“I’ve been here once before, and they gave me a small pill. When I took it, it clouded my judgment and erased my self-control.”
“…”
“Not only that, but many commoner children are captured here, only to leave as corpses.”
“…”
It was just as I expected. They spoke of noble blood, but in reality, how could the buyers be sure if the blood they purchased was from a noble or a commoner?
“This place is managed by multiple nations. On the surface, it appears well-kept, but it’s anything but.”
Some countries seemed to be preparing for war, making a place like this incredibly significant. But the idea of blood becoming a commodity…
“Alright, Alois. In the previous country, I could heal them. But here… what am I supposed to do?”
“As expected of Lady Emilone. You catch on quickly.”
He removed the needle from the third man’s arm and clapped his hands.
“Since you brought me here, feel free to use me.”
I held out my hand as if to say I was leaving it in his hand. Alois took my hand and pressed his red lips to the back of my hand.
“As long as I’m allowed to.”
His eyes flashed dangerously.
* * *
“I will lift the spell.”
Alois touched the earring hanging from my ear, and my hair, which had been dyed another color, slowly returned to its original shade. My reflection in the mirror on the wall showed my hair turning pink.
“Soon, someone will come to draw our blood.”
“…”
“They will give you a drug, and just like those lying over there, your blood will be taken.”
As I ran my fingers through my now-pink hair and gestured for him to continue, he let out a chuckle.
“Honestly, if you ask me how to use Your Holiness, I’m at a loss.”
“Hmm?”
“With just one word from you, the Emperor would be forced to kneel.”
“…”
He leaned in lightly, smiling. My whole body was covered by his shadow.
“And yet, here you are, following my words. The possibilities are endless.”
Not just now—whenever he posed a question, I answered, and whenever he asked something of me, I complied. Or rather, I had no choice but to move in the direction he desired.
“I have tried countless times to destroy this place. But with the kings of so many nations protecting it, that has never been easy.”
“…”
I placed my hand on Alois’s shoulder and pushed, but he didn’t budge. When he didn’t move, I pulled him toward me instead.
“Right now, the only one who can control Saintess Emilone is not the Emperor nor the Crown Prince, nor the High Priest—it is you, Alois.”
Our faces were so close I could feel his breath. His red eyes were fixed entirely on me as I continued.
“Now, I could simply speak a few words and erase this place. Or I could destroy it so completely that no one would even remember it existed.”
“…”
“But that’s not what you want.”
This time, I pushed his shoulder a bit harder. Alois let himself be pushed back and he lost his smile as he looked down at me.
“A place like this won’t just disappear because I temporarily break it apart. It will never be that simple. So, I know that what you want from me is far more than just a light punishment.”
“Truly, you are far too much than I can handle.”
“I’m glad you know.”
I threw in a lighthearted remark to ease the tense atmosphere, but Alois simply continued to stare at me with a stiff expression.
“Now, tell me. What do you want me to do?”
The moment those words left my lips, I sensed the presence of others approaching. Just as I tensed, he ran his fingers through my hair.
“Pink hair and red eyes are trademarks of the Saintess, you know?”
“Lady Emilone is not the only one in the world with pink hair and red eyes.”
As he spoke, the door opened. A white-haired old man, leaning on a cane, entered. However, what truly caught my attention were the two children standing behind him. They were so thin and frail their gender was indiscernible, and they each wore a collar marking them as slaves.
‘…This is the worst.’
There was no way I could feel good seeing this. I turned to look at Alois. He was smiling, yet his face was shrouded in darkness.
It was almost terrifying.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I was conducting a training session, and it kept me late.”
I saw his broken-toothed grin. A training session? The stench clinging to his hands told me all I needed to know. Like the blonde woman before, he adjusted his monocle and examined both me and Alois.
“Hoh…”
“…”
His unpleasant gaze lingered on me. Then, as his eyes landed on the nobles lying unconscious with their needles removed, he struck his cane against the floor.
“What is the meaning of this—”
“I was bored so I played a little prank.”
Alois spoke like it was no big deal. The old man’s face turned red with rage.
