Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 23
The handmaiden asked, and the priest replied,
“The ones attending to the Saint, of course. The days have been overcast recently. It’s because the Saint is unwell.”
“Yes, she is quite ill.”
They heard she fell from the tower. People say surviving that fall was a miracle in itself and thanked the goddess for her mercy.
“When a person is ill, their spirit weakens. How wonderful would it be to meet someone dear during such times?”
“Someone dear?”
“Yes. We’ve been delaying it since she shouldn’t get excited just yet, but she will meet you soon. Just thinking about how happy she will be motivates us to do our best.”
The young novice priest said this with a serious voice. Even in times when doubts about the Saint were surfacing, he seemed to purely believe in everything.
“So, rest easy! And when you meet the Saint later, please bring her joy.”
At these words, Mary’s expression darkened. Though told to rest easy, understanding the reason behind such excessive treatment made her feel uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles.
She noticed Lani and the other handmaidens felt the same.
“But, in truth.”
Lani started to say something, but Mary stopped her. She saw the anxious face of Lani and sent off the novice priest before she could say more.
With a smile and a nod, she turned to Lani after the priest had left.
“What were you going to say?”
“But it’s different from the truth.”
Lani rolled her eyes.
“And you were going to spill it here?”
“Sooner or later, it will come out.”
Their clasped hands trembled.
“But not now.”
Mary said firmly.
“So keep your mouth shut!”
She snapped, and another maid placed a finger to her lips as if someone else had arrived.
Mary quickly closed her mouth and turned around with a smile, but that smile soon fell apart. It was because of the face she saw when she turned around.
A man with silver hair and blue eyes was looking at them.
It was a familiar face.
‘The King of the North!’
As Mary was flustered, Lani quickly bowed and greeted him.
“Greetings to the King of the North!”
“Greetings to the King of the North!”
The other maids also hastily bowed, and Mary quickly followed suit. Her body tensed up even more.
The King of the North, Burt, looked at them with a calm face and asked,
“How is life in the temple?”
To which Mary responded,
“We are living comfortably, thanks to your many considerations.”
As she gave the proper response, someone else appeared behind Burt. She smiled gently at the handmaidens and said,
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The maids recoiled in surprise at her presence. The person responding with a gentle voice was Irene, whom they had tormented so much.
Despite hearing she had been severely injured, visible scars still remained.
Yet, it was hard to find her once sinister appearance in her neatly combed black hair, her gentle smile, and the way her red eyes sparkled.
From her tidy clothes to even the smallest decoration, every detail showed the touch of human hands.
Her smiling eyes scanned each of them. Fearing a sharp retort might come at any moment, all the maids trembled in tension.
“L-Lady Irene.”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
They couldn’t find words to reply. Answering wrong felt like it might give her a reason to punish them.
All the maids glanced at her nervously, holding their breath.
Mary, gathering some courage, was the first to speak up.
“It has been a long time since we last met.”
“Yes, it has. Seeing you after so long makes me even happier.”
Were they really in a situation to be pleased with each other? As Mary wondered, Irene added some clarification.
“In the temple, surrounded by strangers, I felt somehow lonely. After all, the only ones who stayed by my side were you, is that right?”
This time, Mary couldn’t respond either. Her mind was a whirl, unable to conjure any response. What did that statement mean? It was unclear.
“So, since you’ve come to the temple, rest easy. I think I’ll feel better that way too.”
A gentle voice reached them. Wondering if they were being mocked, they cautiously lifted their heads to look into her eyes, but couldn’t discern anything.
“Let’s meet again next time.”
Irene, leaving those words behind, departed with the support of Burt.
Watching the two figures grow distant, the handmaidens let out a sigh of relief and rubbed their chests.
“What just happened?”
