"Are you alright?" Eli asked the moment Belle returned from her private conversation with the old monk. She looked visibly shaken, the shadows of worry stretching across her face, leaving him to wonder what on earth could have triggered such a bizarre reaction from the holy man. "Do you still want to look around the temple grounds?"
"No, I'm okay. The benevolent monk was kind enough to give me a thorough tour earlier already."
"Then, shall we head back home?"
(Home? When was the last time I truly had a place like that?) Belle whispered within her mind.
[Three months ago,] Ceres retorted casually, her tone practical yet cold. [Look, I'm quite bothered by what that monk told us. I have to look for the single man I can trust implicitly in this life. Where could I possibly find a person like that? One thing is for certain: it is absolutely not Eli.]
(We'll take our time. I am sure that we'll eventually find him.)
