"Mm—"
In the middle of a deep sleep, Father Rhodes suddenly felt something furry, damp, and warm rubbing back and forth across his face.
He abruptly opened his eyes. Once his pupils focused, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
It was Nicola's Persian cat.
What was its name again?
Still three parts asleep, Rhodes could not be bothered to think of its name. He reached out, grabbed the Persian cat by the scruff, and tossed it under the bed.
He turned his head to glance at Nicola, who was sleeping soundly, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. The smile quickly faded.
He rose and walked to the window, gazing at the waning crescent moon in silence.
In Francis, few people knew that Nicola was his lover.
The Church of Dawn did not prohibit marriage. However, once they married, clerics' prospects within the church would come to an end.
In the church's view, once someone had a family, they could not possibly devote themselves wholeheartedly to serving God. Their family would divert most of their energy.
However, Father Rhodes had not hidden their relationship for the sake of his own career.
He was protecting Nicola.
Clerics like them had received the church's finest theological education since childhood. They possessed knowledge and supernatural powers far beyond ordinary people, but they also had to face powerful enemies hidden in the darkness.
Therefore, if Nicola's identity as his lover were exposed, he would be placed in an extremely disadvantageous position. That was something he did not want to see.
That was why he had not told Nicola about his plan to test Arthur.
Instead, he had quietly used the Orator's supernatural power to guide Nicola and her best friend into becoming curious about Arthur.
Such a slight disturbance