The Pious Priest's Sinful Collection - Chapter 10
Even so, the others were already buzzing, nostrils flaring with excitement, just at the fact that Cardinal Theodore had not only spoken to Daphne but also knew about her plans.
It seemed they had completely forgotten the fact that she had been caught by the Cardinal earlier. Thalia and Marianne especially squealed like dolphins and grabbed each other’s hands.
“This is your chance, Daphne! Your chance to become an official priestess!”
“Definitely! If Cardinal Theodore recommends you, His Holiness might even consider approving your ordination!”
Watching them celebrate as if it were their own success, Daphne smiled sheepishly. She knew their joy came from the fact that she had always maintained a devout attitude, and they were supporting her because of it. But precisely because of that, she felt a slight pang of guilt.
‘I’m glad I managed to change the subject… but they’re really happy, like it’s happening to them.’
The truth was that becoming a priestess wasn’t her goal. She simply didn’t want to leave for the outside world.
Still, watching her peers celebrate on her behalf brought a sudden, bittersweet realization: there weren’t many days left where they could all be together like this.
“Thanks, everyone. Thanks to you, I was able to adjust to life at the monastery so quickly.”
Daphne spoke from the heart. Unlike the others who had been raised in the temple together since they could barely walk, she had arrived only after turning ten. To them, she had been an outsider, suddenly dropped into a lifelong bond forged through shared childhood. But the reason she had never felt out of place or left out was because they had welcomed her with open hearts, free of prejudice.
‘The Great Temple made the right decision, bringing in the children born under the three stars from birth and raising them here.’
It had proven to be a wise policy. After all, those who were blank slates — untainted by the secular world — could more effectively receive the doctrine of the Holy Father and, in turn, more successfully prevent the prophecy.
Even these companions, who now celebrated her joy as if it were their own, would probably find it harder to sincerely rejoice for others once they stepped into the harsh realities of the outside world.
‘It’d be nice if we could all meet again someday… but I doubt I’ll be able to. That’s the part that saddens me.’
Once someone renounced their vows, they were bound by an oath never to return to the temple. If the others gathered outside someday, it might be possible. But as someone who would remain in the monastery, she would no longer be part of that circle.
That’s why Daphne resolved to treasure every moment they had left together, until the day they departed.
Her companions, moved by the expression on her face, looked at her with fondness and murmured softly.
“Seriously… I don’t think I’ll be able to walk away, leaving Daphne behind.”
“You too? Same here. I can’t believe we’re going to renounce our vows and leave her…”
One by one, they left their beds and claimed a spot on Daphne’s, wrapping her up in a pile of limbs and warmth.
“Even if we leave, don’t forget us, okay, Daphne?”
“Pray for us, Daphne. Promise you will! You have to!”
“Promise us, okay? Promise!”
With her friends clinging to her cheeks, her head, her arms, and her back, nuzzling her from all sides, Daphne couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing.
“Ah, alright, alright! Go to sleep, everyone. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
“Awwww.”
Grumbling that they wished tomorrow would never come, the girls reluctantly shuffled back to their beds. Daphne lay back down too, a quiet laugh slipping from her lips as she watched them settle.
Tonight, her mattress didn’t feel quite so hard. There was a strange, unfamiliar softness to it… no, not unfamiliar exactly. Familiar, in a way she hadn’t expected.
“Are you alright?”
Ah.
So that’s why it hadn’t felt unfamiliar.
“The ground is still frozen. You could get seriously hurt. Be careful.”
The curious sensation — firm yet strangely comforting — mirrored the deep, weighty voice that had lingered in her mind all day.
“…”
Daphne felt a flutter deep in her belly and had to swallow down a laugh before it escaped.
“Allow me to assist you.”
She knew Cardinal Valentino sometimes walked near the monastery. She’d assumed he came this way seeking solitude, that the quiet grounds offered a rare refuge from the bustle of the main temple.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for someone of his rank, elusive even on official occasions, to be anywhere within her line of sight.
‘It’s quieter here than the temple… That must be why I saw him here.’
That had to be the reason.
Why closing her eyes summoned the faint outlines of his body beneath his black cassock. Why the phantom memory of something firm, warm, and yielding against the back of her head kept returning.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Daphne.’
Squeezing her thighs together beneath the blanket, she muttered the sacred prayer to the Holy Father under her breath, willing the thoughts away.
