When Charlotte opened her eyes, the curtains had been drawn back again, and warm sunlight gilded the velvet quilt. The personal maid who had attended her yesterday was waiting beside the bed. Seeing her awake, she immediately offered a handkerchief soaked in warm water.
She went to bed later than I did and got up earlier. Being a noble family's maid isn't easy... Charlotte instinctively thanked her, took the handkerchief, and wiped her face, dispelling the last traces of drowsiness. Then, with the maid's help, she washed, changed out of her nightdress, and put on a petticoat and a morning robe.
Next, Lila undid the braid Charlotte wore to bed and restyled her hair, winding some braids around the sides of her head and letting the rest fall down her back. Only after putting on soft-soled slippers did Charlotte follow the maid to the dining room on the ground floor.
By then, the clock in the hall had already chimed eight in the morning. Nearly an hour had passed since Charlotte had gotten out of bed!
I should be grateful the original Charlotte wasn't fond of dressing up or fussing over rituals, and that her father is the only elder left in Baron Sauron's household. If she had a mother keeping an eye on her daily life, this routine would take even longer... As the original owner's knowledge of noble etiquette gradually became second nature, Charlotte felt nothing but distaste and loathing for the tedious details of aristocratic life in this era.
Of course, aristocratic customs were not her only headache. The change in her body's sex brought further inconveniences that troubled Charlotte: braiding her beautiful long hair before bed so it would not get tangled, changing into a special nightdress, then arranging her hair and dressing all over again upon waking, putting on layer after layer of clothing. All of it further cut into her already insufficient sleep.
Compared with those things, though, her greatest trouble was confronting a female body when she bathed...
At that thought, Charlotte felt her cheeks grow warm again. She dismissed her personal maid, Lila, and entered the dining room, which had several round windows to admit daylight. Her father, Raoul Sauron, was already seated, his breakfast laid out before him.
"Good morning, Father."
She curtsied as her memories instructed and sat down opposite Raoul. A servant waiting nearby brought over a plate and a teacup. The scent of butter and hot chocolate immediately reached her nose, making her eyes narrow in pleasure.
A hot breakfast can revive a worker at any hour, even if I'm no longer a worker and have joined high society... Muttering inwardly, she began enjoying her first meal since arriving in this world.
Generally, nobles took informal breakfasts in their bedrooms or studies. But with only these two members remaining in Baron Sauron's household, father and daughter came to the dining room each day by unspoken agreement, discussing light topics as they ate and giving each day a warm beginning.
Unfortunately, after what had happened last night, Baron Sauron was clearly in no mood for small talk. Charlotte, meanwhile, scooped at her boiled egg with a spoon while sorting through the fragments of memory in her mind. She did not initiate conversation either, leaving the dining room somewhat somber.
Only after Charlotte had finished her last half cup of chocolate, when the sweet breakfast had made even her thoughts sluggish, did Raoul speak from across the table:
"I'll be going out shortly to see a few old friends. I may not be back until evening.
"Don't go anywhere today. Even if someone visits about last night's events, don't show yourself. Everything can wait until I return."
Old friends... Is this about what he mentioned when he spoke to Baron Gustav yesterday? Charlotte nodded thoughtfully, then adopted a hesitant expression and said:
"I'd like to visit the church today."
Raoul's relaxed brows immediately knitted. He was about to say something when he glanced beside him and waved the servant out of the dining room. Only after the door closed did he speak:
"Didn't I tell you? What happened yesterday is certain to attract the Church's attention, and you know the Eternal Blazing Sun is a stern father."
As the principal faith of the Intis Kingdom, the Eternal Blazing Sun was not only the embodiment of order, the God of Contracts, and the guardian of commerce, but also regarded as the father of all living beings. Because the Inquisition within the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun employed harsh methods when spreading its doctrine and combating heresy, the description of him as a "stern father" also circulated privately among the people.
Raoul's meaning was clear. While the murders in the old district were under investigation, if Charlotte, who was connected to Etienne's death, appeared at a church and was arrested as a suspect by the Inquisition, even Baron Sauron's influence would scarcely be enough to get her out unharmed.
In that light, the warning Etienne had given Charlotte while deceiving her had actually been sincere. That probably had something to do with his status as an unaffiliated Beyonder.
But Charlotte had her own view. She had done nothing wrong in Etienne's death, so the Church had no reason to arrest her. If she could provide useful clues and help solve the murders in the old district, she could not only free herself from the hidden force troubling her, but perhaps even gain access to Beyonder powers, just as Henriette had said.
Yet, looking at Raoul's stern expression, which suggested he would not yield, she silently sighed and nodded.
"I understand."
Stepping out of the carriage, Charlotte pressed down the wide-brimmed hat on her head, letting its shadow conceal her conspicuous reddish-brown hair and most of her face. Only then did she look up at the resplendent Saint Roch Cathedral.
