Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 14

T/N: Enjoy~!

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I watched at Luanne walk away then I realized I didn’t know where to go so I headed down, towards the crowd. So many people were gathered in one place, so it was easy to find.

Once I arrived, the white-robed priests fell to their knees like Moses was performing a miracle. The etiquette was quite excessive for a place with a lot of people around.

“I greet God’s blessing.”

And among the nobles offering their greetings, I could see a woman with bright hair. As I expected, the culprit was a young noble miss with a cute face.

Two male knights wearing the imperial emblem, knelt after the priests and offered their greetings as well.

Every time this happened, it felt a little burdensome and I had to convince myself that it couldn’t be helped. I waved my hand to them and said:

“Please rise.”

The young miss in front of me was in a terrible state. Even though she was a human and not a demon, her treatment was terrible.

My face hardened very quickly, and I didn’t think I could say anything pleasant. Even though she tried to kill me, this was a little…

Her arms and legs were tattered and bloody and her bright yellow hair that I saw the other day was covered in filth. Her face which peeked through the strands of her hair was incredibly swollen from what looked like beatings.

I used my sleeve to cover my nose and mouth and showed my disgust on my face.

“Why does she look like this?”

“Well, she resisted…”

Even without being there, I had a good idea about what happened. Did they think I wanted this?

I acted fiercely, yes, but I still represented peace.

I seriously pondered what was going on in the emperor’s brain then I ordered the knights to lift the woman.

I don’t know where to start since there was a lot of injuries. When I lifted my hand towards the young miss, she flinched.

Seeing her reaction, I wasn’t sure if I should say something. Then I lowered my voice so that only she could hear and said:

“Don’t worry. And I will be treating you so don’t say anything.”

The young miss took a staggering step back like she was about to fall. However, the two knights were holding her firmly in place, so it was as if she didn’t move at all.

I couldn’t comfort her any further since her reaction was so intense but to start things off, I put my hand on her shoulder, which seemed the most injured.

“Arrrgh!!!”

“…?”

A loud scream erupted from her, surprising me and the people who were watching. The knights looked back and forth between me and the young miss with surprise on their face.

My face darkened, just like when I touched the crown prince’s wound. I really didn’t like touching wounds directly. It felt horrible and disgusting.

The young miss continued to struggle and wanting to finish this up quickly, I poured out as much divine energy as I could.

At some point, the wounds had begun to heal and the young miss who was screaming so loud that she was losing her breath, stopped crying, and looked at me.

Her green eyes, which I couldn’t see well due to the swelling, met mine.

After the treatment was over, I took back my hand. The knights let her go and she slumped down on the spoon.

“Get up.”

The priests and people outside seemed to be wondering why I even treated her. My eyes caught sight of a few people whom I guess were sent by nobles.

Tears continued to fall down the young miss’s face as she staggered to her feet. And seeing this, I spoke in a voice that only she could hear.

“Do you want to live?”

“…Sav…Please save me…”

“Are you asking me, the saintess, to save you?” I spoke softly, grabbing the young miss who kept avoiding my gaze.

“Please… my parents. My parents…”

I don’t know when he arrived, but Duke Cassian was at the temple gates, standing alongside his carriage and looking in my direction.

My eyes swept over his figure, then I raised my voice a notch as if I wanted him to hear. I took the young noble miss’s wrist and pushed her gently towards Reneben.

“Take her inside.”

The crows stirred around me.

The young miss looked at me with wide eyes. As Reneben took the young miss away, I massaged my stiff neck gently and watched the Duke.

His eyes fell on my arm. Then he frowned as if he was dissatisfied by the fact that it was covered with a shawl.

Needless to say, for a wound that was over two weeks old, it was already gone and not a single scar remained.

Since he wanted to see it, I lifted the shawl a little and noticed the Duke stiffen.

Then again, if I was a normal person, the wound would have festered, and I would be riddled with scars.

From now on, I had a lot of work to do.

I could see that the nobles’ spirits have been dampened a little and the timing of the arrest was just right. It was time to decided what to do next as the clock was ticking.

Right then, Duke Cassian cut through the crowd of people and came up to me.

“Lady Saintess.”

Hearing the Duke call me, I raised my head as slowly as possible. My eyes took in the knightly sturdy chest in front of me and the chiseled jawline that slowly came into view.

‘Why did he come here?’

When I stared at the Duke without offering any greeting, he spoke first, “Can you spare me a moment of your time?”

