Spreading (1)

Bang!

Seeing Lyset unable even to lift her head or take a step, Christoph’s fury surged to the brim, and he slammed the table violently.

Kraf, too, was taken aback.

“Can you explain here and now what this means, Prioress Cecilia?”

Kraf’s eyes were cold as ice as they fixed on the Prioress. The fact he added her title to her name meant clearly: this was an order as High Priest.

The Prioress trembled as she looked at Lyset.

“Th-that Sister… violated convent rules, and thus a swift meeting was held yesterday, after which a punishment befitting the convent’s regulations was delivered.”

“She violated the convent’s rules, you say?”

Kraf tilted his head.

Of course, the convent was under Cathedral authority, but it was known—and respected—that it had its own rules and regulations.

But for such a young Sister, not even yet of age, to be beaten into collapse? The sin must be grave indeed.

“Well then, what sin did that nun commit?”

The Prioress fell silent.

“……”

The cause of that “sin” stood right before her—holding back fury that threatened to explode at any moment.

And moreover, he was the one who had just spoken so amiably with the High Priest and brought a grand offering.

To confess she had ordered fifty lashes simply because their eyes met, and because he attempted to express gratitude, was unthinkable.

Christoph wanted to roar “Speak!” but chose instead to leave it to the High Priest entirely.

For it was plain the man above the Prioress bore both questions and great displeasure about this affair, along with embarrassment at facing Christoph.

“I ask again, Prioress Cecilia. That Sister… no, what was her name?”

“……”

The Prioress kept silent.

Unable to bear it, Adelin answered.

“She is called Lyset.”

“Yes, Lyset… What sin did Sister Lyset commit?”

There was no longer any escape. The Prioress spoke.

“Yesterday, during the solo hymn, she looked at the Lord Deputy. A Sister may never gaze upon a man without special cause. This is a clear sin that may breed lust and impiety in the heart, and in the convent it is punished severely.”

“…!!!”

Shock flashed in Christoph’s eyes.

For that alone!

That Lyset had been beaten unconscious—for nothing more than looking at him!

And he had been the one to stare first—she had only looked back, sensing his gaze.

The Prioress continued.

“And long ago, when the Lord Deputy introduced himself in the library, this Sister gave her own name in reply. That too was a breach of the vow of chastity demanded by the convent…”

Christoph shot to his feet. He could endure no longer.

“Fine! In the library—though I scarcely recall it—I greeted her first, out of courtesy. At yesterday’s Mass, I was the one who first looked upon the Sister singing the hymn from the balcony! Then the source of sin lies with me, the Lord Deputy! So it is I who am guilty?”

Kraf, flustered, tried to restrain the young heir.

“Lord Christoph, please, restrain yourself a moment!”

“No, for I have committed great impiety against the convent, the cathedral, and Sister Lyset herself! How could I dare lift my head? And yet here I stand, shamelessly bearing official documents as the Lord Deputy! High Priest, I beg you to receive the confession of this sinner!”

“Hmm…”

Kraf’s face flushed red.

Christoph, unable to mask the fury in his eyes, asked the Prioress quietly:

“So when this sinner gave his name, she had no choice but to give hers. When this sinner looked, she looked back reluctantly. What punishment was dealt to that Sister Lyset for it?”

Each word dripped with the chill of ice.

“……”

“Speak, Prioress Cecilia.”

Kraf put the full weight of authority behind Christoph’s question.

“Fifty lashes. A punishment according to convent rules, long established within the convent.”

The Prioress tried to mount one last defense, as if to show her legitimacy.

Kraf, face flushed, pressed for confirmation.

“Fifty lashes?”

“And further, she is barred from all Grand Masses henceforth, and must spend that time in prayer and meditation in the underground chapel…”

“Cecilia!”

Kraf dropped her title and called only her name. The Prioress, who had known him for years, realized instantly how furious he was.

For him to use only a name meant he was in one of his most extreme states—whether joy, rage, or sorrow.

At that moment Christoph rose from his seat and strode toward Lyset, who was being supported by Adelin and Iselin.

Both Kraf and the Prioress, dumbfounded, could only stare.

Standing before slumped Lyset, who could not even lift her head, Christoph dropped to one knee and traced the Sign of the Cross.

“I, Christoph, son of Duke Yodel and deputy of the Duchy of Nastrand, hereby express deepest thanks on behalf of the Duchy to Sister Lyset, who in the last Christmas Mass bore witness to the Lord’s living presence and bestowed the blessing of His Nativity upon many through her most beautiful solo hymn.”

“Ch… Chris… toph…”

Lyset’s lips whispered faintly.

Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

They gathered at her chin,

Drop…!

and fell to the floor.

Christoph, staring at the mark of that tear, continued with a voice filled with force.

“In accordance with this, along with a formal letter of thanks bearing the Duke’s seal, the Duchy of Nastrand shall bestow upon Sister Lyset one hundred candles and jars of holy oil. We pray she accepts them, and through her beautiful voice may inspire and move many once more at the New Year’s Grand Mass. That is all.”

Christoph rose, traced the Sign of the Cross toward Kraf and the Prioress, gave a curt nod, and turned to walk out.

“L-Lord Christoph!”

Kraf shouted his name as he watched his retreating back.

But Christoph didn’t move a muscle, standing at the door with a grim expression and steady steps.

