“You told her to try to get close to Lady Sorpel, and this is what she does?!”

I went out of my way to set up a place for them to be together, and I genuinely don’t know what she thinks she’s doing.

“It’s because you make that kind of crap.”

Ever since she was little, Juella’s obsession with fiddling with scraps of cloth had always rubbed him the wrong way.

If it were just a hobby—doing a bit of embroidery now and then—fine. He could’ve let it go.

But she spent the entire day making doll clothes.

“Is it because blood will out?”

He’d told her he’d give her as much money as she needed for gifts. She could’ve given jewelry, or ornaments—anything. And she threw away that perfect opportunity with her own hands.

And then he even had to hear that, because of that childish idiot’s behavior, Camilla might misunderstand his eldest son Mantiz.

It made his insides boil.

“Count Bakes?”

He’d been striding forward, thinking he was going to properly discipline Juella today, when he flinched at the sudden voice.

“Good to see you again.”

“Lady Sorpel?”

His eyes went wide at Camilla’s abrupt appearance. Camilla beamed and stepped a little closer.

“What brings you here...?”

“I liked the gift Lady Bakes gave me so much that I stopped by to return the kindness.”

“...Pardon?”

Count Bakes’s mouth fell open without him realizing.

She really liked that kind of doll?

His confusion lasted only a moment. He quickly spread a broad smile and welcomed her.

“That’s a relief. I’m glad the gift pleased you. If you have time, would you join me for a cup of tea? We just received an excellent tea.”

“If it won’t be an imposition.”

“An imposition? Not at all!”

They headed straight to the reception room. The face that had been twisted with rage just moments ago brightened into something almost radiant.

“I hope there was nothing lacking at our last gathering. My daughter is... quite lacking in many ways.”

“Not at all. I had a wonderful time. And I truly loved the gift.”

As Camilla made small talk, her gaze drifted to his neck.

The Crimson Stone still hung there.

“Ah, there’s something I wanted to give you.”

“To me?”

Camilla handed him a small box.

Count Bakes opened it with eager hands—and his expression quickly turned puzzled.

It was a ring.

A silver mineral he’d never seen before glittered inside the box.

“It’s a holy relic made through my prayer.”

“...Excuse me?”

At the words holy relic, he jolted and stared at the ring with fresh, reverent eyes.

[Holy relic, my ass.]

‘Shh. Shh!’

Arena, the priest’s ghost who had followed her again today, cackled.

It sparkled and looked pretty enough, but it was nothing more than a useless mineral they’d found near the newly discovered Mana Stones.

A kind of leftover ore—sludge that remained after the top-grade Mana Stone had sucked every last trace of energy out of it.

It also wasn’t something the world properly knew about yet, and since it glittered, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) she’d decided she could put it to good use.

“The Lord God spoke to me. He said that whoever holds this relic will come to His side after death.”

At those words, Count Bakes sucked in a sharp breath.

His eyes filled with emotion.

As someone who had believed in and followed the gods since childhood, what honor could surpass dying and going to the gods’ side?

And since he already knew she was being treated as a saintess by the order, he didn’t doubt her for even a second.

“However, there’s a problem.”

“A problem? If there’s anything troubling you, please tell me. Anything at all.”

His attitude and tone became even more respectful. His gaze hardened, as if he would obey no matter what she said.

“It’s that necklace.”

“...The necklace?”

Count Bakes’s hand rose naturally to the Crimson Stone hanging at his neck.

Camilla shook her head faintly, as if regretful.

“Unfortunately, that relic doesn’t harmonize with my holy power.”

“What do you mean...?”

He didn’t understand at once. How could a relic made by the order fail to harmonize with a saintess’s holy power?

“Well... I don’t know the exact reason either, but every time my holy power touches it, it keeps breaking.”

She paused, then let out a short sigh.

“When you’re wearing the relic ring I gave you, you need to keep that necklace far away. Otherwise, they’ll collide.”

“But this relic...”

It was a relic he’d paid an enormous sum for.

He’d pushed himself to buy it, hoping it would ease the chronic illness he’d suffered for years.

And to be fair... ever since he started wearing it, he could feel the pain gradually easing. Not completely, but still.

Maybe that was why.

Because he’d felt an effect, he couldn’t make the decision so easily.

Noticing his hesitation, Camilla tossed her line again.

“Your left knee is in very bad shape.”

“...!”

“How did you—!”

How would she know?

Because someone was telling her.

[Your knee is full of inflammation. And you’ve been using the wrong medicine for a long time. That’s why the inflammation got worse. What kind of quack treated you like this?]

Arena, who had been patting and prodding Count Bakes’s body, examining him thoroughly, clicked her tongue again and again.

