should be fed by someone else.
Plus, handing over a fork she had just eaten with? Talk about not just careless, but also lacking any sense of hygiene.
At least his handsome looks made it tolerable.
If he were even slightly less appealing, it wouldn’t have been surprising at all if she had felt scorn toward him.
“Haha, I’m just kidding.”
“…What?”
The man, whose fork was still extended toward her, cheekily wiggled his lips.
“Pffft.”
“Th-that’s gross!”
As she belatedly realized she had been played, her face flushed deeply, and she was about to spew out furious words at him when—
“Hey, isn’t that Sister Welna?”
A familiar voice, as chilling as a winter breeze, wrapped around her consciousness in an instant.
“L-Lai, Laiza Claudia, Sister…”
The trembling voice she let slip showed clear signs of dread.
Laiza Claudia.
Along with her sister Beltein, one of the prominent candidates for the next saint.
She was the very person the girl feared most in this monastery.
It was no surprise.
The morally dubious bullying subtly carried out among the saint candidates was orchestrated by this very woman.
“Oh my, Sister Welna! You’re up and about this early! How unusual! Did you soil your bedding again?”
“W-well! That, that’s—!”
She wanted to shout at her to stop slandering her, but the emotions constricting her throat allowed only a weak whimper to escape.
While it was true she had made a mistake on her bedding once since coming to this monastery, it had only happened once on her very first day.
But that sly woman would blow it out of proportion, constantly mocking her about it.
Feigning to criticize her misbehavior, she had firmly established her superiority, which was utterly disgusting.
Even her sister had tried to meddle several times to stop this despicable act, but it had only worked during the first few attempts.
No. Rather, every time the two of them argued back, her torment became increasingly sinister.
There was no brilliant way to get out of this miserable situation, nor someone reliable to turn to.
At least not until now.
“Oh my, who is that…?”
Laiza’s breath carried a hint of unease as she noticed the unfamiliar guest, and the girl sensed that small shift giving her a momentary boost of confidence.
This was exactly what the girl had been aiming for.
She firmly believed she had secured a reliable figure who, while supportive, couldn’t always be by her sister’s side.
To enlist this seemingly dependable adult as her temporary guardian.
To do that, offering breakfast she wouldn’t even eat was nothing at all.
“Ahem! Let me introduce this person!”
Just as she gathered her wits with a cough and was about to introduce the man sitting next to her in a bright voice—
“Thanks for the meal! Sister, I’ll take my leave!”
It all happened in an instant.
By the time she collected herself, the man was already far away, waving goodbye with only his voice barely reaching her.
“Huh?”
Right after that, her fleeting sense of high expectations transformed into a cold sense of betrayal—it goes without saying.
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