Chapter 67: The Shameless Kept Man Priest

Peleti’s fingers hooked around Feiye’s wrist—not tight, but urgent enough that it couldn’t be easily shaken off. The two of them pressed against the marble wall of the banquet hall, edging toward the shadows beneath the heavy velvet drapes.

The evening breeze drifted in from the half-open terrace, carrying the rich mix of perfume and alcohol from the nobles. Peleti wrinkled her nose in discomfort.

The hall was astonishingly large. Above, crystal chandeliers studded with glittering gems hung from the domed ceiling. Light swept across gilded pillars and the crimson carpet, making the nobles’ luxurious outfits shine even more brilliantly.

Peleti quickly counted—there were five carved wooden doors around them. Three of them had constant movement—beastfolk servants with soft animal ears hurried in and out, carrying silver trays filled with desserts and wine. The faint aroma suggested those doors led to the kitchen.

“Big Sister, what are we doing?” Feiye was being pulled along in small hurried steps, the little tuft of hair on her head bouncing lightly.

“What do you think? We’re hiding before anyone notices us! Damn you, Qingcheng—you turned me into a witch but didn’t even give me a proper witch’s banquet. Otherwise, why would I be sneaking around like this?”

Even while hiding, Peleti couldn’t resist cursing Qingcheng. To her, Qingcheng was like some ultimate mastermind chef of chaos—because who in the world screws over even their own people like this?

Completely unreasonable…

“Alright, don’t say that about her. Maybe she has her own reasons?” Feiye gently patted the back of her hand, her voice soft like cotton.

“If she had reasons, she could at least tell me! Doing something like this without a word—how could I be happy about it?”

They pressed tightly against the wall, bending slightly to minimize their presence.

Don’t see me… don’t see me…

“Peleti?”

A crisp voice filled with surprise suddenly rang out from the crowd, piercing through her self-hypnosis like a needle.

Peleti froze for a moment, pretending not to hear, and tried to drag Feiye behind the curtain. But after only two steps, a slender yet upright figure blocked their path.

The newcomer had striking ice-blue long hair tied into a neat high ponytail, wearing a well-fitted black outfit.

“Ah—haha, long time no see. Oh? I think someone just called me. I’ll go check—won’t disturb you!”

“I called you. No need to leave.”

Irene crossed her arms and looked Peleti up and down, her gaze sweeping over her hunched posture and the hand tightly gripping Feiye’s wrist. Her tone carried a hint of scrutiny.

“Why are you here? This isn’t a place you should be.”

Irene had already formed a guess—someone like Peleti had probably been tricked into coming here.

She herself had little understanding of such entertainment venues and didn’t care for them either. Most of her time in Falisa had been spent dealing with matters related to the Gluttony Church.

Even attending this banquet was only because her family insisted—her goal was the same as most nobles: Qiao Suna and Ailberna. But personally, she didn’t care much.

Scheming and social maneuvering were too troublesome for her.

However, from the nobles’ almost boastful conversations, she had learned about some of the darker aspects of this place—many of the serving maids had signed contracts under coercion.

Naturally, Irene assumed Peleti was one of them.

“No, no—I was invited.”

“Invited?” Irene raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced—until Peleti took out her badge.

Only then did Irene believe her.

“So… you’re that shameless kept-man priest.”

Feiye looked at Peleti in confusion, her eyes full of doubt.

“Big Sister… are you really that kind of person?”

“Of course not! How could I be?!”

“Hey! You can say that kind of insulting thing behind my back—I’ll pretend not to hear it—but you can’t say it to my face!”

“Sorry. It’s just… there have been quite a lot of rumors about you lately.”

If even Irene—who spent her days fighting and killing—knew about it so clearly, then it wasn’t just “a lot.” It had probably spread everywhere.

Peleti was too tired to even complain.

In a place like the Church, where people weren’t supposed to entertain wild thoughts—how did they even come up with such rumors?

“I heard you’re close with Qiao Suna, and that you work at Ailberna’s shop. Is that true?”

“Where do you think those rumors came from?”

Irene nodded.

Her family wanted her to build connections with both Qiao Suna and Ailberna.

Since Peleti was close to both, wouldn’t that mean if she got close to Peleti, she could complete her family’s task—and also have a perfectly valid excuse to stay close to her?

…Am I actually a genius?

“You look like it’s your first time at a banquet. Hiding in a corner—are you afraid of interacting with nobles?”

“Pretty much. I really can’t stand the way nobles socialize.”

“Then how about sticking with me?” Irene waved, calling over a fox-eared servant to bring drinks.

“No thanks. I’d rather hide in a corner with my little sister.”

“You’re not planning to stay like that until the banquet ends, are you?”

“What else would I do?”

“Then give up on that idea. Banquets last longer than you think. If you stay by my side, others will know you’re not alone. At least you won’t be disturbed by strangers.”

“…Alright.”

Peleti agreed.

The fox-eared servant returned. Peleti took the wine glass from Irene.

Perhaps thinking Feiye was just short rather than young, the servant gave her a glass as well.

“I really don’t understand why nobles are so obsessed with alcohol.” Peleti swirled the wine in her glass.

“There’s a saying—drunken words are truthful words. In reality, it just means people lose control when drunk. Nobles believe what’s said while drunk is the truth, so drinking gradually became an important part of etiquette.”

“That’s ridiculous. What if someone has a high tolerance? Wouldn’t they just play everyone?”

“That’s a personal problem.”

“Nobles really are hard to understand.”

Peleti shook her head and brought the glass to her nose. The rich aroma of wine filled her senses, tempting her to taste it—but instead, it made her lose interest.

“It smells good, right? Noble wine is very different from what commoners drink. Want to try it?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Not drinking is fine. Just holding it makes others think you’re polite or whatever… honestly, I don’t get it either.”

Irene felt a bit annoyed. Just as she was about to take a sip, Peleti grabbed her glass.

“What? Want to drink mine?” Irene smiled slightly. “I don’t mind.”

“I’m just reminding you—”

“It’s poisoned.”