The Pious Priest's Sinful Collection - Chapter 26
“Hmph…”
Heat welled up behind her eyes as she held back her tears.
Daphne clutched at the hem of her skirt and didn’t move, and Theodore, who was signing papers, raised his head.
“What are you doing? Get moving. It’s almost five o’clock.”
“…Very well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her voice snapped in frustration. Pausing for a moment, Theodore looked at her, but Daphne ignored him and walked out of the office.
Click.
“…Oh, that’s right.”
The moment the door closed behind her, I realized that I was still feeling naked underneath.
‘I forgot to ask for my underwear back, didn’t I?’
She didn’t dare go back in to ask, not after she had snapped at the cardinal like that.
Besides, she would have just soiled it if she put it back on her damp crxtch.
“… Ah, damn it.”
He’ll take care of it. He couldn’t possibly leave such an indecent thing out in the open, so he’ll probably throw it away. Rubbing her face vigorously and sighing heavily, Daphne trudged on her wobbly legs.
***
A few days had passed since then.
Daphne was in the greenhouse, picking strawberries alongside her fellow novices.
The strawberries harvested here were reserved for honored guests — offered to the Pope, the cardinals, and visiting dignitaries. They were cultivated in the greenhouse nestled between the main temple and the retreat cloister, a quiet plot of land tucked within the convent’s grounds.
In keeping with the Father’s teachings that nothing should be gained without effort, even the trainee clerics who worked to gather the fruit were permitted a small taste, but only after the day’s labor had been done.
While everyone else was busily picking strawberries, their mouths watering at the thought of the sweet reward they’d get to taste afterward, Daphne was distractedly plucking away — until Thalia, stretching her neck to see how much Daphne had gathered, let out a startled cry.
“Daphne! That’s the stem!”
“……? Huh!”
Blinking in confusion, Daphne looked down at her hand only to realize, too late, that what she’d just snapped off wasn’t a berry at all, but the entire stem.
The ripe strawberry she’d been aiming for was still attached to a cluster of less mature ones, all hanging together on a single stalk. It was one of those bunches you were supposed to leave alone for now, let the rest catch up. So of course it was a surprise when she accidentally broke the whole thing.
“Oh no… there are so many unripe ones.”
Thalia murmured, hurrying over. She frowned as she examined the little greenish berries still clinging to the stem.
“What are we gonna do? Bishop Isabella’s definitely going to say something about this…”
“What do you mean, what do we do?”
Marianne chimed in as she sauntered up behind them.
“You eat the evidence.”
Without missing a beat, she plucked one of the under-ripe strawberries from the stem and popped it into her mouth. Her shoulders gave a visible shiver from the sourness, and Thalia smacked her on the back in alarm.
“Hey! You can’t eat that! You didn’t even rinse it!”
“I’ll live! It’s not like it’ll kill me!”
Meanwhile, Daphne carefully picked off the few ripe strawberries from the stem and placed them in her basket. The ones with too much white still on them, she set in her palm and gave a gentle wipe with the corner of her apron.
“Thalia. Open up.”
“You’re not seriously going to— mph?”
“Well?”
“……Mmm. Okay, that’s not bad.”
Thalia mumbled something about it being rather tangy-sweet for something unripe as she swallowed the bite.
“Anyway, what’s going on with you lately? You’ve been kind of distracted.”
“Ow… Yeah, you’ve been zoning out a lot more than usual.”
Marianne added as she rubbed the spot on her back where Thalia had smacked her. Daphne stiffened at the comment, caught off guard. They weren’t wrong. She had been drifting off more often, her thoughts running wild in every direction.
“Sorry. I suppose I’ve just been thinking a lot lately… Knowing there’s not much time left with you guys has me looking back on everything.”
She tried to smile, but it came out a little crooked. When she lowered her gaze, the shadows cast by her dark lashes seemed to fall across her whole face. Even the air around her felt dimmer.
Thalia and Marianne exchanged uneasy glances. That wasn’t the kind of answer they’d expected.
“Ah, no! We didn’t mean it like that, we just thought — uh, maybe you were tired or something! That’s all! Not trying to scold you!”
“Y-yeah! Just, you know, checking in because we’re worried. You know that, right?”
Watching them fumble over their words, Daphne couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know. Thanks. Really. You’re probably right. I’ve been exhausted lately. Maybe it’s the added study load…”
But in truth, it wasn’t the lessons wearing her out. Not physically, anyway. It was something else entirely — something that clung to her bones, wrapped around her thoughts, drained her spirit.
The kind of fatigue she felt didn’t come from labor or prayer or training. Anyone raised as a novice in the convent wouldn’t crumble from a few sleepless nights. Every day here was a test of endurance, a constant rotation of hard work and physical strain. Over time, one’s body simply adapted.
So no, it wasn’t the extra study hours that left her drained.
‘Seriously, I’m so tired… How is it even possible to do that for a full hour?’
Just yesterday, she had another “exorcism ritual” with Theodore Valentino.
From three to four, she’d attended their usual ministry lessons. But the moment the clock struck four, Theodore had raised a hand — and her legs were being lifted onto the arms of a chair.
