/
At those words, Callistea’s body suddenly started to tremble. His legs, convulsing as if on fire, slammed against her shoulders, but Damia didn’t let go of his ankles until the very end.
“I already know everything, so don’t be too surprised, Mr. Calix.”
This time, the sound of heavy breathing over her head just stopped. Then, as she lifted her head, she saw the face of Callistea—no, Calix, who covered his mouth with both hands as if trying to stop a scream from coming out.
Damia waited for a long moment, for he looked so blue, like he was about to have a heart attack. Then he took a deep breath and clenched his teeth, and asked
“Uh, uh—how do you… … .”
How did you know? Surely it was a question worth asking because Calix was a ‘woman’ with a thin, elegant, and ascetic aura.
In fact, he was cautious. He refused to do anything that would reveal his gender.
If Damia hadn’t watched ‘her’ suspiciously, she wouldn’t have known either. That he is a man.
‘Actually, when I first saw it, I didn’t notice it at all.’
Far from noticing, she was even jealous of the illusion of ‘Callistea’ that looked so perfect. But, if it hadn’t been for the clues from those around her, she still wouldn’t have realized it.
It all started with Sienna’s vague warning.
‘Watch out for him.’
Damia always thought that ‘him’ was Cesare.
But even after she ran into Cesare, Sienna’s warnings remained the same, so Damia understood. That her own assumptions were wrong.
At this time, Lessid informed her about the existence of ‘Calix’, the twin brother of the Saints. So Damia put in the existence of ‘Calix’ here, able to finish her unfinished puzzle and put the pieces back together.
By assuming ‘she’ was connected to her stepmother, Noella, and Cesare… … The answer to an ambiguous riddle that could not be solved with ‘Saint’ was revealed.
Damia was skeptical of her hypothesis until he came here. But she was soon convinced when she looked closely at Callistea, whom she saw again.
That her own doubts were correct.
“The fact that you always kept your voice small and thin, and that you were abnormally skinny…. The reason you refused all private visits, and the reason you always wore a robe or veil over your head… … you were trying to keep your gender from being revealed weren’t you?”
It was phased like a question, but the voice resounded with strong conviction. Finally, Calix couldn’t deny it anymore and lowered his head.
From the beginning, Calix resembled his twin sister, which should have been enough. But, in the first place, the real Saint, Callistea, was also a recluse that didn’t go out much.
Damia looked down at Calix’s pitifully skinny ankles. It was clear that he had to starve himself in order to hide his male frame.
‘The reason his face was always pale and he was dizzy was probably because he wasn’t getting enough nutrition.’
On the first day she saw Damia, she remembered him having anemia. Due to his efforts that gnawed at his own health and shortened his lifespan.
Damia, tired of the bitterness, asked quietly,
“Why are you doing this? Is it because of previous orders?”
“… … .”
“Or is it to protect my stepmother Noel;a?”
Hearing her name, Calix’s shoulders shuddered. Damia saw this and felt her head hurt.
As far as she knew, Noella was a widow of a baron residing in a temple with Cesare after being kicked out by her in-laws. She remarried because of the hardships of her life.
At the temple, she ‘accidentally’ met Owen, and they fell in love. Damia had thought this meeting had happened naturally, but now she was full of doubts.
‘Is it true that Noella’s husband passed away in the first place?’
Noella had already given birth to Cesare before her ex-husband died. If so, Cesare must be the eldest son of the family.
It was strange. No matter how destitute a barony was, Damia thought it very unlikely that parents-in-law would drive out a widow who gave birth to a grandchild and successor. Even if she was kicked out, wasn’t Noella the daughter of an aristocrat? But because of her hardships, she had to rely on her body alone
‘Now that I think about it, there are a lot of things that are confusing.’
At that time, Noella seemed to have a lot of tragic stories, and she was very depressed so Damia couldn’t ask. In particular, she said that the reason she broke up with her ex-husband was ‘parting,’ and she was too vague to ask more.
If Noella had made suspicious movements after remarriage, she would have taken more note of her. But even after she became the hostess of the Primula family, her life was quite frugal.
Damia had a better view of Noella because of this. But looking back now… … .
‘Maybe she was an orphan in the temple from the beginning.’