“No matter how noble you are, if you behave like this, you will not be allowed back in! Rules! You must follow the rules!”
He raised his voice, but unfortunately, it had no effect. Instead, I stepped in front of Alois, tucking my hair behind my ear as I sized up the old man.
“Before you start talking about rules, shouldn’t you first figure out who I am?”
Alois seemed slightly surprised by my assertiveness, and for a brief moment, I regretted speaking so boldly.
Had I interfered with his plan?
I glanced at him cautiously, but he simply gave me an intrigued look, silently encouraging me to continue. My back stiffened.
There were seven of us here—me, Alois, the four unconscious nobles, and the old man. But beyond the children, I sensed more people inside the adjacent room.
The stench was suffocating.
Feeling slightly breathless, I unbuttoned the collar of my dress, which was constricting my throat.
“I don’t know who you are, young miss, but you have some nerve doing this here. The rules are everything in here! I have nothing more to say to you. Leave now!”
To be fair, I’m sure he’s met quite a few people who go, ‘Do you know who I am?’. The old man clicked his tongue and shot me a dismissive look.
Annoyed, I stepped forward and slowly removed my high-heeled shoes. They sat there, marking my path, and with my bare feet, I stepped onto the cold marble floor.
“Get out of my way.”
I usually tried to be polite, but as I got closer, the overwhelming stench made my head spin. I was beyond irritated.
Breathing heavily, I brushed past the white-haired old man.
“How dare you—!”
“Shh.”
The old man raised his cane, but Alois swiftly snatched it from him with a gentle, almost soothing motion.
“If you don’t know who I am, you should learn now.”
Beyond him, two terrified children stood trembling. My eyelashes quivered at the sight of their emaciated forms.
“My name is Emilone.”
I reached for the collars around their necks, gripping them tightly. The use of slave collars had been banned in nearly every nation, and they were typically made with dark magic, directly opposing divine power.
A sharp pain pricked my fingers, but as my divine power surged, the engraved symbols on the collars shattered into dust.
“What… What is this?!”
“You should at least recognize the Saintess, the one called God’s blessing.”
I brushed away the tear stains on their emaciated cheeks and infused them with divine power, and their wounds visibly lessened.
Once there were no longer any marks on their bodies, I looked around the dark room.
“Saintess? Saintess, my foot!! What a load of crap! A mere priest trying to impersonate the Saintess!”
Bewildered by the entire situation, the man flushed with anger.
I signaled Alois with a glance, and he gripped the old man’s throat tightly.
“Shh. Be a little quieter, would you?”
“…Ugh…khh…”
It looked like there were still children inside.
Just as I thought, I should go in and check—
Crackle—!
“…!!”
The moment I tried to enter, a searing heat flared over my body, and I instinctively took a few steps back.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s some kind of spell on the entrance.”
“…”
Alois, still holding the old man by the neck with one hand, dragged him forward and reached his hand into the room.
The same thing happened—his hand was thrown back.
“Do you think we’d just let intruders waltz in!?”
The old man shattered his monocle and his eyes darkening into blackness.
The moment I saw it, I clicked my tongue.
“Dark magic.”
The moment I spoke, a filthy energy surged toward Alois.
I quickly wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him toward me.
A normal person hit directly by such corruption… at best, their entire body would rot away. At worst, an unspeakable fate awaited them.
“Impersonating a Saintess of all things! What bullshit!”
This is why they say you can’t change the mind of old men.
I tried to wrap myself in divine power to repel the dark magic. However, the spell was not trying to attack me or Alois…
“…Tch.”
A wave of dizziness crashed over me.
I grit my teeth and glared at the old man, who started to cackle and the world around me immediately shifted.
Unfortunately, it was a teleportation spell.
One moment, the air was thick with filth and the stench of decay.
The next, a fresh, crisp breeze carried the scent of grass, and birds chirped faintly in the distance.
The abrupt change was enough to wash away my discomfort, albeit for just a moment.
We had been transported.
Just the two of us…
Into an unfamiliar forest.
*.*.*
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 31 - September 27, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 30 - September 25, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 137 - September 25, 2025
So, prince. Was this in the plan?