Chapter 22
The cold voice finally broke the silence.
“You’re unusually careless today, Tepe.”
“…My apologies.”
“Someone might think you became my aide because of your mouth instead of your sword.”
Lucy looked a little speechless as Edward insulted even his closest subordinate.
‘How can he say things like that?’
But Tepe didn’t seem hurt at all.
“I’ll correct my behavior.”
“Don’t make me tell you twice.”
“Of course.”
As if he also thought he had gone too far, he immediately straightened his posture.
He was clearly used to the way Edward spoke.
‘Well… I guess that’s a good thing.’
Lucy had been worried the mood would become awkward, so she relaxed a little.
Then she noticed how close Edward was standing.
‘Huh?’
It felt strange.
The armor that had seemed cold when it touched her neck was warm again.
Just like yesterday, when he had carried her… and when they had kissed.
‘Stop thinking about that!’
She quietly stepped away from the warmth, but the monster blood on Edward’s armor stained her own clothes.
Seeing that, Edward gently pushed her a little farther away before asking Tepe,
“Enough. What about the Temple soldiers?”
“We led them as far away as possible.”
“So they won’t reach us anytime soon.”
“Yes. We sent the coachman back through the relay station. He should arrive at the duchy in a few days.”
After Tepe finished, Gorgo carefully looked at Edward and Lucy.
There was a meaningful look in his eyes.
‘What’s that look for?’
Before Lucy could figure it out, Edward nodded.
He casually gestured with his hand and looked her over.
Her face looked healthy again, as smooth as a peeled egg.
She seemed well enough to travel.
And more importantly…
‘I should take her to the duchy as soon as possible… and teach her to stop charming everyone she meets.’
She had praised Count Moro.
And even Tepe had nearly been won over by this little mouse.
‘She’s my mouse.’
Even if it was one of his trusted subordinates, he didn’t like seeing someone else getting close to her.
Edward glanced toward the inn’s front door.
Through the slightly open door, he could see many unwanted visitors gathered outside.
“Please don’t crowd him. The Duke needs to rest…”
“It’ll only take a moment!”
Outside, the innkeeper was sweating nervously while trying to block the nobles, who wanted to make up for their mistakes, and the commoners who had blamed Edward earlier.
It looked like they would rush inside to apologize the moment his conversation ended.
‘How annoying.’
He had no interest in whatever they wanted to say.
The only thing on his mind was taking the woman in front of him back to his territory.
Edward quickly made his decision.
“Then we’ll leave immediately.”
“We’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
He finally gave Lucy the answer she had wanted all along.
“We’re going to the Tesseron Duchy.”
* * *
“Ahhh!”
Crash!
Meanwhile, in the innermost room of the Temple in the capital…
An expensive flower vase and paperweights flew through the air.
The temple maids standing nearby all turned pale.
“Lady Sephina, why are you so angry? Please calm down.”
“Yes. If you get this upset, you’ll damage your health…”
“Shut up!”
“Ah!”
A flower vase flew straight at them.
Crash!
The maids barely avoided the shattered pieces and hurried into the corner.
“W-What’s wrong with her?”
“I know. She used to be as kind as an angel.”
“I have no idea…”
The confused maids nervously watched Sephina.
She was usually kind and smiled warmly even at servants.
Seeing her like this was shocking.
Sephina paid them no attention.
She was too busy grinding her teeth.
She no longer had the patience to pretend to be kind.
‘Everything was almost perfect!’
Edward had always treated her coldly.
But he still came to receive purification from her every time.
Once physical intimacy began, feelings would naturally follow.
At least, that was what Sephina had been taught.
‘So why…?’
“What has happened, Saintess Sephina?”
Just then, the person who had taught her that entered the room with a gentle smile.
It was the Pope.
The head of every temple in the Empire.
“Your Holiness.”
The maids were relieved to see him, like a savior.
They quickly bowed.
“You may all leave.”
The moment the pope spoke, the maids hurried out.
“His Holiness came personally to comfort the Saintess.”
“He’s so kind.”
They all believed he was a good man who cared about both the Saintess and ordinary servants.
The door closed.
The pope sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room.
“Father!”
Now that no one was watching, Sephina burst into tears and ran over to him.
“I’m so upset!”
“Don’t cry. Your pretty face will be ruined, my daughter.”
The pope gently stroked her hair while speaking sweetly.
Very few people in the Temple knew they were actually father and daughter.
Priests were strictly forbidden from marrying or having children.
But not every priest lived honestly.
The higher they climbed, the more some secretly kept lovers or broke the rules.
Sephina was the result of one of the Pope’s mistakes back when he had only been a high priest.
As he stroked her hair, he thought,
‘Fortunately, she doesn’t look much like me.’
Originally, he had planned to kill her as soon as she was born to erase his shame.
But the moment the baby opened her eyes…
He changed his mind.
She didn’t resemble him very much.
But she had the same eye color.
That made him greedy.
‘She’s my child. She inherited my excellent bloodline.’
‘Wouldn’t it be a waste to kill her?’
‘She could leave proof of my greatness behind.’
Besides, she had very little holy power and was a girl.
Her holy power was so low that no one would suspect she was related to him.
And later…
She could be “sold.”
‘If she’d had strong holy power, people might have suspected our relationship. Then I would have had no choice but to get rid of her.’
He had no intention of losing his position over one mistake.
Especially now that he had become Pope.
Thinking such cold thoughts, he still smiled kindly and comforted Sephina.
He had always acted like a loving father.
That made her much easier to control.
“Don’t worry, Sephina.”
“I can’t! The Duke left… and our last test subject escaped!”
“…”
Even for the Pope, that was a painful loss.
The Temple’s final and most valuable test subject had disappeared.
‘And of all people… with Duke Tesseron.’
It meant they had lost their only way to control the Duke.
Still…
There might be another solution.
“It’s all because your Holy Knights are useless!”
“…”
“I hate them! Even your hair ran away because it hates you!”
“…Ahem.”
Her rude words immediately annoyed the pope.
‘She should have simply seduced him properly like I taught her.’
He had spared her because she was his daughter.
But she had nothing except her appearance, yet she acted incredibly arrogant.
The pope forced another smile and gently comforted her.
She was still useful.
He couldn’t let her get out of control.
And if she learned Edward had left with the test subject, she would only become more emotional.
It was better to keep that a secret.
Adjusting his wig, the Pope whispered,
“Don’t worry. We can always find another test subject.”
“But children with holy power are becoming rarer these days!”
“Our order has already invited several scholars.”
“They’re researching a way to transplant holy power.”
Of course, such research was illegal.
It wasn’t really transplantation.
It meant forcibly taking holy power from one person, killing them in the process, and giving it to someone else.
Sephina had never known the Pope was conducting such experiments.
Her eyes widened in shock.