[For inflammation like this—]

“There’s a fruit called Lusbelly that only grows in the northern region. If you obtain it and take it twice a day, you’ll improve dramatically.”

“Lusbelly...?”

“It’s a bit expensive, but it shouldn’t be hard to find.”

“Well...”

“I’m not forcing you. If you believe that relic is more important, it can’t be helped. For some people, their present life matters more than what comes after death. Even if they fall into hell afterward.”

“H-Hell!”

He reached for the ring as if to pick it up again.

“No!”

Count Bakes shook his head frantically, then immediately unclasped the relic necklace he was wearing.

Then he slipped on the ring Camilla had given him on the spot.

“It fits perfectly.”

...Looks a little big to me.

Well, if he says it fits, it fits.

Next time, instead of a ring, I should make it a necklace so it’s easier for everyone to wear.

“I will treasure it.”

“The Lord God’s blessing will be with you. That relic necklace you already own is also extremely precious, so please keep it safe. When the relic ring I gave you runs out of power, I will tell you separately. At that time, you may wear the necklace again.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing that he could use the expensive relic necklace again later made him even happier.

Of course, I have no intention of ever telling you that.

I’m only saying it because I’m worried he might hand that necklace off to someone else, or sell it. If he thinks he can use it later, he’ll cling to it no matter what.

KNOCK KNOCK.

At that moment, the door opened and someone entered.

It was Juella.

She must have heard Camilla had arrived. As she stepped inside, she looked flustered, her eyes flicking back and forth between Count Bakes and Camilla.

“I came to hang out.”

“Hang—!”

Juella repeated the words with a dumbfounded expression, then hurriedly composed her face under Count Bakes’s stare.

“Welcome.”

You really need to learn how to act, too. That smile is painfully stiff.

“Then may I spend some time with my friend now?”

“Of course.”

When Camilla referred to Juella as her friend, the smile on his face deepened even further.

“Let’s go to your room.”

Camilla hurried out of the reception room, dragging along Juella, who was still wearing an incredulous expression.

The two of them went straight to Juella’s room.

“Oh.”

The moment Camilla stepped inside, an exclamation slipped out of her without thinking.

The room was overflowing with dolls.

“What is this about?”

“You won’t even tell me to sit?”

Juella frowned at her with an annoyed look.

Now she was openly making it obvious how much she disliked her.

“Count Bakes! Juella didn’t even offer tea, and she didn’t even tell me to—!”

“Sit down, sit down!”

About time.

Camilla sat in the chair and looked around.

On the table lay a half-finished doll outfit, as if she’d been working on it just moments ago.

Camilla picked it up.

“What are you doing? Give that back.”

Juella’s face flushed slightly as she snatched the outfit from Camilla’s hand.

Camilla was going to say it too, wasn’t she?

That she was acting like a child, playing with things like this—just like her father.

Hah...

Even knowing that, she’d worked up the courage this time.

She wanted to tell people what she liked—what she was good at.

Her father would fly into a rage, but... if even one person liked the dolls she made with such care, she thought she might not mind.

“You.”

Camilla spoke again, and Juella instinctively turned away, avoiding her gaze.

Here it comes. She’s going to say it.

“Let’s do a business together.”

“...What?”

But what Camilla said next was completely unexpected.

“Business? With me?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha...”

Juella let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.

“Are you messing with me right now?”

She had no idea what kind of business Camilla suddenly wanted to do with her.

“This.”

Camilla extended her hand toward Juella, who was about to furrow her brow again.

“This?”

What she pointed to was the doll outfit Juella had been making.

“You’re going to sell dolls?”

So she is messing with me.

Juella let out a short sigh, trying to decide how to react.

Still... her father told her to build a connection. She couldn’t just grab hair and fight like before.

“Not the doll. The outfit.”

“You’re going to sell doll clothes?”

“To be more exact, I’m saying we make those doll clothes so people can wear them—and sell them.”

“...What?”

“Let’s sell clothes. The doll clothes you design.”

Watching Juella’s eyes go wide, Camilla slowly scanned the room again.

Just as she thought.

Her eyes hadn’t been wrong.

When she first saw the teddy bear Juella had given her, her first thought was that the bear looked oddly haughty—for a teddy bear.

Even though it was a fluffy thing with tiny dot-eyes.

Why?

The answer came quickly.

It was because of the clothes the teddy bear was wearing.

“The clothes you make. I like them.”

After so many years in show business, her eye for things wasn’t just high—it was practically up in the sky.

If those eyes felt satisfied, it meant there was plenty of business potential.

Since coming here, she’d visited countless clothing shops, but she hadn’t seen anything better than the doll outfits Juella made.

She could say it with confidence.

This will work.