Chapter 22
A cold voice soon broke the silence.
“You’re unusually frivolous today, Tepe.”
“…My apologies.”
“If someone saw you now, they’d think you became my aide with your mouth instead of your sword.”
Lucy looked a little speechless as Edward insulted even his own trusted subordinate without discrimination.
‘How can he say things like that?’
But surprisingly, Tepe didn’t seem hurt at all.
“I’ll correct myself.”
“Don’t make me correct you twice.”
“Of course.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Tepe immediately straightened his posture, as though he also felt he had gone a little too far.
It seemed he was already used to Edward’s way of speaking.
‘I guess that’s a good thing?’
Lucy had been worried the atmosphere would become awkward, so she felt a little relieved.
Then she became aware of Edward standing so close beside her.
‘Huh?’
It felt strangely familiar.
The armor she had thought was cold when it touched her neck earlier…
Had become warm again.
Just like yesterday…
When she had been carried in his arms all day…
And when they kissed.
‘…Stop thinking about that!’
Embarrassed by the warmth, Lucy quietly stepped away.
As she did, the monster blood covering Edward’s armor stained her own clothes.
Edward noticed it too.
He gently moved Lucy aside before turning to Tepe.
“Enough of that. What about the Temple’s soldiers?”
“Ah. We led them as far away as possible.”
“So they won’t arrive here immediately.”
“Yes. I sent the coachman back through the relay station. He’ll probably reach the Duchy in a few days.”
After Tepe finished speaking, Gorgo quietly added,
While doing so, he carefully observed both Lucy and Edward.
There was a meaningful look in his eyes.
‘What’s with that look?’
Before Lucy could think about it—
Edward nodded.
Then, looking as though everything was a bother, he casually examined Lucy.
Her face had become smooth again, like a peeled egg.
She looked healthy enough to travel.
And more importantly…
He needed to take her back to the Duchy as soon as possible…
‘I need to fix her habit of giving herself away to just anyone.’
Just look at how she had praised Count Moro.
Even Tepe had almost been charmed by this little mouse a moment ago.
This mouse belongs to me.
Even if it was his trusted subordinate…
Edward didn’t like seeing someone else getting close to what was his.
His eyes casually shifted toward the inn’s front door.
Through the slightly open door, he could see a crowd waiting outside.
“Please, everyone. His Grace needs to rest…”
“I told you it’ll only take a moment!”
In front of the sweating innkeeper stood the nobles trying to make up for their mistakes…
Along with the commoners who had blamed Edward earlier.
The moment their conversation ended, they looked ready to rush inside and apologize.
‘I hate troublesome things.’
He had no interest in whatever they wanted to say.
Right now…
The only thing on his mind was taking the woman in front of him back to his territory.
Edward made his decision immediately.
“Then we’ll leave right now.”
“We’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
Then he finally gave Lucy the answer she had wanted all this time.
“We’re going to the Duchy of Tesseron.”
* * *
“Ahhh!”
Crash!
Meanwhile—
In the deepest room of the Temple in the Imperial Capital.
An expensive flower vase…
A paperweight…
Anything within reach flew through the air.
The Temple maids standing nearby immediately turned pale.
“Lady Sepina, why are you so angry? Please calm down.”
“That’s right. If you keep getting so angry, you’ll hurt your health—”
“Shut up!”
“Ah!”
A flower vase flew straight toward them.
Crash!
The maids barely avoided the shattered pieces.
Terrified, they scattered in every direction.
Then they hurried into the corner, wiping away cold sweat.
“Why is she suddenly acting like this?”
“I know. She was always like an angel.”
“I have no idea…”
The confused maids carefully watched Sepina.
They couldn’t understand why the Saint, who normally smiled kindly even at them, had suddenly become like this.
Sepina didn’t care.
She was too busy grinding her teeth.
She no longer had the energy to pretend to be kind.
‘I was so close!’
Edward had always treated her coldly.
But he still came to receive purification from her every single time.
Once physical intimacy became familiar…
Emotional attachment would naturally follow.
At least…
That was what Sepina had been taught.
‘Then why…’
“What has happened, Saint Sepina?”
At that moment, the very person who had taught her that entered the room with a gentle smile.
The father of the entire Temple of the Empire.
The Pope.
“Your Holiness.”
The maids were delighted to see what felt like a savior.
At the same time, they quickly lowered their heads.
They hadn’t expected someone of such high status to come personally.
“Sisters, you may leave.”
At the Pope’s order, they immediately hurried out.
‘His Holiness personally came to comfort Lady Sepina.’
‘He’s such a kind man.’
Thinking he truly cared about both the Saint and even humble maids like themselves…
They quietly left.
Thud.
The door closed.
The Pope sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room.
“Father!”
The moment no one else was watching…
Sepina burst into tears and ran toward him.
She clung to him like a spoiled child.
“I’m so upset!”
“There, there. You’ve ruined your beautiful face, my dear daughter.”
The Pope spoke sweetly while gently stroking her hair.
Very few people inside the Temple knew…
That the two were actually father and daughter.
Priests who devoted themselves to the Temple were strictly forbidden from marrying or having children.
But not every priest lived honestly.
The higher their position…
The more there were those who secretly broke the rules or kept lovers.
Sepina herself was the result of one of those sins…
Committed when the Pope had still been a High Priest.
As he stroked her hair, the Pope thought,
‘Fortunately, she doesn’t resemble me very much.’
Originally…
He had planned to kill the child as soon as she was born.
She was proof of his disgrace.
But the moment the baby opened her eyes…
He changed his mind.
She didn’t resemble him much.
Yet she had inherited the exact same eye color.
That awakened his greed.
‘She’s my child. She inherited my excellent bloodline.’
Wouldn’t it be a waste to kill her?
Wouldn’t she become proof that my superior bloodline exists?
Besides…
The baby had very little holy power.
And she was a girl.
Her holy power was so weak that no one would suspect she was related to him.
And later…
She could be “sold.”
That made her useful.
‘If she had possessed great holy power, people might have suspected our relationship. No matter how valuable she was, I would’ve had to dispose of her.’
He had no intention of being removed from office because of one careless mistake.
Especially not now that he had become the Pope.
Even while thinking such cold thoughts…
He smiled kindly and continued comforting Sepina.
He always acted like a loving father toward her.
Because that made controlling her much easier.
“It’s alright, Sepina.”
“No, it isn’t! The Duke left… and our last test subject escaped too!”
“That…”
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 the Duke of Tesseron.’
It was as if they had lost the only thing capable of keeping the Duke under their control.
Still…
There was another way.
“It’s all because your Holy Knights are so useless!”
“…”
“I hate you! Even your hair ran away because it hated you too!”
“…Ahem.”
Sepina’s completely unrelated insult immediately ruined the Pope’s mood.
‘She should’ve simply seduced him with her body like I taught her.’
He had spared his daughter because she carried his bloodline.
But despite having nothing except her appearance…
She had become unbearably arrogant.
Still smiling, the Pope gently soothed her.
She was still useful.
He couldn’t allow her to fall out of his control.
And if she learned the Duke had taken the test subject away with him…
She would become even more unstable.
It was better to keep that secret.
The Pope firmly adjusted his wig before whispering,
“Don’t worry. We can always find another test subject.”
“But children with holy power are barely being born anymore!”
“Our Order has already invited several scholars to research a way to transplant holy power.”
Naturally…
Such research was completely illegal.
Although they called it transplantation…
It actually meant forcibly tearing holy power out of one person and giving it to another.
The person who lost their holy power always died.
Sepina’s eyes widened.
She had never known the Pope was conducting experiments like that.
