My sleep felt restless, and when I woke up the next morning, my eyes throbbed with the need to sleep more. However, my body refused to go back to sleep once the sun was up.

Fenrir had woken up as well by now, and he looked around with a hungry look on his face.

"Master, I slept really well. And now I am hungry. I want to eat something. When is breakfast? Can you give it to me now?"

Fenrir asked in quick succession. I could hear his stomach growling as he jumped around.

Due to a lack of rest, I felt my head throb, and my desire to make Fenrir quiet down was increasing by the second.

Before I could act on my impulses, someone knocked at my door. When I opened it, a guard quickly bowed before me.

"Excuse me, dear guest, but the Cardinal would like me to ask you to join him in the garden… alone. Cardinal Joshua has something to talk to you about."

The guard told me, and as soon as he saw that I was looking around for someone (most probably the Duchess), he clarified that I needed to come alone.

I could see their tactic to intimidate me immediately. There was no doubt in my mind that the Cardinal had asked for me alone because he did not want to butt heads with the Duchess, and I seemed like the easier target…

…Which I was, and I was not even going to deny that. I was someone who easily folded when it came to my self-preservation.

However, this time, I had a guarantee in the form of Goddess Helia, who was going to save my life if things went south. So I was not that worried.

"Sir, please hurry up. Cardinal Joshua is an important person. Even if you are a guest, you need to come quickly…"

The guard looked hesitant and shifted in place a few times to calm himself down. He was trying so hard to show that he was not impatient.

"Alright, I understand. Just give me a few minutes and I will be ready to head out."

I told the man before I slammed my door in his face and then returned to my bathroom. I took a quick bath (I missed warm-water showers) before I got ready.

Fenrir also went through the bath with me, and within ten minutes, we were both ready to head out.

When I opened the door, the guard looked relieved to see me. He led us down another path I had never seen before. It was dark and had no human presence. The walls were narrower and tapered toward the inside.

Everything in the passage felt like it was trying to box me in, but I remained calm as I followed my guard.

"You are… rather calm for someone in this situation. I feel my fear rise every time I go through this passage. Is it not the same for you?"

The man asked in a curious voice, and I just shrugged and refused to give an answer. The guard got my message and looked forward.

He did not try to scare me after that, and we arrived at the garden where Cardinal Joshua was waiting for me.

Only… he was not alone in the garden.

Lines and lines of guards stood on either side of him, and they looked at his every move as the Cardinal took a sip of his tea.

He noticed me as soon as I took a step toward him and gestured for me to sit.

"Come, take a seat for now, Duchess Isabella's dear guest. I have a few things to talk to you about, if you don't mind."

The man told me, and my feet dragged me toward the seat that had been prepared for me.

The Cardinal smiled the whole time as he kept sipping the tea. He looked unbothered as he put the cup down.

As soon as my body touched the chair, the Cardinal gave me a serene look.

"What do you think about this Dome and the people here, Duchess's guest? This Dome is a place filled with peace, quiet, and happiness. It's unlike any other place you have seen before, right?"

The Cardinal asked, and I looked at the beautiful garden around me as well.

It indeed looked lovely and peaceful at first glance. But there were rotten parts under the surface.

Still, I did not feel like the right person to point that out.

"Hmm, it is lovely indeed. But I doubt this is what you called me here to discuss."

I said outright, and the Cardinal sighed before he looked at the garden.

"That's right. The beauty of our garden is not why I called you here. It is all secondary. The most important thing for me and the other people here is peace. And for that, I cannot allow you to take our treasures away from us. So I would like you to decline helping the Duchess out."

The Cardinal outright told me that he wanted me not to help the kids out in any regard.

I had expected this, but it happened even faster than I had hoped.

"I know that it can be hard for someone of your… standing… to stand against the Duchess, but fear not. You can ask me for any reward in return, and I will do everything in my power to give it to you."

That was a really tempting offer. However, it was too late to make that offer to me.

Their goddess had made me an even better offer with an actual return for me.

Still, I was not going to outright tell the Cardinal 'no' and sign a death sentence for myself.

"What about your goddess? What if she objects and gives a different opinion during the hearing?"

I asked, and the Cardinal looked taken aback. His eyes sharpened, and he suddenly looked like he was trying to calculate something as he looked at me.

Finally, he calmed down and gave me a reassuring look.

"Don't worry about our goddess. She has already assured me that what I am doing is right. If you agree to help me, then no harm will come to you."

Cardinal Joshua sounded sure of himself when he spoke. But I had talked with Goddess Helia as well, and she had told me something else.

So either the goddess was playing me, or the Cardinal was being lied to.

'This mess just keeps on getting bigger and bigger, huh. I'm getting a headache now. Fuck this shit.'

I cursed in my mind, but my face kept smiling. I was trying my hardest not to show what a mess my mind was at the moment.

"Anyway, you won't lose much if you choose to join our side and leave the Duchess. I promise you this much. So please, do consider joining our side."

The Cardinal talked about his side and the benefits it would provide me. He never said anything about what would happen to those kids.

I had a feeling he did not see those kids as even human, and I felt compelled to bring it up.

"And… what would happen to those kids if I do take your offer?"

I dared to ask.

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