Chapter 155: Drinking Tea with the Villain
“Although I’d love to chat with you right now, I still need to go to the confessional this morning,” Peruth said, his honey-colored eyes carrying an apologetic look.
Yu Mo was about to suggest visiting another time, but before he could, Peruth grasped his hand and said, “So, why don’t you join me and wait with me in the confessional room, Baron Cecil?”
Though he apologized, it was clear that Peruth had no intention of allowing a refusal.
Curious about what Peruth had in mind, Yu Mo followed him obediently to the confessional.
Outside the confessional room, which was reserved for the cardinal, a long line had already formed—mostly noblewomen and young ladies dressed in bright, luxurious attire.
“Cardinal Peruth is here!”
“Lord Peruth!”
“Excuse me, could we let Baron Cecil go first?” Peruth asked the girl standing at the front of the line.
The curly-haired young lady was one of those who had surrounded him earlier in the courtyard. Upon hearing this, she looked as though she might cry. “But Lord Peruth, you promised I would be the first.”
Peruth frowned slightly. “But what can I do? I like him so much. I really want him to go first…”
His prestigious position aside, seeing the disappointed look on his handsome face made the young ladies unwilling to cause him any distress.
Tears welled up in the curly-haired girl’s eyes as she reluctantly agreed. “Alright… as long as Lord Peruth is happy…”
Yu Mo: “…”
He had no interest in competing with girls younger than his own students for the privilege of being first in line at this confessional meet-and-greet.
“Cardinal, I have no pressing concerns or issues to confess. Please, let this young lady go first,” Yu Mo said calmly.
Peruth could only watch him with regret as he sat down in the waiting position not far away.
Yu Mo took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead and hands, his gaze calmly watching the noble young ladies who entered the confessional.
Through the blurry stained glass windows, two people could be seen talking inside the confessional, but their conversation was inaudible.
About ten minutes later, the curly-haired girl came out. Her eyes were red, but she looked relaxed and left with light steps.
Most of the ladies and young women who entered the confessional appeared excited and thrilled, eager to get close to their idol.
But after just a short ten minutes, they came out as if they had unburdened themselves, leaving with bright expressions.
This made Yu Mo a bit curious about what exactly Cardinal Peruth had said to them.
The weather outside was gloomy, as if it were about to rain.
The palace was very tall, high and spacious, with many magical lamps hanging above. No matter what the weather was like outside, the temple remained bright.
A priest entered the confessional, heard two sentences from Peruth inside, and quickly went to the door to inform the other priests waiting outside that no more people would be admitted today.
Aside from the dozens still in line, Lord Peruth would not be seeing any more followers.
“Isn’t it usually a full day? Why is it over after just half a day today?”
“Lord Peruth is busy with other matters. It’s normal for something urgent to come up. Hurry and send the waiting people away.”
Yu Mo overheard this brief exchange, fiddled with the ring on his finger, and closed his eyes to rest.
Many of the ladies and young women waiting nearby couldn’t help but glance in his direction, whispering about his identity.
“Seems like he’s a baron?”
“I heard old Baron Cecil passed away a few days ago, and this must be his only son. They say his name is Eloren.”
“How come I’ve never seen him before?”
“His black hair and black eyes are rather unique, too. He looks especially clean-cut.”
“I wonder if he… Hehe, I’ve never been involved with someone like him before.”
This comment came from one of the noble ladies. The conversation had gradually drifted into a more open direction.
Even though they were in the temple, they still held back a little, speaking rather subtly.
The ladies, who were now happily chatting away, would enter the confessional for just a few minutes and come out wiping their tears.
When the last lady walked out of the confessional, wiping her tears while wearing a blissful, serene smile, Yu Mo noticed the door of the confessional was open, and Peruth, inside, was smiling and beckoning him over.
Yu Mo walked towards him.
“Come on, you’re the last one. Once we’re done, my task for today will be finished.” Peruth gestured for him to sit down and personally closed the door.
This confessional was different from the ones Yu Mo had seen in his original world. The door had large glass panels through which people outside could see inside, but a magic spell had been cast to block any sound.
The two sat facing each other, with a stained glass panel depicting the God of Honesty between them.
Peruth slid the glass panel aside and looked directly at Yu Mo, his tone gently coaxing, “Alright, let’s begin. Whatever confusion, regret, or anxiety you have, I’m here to listen.”
Yu Mo became alert. He couldn’t be easily swayed by such simple words, but he knew the magic here could have an effect similar to a truth spell.
Was Peruth trying to use magic to probe him?
Peruth kept his gaze fixed on Yu Mo, as if he wouldn’t let him leave until something was said.
After a moment’s thought, Yu Mo spoke in an apologetic tone, “It is an honor to be favored by Cardinal Peruth, but I feel unworthy and inferior. These feelings make me want to leave quickly, and I fear that in doing so, I may disappoint your kindness, which causes me unease.”
“Surely the merciful and kind Cardinal Peruth will forgive my disrespect.”
His words implied one thing: Let me go now.
Under normal circumstances, Peruth would have displayed a compassionate expression, forgave him, and let him go.
But this time, Yu Mo guessed wrong.
Peruth widened his eyes and dramatically pressed a hand to his forehead, his shimmering amber eyes filled with sorrow as he looked at Yu Mo. “I never expected you to reject me so strongly. This makes me extremely sad. I won’t forgive you so easily.”
Yu Mo: “…”
What was this? Was this overly dramatic behavior how he moved those ladies to tears?