Although she had told her father she understood the risks, understanding did not mean obeying. Once the baron left the house, Charlotte immediately instructed the servants to prepare a carriage, then changed into an outfit suitable for going out. She intended to follow Henri's advice and "turn herself in" to the Church.
After defeat in the Three Years' War had curbed the nobles' taste for extravagance, the culture of the Loen Kingdom had gradually spread through Intis. Together with the ideals long espoused by the Sauron royal family, this had made women's clothing in this era highly varied. At aristocratic balls, most ladies still wore towering wigs and tight corsets, using hoops to make themselves look like walking flower petals, while at home they preferred simple dresses, flat shoes, and pinned-up hair.
For outings, the choices were even more varied. Charlotte currently wore a fitted coat with a high standing collar and two rows of buttons, paired with a long skirt whose hem reached her shoes. She looked like a young lady preparing for a country stroll or a ride, drawing the attention of quite a few passersby outside the cathedral.
Still, this is better than dressing too formally. I'm here on serious business, after all... Grumbling inwardly, she climbed the fan-shaped steps and entered the cathedral alongside worshippers whose clothing and social standing varied, but whose faces all bore the same devotion.
The largest cathedral in Suhit City was gold overall, and its lofty onion dome was decorated with real gold leaf, gleaming in the sunlight like an actual burning sun. Below it, the main building likewise featured gold and white, complemented by vivid stained glass, an image of Saint Roch's baptism painted on the dome, and immense murals covering every available wall. Every worshipper who entered could feel its sanctity and grandeur at once, instinctively lowering their voice and slowing their steps, appearing all the more devout.
How extravagant. But doesn't anyone scrape off that gold leaf outside in the middle of the night...? With all manner of irreverent thoughts passing through her mind, she sat in a corner of the prayer hall. Like the other worshippers, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, listening as the priest conducting the sermon behind the altar held a thick Holy Bible and recited its accounts. Her inward prayers were half perfunctory, half sincere.
After learning that this world possessed Beyonder powers and that the Church had trained many Beyonders, she viewed the accounts of Saint Roch in the sermon differently than before. She instinctively felt that his acts of purifying evil and upholding justice were manifestations of Beyonder abilities, much like Henriette's ability to conceal herself and move soundlessly.
If the Saints were like that, could the gods... be real too?
After questioning the matter in the spirit of scientific inquiry, Charlotte set aside her tangled thoughts and approached the confessional beside the prayer hall during a pause in the sermon. Once the few worshippers waiting in line had left, she slipped into the cramped room with its heavy wooden door.
Unlike the face-to-face confessions of old, modern confessionals placed a wooden partition between the penitent and the person listening. Narrow slits in the partition allowed only a vague glimpse of the figure on the other side. After she sat down, the priest's voice came from behind it. He did not sound particularly old, but his voice had a reassuring solidity.
"Sister, what would you like to say?"
In a hesitant tone, Charlotte slowly recounted the story she had already rehearsed: the many misfortunes that had begun six months earlier, the inexplicable loss of some of her memories last night, and the man posing as her father's helper who had pursued her and whom she had ultimately injured by accident. She concealed only her own transmigration and Henriette's existence.
When she described waking in an alley in the old district, she noticed the priest across the partition pull a thin cord hanging in the corner. When she reached Etienne's sudden attack and attempt to abduct her, extremely faint footsteps sounded from behind the partition. At some point, the priest had left, and another, slightly more slender figure sat down in his place to continue listening to her confession.
"...I believe I made some mistakes in this matter. Although I hurt him to protect myself, I still feel uneasy, so I came to confess today."
After finishing, Charlotte fell briefly silent and waited for a response.
She suspected that the priest who normally heard confessions had already passed the information into the cathedral, and that the clergy member who had arrived afterward and now sat opposite her was most likely someone who actually handled Beyonder matters.
The noise outside the confessional gradually faded as well. The worshippers waiting in line seemed to have been persuaded to leave by other clergy, and even the footsteps in the prayer hall grew sparse.
They were undoubtedly creating a private space for the conversation to follow.
Sure enough, a gentle voice different from the earlier one came from behind the partition:
"Sister, is that the whole story?"
It was, unexpectedly, the voice of a rather young woman.
Although the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun did not share the Church of Storms' disdain for female worshippers-a contempt that extended from doctrine to personal attitudes, despite the Lord of Storms likewise being one of the seven gods-the gender ratio among its clergy was still extremely uneven. Aside from a few convents, the vast majority of churches serving ordinary worshippers were staffed primarily by male priests. Women holding the rank of bishop or above were almost unheard of.
At that thought, Charlotte could not help asking curiously:
"How should I address you, sister?"
The figure across the partition tilted her head, seemingly somewhat surprised by the question. After a moment, she answered:
"You may call me Viève, Miss Charlotte Sauron."