Secret Wardrobe of the Duchess

Chapter 33

Not long after she started to work at the abbey, she often ended up crying. What made her cry was neither the strict priests nor the hunger. It was the patients.

“Sister, I am so lonely. Can you comfort me?”

When she heard that the first time from a mercenary patient on the bed, she took the word ‘comfort’ for its usual meaning.

“Can I sing for you? Or do you want me to read something?”

However, this made the rest of the patients laugh.
“Oh, sister. You are so naïve.”

“Not that kind of comfort.”

“There, there.”

“… there?”

The mercenary pointed between his legs, and Rubica realized what he had meant by ‘comfort’. Her face then turned as red as a tomato. She couldn’t say anything and left the room while breaking in tears.

“Oh, but you are old enough to know everything. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

“I was just joking. Oh, you take jokes really seriously.”

When Rubica went back and told them to not do that after thinking about the problem for days, those comments were what she got in return.

What was even worse was that after words got out that she broke in tears at the mercenary’s mocking, they teased her even more.

“You cried at that? Are you a virgin? Haha.”

A patient, from the next room, even said that to her. They laughed and liked it when she looked hurt or pleaded them not to do that.

Rubica seriously wondered if she should leave the abbey, that was rather safe in the war, and go to the mountains or something. Then one day, Priestess Lefena summoned her.

Rubica went to her study in fear. The priestess was strict, so she thought she would scold her for failing to take care of the problem.

“Sister Rubica, I think you know why I summoned you.”

“… yes.”

Rubica couldn’t even find the courage to look at her face and just stared at the tip of her feet. She was so scared that she couldn’t take even a single step from the door.

“Look at me. Why are you looking down when you have done nothing wrong?”

Rubica was surprised at this and looked up. Lefena made her sit next to her and gave her a cup of warm honey tea that was only distributed to the priests.

“I’ve heard all about it, but there’s no need to explain.”

“Priestess Lefena.”

Rubica thought Lefena was a woman of steel, so she burst into tears when the priestess spoke warmly to her. Lefena was, however, disgusted as she handed Rubica a handkerchief.

“Don’t cry. I hate it when people cry in front of me. I called you to solve this matter, not to see you cry.”

“… hup. Yes, Sister Lefena… I even asked them in private not to say things like that to me… but they are teasing me even more. I don’t know what to do. Can you please speak to them?”

Rubica begged, but Lefena only sighed.

“Of course I can, but it will only make them tease you even more.”

“Even more?”

“They might call you a coward hiding behind me. They might even hold a grudge against you and try to get revenge.”