I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

At this moment, she was carefully carrying a box of pastries in her hand—pastries she had made herself.

She made many portions today, but she kept this one box for herself.

Of course, this box of pastries wasn't for satisfying her own cravings, but for the figure that hadn't appeared for several days.

Phoebe hadn't seen Duanmu for several days since they parted ways.

She had long been accustomed to her daily life without him—those chance encounters were nothing more than insignificant miracles in her ordinary life.

She never dared to have any unwarranted expectations of such a miracle.

But I don't know why...

When she learned about the relationship between Duanmu Yan and Koleta, something inside her felt like it had shattered.

Phoebe couldn't accurately describe the feeling in words; she just felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, as if someone had gently taken a small piece away, leaving a void that could never be filled.

She should have given up then, but the stubbornness in her heart could never be persuaded.

Maybe……

Perhaps it was because a sliver of unexpected expectation still lingered in her heart.

As night deepened, the girl walked alone on the empty streets of Laguna, her shadow stretched long by the streetlights, making her appear even more forlorn.

"Wouldn't going now disturb Mr. Duanmu?"

The girl lowered her eyes, and the light from the streetlights danced in them.

"And Miss Koleta... she should be here too, right?"

As she murmured to herself, the image of Koleta's expression from that day resurfaced in her mind—even though the other party had not shown the slightest anger, anyone would feel somewhat unhappy in such a situation, right?

Thinking of this, her steps slowed down. Finally, she stopped at the edge of the streetlight's glow, gazing at the warm yellow light ahead, hesitant to move forward.

"But I was just delivering pastries." The girl took a deep breath and whispered as if trying to convince someone, "Miss Koleta... she shouldn't mind, right?"

How could I not mind?

They are boyfriend and girlfriend.

Should we just let it go like this?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she shook her head vigorously to dispel it.

She looked at the box of pastries in her hand and said softly, "These are the first batch to come out of the oven today, and each piece was carefully prepared for Mr. Duanmu. Now that we've come this far, how can we give up halfway?"

Besides...

As long as they're not married, that means I still—

The thought flashed through her mind like lightning, startling her so much that her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

She hurriedly closed her eyes and gently patted her burning cheeks with her cool palms, as if trying to shake away those inappropriate thoughts.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Why would I think of such a sinful and shameful thing!"

"It's unacceptable to steal what someone else loves! If the Lord of the Year finds out, he will surely punish you!"

"No, no, I can't do that!"

"I'm just...family?"

"Yes, that's right! Family! After all, Mr. Duanmu told me that he's already my family."

"In that case, there's nothing shameful about bringing pastries to your family!"

So, the girl mustered her courage, took another step, and walked forward.

Although the reason was far-fetched, at least she convinced herself.

After that, Phoebe followed the familiar path and arrived at Duanmu Yan's house.

She stood outside the closed door, catching a glimpse of warm light coming from inside through the crack.

—He is at home.

Phoebe swallowed hard, mustered all her courage, raised her hand, and finally rang the doorbell.

A moment later, a series of heavy footsteps echoed in the room.

The girl's heart was increasingly flustered, and the opening remarks she had prepared were shattered by her panicked emotions.

"Huh? Why is it you?"

Another girl's voice came from beside me.

That wasn't a Colette, but...

Floro?

Phoebe remembered that was her name.

She slowly opened her eyes, which had been tightly closed due to nervousness, and looked at the girl leaning against the door.

Floro leaned against the doorframe with a cool expression, thoughtfully observing Phoebe outside the door.

"Hey, what's she doing here?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

"Miss Floro seems to be staying here temporarily."

Phoebe breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If there are other people present, the pressure I face should be less, right?

Phoebe smiled faintly, her voice soft and gentle: "Miss Floro, may I ask... is Mr. Duanmu home?"

Floro shrugged, his tone flat and emotionless: "That guy? I haven't seen him for days. Maybe he's off somewhere getting closer to someone else again."

—The end of his words was tinged with an inexplicable melancholy.

"Deeper ties?" Phoebe repeated the word softly, seemingly understanding but not quite. "Then where did Mr. Duanmu go?"

"Who knows?" Floro tilted her head slightly, sizing up the blonde girl in front of her, a small smile suddenly appearing on her lips. "Did you come here specifically to see him?"

“Uh, I…” The girl’s ears burned slightly, but she finally nodded gently. “I made some pastries myself and wanted to give them to Mr. Duanmu.”

"So this is ah."

Floro's voice fell softly, as if he understood something, yet also as if he hadn't said anything at all.

