Most of them were loud.
Very loud.
Priests shuffled their robes.
Guards dragged their boots.
Nobles spoke as if the entire temple needed to hear every word.
Humans, in general, were not quiet creatures.
Which was why Constance stood out.
She moved through the temple like a soft breeze.
Step.
Pause.
Step.
Her wooden walking stick tapped lightly against the floor as she entered the hall that morning.
Eunwoo sat beside the lake inside the Mirror world and looked up at her reflection.
"Good morning again," he muttered.
Constance carried a small cloth bundle today.
Breakfast for the priests, probably.
She placed it on a side table and began her usual routine.
Dust the pedestal.
Clean the floor.
Straighten the cloth covering the altar.
All simple tasks.
But she did them carefully.
Slowly.
Like every movement mattered.
Eunwoo rested his chin in his palm while watching.
"Honestly," he said to himself, "she works harder than half the priests here."
Some of them mostly just walked around looking important.
Constance never did that.
She simply did the work.
After a few minutes, she paused.
Her hand froze mid-air.
Her head tilted slightly.
Eunwoo noticed immediately.
"Oh?"
He leaned forward.
This was something he had seen before.
Constance's hearing was… unusual.
Very sharp.
Probably sharper than most people's eyesight.
Which made sense.
When one sense disappeared, others worked harder.
And Constance's ears seemed to catch everything.
Right now she stood perfectly still, listening.
A faint sound echoed somewhere in the corridor outside.
Two guards whispering.
Very quietly.
Even Eunwoo barely noticed it through the reflection.
But Constance had already turned toward the hallway.
"There shouldn't be anyone there yet," she murmured softly.
Eunwoo raised an eyebrow.
She walked slowly toward the doorway.
Step.
Tap.
Step.
Tap.
Her walking stick touched the stone floor lightly as she moved.
Eunwoo followed the reflection carefully.
Two temple guards were standing in the corridor, speaking in low voices.
"…the western road," one of them said.
"They say scouts were seen there."
The other guard sighed.
"Another rumor?"
"Maybe."
Constance stood near the doorway, listening.
She didn't interrupt.
She simply stood there quietly.
Eunwoo smirked.
"She's eavesdropping again."
Not intentionally, probably.
But when your hearing was that good, secrets became difficult to keep.
After a moment she turned back toward the hall.
Her face looked thoughtful.
"The soldiers are worried again," she said softly to the Mirror.
Eunwoo shrugged.
"Yes. That happens when armies show up."
She walked back toward the pedestal and resumed cleaning.
But Eunwoo noticed something different.
Her movements were slower now.
More alert.
She kept pausing every few seconds.
Listening.
To footsteps.
To doors.
To distant voices.
Almost like…
She was guarding the place.
Eunwoo leaned back with a small grin.
"Ah."
So that was her way of protecting the Mirror.
She couldn't fight.
She couldn't see.
But she could hear.
And she paid attention to everything.
If something strange happened in the temple—
Constance would probably notice first.
Not the guards.
Not the priests.
The quiet girl with the broom.
Late afternoon arrived slowly.
Sunlight streamed through the high temple windows.
Dust floated in the warm air.
Constance finished cleaning and sat down beside the pedestal for a short rest.
Her back leaned lightly against the stone base.
"You must hear everything too," she said softly.
Eunwoo blinked.
"Me?"
"I sometimes think you're listening," she continued.
Eunwoo scratched his head.
"Well… technically I am."
But he doubted she meant it literally.
She smiled faintly.
"The temple sounds different every day."
Her fingers rested on the stone floor.
"Today there are too many boots."
Eunwoo nodded slightly.
That was accurate.
Guards had been moving through the halls all morning.
The kingdom was preparing.
Slowly.
Carefully.
For something bigger.
Constance tilted her head again.
Footsteps approached from the courtyard.
Heavy armor.
Three soldiers this time.
She stood up automatically.
"More visitors," she murmured.
Eunwoo followed the reflection.
Three royal soldiers entered the temple gates.
They spoke briefly with the priests before taking positions near the main doors.
More guards.
More protection.
More tension.
Eunwoo sighed.
"Everyone's getting nervous."
Which was understandable.
Outside the capital, the Kingdom of Dermouth was gathering strength.
Scouts had already been spotted near the borders.
Messengers rode day and night.
War hadn't started yet.
But it was getting closer.
You could feel it.
Like distant thunder before a storm.
Evening arrived.
Lanterns lit the temple hall again.
Constance finished her final chores and prepared to leave.
But before walking away, she paused.
Her head tilted toward the Mirror.
Listening again.
Eunwoo waited.
The hall was silent.
Even he heard nothing unusual.
But after a few seconds, Constance relaxed slightly.
"Just the wind," she murmured.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Good night."
Step.
Tap.
Step.
Tap.
Her footsteps slowly faded down the corridor.
The hall became quiet again.
Inside the Mirror world, Eunwoo lay back beside the lake.
He stared at the reflection of the temple ceiling.
"Brilliant hearing, huh…"
He chuckled softly.
"Guess the Mirror has a guard after all."
Not a soldier.
Not a knight.
Just a blind girl who could hear things others couldn't.
Funny how the world worked.
Outside the capital walls, far across the dark fields—
More torches moved in the distance.
Lines of them.
Too many to count.
The army of Dermouth was still marching.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Getting closer with every passing night.
Inside the Mirror, Eunwoo closed his eyes.
"Yeah…"
He sighed.
"That's definitely going to become a problem."