In the Life Quarter behind the Oracle Hall, Fili slipped into a white dress, covering her wounds carefully.
She cautiously weaved past a few maids and entered the Garden.
At this moment, heavy rain poured from the sky, droplets pattering down on the petals. Many of the maids who usually worked in the Garden had disappeared without a trace.
If not now, then when else could she possibly escape?
Taking two steps forward, a sharp pain from her wound made Fili grit her teeth. Tears mixed with the rain slid down her cheeks.
She felt ill—deeply ill.
Originally, she hadn’t wanted to run away from here. But every time she thought about failing the task the Elders had entrusted to her, an inexplicable unease gnawed at her, and her spirit waned.
She was like a canary long trapped in a cage; when she finally regained her freedom, she had already lost the ability to fly.
The Garden in the Oracle Hall was vast. She had no idea how long it took before she reached the Back Gate.
Beyond the Back Gate—was that freedom?
She didn’t know. All she knew was that if she didn’t head toward this place, her heart would be filled with unbearable anxiety.
Perhaps her escape wasn’t truly for freedom, but rather a return to the shackles—that was the only fate she knew.
Just as she was about to open the iron gate behind the Garden, it was opened from the outside instead. A dark figure holding an umbrella stepped inside.
The moment Fili saw the figure, her face went pale.
It was Lady Isavel…
“What are you doing here?”
“I-I’m… hiding from the rain.”
A voice colder than the raindrops themselves came from the woman before her. Fili hastily gave a terribly weak excuse in panic.
Hiding from the rain?
There was nowhere to hide from the rain at the Garden’s Back Gate.
“Come here.”
Isavel firmly grabbed her wrist, forcing her under the umbrella. Fili followed her all the way back to the Life Quarter in front of the Oracle Hall.
The rain no longer drenched her body, but her fragile frame still trembled.
For some reason, she recalled the times in her childhood when she disobeyed the Elders and was whipped.
It was a slender, magic-infused willow branch. When it struck her, it left only faint red marks, but the pain made her soul shudder.
Could it be that she was to suffer such punishment here at the Oracle Hall as well?
Isavel led her to the bathhouse on the second floor.
The bathhouse was large. The pool was already filled with warm water, and white steam diffused through the air, blurring Fili’s vision.
“Take off your clothes.”
“…Huh?”
“I said, take off your clothes and bathe. If you stay wet, you’re prone to catching a cold. The wound on your chest hasn’t healed yet; it could flare up again.”
Fili’s dress was soaked and clung tightly to her body, the outline of her undergarments clearly visible.
Just seeing it made Isavel uncomfortable.
Noticing Fili’s stunned silence, she sighed softly and stepped forward, grabbing the collar of her dress.
“Forget it. I’ll help you take it off.”
“Eh? Lady Isavel, I-I can manage on my own…”
Her face flushed red as Fili snapped back to reality and struggled slightly.
But as soon as she raised her hand, she accidentally pulled on the wound, pain flooding her eyes with tears again.
However, the rain on her face hadn’t dried yet, so it wasn’t so obvious.
Obediently, Fili removed her dress completely. Biting her lip, she instinctively covered her modesty. With Isavel’s help, she soon sank into the warm water.
Only her head remained above the surface, and the warmth was soothing.
But it didn’t last long before Isavel pulled half of her out of the pool and started rubbing her back.
Fili was utterly confused.
Rubbing her back?
The Saintess doing such a thing?
For me?
She wondered if she had died and gone to heaven, since everything in her vision was shrouded in white mist.
“Don’t go rushing out when it’s raining from now on.”
“…Okay.”
Isavel’s words brought her back to reality. The guilt and unfamiliar unease rising inside made her lower her head. Tentatively, she asked,
“Lady Isavel, aren’t you going to punish me?”
“Why would I punish you?”
“I… I tried to sneak away just now…”
“That’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?”
“Eh?” Fili was stunned.
Isavel explained,
“You’re human, not a puppet. As long as you’re human, you’ll have your own thoughts.”
Her hand paused as she rubbed Fili’s back and spoke softly,
“Fili, do you know? I’ve looked into many people’s records. Alongside their deeds, their hobbies are often listed. But yours—there’s no mention of any hobbies.”
“If it were that Selis, she would say you’re like the raindrops outside the window.”
“These raindrops don’t know where they’ll go when they fall from the clouds—whether into rivers, seeping into the soil, or evaporating before touching the ground.”
“Their fate seems decided the moment they leave the clouds.”
White hair draped over her ear as Fili bowed her head and hugged herself.
That’s right. She was just like those raindrops. From birth, her fate was controlled by the Elders. No one cared about her thoughts or her interests.
She didn’t even know them herself.
She didn’t know what she wanted to eat, what color she liked, or what kind of flowers she preferred.
She was a puppet, a tool. The Elders used her to accomplish their will.
When she was no longer useful, she would simply be discarded.
No one cared.
Her fate was laughably tragic.
“But…”
Isavel leaned close to her ear, her cold voice softening with warmth and resolve.
“Some raindrops meet a gust of wind along the way, a wind that can alter their course and carry them to a land they never imagined.”
“There, they nourish a unique flower.”
“Fili, your life isn’t bound to fall into the parched soil of the Guerrero Family alone. You can have other possibilities, and you deserve them.”
“If you want, I can be that wind.”
The gentle breeze of her breath brushed Fili’s ear, carrying a faint fragrance. Fili’s dim eyes began to brighten at these words, until she heard Isavel’s final sentence.
Her heart suddenly stopped; her breath caught. Her cheeks instantly flushed as red as an apple.
“I-I…I…give me some time to think…”
Was she… caught in a love-struck daze?
Was this a confession?
No, it couldn’t be, but… it really felt like one.
Having her life controlled by others, the thing she did most alone was reading romance novels, and the heroine’s moment of confession was just like this.
Clutching her chest, Fili didn’t dare look at Isavel.
Right now, all she wanted was someone to confide in about these unfamiliar feelings.
“Oh, by the way, Selis is another Saintess at the Oracle Hall. If you’re still troubled, you can seek her out through Renia. She’s much gentler than I am and might give you some answers.”
Gentler?
Could Selis really be gentler than her?
That was impossible! Lady Isavel was the gentlest of all!
Her domineering demeanor was just a disguise!
Fili’s ears were already so red they seemed ready to drip.
Completely unaware of the impact her words had on Fili, Isavel left the bathhouse after saying all this.
She felt Fili needed some time alone to think.
“Fili, your clean dress.”
At that moment, the maid Renia entered the bathhouse holding the dress.
Fili hurriedly stood up from the pool, blushing as she silently pleaded for help.
“Renia, Lady Isavel… she… she seems to have confessed to me. What should I do?”
Rip—
Upon hearing this, Renia remained expressionless.
Only the dress in her hands accidentally tore into pieces.