Chapter 52: Attachment

When the banquet came to an end, the sun had not yet set. The gorgeous evening glow cast its radiance over the courtyard beside the banquet hall, gilding everything in sight with a mixture of golden and crimson light.

Unlike banquets held by nobles or commoners, owing to the special nature of the Saintess's Monastery, external banquets generally concluded before nightfall.

After a whole afternoon, Eric had already grown accustomed to those "pious" believers stroking his hands while whispering flattering remarks. Fortunately, the highly responsible nuns remained vigilant; the moment the soon-to-be Saintess's handsome face showed even the faintest trace of a frown, they would immediately stride over and frighten the offenders away under the pretext of disrespecting Her Grace.

As the final cardinal departed, Eric knew there was no further need for him to linger, and he prepared to leave the banquet to rest.

"Your Grace."

At that moment, a nun walked toward him, lowering her gaze the instant it met his. "A few guards from your family have arrived and are waiting outside."

"Very well, I understand." Eric perked up slightly.

Having drunk very little, he felt almost no intoxication. Following the nun outside, he immediately spotted his family's guards, who looked entirely out of place in their surroundings.

"Young Master..."

Will hurriedly nudged several companions who were looking around and reminded them, "Um, shouldn't we be addressing him as Your Grace now?"

Eric let out a light laugh. "Call me whatever you like."

Glancing at the evening glow on the horizon, he continued, "I cannot return with you; the Saintess wants me to stay. I shall spend another night here, and tomorrow you may set off back for Dunter County. By the way, please take these letters and deliver them to my uncle."

He retrieved a few letters from his tunic—which he had kept with him all along—and handed them to the guards.

"No problem, Young Master. Also, those belongings you brought from home were just carried away by some knights; they said they would be delivered to your room."

"I am aware of that."

Will took the letters and carefully tucked them away. Another guard looked at the massive monastery before them and asked, "Will the Young Master be living in here from now on, along with all those pretty nuns..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Before Eric could speak, Will cut him off.

Eric paid it no mind. Instead, his gaze lingered on Will's face for a few seconds before he said thoughtfully, "Tell my uncle that if he fails to find a suitable candidate, I recommend you."

"Uh..." Will was momentarily stunned. "What is the Young Master talking about?"

"The Earl will understand. Just deliver the message," Eric said.

Throughout the journey, Will's performance had been quite commendable. He was clever, and possessed enough composure when steadiness was required. If his uncle truly could not find the right person to dispatch to the Northern Frontier, Will would be a fine choice.

"Yes, Young Master." Will asked no further questions.

Eric took a breath and looked at the guards who had practically accompanied him through his upbringing. He had no idea when he might see them again.

"I have nothing more to say. Be careful on the road."

"Understood, Young Master." The guards bowed to him in unison.

Watching the guards turn and walk away, their figures growing smaller and smaller, Eric suddenly experienced a sensation akin to his first time living away at a boarding school in his previous life: a bittersweet feeling that, for various reasons, could not be put into words.

"Even during the final sprint for the college entrance exams, we still got to go home once a week..."

Eric muttered under his breath. The sky grew dim, and the guards' figures vanished from sight. He turned and walked back into the monastery.

Before retiring for the night, he still needed to report on the banquet to the Saintess.

"Mm, you are a noble after all; your conduct was passable."

The Saintess did not dwell on the matter, instead asking him, "Have you seen Alana?"

"No." Eric was momentarily startled, then realized that aside from the very beginning of the ceremony, he hadn't laid eyes on her all day—whereas Sophie had even seized the opportunity to share a small cup of wine with him at the banquet.

"I no longer require her loyalty," the Saintess added.

"...What?"

"Do as you see fit." The old woman waved her hand, signaling for him to withdraw.

Bewildered, Eric retreated. The moment he returned to his assigned quarters, he found a figure waiting inside.

"...Lady Alana."

Having just heard the Saintess mention her, only to find her waiting in his room upon his return, Eric almost suspected this was some sort of arrangement by the elderly Saintess. "Do you need something from me?"

"Your Grace."

Alana bowed deeply, and as she raised her head, she stated, "I wish to become your personal attendant. Please grant me your permission."

"..."

Eric looked at her, pausing for a long moment. "Is this the Saintess's wish?"

"This is my own wish," Alana replied. "Her Grace the Saintess no longer requires my loyalty. From this day forth, Alana's loyalty belongs solely to His Grace Eric."