Well, anyone connected to the princess was welcome. It would be even better if the princess came too though.

I haven’t been able to read any novels lately since I was so busy so I was slightly thirsty for such stories.

“Of course.”

Hm… honestly speaking, I was not in a position to welcome anything related to Ronella right now.

The young miss was the culprit behind the chandelier falling, but there must be someone else who led the process.

I considered the princess a possible suspect. And the next suspect was the Ducal Prince, Veron. He was the owner of the blue-eyes that I noticed just before I left the banquet hall with Reneben. He just stood there as if he was invisible then disappeared without announcing his presence in the banquet hall.

“Thank you for accepting despite my sudden intrusion.”

I didn’t know who the mastermind was, but the young miss they used as a chess piece was too clumsy at the time.

I vividly remember her trembling, pale face when the chandelier fell. At the time, all the attention was on me so her odd behavior was not noticed…but it seems she was caught in just a few days.

“Not at all.”

I had nothing to say so I was about to ask how he was doing, then my eyes fell on Duke’s clothes.

Immediately, I noticed his jacket was drooping like something melted it. It seems he just came from dealing with a demon. He was rumored to be incredibly skilled so it shouldn’t have been too difficult.

Seeing the slightly urgent look on his face, I wondered what the Duke wanted to talk about. I decided to lead him inside, entrusting the noisy crowd to the paladins.

I sucked in a deep breath at the noisiness and entered the temple with the Duke.

Since I entrusted Reneben with the lady, I knew she would be fine. Reneben had been living in the temple since he was a child so he could be frustratingly stiff at times, he was still someone I could trust.

As we walked through the temple hallway which was still noisy, I asked the Duke, “Do you mind telling me beforehand what brings you here?”

“…I will tell you once we reach the drawing room.”

That made me curious…what was he going to say?

I realized we had to walk up the stairs since the drawing room was on the second floor and I came to a stop.

“Duke Cassian, that reminds me.”

I didn’t like silence. It felt awkward to hear only footsteps, so I turned and looked at him.

“Do you often skip greetings?”

I felt like we should exchange greetings first to relax the atmosphere somewhat.

At that, Duke Cassian came to a stop and looked at me.

I stayed where I was instead of climbing more steps. With the height difference on the stairs, I was on the same eye level as him.

I always had to raise my head to look at him so it felt nice to be face to face like this.

I stared into the Duke’s purple and red, heterochrome pupils.

“…I greet God’s blessing.”

“May God’s blessing be upon you.” I returned his greeting courteously.

Right next to me, the Duke’s eyes shone dangerously.

We arrived at the drawing room, where I often go in and out these days. I asked for tea to be served and the Duke sat down in front of me.

It felt a little strange to see him sitting in the temple’s receiving room.

After the maid poured us tea and left, the Duke looked at me with eyes that said he had something to ask of me.

I lifted the teacup, wetting my lips as I wondered about this unexpected look.

“I have something to ask Your Holiness.”

Whether it was just the standard characteristic of a knight or a normal habit, Duke Cassian’s posture was always straight and disciplined.

“You can speak comfortably. What would you like to ask?”

When I said that, the Duke opened his mouth and said something unexpected, “I heard from His Majesty…that you mentioned that the nobles must pay for the crimes they have committed.”

“So you have heard.”

It was decided at the meeting just a few days ago.

Duke Cassian hesitated for a moment before saying, “About my family’s crimes…”

Upon hearing those words from the Duke, my eyelashes fluttered. He was not referring to his own crimes, but the crimes of the previous Duke.

The former Duke was not as terrible as you might imagine but like most nobles, he thought he was the best and caused harm to innocent people in the process.

I recalled the document which listed the deeds of the Cassian manor and thought about it, then I said, “If it’s something related to the previous Duke, then I know.”

The Duke Cassian in front of me was not a bad person. Although he was a bit stiff and insensitive, the Cassian Ducal Manor has been growing ever since he inherited the title.

If you exclude his attachment to the princess, he was a perfect person.

“Allow me to apologize on behalf of my father…”

“Duke Cassian, may I offer a suggestion?” I pressed my moistened lips together and tucked my flowing hair behind my ear.

“Yes, that is fine.” The Duke replied, looking at me and urged me in silence.

“Soon, God’s blessing will fall to this land.”

I began with contrived words like someone who’s been sucked into a cult, then I asked:

“Will you be my partner on that day?”

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