Chapter 3
What?
Lowering my gaze, I saw a man’s fingers buried in pale flesh. It looked like if he let go, red marks would remain exactly where they were.
…Yes, not a bad setup.
Feigning composure, I answered Lothar’s question.
“Isn’t it something we can skip? It’s a transaction anyway.”
“All political marriages are like that. A transaction, yes—but no one skips the process. After all, it is the forming of a marital bond.”
“……”
Strange.
I was the one who had kidnapped him. Lothar was the one who had been kidnapped. And yet, somehow, he was taking control of the conversation.
A marital bond? Did that even matter? Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, I fell silent. Lothar asked again,
“Do you dislike me?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is the problem?”
There was something oddly persistent about his tone. A faint headache began to form.
Before long, the carriage would arrive at the temple. I didn’t want to ruin what I had prepared.
So—
“…Later. Let’s discuss that later.”
I postponed my answer.
Should I have just ordered him to shut up and follow instructions? But looking into his unwavering, steady eyes, I didn’t feel inclined to.
Fortunately, Lothar didn’t press further. He simply nodded.
“Understood. Let us deal with the immediate crisis first.”
The moment he said that, the arm around my waist tightened.
My body, which had been draped over his thigh, was suddenly pulled forward, and our chests collided.
For a brief moment, my senses were stolen by his strong scent—then his lips touched the back of my neck.
“Hng—”
A hot, damp breath sent shivers down my spine.
Lothar took my skin into his mouth and sucked lightly. A slight sting—followed by a tingling sensation like a current running beneath it—made my waist tense on its own.
He moved smoothly downward along the curve of my neck. His lips brushed over my skin, and then, almost lazily, his tongue slipped out to press against the edge of my collarbone.
The soft, wet sensation made my eyes tremble.
This wasn’t what I had in mind. There was no need for Lothar to slowly draw out the heat inside my body like this.
Just as I was about to remind him of the true purpose of this act—
“Hah.”
The hand gripping my thigh began to move, sliding over softer flesh.
“W-wait, what are you—!”
“It’s not a bad thing if it feels good, is it?”
With that brief whisper, his hand continued.
His touch was delicate yet firm, like slicing through ripe fruit, and for a moment, my vision spun.
My hips and waist instinctively tried to move, but his grip held me firmly in place.
“Hah, ah—!”
Heat surged from deep within my abdomen. A sound escaped me against my will, and I quickly bit my lip.
The carriage had no soundproofing. At this rate, the knights outside would hear the voice of a saintess lost in arousal in real time.
“Hng, Lothar, stop… ah…”
Lothar slowly lowered the arm wrapped around my waist.
His hand gently stroked where my hips pressed against his thigh before gripping firmly once, then lifted the cumbersome hem of my dress.
At the same time, his green eyes dropped downward. It felt as though my bare body was being put on display under his gaze.
“Shh.”
As if soothing me, he exhaled softly and then sucked hard just below my collarbone.
A faint, pulling sound followed, along with a sharp sting.
Soon after, he released me and licked over the spot with the tip of his tongue, whispering,
“Your skin must be sensitive. It seems to mark easily.”
“Hng… mm—”
With the fabric of my dress clenched in my mouth, I couldn’t even respond.
Unbothered, Lothar lowered his head again.
Just before he opened his mouth to bite into my soft skin, he said,
“If it is unsatisfactory, please tell me. I will correct it.”
His damp fingers were just about to lift behind my knee—
“Stop!”
A knight’s voice rang out from beyond the carriage. At the same time, the carriage slowly came to a halt.
“Tch.”
I thought I heard Lothar click his tongue.
Snapping back to my senses, I hurriedly pulled my dress down below my knees and whispered urgently to him,
“Stab inside.”
“…Pardon?”
“We need blood, don’t we?!”
Lothar blinked at my urging. Just moments ago, he had no problem doing things I hadn’t even asked for—so why now?
I reached to shake his shoulder again, but the hand that had been touching me withdrew.
What he pulled out next was a small dagger.
Before I could even question it, he acted first. Without hesitation, he slashed across his own palm.
“…!”
I was so startled that no sound came out. Even the knocking from outside went ignored.
Without changing his expression, Lothar brought his bleeding palm inside my dress.
Only after watching him smear blood across the area where my thighs and hips met did I understand his intention.
“…What are you—”
“As long as it looks like there was bleeding, it doesn’t matter, does it?”
Well… that’s true, but—isn’t he completely insane?
While I stood there dumbfounded, Lothar diligently continued. He carefully smeared blood even onto the underskirt before looking up and asking,
“Is this amount sufficient?”
“…Probably.”
Only then did he withdraw his hand and pull my dress neatly back down to my ankles.
Then he took out a handkerchief, dampened it, and began scrubbing his injured palm. I tried to stop him in alarm, but—
“…What?”
The blood was gone, leaving only a long, faint scar. It had already stopped bleeding.
As I stared blankly at the wound, Lothar tucked the handkerchief away and said,
“By the time we enter the temple, it will have healed.”
“……”
That’s it? That’s the explanation?
Sixth life. I had heard many times that the Second Prince’s physical abilities were on a completely different level from ordinary people. This was just the first time I had seen it firsthand.
I was about to grab his hand and question him further—
Knock, knock.
“Saintess, is something wrong?”
The knight’s voice carried tension as he knocked again.
Come to think of it, he had knocked earlier too, and I hadn’t responded once. He must have been worried something had happened inside the carriage.
Quietly, I slid off Lothar’s thigh and straightened my clothes. Then, as the knocking came again, I kicked the door open.
“Ghk—!”
The knight struck by the suddenly opening door let out a strangled squeal.
Watching from behind, Lothar asked quietly so only I could hear,
“How did you bribe the Holy Knights?”
Is that really what matters right now? The image of his wounded palm was still lingering in my mind.
“I didn’t bribe them.”
After checking the back of my dress, where the blood had spread naturally, I threw on the robe I had prepared and answered,
“They pledged loyalty on their own.”
“…Did you possess that much authority, Saintess?”
What was that tone?
Frowning, I turned back to look at him. His expression was calm—he didn’t seem to be provoking me.
Well, anyone with half a brain would find it strange.
“I didn’t.”
Not just authority. Money, fame, connections—I had been given none of it. As a saintess in name only, I had nothing.
“So I created it.”
Instead, I had been given the resource of “repeated lives.” I simply made use of the information as much as I could.
At my casual answer, Lothar nodded slightly, as if he understood.
“Sometimes, threats are an important means.”
“……”
What is he talking about? That’s a bit unfair.
The only ones I had ever threatened were a dying archbishop, a priest on the verge of retirement, and a Second Prince who was destined to die anyway.
…Does that still count as a primary method?
Whatever I said, it would probably lead to the same conclusion, so I turned my head away. Outside the carriage, armed Holy Knights were marching in formation.
As I watched them and continued talking with Lothar, a memory from my second life suddenly surfaced.
Dozens of Holy Knights escorting me. Yet in truth, I had nothing—just a second life as a saintess in name.
Back then, my goal had been different. To escape from Maximilian. I thought it might be possible when I successfully seduced a gentle baron and married him.
But then—
‘Elise. How does it feel to be a widow?’
My husband was executed.
