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“You’re not going to the temple. Why would you leave home?”

“But… Noah said… that the Duke was sending me back to the temple.”

“It’s true that someone from Kydsha is coming. It was an unilateral notification. I never said I was sending you there.”

“…”

I blinked, trying to process what he was saying. The Duke didn’t have to explain any of this to me. After all, wasn’t it natural for the church’s Saintess to return to the temple? 

‘Wasn’t he forced to take me in because of the church’s request?’ 

Why was he acting as if he had adopted me willingly?

As I stared at him in confusion, the Duke cleared his throat and added, “And as for that child you mentioned, I’ve sent him to the Ivory Tower.”

“What?”

“The son of Kreutz.”

* * *

“Miss!”

As soon as I rushed out of the ancestral hall, thinking I needed to head to the Ivory Tower quickly, Lily, who had been nervously pacing outside, hurried over to me.

“What did the Duke say?”

“Well…”

As I hesitated, drawing out my words, Lily anxiously watched my lips.

“He said I should start living in the main building from today. He said the guesthouse is for visitors.”

“Really? In the main building?”

I nodded.

“Yes. And he said he’s not sending me to the temple. He said I’ll remain an Elpinard.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Lily broke into a broad smile, clearly relieved.

“That’s wonderful news, Miss. If the Duke said that, you have nothing to worry about.”

Unable to contain her joy, Lily hugged me tightly. Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, she adopted a more serious expression.

“Miss, did the Duke mention which room in the main building you’d be staying in?”

“Which room…”

The Duke did mention a specific room when he told me to move to the main building.

‘It was named after some gemstone…’

Since we were talking casually at the time, I didn’t pay much attention, so it took me a moment to recall it. But seeing how serious Lily was about it, the specific room seemed to be of great importance.

‘Ah!’

I finally remembered and said, “Sapphire!”

“The Sapphire Room?”

“Yes. The Duke said I should use that room.”

“Really?”

Lily looked even more shocked than when I told her I wasn’t going to the temple.

“Oh my goodness. I never imagined he would give you the Sapphire Room… That’s incredible.”

Lily’s reaction made it clear that the “Sapphire Room” was no ordinary room. Sensing my curiosity, I looked at her expectantly, and she took a deep breath to calm her excitement before explaining.

“The rooms in the main building are mostly assigned to specific family members,” Lily began. “For example, the Diamond Room is reserved for the head of the family, and the Ruby Room is for the Duchess. All the direct descendants have rooms named after gemstones.”

Now that she mentioned it, I recalled that Axel’s room had a similar prestigious name. 

‘It was probably the Emerald Room, wasn’t it?’

“So, by giving you a room with a gemstone name, the Duke is essentially acknowledging you as a direct member of the Elpinard family,” Lily continued, her smile now fully relaxed and genuine.

“On top of that, the Sapphire Room is famous for being particularly beautiful, even within the Elpinard estate. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Hearing this from Lily, who knew everything there was to know about the Elpinard estate, made me a little excited.

“Is it really that nice?”

“Yes. It’s far better than the room you’re staying in now.”

I gasped in surprise. The room I was currently in was already incredibly luxurious!

I couldn’t even imagine how much better the Sapphire Room could be. Seeing my wide-eyed expression, Lily chuckled softly.

“And, above all, the reason the rooms are named after gemstones is because they are actually decorated with those gemstones.”

Lily mentioned this so casually, but the idea of a room decorated with actual gemstones was beyond my comprehension.

‘Do they just display the gemstones around the room?’ 

In my mind, I pictured a gemstone ornament sitting idly on a table. With my limited imagination, that was as far as I could go, and honestly, it didn’t seem all that impressive.

But Lily, completely unaware of my thoughts, seemed almost giddy with excitement.

“We don’t have time to waste. If we want to move you to the Sapphire Room, we’ll have to get busy.”

* * *

While Lily, along with Rose and Daisy, busied themselves with the preparations for moving to the Sapphire Room, I found myself with some free time. Though “free time” was just a polite way of saying I was being shooed away so I wouldn’t get in the way of their work.

When Rose and Daisy heard that the Duke had assigned me the Sapphire Room, they were even more shocked than Lily, almost fainting from disbelief. They asked me several times if it was really true, or if I was just joking. From their reactions, it was clear that moving into the Sapphire Room was a very big deal.

‘With everyone reacting like this, it’s hard not to get my hopes up.’

I tried to keep my expectations low to avoid disappointment, but the excitement of the three maids was contagious, and soon I found myself eagerly anticipating the move as well.

‘No, I can’t let myself get too excited.’

I reminded myself of the many times I had built up my expectations, only to be let down by reality. This time, I told myself, would probably end the same way.

I forcefully erased the images of the beautiful rooms from my imagination and quickened my pace. My destination was, of course, the Ivory Tower.

‘Since Eugene Kreutz is supposed to be there!’

Ever since our encounter at the temple, I had a strong instinct that I needed to keep him away from the Duke. This instinct had proven itself during the Ivory Tower’s test, showing how accurate it could be. There had to be a reason why this legendary-level instinct was warning me.

‘Though I’ll need to figure out that reason from now on.’

Axel, who had far more resources at his disposal, would likely take the lead in the thorough investigation. It wasn’t about shirking responsibility; it was just a practical reality.

‘Axel has the structure of the Magic Tower at his disposal.’

Meanwhile, I planned to use my status as a child to try to talk to Eugene Kreutz. Even if he kept his mouth shut in front of adults, he might open up to another child.

‘Though, since I’m not entirely a child myself, I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to connect with him.’

It was worth a try, at least. I walked on, contemplating what boys my age might like. However, it didn’t take long to realize that my plans would not unfold as I had imagined.

* * *

*Knock, knock, knock.*

“Are you in there?”

I carefully knocked on the door of the room where Eugene was supposed to be staying, trying not to startle him. When Duke Elpinard had put Eugene in this room, he had been deeply asleep, so there was a good chance he was still frightened and confused in an unfamiliar place without having been fully briefed on the situation.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

I knocked again, but there was no response from inside.

‘Is he still asleep?’

They probably used something like a sleeping draught to quietly bring him here, and a child without any resistance to such potions could end up sleeping more deeply and for longer than expected.

Although I hadn’t been given permission, I thought it might be wise to check on his condition. I carefully turned the doorknob. Contrary to my expectation that the door might be locked, it opened with a soft click without any resistance.

I cautiously peeked through the slightly open door, surveying the room. Naturally, I expected to see the child sleeping in bed, but the room was completely empty, devoid of any sign of life.