Though dressed in a dignified and ascetic priestly robe, Peruth shamelessly added, “Unless you’re willing to join me for lunch, only then will I forgive you.”
Yu Mo: “…It would be my honor.”
Peruth lowered his hand from his forehead, his eyes curving into a smile, and once again resumed his elegant demeanor. “Then, let’s go.”
“In fact, I saw it was raining outside, and I felt bad for making you wait so long. That’s why I want to invite you to lunch. After all, with this heavy rain, it wouldn’t be easy for you to leave, right?”
Peruth led him towards his residence, chatting idly along the way.
Yu Mo suspected that Peruth’s words had hidden meanings and pondered over them the entire walk.
Moreover, for some reason, Peruth frequently glanced back at him with a peculiar look in his eyes, which made Yu Mo feel uneasy.
He even wondered if Peruth’s attempts to keep him were part of a plan to deal with him somehow.
But after a long stretch of suspicion, nothing happened.
Peruth merely treated him to a lavish and delicious lunch, and afterward, they sat by the window, drinking tea and chatting.
Peruth inquired about his family situation with genuine warmth, kindly asked if he had any difficulties in life, and shared amusing stories from noble circles.
Then, once the rain stopped, Peruth arranged for someone to escort Yu Mo home.
Watching Yu Mo’s figure as he was escorted through the courtyard, Peruth, still seated and sipping his tea, let out a quiet laugh.
The overly cautious young man was truly amusing.
He mulled over every casual word spoken to him, displaying an expression of confusion and suspicion.
His subtle attempts at probing, only to be flustered by Peruth’s responses, were especially endearing.
He showed no trace of deference or flattery, yet still forced himself to utter insincere words with a blank expression.
In terms of both status and magical power, he was like a dim star. Yet his soul resembled a cold, distant moon—aloof, observing everything from above, and detached from it all.
“Where did you come from? I can’t see it clearly,” Peruth murmured to himself.
*
Yu Mo’s blessing and cleansing ritual took far longer than expected. By the time he returned to the manor, it was nearly dusk.
The maid, looking anxious, quickly informed him, “Miss Charli hasn’t returned yet.”
“It rained heavily this afternoon, and when you didn’t come back, Miss Charli said she’d go out to meet you.”
That meant several hours had already passed.
The maid watched her new master nervously, fearing he might get angry.
Yu Mo’s expression didn’t change. He calmly put his coat back on and said in a cool tone, “Gather a few male servants and come with me.”
He had long anticipated the scenario Charli might face, and had placed a concealed tracking spell on his sister, allowing him to pinpoint her location.
Upon checking it now, he could see that she had left the city.
She likely hadn’t gone willingly—if she’d planned to escape, she would have done so days ago.
*
Meanwhile, Charli was nervously sitting inside a jolting carriage, being held captive by a young man about her age.
The carriage continued to bump along the road.
“We’re already outside the city. Where exactly are you taking me?” Charli asked in a low voice.
The boy with black hair, holding a not-so-sharp dagger tightly against Charli, responded curtly, “Don’t ask too many questions. We’ll let you go once we’re safe.”
Charli glanced at his black hair and his fierce expression but remained silent.
After what felt like a long time, with the sky almost dark, the carriage finally came to a stop.
The boy driving the carriage pulled back the curtain, revealing a head of bright blond hair. “Amos, those people won’t catch up anymore. We’re safe.”
The black-haired boy, Amos, relaxed his grip on the dagger and let Charli go.
His face was pale, and there was a distinct scent of blood clinging to him. The blond boy wasn’t much better off—his clothes were dirty, smeared with mud, and his face and hands were covered in bruises and scrapes, as if they had been beaten.
“Amos, we made it out of the city, but where do we go now?”
“I don’t know,” Amos replied through gritted teeth. “But we can’t go back to the capital. That viscount won’t let us go.” He bit his lip. “Makin, it’s my fault for dragging you into this.”
The blond boy, Makin, threw an arm around his friend’s shoulder with camaraderie. “We’re brothers. Don’t say that.”
“But what do we do about this noble lady?” Makin asked, glancing at Charli.
Amos cast a cold look at Charli. “Just leave her here. We need this carriage.”
Makin hesitated. “That’s not right. If we leave her out here, she can’t walk back alone. What if she runs into bandits?”
“How about this—you hide here for now, and I’ll take her near the capital and come back to find you?” Makin suggested.
Amos, already accustomed to his friend’s kind-heartedness, knew this was just the way Makin was. If not for this nature, the two of them wouldn’t have become friends.
Charli, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the corner, looked intently at Makin for a while before suddenly speaking, “Makin… Are you Makin, my brother?”
The blond boy froze. He and his companion had caused trouble and were on the run. In the process, they hijacked this carriage. Amos, who was more seriously injured, had stayed inside to keep control of Charli, while Makin had driven the carriage frantically without really looking at the person they had taken.
But a noble lady like her couldn’t possibly have any connection to him.
Charli shifted, moving toward the light, revealing her messy silver curls and purple eyes.
Makin’s eyes widened in shock as he suddenly remembered. “Lily! You’re Lily!”
When he was a few years old, Makin had stayed at an orphanage. Back then, there had been a particularly pretty, but small and frail girl there. She always followed him around, and he had protected her, treating her like a sister. The two had been very close.
Later, that little sister was adopted by someone, and the orphanage they had stayed in fell into ruin. It was sold to a noble, and the children were all driven out, turning into street kids. He never saw that little sister again.
He never expected that, after all these years, they would meet again under such circumstances.
