Temptation (3)
“What did you call me here for?!”
“You were about to fall for that bastard’s temptation, weren’t you?”
“It wasn’t temptation. It was a proposal.”
“Where do you see a proposal in that?! It’s a cheap trick!!”
The moment the Pope left, Master didn’t scold me. Instead, he turned on Cardinal Bella for summoning me in the first place. The way he reprimanded her and the way she pushed back at him looked strangely intimate. I couldn’t understand why they’d been avoiding each other when they clearly got along this well.
“Cheap trick, my ass. How many times have I told you to speak nicely?”
He tapped her forehead lightly as he spoke, and the gesture was so tender it made my stomach twist.
Ah… Maybe I really shouldn’t have come.
To anyone watching, the two of them were unmistakably in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel. With the Pope gone, there was no reason for me to stay. I shrank my presence as much as possible and began inching backward, praying they wouldn’t notice.
Of course, my hopes were dashed instantly. Master spotted me right away.
“And where do you think you’re sneaking off to?”
“My part here seems finished, so I was going to head back. I came straight from work, and I really should get going.”
Master fixed me with a look that said he wasn’t buying any of it.
“If you’re so busy, you should’ve stayed at work. What was so important that you had to come all the way here?”
I glanced at Cardinal Bella before answering.
“You were clearly worried. And from the way things looked, it seemed like you were actually considering accepting the position. I got concerned.”
It hadn’t been that long since he’d lost an arm and returned. Why was he already throwing himself into dangerous business again? And since I was apparently part of the reason, I couldn’t stay quiet.
“The mood was excellent before you showed up. I was this close to stealing her underwear.”
“…Excuse me?”
“That man is a coward. With demons appearing and the Labyrinth opening up these days, he must be terrified. He’s looking for someone to handle things in his place again, just like the old days. And it seems I caught his eye.”
“Then why would you do it, Master? You’re not actually interested in the Cardinal position, are you?”
“It’s not bad. The seat itself is useful, and snatching away everything he owns sounds entertaining.”
“…….”
He was happy because he could take what the Pope had? Just what exactly had he been up to all this time?
“You saw how he scurried away earlier, didn’t you?”
“…He did leave rather quickly.”
“There was a reason for it. He knew he’d have no choice but to accept every condition I set. I listed everything I could think of. Wow, that man is loaded. No matter how high I raised the numbers, he just kept agreeing. So I pushed even harder. Do you want to know what I actually got confirmation on?”
Master told me he had received permission to redevelop not only Palmore Church but the entire city surrounding it.
“You accepted the Cardinal position and he gave you all of that?!”
The revelation was so absurd I began to question why I had come at all. At this point, it was impossible to tell who was the victim and who was the perpetrator.
“Of course he did. I’m going to play a major role in preserving his position, after all.”
If he had remained a Bishop, perhaps things would be different. But once elevated to Cardinal, he could no longer be treated as a disposable hunting dog. A Cardinal was also a political rival who could ascend to the papal throne if the current Pope made a mistake.
“Still, you shouldn’t do it.”
Cardinal Bella, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst out in opposition.
“You’re working as a Cardinal yourself, yet you’re telling me not to take the position?”
“If you want the Cardinal seat that badly, I’ll retire and hand it over to you. Problem solved, right?”
The casual offer to surrender a Cardinal position was shocking.
“You really have lost your mind.”
“I’m perfectly sane. This actually worked out well. I have somewhere new to go, so I won’t miss it at all.”
“And where exactly would that be?”
“Your house, as the housekeeper.”
Offering to trade a Cardinal’s role for that of a housekeeper could only mean one thing: she intended to marry him.
Oh, for the love of—
Couldn’t they just let me leave? There was nothing good about being here, yet Master’s sharp gaze pinned me in place. I couldn’t take a single step.
“Do you even understand what a Cardinal is? You can’t just trade a position like that on a whim. You really aren’t in your right mind.”
“If I admit I’m crazy, will you let me be your housekeeper?”
“No. Why would I invite someone dangerous like you into my home?”
“Then what am I supposed to do? Soon people will stop calling me a spinster and start calling me an old hag. If you had taken me earlier, none of this would be happening.”
“Why is that my fault?! If you had come to your senses, you would’ve been married long ago with children by now!”
“I don’t want anyone but you. I hate everyone else, so how could I possibly share a bed with someone I can’t stand?!”
