Chapter 8

As she walked through the corridors of the cathedral, Saint Coco felt a sense of unease from the hurried and restless atmosphere. She turned to look at the nun who was following behind her.

"Sister Natalia, there weren’t any masses or ceremonies today, right?"

"Yes, Lady Coco."

In response to the saint's question, Natalia nodded.

"Huh?"

This atmosphere. It’s the same as when there’s some event.

But none of the regular ceremonies are scheduled for today.

(Could it be related to the sudden summons by the Pope?)

Speaking of sudden, the fact that Coco and the others were summoned by the Pope was also a sudden matter. They were called without any explanation, and were told to hurry.

Considering these two things together, and adding one more...

"Ah!"

While thinking, Coco stumbled on a slight step in the stone floor. Losing her balance, she stumbled and crouched behind a pillar, muttering, "Oops."

"Lady Coco? Are you okay?"

Natalia, surprised by Coco's stumble and twisted ankle, rushed over... but Coco skillfully guided her to the corner and twisted her collar, grinning.

"Hey, Nats, what are you hiding?"

"Damn!"

The nun, who had been led into the trap, was flustered, but it was too late.

Thinking about it carefully... you haven’t scolded me at all since just now? When I badmouth the old man, you usually scold me a few times... Nats, what has the old man ordered you to do? What’s happening at the cathedral today, huh?"

"Well, that... there’s nothing happening today!"

Natalia, while denying it, her eyes were darting around. She couldn’t meet Coco’s gaze up close, clearly revealing that she knew something.

"There’s nothing happening, right?"

"Nothing is happening!"

"Okay..."

Coco, who had been crouching, released Natalia’s collar and stood up.

"If nothing is happening, we can go back, right?"

Saying this, Coco started walking towards the convent.

"What!? But, what about the summons from His Holiness the Pope!"

Natalia was flustered, but Coco didn’t care.

"Tell the old man it’s a girl’s problem. I can’t do anything because I’m not feeling well."

"But, the prince is waiting too!"

Again, Natalia’s slip of the tongue. Coco, who had turned back, jabbed her in the stomach with her fist.

"Naaaaatsuuu?"

"Ah!"

With Coco on the verge of exploding, Natalia couldn’t even face her.

"Wasn’t the prince supposed to arrive the day after tomorrow? Why is it two days early?"

"Well, from the way you were summoned the other day, it was decided that you wouldn’t wait quietly...!"

"That’s true. So? Did the prince, who is a prince, change the schedule so easily?"

"It’s not that he changed it... Since your reaction was predictable, the real arrival date was set a few days earlier, and the news came this morning..."

"Damn old man! ...No, that old lecher couldn’t have come up with such a scheme. The way he’s taking advantage of my weakness... it must be Wallace!"

Coco thought of the secretary who always stands behind the Pope. That young priest, being the Pope’s right-hand man, is surprisingly good at ruthless behind-the-scenes work despite his harmless appearance.

"If that guy is involved, we can’t just sit around!"

If the Pope realizes that the plan has been exposed, they might be overwhelmed by a sea of people and captured. It’s dangerous to stay in the cathedral.

Without bothering to maintain her composure, Coco started running.

"Lady Coco!? Where are you going!?"

"Back to my room to barricade myself in!"

Even Wallace, the best of the best, can’t come into the Margrave Convent for women.

Of course, the nuns, including the abbess, will follow the Pope’s orders, but unless it’s an emergency like a fire or a robbery, men are not allowed to enter. It would be almost impossible to forcibly remove Coco with only the nuns.

Leaving Natalia behind, Coco ran back the way she came.

She ran through the less crowded side corridors, jumped from a window to the mezzanine, and landed in the courtyard, significantly reducing her return time with this bold shortcut. When Coco is serious, she can move in three dimensions like an acrobat.

Before the lockdown order was communicated, Coco successfully ran through the communication passage and returned to the convent, closing and locking the inner gate herself.

"Alright!"

Even though the nuns and communication officers outside the cathedral won’t be able to return, it doesn’t matter to Coco. It will take some time for the internal staff to notice the locked gate. Gaining time to barricade herself in her room would be a good outcome.

To avoid being scolded by the abbess, Coco hurried to her room at a brisk pace and managed to reach it without being caught.

"Phew, that was close... At least I can hold out for now."

She won’t open the door until the prince gives up and leaves, at least until night. If necessary, she’ll use her holy power to lock the door tightly.

Thinking this, Coco opened the door.

There, with wavy golden hair and a graceful, androgynous appearance, sat the prince of Vignege, the kingdom’s most eligible bachelor, Prince Cecil, with a gentle and beautiful face, smiling like an angel, drinking tea at the table where Coco usually sits.

"Hello!"

Coco stared at the prince, who was waving at her with a bright smile, for about two seconds before slamming the door shut.

Before Coco could run away, the door opened immediately, and a hand grabbed the back of her collar.

"Leaving without a word is quite rude, Coco. When I greet you, you should respond with ‘Good day.’ What’s the rush? It’s like you’re running away."

"It’s not ‘like’ I’m running away, I am running away! From a pervert! Why are you here!? Isn’t the old man entertaining you at the cathedral!?"

"That’s just a stand-in, Hobart. I thought you, who dislike formalities, wouldn’t participate and would skip it. Haha, we have similar tastes."

"I agree that I dislike formalities, but the main reason I skip them is because of you, who’s right in front of me!"

Coco pushed back with all her strength as the prince tried to hug and nuzzle her, and struggled to free herself from his grip.

"How did you get into the convent!? This is a place where even the Pope can’t enter without the abbess’s permission!"

"Since you seem to have forgotten, let me remind you. The parents of the girls living here are mostly my vassals."

"Damn! That’s why you power-hungry bastards are so troublesome!"

The nuns of the Margrave Convent... including the abbess, Sister Veronica... are mostly the daughters of Vignege nobility.

Most of them are in the age of falling in love, so if a handsome young man smiles at them, they would easily hand over the saint without any guilt. There’s no need to take their parents hostage.

"Stop making jokes with just your face! Being able to come and go freely in a women’s convent makes you a perverted dictator!"

"Hey, hey, I’m not forcing anyone. I just smile and ask them to ‘keep it quiet, okay?’"

"That is forcing! Have your tutor give you a vocabulary test once!"

"Also, it’s known that I’m devoted to Coco. So, the girls feel safe leading me to the back. You know I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to the nuns just because I’ve infiltrated the convent, right?"

As the prince, who was trying to assert his "integrity" with a "I know I’m handsome" pose...

"Then don’t do anything to the saint!"

While being dragged into her room, Coco hurled insults at the thick-skinned prince.