The two blondes each wore different expressions.
And yet, the same thought arose in both their minds.
Fina Nisi: Could it be the Saintess is doing this for my sake?
Briana Tell: The Saintess must be doing this for me.
Besides, with the Saintess stepping in, no matter what, the two of them had to give her some respect, right?
Aililan waved her hand, dismissing the crowd as she said, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, you can all disperse!”
The two blondes glared at each other, bristling with mutual displeasure, then went their separate ways.
Pella hesitated for a moment, but still lowered her head and followed after Fina Nisi.
Watching the figure ahead,
Pella felt a sense of anticipation well up inside her.
More accurately, it was Briana who had greatly raised her expectations. That pricey, dazzling gemstone—Briana had originally planned to win it at auction and gift it to her!
So… “Will Captain Fina Nisi give it to me?” The hope in Pella’s heart grew ever stronger. Once upon a time, she too was the daughter of a noble family in the Holy Land, the object of many knights’ pursuits.
Later, Fina Nisi overcame all obstacles and finally captured her heart.
With such hopes and expectations, yet Pella never received that dazzling gemstone. Instead, she was subjected to Fina Nisi’s torment.
“Wretched woman…”
Cracks began to form in Pella’s heart.
The war between the two blondes had only just begun. As one of the richest people around, Briana Tell truly believed there was nothing in this world that money couldn’t solve.
“Go and hire me the strongest assassin…” Briana paused, then changed her words, “Forget it, assassinating a Grandmaster of a knight order is too big a deal, and I wouldn’t be able to explain it to Saintess Aililan, either.”
“Just hire a few strong fighters.”
“Go give that Grandmaster some fun.”
This was the power of money.
With enough, you could even hire a mighty dragon.
On this tranquil night, gentle moonlight fell like frost, spilling across every street and alley of the city.
Aililan finished putting on her casual clothes, and out of caution, she turned to the person beside her and asked, “Is Fina Nisi still in the garrison?”
Renata nodded. “She is. The scouts we stationed said Pella’s been shouting for more than two hours. I just don’t get it. Is it so hard for those two to get a room in the inner city? Always causing a ruckus in the garrison, ruining the Chastity Knights’ reputation.”
“Over two hours? Is Pella not being worn out by now? Tell me the details.”
“Ahem… You’re the Chastity Saintess, you really shouldn’t ask about these things.”
“Well said.” Aililan glared at her, gritting her teeth. “I am the Chastity Saintess. I suppose I’m destined to be a spinster for life.”
Renata kept her gaze lowered, staring at her nose, her heart calm and still.
She didn’t dare say a word, nor ask any more.
The two of them secretly arrived at the Snake Gang. For Aililan, it had been several days; she only dared come now that the commotion had finally died down a bit, and she wanted to check on that pitiful blind girl.
The Snake Gang was much the same as ever, with many people there drinking. After all, most had been recruited from former gang members. Aililan didn’t put too many restrictions on them; as long as they didn’t engage in crime any longer, they were considered qualified.
Upon seeing the Saintess arrive, Arkernard immediately prepared to offer a grand salute.
Aililan waved her hand.
“There are no outsiders here, that’s not necessary.”
“Saintess, what brings you here today?”
“Is it a crime for me to visit?”
“That’s not what I meant. The Snake Gang will always welcome your presence.” Arkernard paused, then added, “And I will always be your most loyal knight.”
Aililan narrowed her eyes and glanced at him.
She could see Arkernard’s desire to return!
After all, he was a righteous, upright member of the Chastity Knights; mixing with gang members every day was indeed improper.
Aililan pondered for a moment, then promised, “Arkernard, I’ve long known of your character and loyalty. But the Snake Gang still needs you for now. Once things are settled, you can take the vice-captain position in any cavalry squad you wish!”
Arkernard was overjoyed. “Thank you, Saintess!”
“Alright, enough talk. How is the Snake Gang lately?”
“The Snake Gang is running smoothly, mainly handling law enforcement in the slums. Theft and murder cases have dropped considerably.”
“You’ve done well. And about the winery construction—you must follow up on it. Especially the matter of reclaiming houses from the poor; make sure they’re compensated and offered jobs if possible.”
“Saintess, what if someone tries to extort a higher price?”
“Extort? I would think, your Snake Gang isn’t made up of pushovers, is it?”
“I understand.”
“If there’s nothing else, take me to see Theresa…”
“One moment, Saintess, there’s something else I wish to consult you about.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about smuggling. What do you think we should do?”
Smuggling, huh?
That was indeed a tricky issue. It mostly went against Aililan’s beliefs, but though risky, the profits from smuggling were enormous.
Aililan thought for a while, then made up her mind. “Draw up a list of what’s being smuggled. We’ll pick a few to handle ourselves. For the rest, I’ll contact the authorities and have them crack down hard.”
As they talked, they arrived at the entrance to a secret chamber.
Opening the door, they were greeted by utter darkness, save for a beam of silvery moonlight streaming through the Glass Tile on the roof. Bathed in that moonlight, Theresa stood lost in thought, her mind elsewhere.
Arkernard saluted,
Then hurriedly left the secret chamber.
Theresa rose and softly called toward the doorway, “Sir Arkernard, is that you?”
Aililan answered gently, “It’s me.”
“Miss Aililan… Saintess?”
“Just call me Aililan.”
Aililan couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she sensed a certain distance between the two of them now! Mostly, it was Theresa’s own nervousness, her deliberate efforts to keep her distance.
After a long silence.
“Sigh~”
Beneath the Glass Tile’s moonlight, Theresa let out a faint sigh. “I thought you’d never come see me again!”
Aililan shook her head with a bitter smile. “Are you blaming me?”
“I’m not.”
“Then do you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you.”
“Then I must have done something to hurt you, which is why you’re being so cold to me, isn’t that right?”
“No, it’s not.” Theresa hurriedly stood up and faced the direction of Aililan’s voice. “I—I don’t hate you. The one I like most is…”
Theresa was both shy and frustrated.
Ever since that day, she’d sworn to suppress those inappropriate feelings, but with just a few words from Aililan, all her defenses crumbled.
Now she felt both awkward and embarrassed.
Just as she was at a loss for what to do, Aililan stepped forward and gently hugged her, saying, “Sorry for only coming to see you now.”
That simple embrace made Theresa’s eyes redden. Choking back her tears, she said, “You don’t need to apologize.”
“Trust me, you’ll be able to leave here very soon.”
“So, Miss Aililan, am I now your caged bird?”
“Haha, I know you long for freedom and to soar, Theresa. Just wait a little longer, and I’ll help you spread your wings and fly.”
Theresa shook her head.
“What’s wrong?”
Theresa shook her head again. “Nothing.”
In truth, she wanted to say: Aililan, you’re not a caged bird, so how do you know that’s really what a caged bird longs for… freedom? She was just a blind girl.
Afraid she couldn’t fly high.
Afraid she couldn’t fly far.
What she wanted was… to become Aililan’s caged bird.