Chapter 55 : Hiding From Your Master Gets You Dragged Out

A coincidence?

Cold sweat trickled down Milly’s neck. Stacy masquerading as the Saintess? Impossible… right?

She tried to rationalize it. They just looked alike. It was a coincidence. But of all people, why did the human Saintess share the exact same face as Stacy? Was it really just chance?

Or… had Stacy copied the Saintess’s appearance?

Milly bit her lip, scrutinizing Saintess Lillian, searching for any hint of a disguise. But as the golden figure in pure white robes drew closer, all Milly could feel was an aura of holiness.

Pure. Warm. A light that could banish darkness.

It was an aura Stacy could never replicate.

So maybe… it truly was just a coincidence.

She managed to calm down, but the unease lingered. Even if she wasn’t Stacy, seeing that face made her skin crawl. She had to suppress her discomfort, had to appear normal.

“How is my brother?”

Tifna rushed forward, grabbing Lillian’s hand, her voice laced with desperation.

Lillian lowered her gaze, her expression solemn. “Let’s go inside.”

Back in the house, Tifna and Lillian sat across from each other at the table. Milly pulled up a chair and sat beside Tifna.

“And she is?”

Lillian, about to speak, suddenly noticed Milly. A new face. She’d only seen her once, through the images Stacy had shown her. When she’d asked about Milly, Stacy had deflected, instead asking about Tifna.

This strange, white-haired girl was the one Stacy truly cared about. She needed to know more.

Lillian’s question made both Tifna and Milly flinch. Tifna didn’t understand the sudden change of topic; she just wanted to know about her brother.

“I’ll introduce you later, Your Holiness. My brother, he…”

Lillian’s voice dropped, tinged with regret. “I’m sorry. We only found this.” Her gaze shifted to the window, as if waiting for something.

Milly followed her gaze. A nun was walking toward the house, carrying a wooden box. But this nun… she looked familiar.

No… Milly’s breath caught. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to stay calm, but her body trembled uncontrollably.

“Milly?”

“I’ll… I’ll go make some tea.”

“But the kitchen is on the first floor…”

Milly ignored Tifna’s call, practically bolting up the stairs and locking herself in the room. She looked around frantically, her eyes finally landing on the wardrobe in the corner. She knew it was wrong to go through someone’s things, but she had no other choice.

She hid inside, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle any sound. Yesterday, she had worried about running into Stacy in Starlight City. Today, it had happened. The nun with the box was none other than Eileen.

She’d thought the Saintess might be Stacy in disguise, but her holy aura was too real. But Eileen’s appearance shattered her self-deception. Stacy’s alter ego had walked right in. Was the Saintess in league with Stacy?

But figuring it out was pointless. She could only hope that Eileen had a job at the church and was just accompanying the Saintess. But even she didn’t believe that.

After half a minute of hiding, Milly gritted her teeth. She had to run, now. The past few days with Tifna had been the happiest she’d been in this world, but now, she had to escape.

I’m sorry, Tifna. She had to leave without a word, just like her brother.

As she was about to open the wardrobe and jump from the window, a knock came at the door.

…

Eileen placed the wooden box on the table. When Tifna’s fingers touched its edge, they trembled. She didn’t know what was inside, but her throat tightened, as if something were choking her. It became hard to breathe.

Her trembling fingers slowly opened the box. The moment she saw its contents, her pupils shrank.

Inside lay a piece of blood-stained armor, the familiar iris crest clearly etched in the center. The blood had dulled its shine, but there was no mistaking it. She couldn’t even lie to herself.

Her world turned to gray, all color draining away, leaving only the stark, piercing image of the armor fragment. Her fingers clenched the edge of the piece, her knuckles turning white, as if by holding it tight enough, she could still grasp the memory of the one who wore it.

“No… no… no…”

Tifna tried to speak, but no sound came out. She clutched the piece of armor to her chest, as if she could feel her brother’s last breath on it. But there was only the coldness of the metal.

Her eyes burned, but she couldn’t cry. The tears were frozen, refusing to offer even a moment of escape. Her vision blurred for a second, then cleared, as if even tears had abandoned her.

Why couldn’t she cry? She pressed the fragment to her cheek, but it was still just cold. A chill seeped into her bones, and a sharp pain pierced her heart. Her breathing became ragged and broken, each exhale a gasp of pain.

Lillian’s voice came again, seeming to echo from a great distance.

“In the Fell God’s palace, this blood-stained fragment was all that was found.”

In that moment, Tifna finally understood why her brother had left without a word. He was afraid she would follow him, knowing she was no match for the enemy.

“Why, why…”

A low whimper finally escaped her throat, like the cry of a wounded animal. Her body gave way, and she slid to the floor, still clutching the fragment to her cheek, as if it were her last connection to him.

Her trembling fingers pressed the piece to her chest again, her colorless eyes staring at it, as if by looking long enough, the bloodstains would disappear, and her brother would return, safe and sound.

But that was impossible. As the truth sank in, the tears finally broke free.

Lillian rose and went to Tifna, sighing softly. She tried to help her up, but Tifna instinctively resisted her touch.

At the same time, Eileen, who had been watching coldly from the side, suddenly left, disappearing up the stairs.

It had been a while since Milly had said she was going to make tea. The helpful nun decided it was time to go find the little darling who was using tea as an excuse to hide from her Master.