It was at Mass the next day, a day later, that I met Matthew.
Matteus, who knew in advance that all the imperial women had gathered, was not surprised to see Julia.
After Mass was over, Matthew quietly approached her.
"Yulia-sama, have you been well?"
After visiting the temple, Matthews met for the first time, and he had a kind face.
His question had several implications.
Do you still have the desire to run away, or are there any problems with your future plans?
Julia couldn't easily nod her head and continued to answer.
"that is… ."
There were too many eyes to explain everything in detail. In the end, Julia came up with a plain answer.
"Yes, thank you. Have you been at peace with Matteus-sama?"
"of course."
However, Mateus, who had already noticed Julia's dark face, seemed to have grasped the situation to some extent.
The fact that she came to the Imperial Palace was proof that her plans were not going smoothly.
Matthews spoke quietly.
"Julia-sama, I am going to stay at the Imperial Palace for a month."
"Yes, I heard from Priest Cedric."
At her answer, Matthews nodded with a slightly startled face.
"You have already met Cedric. It went well."
Matthew, who raised his lips gently, lowered his voice.
"During my absence, he will help Julia."
"uh… , is that the kid?"
While Yulia tilted her head, a tall man approached them.
He was a young priest with dark brown hair and light green eyes.
He looked at Julia and bowed his head. The face of the man with his head raised and smiling brightly, for some reason, felt unfamiliar.
"Matheus, may I explain the rest?"
The man asked Matthew for permission. Matthews nodded his head without thinking.
While Julia looked at the man and Matthews alternately with a puzzled face, the man smiled as brightly as before.
"My sire, the promised time has come, would you like to go to the sponsorship together?"
"If it's the promised time… ."
Apparently, he and Cedric were about to meet in the afternoon after Mass. Perhaps that was the promise the man was talking about.
Thinking that the child had told the man about her meeting with me, Yulia nodded obediently.
"Yes, I do. Priest Cedric will be waiting for you."
"… … ."
Matthews, who was listening to their conversation, had a strange face, but didn't say anything.
After Mass, it was time to perform the blessing ceremony for Veronica, so Matteus greeted Julia first.
"Then, Julia-sama, I'll see you again at the next Mass."
Yulia nodded and left the mass room with the man.
While moving to the patronage like that, Yulia felt a subtle feeling and glanced at the man.
It was because the appearance of the man was very similar to that of the child yesterday.
"Are you brothers and sisters with Priest Cedric?"
At that, the man began to laugh with a pleasant face for some reason. The man who looked back at her slowly shrugged her shoulders.
"We are not brothers, but we have a similar relationship."
"ah… , Then maybe you are rich?"
The man looked very young because he was rich, but it was a question with a reasonable guess as to whether the time of extroversion like Matthews had stopped.
Soon the man covered his mouth and started laughing out loud. It was seen that his eyes were round and curved.
While Julia looked at him with a slightly puzzled face, they soon reached yesterday's maze garden.
"Your Majesty Rain has good eyesight."
As I turned a corner about halfway through the maze, the man suddenly stopped.
As Julia stopped at once and looked at him, a man with a smile gently touched the ring on my finger.
"You asked your age. I turned twenty-two this year."
"… yes?"
Julia blinked at the sudden words. Then a green light began to flash from his ring.
While Julia looked at it with her eyes wide open, a bright light blocked her vision for a moment.
As I reflexively closed my eyes and slowly lifted my eyelids, the man standing in front of me disappeared out of nowhere.
Instead, standing in front of her was the child she met yesterday, Cedric.
"… uh?"
At that moment, Julia, who began to understand the situation little by little, opened her mouth slightly.
The child's delicate facial features perfectly matched that of the man before. The color of the eyes and hair were all the same.
Even that smile he was making was the same.
"So, the priest just, the… ."
As Julia stuttered open her mouth, Cedric, who had a smile on her face, shook her head.
"Yes, I can change my appearance. What I looked like a while ago is my original appearance."
Julia covered her mouth with her hand and widened her eyes.
So, it meant that this child was the same person as the man a while ago.
So the child said that he was older than he looked. That's why he spoke and acted like an adult... .
While Julia could hardly hide her startled face, Cedric took a step closer to her.
"Are you very surprised? I didn't mean to deceive, so please be patient."
The child resembling vegetation smiled as fresh as yesterday.
Julia nodded her head with a bewitched face. It was a moment when she realized once again the mystery of sexual power.
How is this possible? It was hard to calm my pounding heart.
"Although I am not a priest as great as Matteus-sama, I will be good enough to take care of Julia-sama."
"… Oh, yes. I heard you're helping me... ."
Yulia, who barely came to her senses, opened her mouth. Matthews said that this child would certainly help him.
"Matheus-sama is the representative priest of the temple, so it is difficult for him to leave his seat except for official affairs. therefore… ."
Cedric stopped talking and suddenly held out his hand. As a child flicked his hand lightly as if scattering something, a bright light spread over the small hand.
The green energy was mixed with the wind in his hand and spread out.
The light was completely scattered and a small glass bead was placed on the rest of the palm.
The child held it out to Julia, who was standing blankly.
"This is my sanctuary. Leave the marble in a place where no one is around, along with the pendant Julia-sama has."
Julia listened to Cedric while holding the transparent marble.
"The detailed message was kept inside the marble. Probably because there are a lot of ears to hear here."
Cedric, who whispered in silence, flicked his hand lightly again. This time, a single white daffodil appeared in the light.
It was like a magical sight. Cedric held out her flower to her while her Julia looked at the gesture with her bewitched face.
"You know what? Sexual power is not a power given to everyone."
"… … ."
"A person who has stamina is also a person who is loved by God."
A young and calm voice flowed into Julia's ear.
"So Julia-sama is also loved by God."
Did Cedric see that I was tired? Julia noticed that this child was comforting me.
While she quietly accepted the daffodils, Cedric continued to speak slowly.
"Everything will work out."
Julia closed her mouth and nodded her head. Those words melted my weary heart a little.
Seeing Cedric's warm eyes, I felt like everything was going to be all right at this moment.
* * *
It was our last day at the Imperial Palace.
In the carriage returning to the estate, Julia took out the marble that Cedric had given her.
When he returned, he was going to check the message contained within this orb.
Although she had heard from Matthews how to use the Holy Power the other day, Julia wasn't sure if she could handle it properly.
But if Cedric, an experienced priest, can help me, things will be better than it is now.
'Everything will work out.'
Julia closed her eyes as she recalled Cedric's words as she sat down calmly.
As I cleared my mind as I leaned against the rattling carriage, I gradually fell asleep.
After such a long time, it was late at night when we arrived at the castle.
The driver hurriedly opened the door and waited for Julia to come out. But even after a while, there was no movement inside.
The driver straightened his bent back and glanced inside. Then I saw the hostess, leaning against the window and sleeping deeply.
"I, Rain… ."
As she was carefully waking her up, someone stopped in front of the coachman.
Fernan, with an expressionless face, bit the driver with one chin.
The coachman disappeared, and he bent down and stepped into the carriage. And he looked at Yulia, who had fallen asleep without the world, for a moment.
Perhaps she was tired, and she was making a hoarse breath.
Even while holding her and getting out of the carriage, she hardly opened her eyes.
Her warmth touched his arms completely. Fernando walked into the castle with a slightly relaxed face implicitly.
Seeing Julia who returned without any problems, the anxiety that filled a part of his heart gradually disappeared.