Chapter 4

After the selection of the Holy Maiden was over, Red Leo and the others, with permission, met up with Momo in the church's lounge. Although he would have preferred to be alone with her, they were not yet a couple. She was kind to everyone, and everyone admired her, except for that wicked woman.

"Momo, from now on, you have the mission of a Holy Maiden. I know it's a tough task, but we will help you, so please feel at ease."

"Y-Yes... Thank you. That's very reassuring, but..."

Momo's eyes darted around. Despite the exclusion of Chloe, who had bullied her, her expression was still troubled.

"What's wrong, are you still worried about something?"

"It's about Lady Chloe. Can I really be at ease, knowing that she adored Benny-sama so much that she harassed me?"

"Benny" was a nickname derived from Red Leo's middle name, "Benand." As a sign of intimacy, he had asked Momo to call him that. Chloe had called him that without being asked, but he had ignored her, of course.

At Momo's words, Red Leo's face contorted in disgust.

"Whatever she thinks, it doesn't matter anymore. No matter what anyone says, I love only you, Momo."

"But..."

"I, I really like you, Momo. No matter what dirty tricks she uses, I'll protect you!"

As Red Leo tried to hold Momo's hand and woo her, Dai interrupted. While he appreciated Red Leo's straightforward and simple-minded thinking, he couldn't back down as a love rival.

"In any case, being disowned by the duke's family, she won't be able to move freely. Dark will bring back the details, but..."

Sei shook his head quietly. While they were rivals as the sons of the right and left chancellors, they shared a common bond in their affection for Momo and their dislike of Chloe.

All the men in the room were both love rivals and comrades in protecting Momo.

Soon, Dark, Chloe's brother, returned.

"Chloe's transfer to a convent has been decided. The location is a facility in the duke's territory, where my father has close ties."

"That's lenient... Isn't she being disowned? Isn't this more like a cover-up?"

"Wouldn't it have been better to send her to Nansonia?"

"That remote and inconvenient place... With the mountain range to cross, she won't be able to return to the capital easily. In that case, it might serve as a form of atonement for that wicked woman. She won't repent, of course."

"No, no, that's not right!"

Momo, pale, interrupted the group as they discussed additional punishments.

"The more you push her into such a situation, the more she will resent me. You shouldn't underestimate a woman's grudge."

Having been bullied, she understood this all too well. Emotionally, she felt that this level of punishment was insufficient, but with Momo's plea, some form of action was necessary.

"Then, we'll assign a monitor. If Chloe shows any suspicious movements, we'll execute her immediately. That task... Shin, I'll leave it to you."

Shin, who had been leaning against the wall in silence, gasped as he was named.

He had been Chloe's personal butler and, touched by Momo's kindness, had secretly betrayed his mistress to become her ally. While he had some loyalty to his mistress, he had ultimately helped gather evidence of the harassment, making it easy to imagine how he had been treated by Chloe.

"We'll pressure the duke to change the escort destination to Nansonia Convent. If he resists, tell him he will be considered guilty of the same crime as his daughter. And Shin... You will take on the role of her guard and continue to report the situation to us using that brooch."

"…Understood."

Although it was unfortunate that, just as he thought he had escaped Chloe's control, he would be separated from Momo and dragged around by her again, there was a chance he could clear his own grudge with his own hands.

Moreover, what kind of face would that woman make when she learned that her trusted pawn had betrayed her? Of course, this would only be revealed if Chloe was deemed to have plotted a rebellion.