If this had been a drama, I would have found the exchange entertaining and dramatic. But this wasn’t acting. This was reality, and the people having this conversation were my master and someone I knew.
I tried to slip away again.
“I told you not to leave.”
“You two seem to be in the middle of something. I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’ll be over soon. Sit over there where I can see you.”
“I really do have work to get back to.”
“Just wait a little. If your absence would cause a major problem, she wouldn’t have dragged you here no matter what.”
As expected, the excuse got me nowhere. In the end, I sat down at a table a short distance away.
Only then did I notice someone I hadn’t seen before. The owner of this shabby little shop. Our eyes met, and we both grew awkward, exchanging silent, embarrassed greetings.
“Now that I think about it, I came inside but never ordered anything. What do you serve here?”
“You can… just stay. No need to order.”
“I don’t have anything else to do, and it feels wrong to sit here without eating something.”
It would also help me pretend to be distracted while eavesdropping on the conversation. The owner told me to wait, disappeared into the back, and soon returned with a dish.
“Egg fried rice.”
“It’s light. You should enjoy it.”
It was rice stir-fried with eggs and minced meat. Despite the store’s rundown appearance, the food tasted surprisingly good.
The existence of such a humble shop inside the Labyrinth City was curious enough that I couldn’t help asking.
“The place looks quite old. Why is it like this?”
“…It was a proper new shop at the beginning.”
The owner clearly didn’t want to discuss the topic. After that short answer, he slipped back into the kitchen without another word.
“???”
I was left bewildered, but since I had brought up a subject he clearly wanted to avoid, I decided the fault was mine. I focused on my meal instead. Having come straight from work, I was hungrier than I realized. I finished the entire bowl in moments.
I glanced over at Master and Cardinal Bella, who were still locked in fierce conversation.
They’ve gotten closer…?
They had been standing apart when I first arrived, but now they were practically pressed together. Cardinal Bella had linked her arm tightly through Master’s and showed no sign of letting go. Her expression was filled with stubborn determination. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before we heard good news.
Then Master might finally have a family of his own.
They say every shoe finds its match. Seeing them like this made my own side feel strangely cold. Until now, work had kept me too busy to pay attention whenever Master nagged me about meeting women. But watching him like this, all cozy with someone, stirred up far more urgency in my chest than a hundred lectures ever could. Maybe it really was time for me to start thinking about dating.
He had said it would end quickly, but quite a lot of time passed before Master finally walked over to my table.
“One for me as well.”
He ordered fried rice from the owner in a casual tone, then gulped down a glass of cold water.
“Ugh, my head is spinning.”
“Did you have a good conversation?”
“How far away do you think this place is? You’re pretending you didn’t hear anything?”
“The food was so good I got distracted eating. Besides, it was your private business. I wasn’t particularly eager to listen. So… should I start calling her Madam from now on?”
“Hmph. I didn’t even get that far. We spent most of the time fighting about whether I should accept the Cardinal position. She got sulky and left.”
What kind of harsh things had he said? Did Master truly have no intention of being with Cardinal Bella? The two of them had looked so well-matched earlier. It was a shame.
“So you refused her in the end?”
“I told you I didn’t say that.”
Which meant it wasn’t completely over. If he had intended to reject her outright, he wouldn’t have answered that way.
“You two looked good together.”
“People say we look like father and daughter.”
“You still haven’t made up your mind? Last time you said you’d meet her immediately and either end things or begin them.”
“The situation changed.”
“Because of what the Pope said? Is that more important than Cardinal Bella? Have your priorities shifted?”
“…The work would be dangerous. If I accept her and something happens to her…”
“Then simply refuse the Cardinal position so there’s no chance of that happening. After that, the two of you can live happily together.”
“Why would I refuse when he’s offering it on a silver platter? Doesn’t that seem like a waste?”
“Not even slightly!”
The price for those gains might be Master’s life. How could I possibly call that a waste? It wasn’t a waste at all.
“I still need to squeeze a few things out of him! It would be a shame to walk away with nothing.”
“Just endure it a little longer!! You’ve endured it all this time!!”
“No. I’ve already decided.”
“If you hadn’t spoken with the Pope, you would have accepted her, wouldn’t you?”
“…….”
His silence told me everything. Cardinal Bella’s desperate, pale-faced visit to me hadn’t been a mistake. The Pope’s appearance had indeed become the worst possible obstacle in her life.