"Don't be in such a hurry to pledge your loyalty... Surely you realize that doing this so abruptly won't make anyone moved; rather, it will only cause apprehension?"

Eric waved a hand and walked toward the study. "At least let me understand what is going on."

"I wish to lean upon your power and, after you succeed as Saintess, become a senior lady-in-waiting in charge of the Saintess's Court."

Alana was remarkably direct and concise, leaving Eric momentarily stunned.

Was this nun sister always so ambitious?

No...

Judging from their interactions over the past half-month, intuition told Eric that Alana was unlikely to be seeking power for its own sake.

"Let's start from the beginning. Ah... I recall Lady Alana mentioning once that you are from the north, and coupled with your experience in the military, you most likely spent your early days living on the border between the Empire and the Kingdom of Valane. Let's start from there."

This was a past Alana had once touched upon but had been reluctant to elaborate on. Eric guessed this was the root of her need for power.

He sat behind the desk, pulled over a blank sheet of paper, picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and looked at Alana.

"I drank quite a bit of wine at the banquet, so you had better make yourself clear, in a way I can understand without having to rack my brain."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Alana concealed nothing. She recounted how her parents had died when she was young, how she had been rescued by Sister Dania, her subsequent bitter trials and diligent practice after joining the Saintess's Monastery, and her ultimate desire to repay her mentor.

Her explanation was indeed straightforward and easy to comprehend. By the time she finished, Eric had merely jotted down two names on the paper: Dania, Gaby.

When Alana concluded, Eric asked, "Do you know the reason why Senior Sister Gaby targets Sister Dania?"

"I have investigated, but few people are willing to speak of it. I only learned that Sister Gaby and Mentor Dania entered the monastery during the same period and were once even on very good terms, but their relationship deteriorated rapidly after Mentor Dania was posted to the military... As for the specific reason, I remain unaware," Alana replied.

"Does the Saintess know of this?" Eric asked again.

Alana nodded with a gloomy expression. "Her Grace knows, but she has never expressed a stance."

Given the Saintess's trust in Gaby, refusing to take a stance was already a stance in itself.

Suddenly recalling what the Saintess had said earlier, Eric understood instantly: the old woman had never intended to resolve the problem during her own lifetime—she held a certain fondness for Alana, but far less than for the far more capable Senior Sister Gaby, so she simply chose to ignore it and let them sort it out themselves.

No wonder Alana was left with only one option: to attach herself to him.

"Then we can only wait until Her Grace the Saintess returns to the Divine Realm," Eric concluded.

Alana nodded. Eric then said, "Given the friendship between the two of us during this time, I am more than willing to help you with this matter. I give you my word."

Once he succeeded to the position of Saintess, having a certain nun reinstated in the monastery would be a matter of a single word.

"However, I do not need you to attach yourself to me, nor do I need you to be any sort of personal attendant," he added.

Her nun's robes draped downward as Alana knelt on both knees, expressing her profound gratitude to him.

"Thank you... Your Grace. I shall always remember your kindness and will pray for you eternally. Only someone with a heart as warm, kind, and sincere as yours could be chosen by Yela to become the spokesperson of the gods... You possess truly noble and holy qualities."

Eric would swear oath that this was the first time Alana had ever said so many flattering things to him.

Enjoying a quiet inward thrill for a few seconds, he did not forget to remind her, "Do not speak like this again in the future. If others overhear, it will lead to endless trouble."

If helping her meant he possessed truly noble and holy qualities, then who didn't?

"No one else will overhear," Alana said. "This is my last day staying in the monastery. Tomorrow, I shall leave this place."

Eric was startled. "Why?"

Alana gazed down at the floor. "I no longer pledge allegiance to Her Grace the Saintess; there is no place here for the disloyal."

Eric watched her for a moment. "Unless... you attach yourself to me?"

Alana raised her gaze, locking eyes with him.

"Do you wish to leave this place?" Eric asked.

After a brief silence, she shook her head.

"Then stay."

Eric thought for a moment. "The Saintess said I have many things to learn, such as church history, ancient languages, etiquette, and divine arts. You can pick one you excel at, take my place at lectures, and teach me instead. Become my tutor. Let us hear no more talk of personal attendants."

The tutor of the soon-to-be Saintess and the personal attendant of the soon-to-be Saintess were concepts of entirely different status.

Filled with a sense of fortune and the most sincere gratitude, Alana performed her final prostration.

How wonderful it was that the person brought back was His Grace Eric...

"Yes, Your Grace."