I made sure to address him by title just in case there were people still lingering outside. But of course, he didn't fail to call me out on it.

".... Ravis."

"Long time no see, Iona." Pleased with me calling him by his name, he approached me while sporting a big smile on his face. I wondered what would happen tomorrow now that Countess Luboa had left in embarrassment after Ravis' request. Feeling uneasy, I blurted out in haste,

"You don't seem to be really busy, as the Emperor had said."

Ravis chuckled at my unfiltered words, "I came because the Emperor told me you'd be here practicing dance lessons."

I don't see how that has anything to do with him coming to visit me.

"Care to sit here for a while?" He pointed at a seat placed on the side of the room. I sat down obligingly. He pointed to my feet and asked, "Doesn't it hurt?"

It was only then when I realized my feet were aching painfully. I knew blisters would form anew after spending days practicing over and over again, but I never thought it would hurt this bad. I hurriedly took off my shoes and hissed in pain. The blisters on my soles were glaringly red.

"Is the pain too much?"

".... It's fine."

"Maybe I should take a look at it." He suggested. I immediately recoiled in protest and waved him off, "No! The ointment works just fine. You've done enough as it is, Ravis."

Being a high priest entailed him having quite a busy schedule; He was so busy that Lila and Ella would say he barely had any shuteye whilst in the palace. While I'm not entirely sure what he was preoccupied with, that doesn't mean he should busy himself with being my personal healer and aid, even if the emperor had stated that was the Priest's sole duty. It was such an absurd thought, and I declined Ravis' offer with both hands. Unfortunately, he ignored my protests and got down on one knee in front of me.

Oh! He's doing it again! Please stand up, I internally whined. He looked at me intently and all I could do was look back at him, "You don't have to worry about me. I just want to be of help." He smiled gently once again before continuing, "Iona, there's no need to downplay these things, and I'd rather you show me your wounds."

"If anyone sees you kneeling like this, people would think negatively of me. I'm not royalty nor anyone special, so I can't let you do this." I really hoped he'd drop it after my flat refusal. His stance stiffened as he said,

"To be honest, it really bothers me." He said vaguely, and anyone would surely misunderstand his words as I stared at him in silence, making a grin form on his lips.

"I beg to differ. You are indeed someone special, so please sit comfortably and let me do this." I didn't have the chance to react as he took the shoes I held on my hands and placed them on the floor. Puzzled on what he's about to do, I was about to ask him when he held out his palm, "Iona, would you please let me see your feet?" From the way he was intentionally avoiding my wordless dismissal, I knew I wouldn't be able to talk him out of it as I sighed in defeat. Looking down, I could see a few smears of crimson stains on my stockings. Ravis himself winced at the sight and exhaled,

"You must have been practicing way too hard. I bet this is really painful."

"I guess I was too engrossed with practicing that I didn't even notice."

"How could I not be bothered by this?" He shook his head in disbelief.

I was confused as to what he meant by that, but the throbbing pain on my heels pulled my attention back. Tilting my feet slightly, I became more increasingly aware of the burning feeling as I let out a gasp, "Ouch, it hurts."

I hurriedly took off my stocking that appeared more like a sock bunched on my knees. I took my handkerchief out and wiped the blood off, the stench of blood permeating the air.

"I-Iona."

"Yes?" I looked up at the shift in Ravis' tone, and saw him blushing red with his head turned to the side, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact.

"Your bare feet...." He cleared his throat.

"What...? Oh!" As if the light bulb inside my head flicked on, I finally realized what's making him so flustered. In this world, a woman's bare feet were considered sacred, almost synonymous to private areas only appropriate to show to husbands or very young children. Having the mindset of a modern-day Korean woman made me forget about what's appropriate or not, it seemed.

I hastily covered my feet by pulling the hem of my skirt over it. My face was flushed red just like Ravis', "O-oh! I'm so sorry, Ravis. You have to understand that I didn't know that... well I did know, but there are times I would forget...." My words trailed off, unsure what to say that I looked down on my lap instead. He cleared his throat,

".... It's okay. I didn't think anything of it. I understand." He shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds before opening them again. "If it's alright with you, would you be okay with me healing you underneath the skirt? Even though I won't be able to see it, it wouldn't be a problem at all because of the close proximity."

"Yes, of course." Then I adjusted my feet just enough that it's still hidden under my skirt. Thankfully, my skirt was quite long so it could still accommodate my extended legs.