—She's used to it.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from a corner not far away.

"Quick, there's no one here."

"really?"

Why would I lie to you? Do you want some candy?

"...That's true."

Floro and Phoebe turned their heads at the same time and caught two furtive figures peeking out from the shadows.

"Ah, is that Mr. Duanmu?" Phoebe was slightly taken aback. "And the one next to him is...?"

Although her face was not clearly visible, the delicate outline clearly belonged to a young girl.

At the same time, the other party also noticed her gaze.

"Oh no! They're from the religious order!" The girl's voice was filled with panic.

"Shh—keep your voice down!" Duanmu Yan quickly lowered his voice. "We finally managed to sneak in here, we can't let all our efforts go to waste... This is Phoebe, believe me, she's different from the rest of the order!"

Volume 1: Chapter 170 A First Kiss Under the Moon and an Unfinished Confession

Duanmu Yanhuan looked around the customer area, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“I hadn’t been back for a few days, and I thought you’d made a mess of the house…” His gaze finally settled on Floro in the corner of the sofa. “I didn’t expect you to have tidied it up so well.”

The girl in scarlet was sipping her unsweetened black coffee when she heard him, and only glanced at him indifferently.

"I'm very curious," she said, her voice barely audible, "What kind of image do you have of me? How could such a misunderstanding arise?"

Duanmu Yan stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Perhaps because... it looks like a cat?"

The familiar words made Floro suddenly stop moving.

The coffee cup clinked against the saucer, and she slowly raised her eyes, a dangerous glint in them: "If you dare say that word again—I'll bite you to death."

Duanmu Yan helplessly spread his hands: "...I don't need to say anything, you're already showing it through your actions. It seems everyone was right, stray cats really can't be tamed."

Hakimi has to be loved; you can't not love him.

Floro gritted her teeth, but in the end she simply turned her face to the other side, building an invisible wall with silence.

Phoebe sat to one side with a faint smile on her face, while Xia Kong sat beside her, looking slightly uneasy.

Probably because Phoebe is a priest of a religious order.

This makes her unusually sensitive to this kind of outfit.

After all, she was a wanted criminal by the religious order.

Although Duanmu Yan had assured her that Phoebe was different from the other members of the order, she couldn't help but have some subconscious feelings.

Duanmu Yan noticed Xia Kong's unease and took the initiative to introduce him to Phoebe: "This is Xia Kong, a bard. For some reasons, he needs to stay here temporarily."

Phoebe smiled and nodded to Xia Kong: "My name is Phoebe, and I'm a priest of the Hidden Sea Order. Miss Xia Kong, are you a bard? You must be a very good singer, right? If you have time, would you like to come to the church to see the order's choir?"

“Ah…” A barely perceptible stiffness flashed across Xia Kong’s expression. “Um… if I have the chance, I’ll definitely visit you. Yes, definitely.”

“Then it’s settled.” Phoebe smiled. “Please be sure to contact me when the time comes. I’d be happy to show Miss Xia Kong around the church.”

Although Phoebe was a priestess of the religious order, her duties did not include hunting down heretics.

That is the responsibility of other religious orders.

Naturally, Phoebe wouldn't know that Natsumi is currently being hunted.

“As for this one,” Duanmu Yan turned to Floro, who had remained silent, and added, “this is Floro. In a way, she’s your roommate.”

"Roommate? Huh?" Xia Kong was slightly taken aback. "Does Miss Floro live here too?"

"For some special reasons, Floro is also staying here temporarily."

The scarlet-haired girl whose name was called simply raised her hand lazily as a greeting, then lowered her eyes again, immersing herself in her own world.

She casually tapped the rim of her coffee cup with her fingertips, as if the conversation around her had nothing to do with her.

"She seems...to be someone who's not easy to approach."

Xia Kong thought to himself quietly.

But that's fine, since I'm only staying here temporarily anyway.

Once that matter is resolved, she will leave—as if she had never been there.

"As for rooms, there is also a study. If you tidy it up, it should be able to serve as your room."

"Well, that's troublesome."

"Compared to your help, this is nothing."

Floro, who was standing nearby, caught this key word.

Help? Trouble?

Although she was unaware of the relationship between Duanmu Yan and Xia Kong, perhaps...

They formed some kind of cooperative relationship for the sake of the saint who is still alive.

only……

They had no idea what was hidden in Sonora.

Floro closed his eyes and drank the remaining coffee in his cup in one gulp.

Bitterness spread across her tongue, like the truth she couldn't tell.

She had to find a way to get into Sonora.