The next day.
Elena had already changed into her nun's habit adorned with a brooch. She sat upright behind her desk, handling official business.
The existence of the Church was different from a nation; it could cross borders. Thinking deeper, it could also obtain power more thoroughly through cultural invasion... In this way, their power would grow ever larger.
"..."
Elena stopped the quill in her hand and glanced at the letter she had just drafted.
[To Her Beloved Majesty the Empress...]
This was a document regarding the relocation of the Church. Although she didn't think there was any problem, if her sister saw it, she might think she was biased towards outsiders.
Should she discuss this with Sister Rose?
But she hadn't returned since she went out last night. Maybe she was busy having a date with her brother-in-law.
Slap.
Elena patted her cheeks, fetched the seal, and stamped it. She planned to deliver it to the Royal Palace personally.
Besides finally being able to move the church near the wealthy Royal Family in the Holy City to prove the Noi Church's influence once again... there were still many things to discuss. The better their relationship, the clearer things needed to be stated, to avoid making things difficult for her brother-in-law.
Click.
Elena held the wax-sealed letter and just opened the door when she bumped into something very soft and resilient.
"?"
Looking up, it was Miss Rose with red eyes.
"Sister... what's wrong?"
Elena had almost never seen her sister look so sad. The only time was when Silas "died."
"Elena, are you hiding something from me?"
"..."
Elena froze.
Her gaze became evasive, not daring to look directly into Miss Rose's eyes.
Where did she make a mistake?
"Sister, I... um... I'm sorry."
Actually, ever since returning and seeing Rose, Elena had thought about confessing countless times.
But she didn't have the courage to say it out loud.
"You should apologize to me."
"..."
"How could you play me for a fool with him?"
"No, this is my fault... brother-in-law actually wanted to tell you."
"He can be swayed by you? A man like him!"
"..."
Elena was forcefully grabbed by the shoulders.
"Look me in the eye and answer me."
Her lowered head was forced to look straight at Rose. She was trembling more and more violently; she just had to risk it all, promise to stay far away, and beg for her sister's forgiveness.
"Does that Madam Melina have a man?"
"Eh?"
"Tell me!"
"N-no, I don't think so..."
"What about her daughter?"
"No."
"..."
Miss Rose's teeth chattered, "Do you know what I was thinking last night?"
"..."
Elena seemed to understand. She hadn't been discovered.
"I thought, isn't it just going to find him, isn't she just the Empress?"
"Since I've accepted her, I can just go over openly and take him away. If she has anything to say, I'll just live in the Royal Palace. If she has the capability, let her fight me for him."
"..."
"I thought he didn't do it on purpose either. Since he was willing to come to the Holy City to surprise me, then I'd return the surprise. I did a lot of mental preparation. Even if he wanted me and that woman to sleep in the same bed, I could try to accept it. After all, since things have come to this, it would eventually turn out like that one day anyway."
"Sister...?"
Elena swallowed hard.
"But he wasn't there."
"Brother-in-law sometimes just disappears suddenly; I don't know what he goes off to do. It's not necessarily..."
"Are you still lying to me?! I came back from Madam Melina's place yesterday, and the more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Since when has the environment of inns in the Holy City been so bad? She pops up out of nowhere wanting to call me sister, and just when Mr. Silas is away, her daughter is also away. Since when did he get a pedophilia fetish?!"
"Miss Siya couldn't possibly be a child, right?"
"You admit I'm right?"
"..."
Elena thought to herself, even if she didn't admit it, what difference would it make? Things had already reached this point.
"He still hasn't returned. Elisa is still covering for him, saying she sent him on an errand, treating me like a fool."
Miss Rose finally let go of her sister's shoulders and plopped down on the guest sofa. Hugging her knees, looking very haggard.
Perhaps she got angrier the more she thought about it.
"You're my sister! How could you join him in deceiving me?"
"Uh, that..."
"I'm not that fragile! It's just a man! I just won't want him anymore."
"..."
Elena fell silent and sat down next to Miss Rose.
If she really didn't want him anymore...
"Sister, as far as I know, Miss Siya is connected to the Freemasonry. Not only is she not a child, she's even older than us... at least six hundred years old."
"Are you trying to say I'm the latecomer?"
"Brother-in-law didn't do it on purpose either. If he abandoned Sister Siya and only wanted you, Sister Rose, it wouldn't be right either. It's very difficult for him too."
"Does being in a difficult position mean he can go sleeping around everywhere on his first day in the Holy City?"
"Then what does Sister plan to do?"
"..."
Miss Rose buried her face in her knees.
"If it was just my era with Elisa, fine, but now six hundred years ago... what is this?"
"Just how many things is he hiding from me?"
"..."
Elena sighed and patted Miss Rose's shoulder, "As long as Sister wants to know, brother-in-law will probably tell you."
"I don't want to know. Since he's playing me for a fool, what else is there to say?"
"Brother-in-law probably doesn't know how to explain it to you, Sister, right? After all, the matter with Miss Elisa just happened..."
"Even if that's true, am I harder to communicate with than that Empress?"
"..."
Elena paused, "Then there's nothing to be done. I'll go tell him for you; you and brother-in-law are through."
"?"
Miss Rose was stunned.
"Since Sister has said this much, you must hate him to the core and could never like him again. You can only go your separate ways and become strangers."
"Once you become strangers, Sister won't have to think about anything anymore. He can go wherever he wants, sleep with whoever he wants, and he'll be sad forever because he can never have Sister again."
Elena stood up, "I'll go find brother-in-law right now."
"Wait!"
Miss Rose grabbed the hem of her clothes, "I didn't... say it had to come to that."
"But Sister can't swallow the anger of being treated like a fool, right?"
"How can I swallow it? I went to the Royal Palace last night... and what did he do? Where did he run off to?"
"Then you have three choices. The most extreme is to be through with him. The middle is for me to think of a way to make him suffer too to vent your anger. The worst is to be magnanimous and just let it go."
"..."
Miss Rose was silent for a long while before asking, "What's the middle one?"
"I'll be the mouthpiece. I'll tell him what a grave mistake he's made without telling him Sister's thoughts. Let's see what he does to make up for it. Sister just needs to keep a cold face, give him the cold shoulder, and say nothing. Sister can decide when to forgive him."
"..."
Elena watched Miss Rose's thoughtful expression.
She unconsciously thought of the time in the fog, sitting in Silas's lap being taught the way of compromise. She probably never thought she'd use it on her sister one day, and to solve this kind of matter at that.
"You don't need to go tell him. I'll just wait and see when he plans to say it himself."
"..."
Anyway, she was angry, but it was impossible for her to really not want him anymore.
Why did she feel a bit regretful?
But, fooled you, Sister.
No matter what, she was bound to become a double agent. This family, more than a Pope, seemed to need an undercover agent right now.