A good scene?
It should probably be considered a good dream.
However, the process was not exactly pleasant. The Saintess remained silent, and the maids, led by the Head Maid, could only keep their mouths shut. As long as the Chaste Saintess remained chaste, wasn’t that enough?
In the early morning, Aililan opened her eyes.
As her thoughts turned, she felt the power of an Authority swirling within her body.
Feeling a sudden realization, she whispered, “So that’s how it works?”
This was different from ordinary cultivation and sudden breakthroughs.
The way Saintesses cultivated was more like searching for a key, then using it to open a door and obtain an Authority.
Chastity did not specifically refer to virginity.
Rather, it encompassed all things pure and beautiful.
The Succubus’s charm was a manifestation of poison eroding the body, and the first Authority Aililan mastered corresponded to that. It could dispel such impurities.
In plain terms, it was a power that granted immunity to the erosion of poisons.
It was similar to the Dispel spell in games. It seemed like the most basic form of magic, but no matter what kind of poison was involved, one cast of Dispel would fix everything.
However, that was usually only the case for the sake of gameplay.
Otherwise, what kind of poison would ever be considered a major threat?
The Authority that Aililan now wielded was that kind of conceptual ability.
She then thought of Fina Nisi’s ultimate strike from a few days ago. ‘Was that also a type of Authority?’
Aililan took a deep breath and said, “Regardless, I finally look a bit more like a Saintess. At least I have an ability worthy of the title now.”
“And then there’s last night…”
She suddenly felt a headache coming on.
She didn’t believe it had been a dream because certain memories were crystal clear. For instance, she remembered stripping off Theresa’s clothes.
As for the latter half?
That was indeed a bit blurry.
Getting up, Aililan noticed she was still wearing the evening gown from the previous night, but it was surprisingly clean.
Aililan swore that after being poisoned last night, she had lost her composure.
She had expected her clothes to be stained or impure.
In reality, her undergarments were quite clean.
‘This…’
Aililan felt a bit numb.
No one had helped her change out of the evening gown.
Yet, there were almost no traces of anything impure.
This made her think back to that “good dream” from last night. Was the person in the dream really Theresa?
‘I am the Chaste Saintess…’
‘Can I still be considered pure like this?’
Aililan felt her current situation was somewhat ridiculous. Her body was still that of a virgin, but… sigh. She decided not to think about those things for now.
She changed her clothes first.
Then, bracing herself, she opened her bedroom door.
She saw two maids still standing guard outside. It seemed they hadn’t dared to close their eyes for even a moment all night. When they saw Aililan, they looked even more terrified.
Yarandale was trembling, not daring to look Aililan in the eye as she asked, “Saint… Saintess, are you all right?”
Aililan glanced at her and said, “What could be wrong with me? I’m perfectly fine.”
“That… that’s good.”
“Fine, you two hurry up and get to work. After such a mess, we need to have some results.”
“Yes, yes, we’ll see to it immediately.”
It was one thing for Aililan to use herself as bait to catch the culprit, but it was another thing entirely for her to almost be “eaten” by a Succubus.
They couldn’t let that incident affect them. Using the excuse of cleaning up after last night’s banquet, Yarandale gathered all the servants to perform a massive cleaning of the Estate.
The goal wasn’t actually cleaning.
The maids were usually very diligent.
Everything in the Estate was already well-ordered and clean.
The real purpose was to observe the behavior and movements of those servants.
Servitude, especially manual labor, was a specialized task.
According to the information planted among the demons, never mind a Succubus with Lord-tier bloodline, even an ordinary Succubus would find it difficult to perform such tasks well.
The maids went into action.
Aililan, however, felt a lingering worry. ‘Theresa… sigh…’ After thinking it over, she decided it was better to go see her. At the very least, she couldn’t act as if nothing had happened.
She found Theresa in the garden pavilion.
The girl was sitting under the pavilion, enjoying the warm sunlight while listening intently to a Magic Phonograph Scroll. Within it was the knowledge she yearned for.
The epics, geography, and culture of the Xing’en Continent, the theories of scholars, and the verses of poets — everything resonated with her. She was like a sponge, greedily soaking it all in.
Theresa longed for the day when she could also become a useful person. It would be enough if she could help the Saintess she liked. Even if she couldn’t, teaching young children would be a way for her to realize her value.
The world of a blind girl was no longer lonely.
A ray of light had pierced through the darkness.
She had grabbed hold of it.
She grew under the radiance of the Light and hoped to protect that single glimmer of brilliance.
*Tap. Tap.*
The sound of footsteps approached from a distance.
Theresa suddenly became a bit restrained and nervous. Even though she couldn’t see, she pretended to pick up a book from the table and held it in front of her face.
“Theresa.”
Aililan broke the silence.
“La… Lady Aililan, you’re here?”
“Theresa, why are you so nervous?”
“Please don’t tease me, Your Holiness. I… why would I be nervous? I was just thinking about a problem. A… a question posed by the ancient scholars.”
Aililan asked, “What question?”
Theresa hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and whispered, “What is the meaning of living, after all?”
Aililan said softly, “I suppose it’s to realize one’s value.” ‘I couldn’t very well say it was just to go to the pier and grab some fries, could I?’
Theresa fell into a pensive silence.
Aililan also fell into a state of hesitation.
For a moment, the two of them were stuck in an awkward impasse. ‘Look at what that wretched Succubus did last night!’
Aililan took a deep breath.
“Theresa, about last night…”
“Nothing happened last night. You still bear the name of the Chaste Saintess.”
“Theresa, don’t be like this. No matter what you think, I feel I should apologize.”
“You needn’t do so.”
“Are you refusing to accept my apology?”
“Lady Aililan, that isn’t what I meant. Please, don’t feel burdened.”
Aililan said, “I…”
Theresa interrupted, “Lady Aililan, you must have many things to do, right? You shouldn’t waste your time on a blind girl like me.”
Aililan fell silent.
Theresa said, “I forgive you.”
Only then did Aililan feel a sense of relief. She felt that as long as things were out in the open, it was fine.
She nodded and smiled.
Let the matter end there.
Aililan spoke a few more words before turning to leave the garden. As the Saintess, she truly did have many things to attend to. At a glance, there were all sorts of political affairs. A single word from her could affect the fate of tens of thousands of people. She had always been as cautious as if she were treading on thin ice.
However, after she had gone…
Theresa finally put down the book she had used as a shield and whispered softly, “Lady Aililan, I really don’t blame you.”
As she thought about the events of the previous night, the tips of Theresa’s ears turned crimson.
She had once sat in the garden, crying…
***
Theresa’s heart was still racing as she listened to the scrolls, but her thoughts remained on the warmth of the previous night. Whether it was a dream or reality, it was a memory she would cherish forever.
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