The apprentice priest attending Kraf blocked the door, glancing anxiously between Christoph and Kraf.

Christoph spoke in a cold, low voice.

“Open it, priest.”

The apprentice priest looked desperately at Kraf, as if asking what to do.

But the usually shrewd and cunning High Priest was now nothing more than a feeble old man, staring blankly with his mouth agape, muttering, “Uh… uh…”

“Open it. As the regent of the Duke, my business here is finished.”

Christoph repeated firmly.

The sweating apprentice priest opened the door, and Christoph walked out without once looking back.

Thud!

As the door slammed shut, Kraf’s senses suddenly returned.

“Wh-what is this…”

The Prioress, Lyset, the two nuns Adeline and Iselin supporting her, and even the apprentice priest—all were silent as if struck dumb, their heads bowed.

The discourtesy of Christoph leaving without so much as looking back, despite being summoned by the High Priest, didn’t even cross Kraf’s mind.

What mattered was that the one who had come bearing joy, praise, and enormous tribute to this cathedral—and to himself—had been humiliated and shamed. That this person was the regent, the heir to the duchy, and that the disgrace had arisen from the convent under his supervision—this was the true weight of the matter.

The High Priest’s dignity had been utterly trampled.

‘How can I accept such offerings with a clear conscience after this? And that was the regent—the future ruler of the duchy!’

Kraf held his head in his hands and sighed.

After a long silence, Adeline couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke.

“Um, leaving Sister Lyset standing like this…”

“You’re right. Still, we can’t just send her off like this. Sit Sister Lyset down in a chair.”

At Kraf’s order, Adeline and Iselin carefully seated Lyset in a chair by the table.

“Sister Lyset, are you all right?”

To Kraf’s gentle inquiry, Lyset bowed her head deeply and barely managed to whisper, “Yes, Your Eminence.”

“With that body, can you stand at the upcoming New Year’s Eve Grand Mass?”

“…!!!”

The Prioress, Adeline, and Iselin all looked at Kraf in shock.

The Prioress, furious, shouted.

“Your Eminence, Sister Lyset has received just punishment under the rules of the convent! She broke the vow of chastity required of all Sisters! I ask that you respect the convent’s authority and its regulations!”

“Cecilia.”

Kraf’s eyes were filled with fury.

“Yes?”

“Where was this boldness of yours just a moment ago?”

“Ah…”

“Isn’t it you, Cecilia, who disregards the High Priest’s authority, ruling your convent with arrogance under the shadow of your position and power?”

“How dare you—!”

“Tell me: is the convent truly separate from the Cathedral established and recognized by the Papacy?”

“No.”

“By canon law, the convent is under the jurisdiction of the Cathedral acknowledged by the Papacy. The prioress is appointed by the High Priest and lives under his care and guidance in faithful obedience. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Good. Let’s hope I won’t need to reteach you canon law, Cecilia.”

The Prioress’s face flushed scarlet.

“Well then, Sister Lyset. I, too, think that with that body, it would be difficult for you to stand before the congregation at the New Year’s Eve Grand Mass.”

Kraf sighed.

At that moment, a clever idea struck him.

Christoph would surely send the tributes promised in the document to the cathedral and himself. In return, it was only proper to send a small delegation with gifts of gratitude.

“Sister Lyset, I command you as High Priest: you shall go as the convent’s representative in the New Year’s delegation to the castle.”

“Your Eminence!!!”

The Prioress shouted at Kraf as if it were unthinkable.

The delegation was supposed to include the Prioress herself, or at least a senior nun carrying her seal and authority. To have such a young novice, not even of age, represent the convent was a matter of dignity and prestige.

“It is impossible for a child nun, with no office and not even of age, to represent the convent!”

“It is possible. The greatness of faith and presence is not bound by age or rank. Tell me, is there anyone besides that young nun who could better uphold the convent’s honor and show the Cathedral’s gratitude before the regent?”

“……”

Every one of Kraf’s words stripped the Prioress bare.

Adeline and Iselin even felt a sense of exhilaration.

“Sister Lyset, so it shall be. The ceremonial priest will explain the details to you.”

“Yes. I will obey your words.”

Lyset, her head bowed, answered faintly.

Kraf nodded to Adeline and Iselin, as if the matter were settled.

As Adeline and Iselin helped Lyset to her feet, her profile briefly caught Kraf’s eye.

“Sister Lyset?”

“Yes.”

“Come here, lift your head for me.”

That nun…

There was an undeniable sense of déjà vu. Something in her profile glimmered—suddenly Kraf felt his heart sink.

Lyset stood still, her head lowered.

“So long?”

But as she tried to step forward, the pain overwhelmed her and she collapsed.

“Oh dear, oh dear. No, that’s enough—go and rest, focus on healing.”

Kraf waved hastily, as if urging them to leave.

Had Kraf come closer and seen Lyset’s face, memories from more than a decade ago would have surged back, making him recoil or cry out.

Thus, Kraf had lost every chance he had been given to recognize Lyset.

“Prioress Cecilia, you may go as well. We will discuss the New Year’s Eve Mass tomorrow. And do not inflict any more punishment on that nun—this is my order as High Priest. Just see to your own faith properly.”

Shaking with rage and humiliation, the Prioress shot to her feet and stormed out ahead of Lyset and her companions.