Inside the Chastity Mansion in the Holy Land.
On the Saintess’s soft, large bed.
After omitting 20,000 words, Aililan’s eyes were somewhat vacant as she stared at the ceiling. As before, Aililan remained the “Virtue of Chastity,” but the Diligence Saintess, Yegeerlinai, was clearly satisfied.
The afterglow gradually faded.
Yegeerlinai poked her head out from under the quilt, the flush on her face not yet fully receded. She reached out to hook her arm around Aililan’s neck and gave her a light, shallow kiss on the lips.
“Chastity, you’re so wonderful.”
Aililan said nothing.
Yegeerlinai seemed to still be savoring the moment as she said with contentment, “I didn’t know things could be this beautiful. I feel like I’ve wasted the past dozen years of my life.”
Aililan gave a forced smile and said vaguely, “As long as… you’re happy.”
Yegeerlinai suddenly sighed softly, her tone dropping slightly.
“Chastity, we —”
Alarm bells rang in Aililan’s mind, and she immediately emphasized, “This is the last time. What we are doing is wrong.”
Yegeerlinai frowned slightly.
After a moment, she let out a breath, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Yes, the last time.”
After a long while, the two of them finally finished getting dressed.
Aililan called out, and the Head Maid, Yarandale, soon delivered a sumptuous spread of food.
Although they were both girls, the physical exertion from earlier was clearly significant, leaving even their arms feeling a bit sore.
The food in the Holy Land was extremely delicious.
Aililan had only taken one bite when Yegeerlinai tore off a piece of meat and held it out to her, eyes full of expectation.
“Chastity, try this. It’s delicious. I usually enjoy it very much, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
Aililan originally wanted to refuse.
However, seeing Yegeerlinai’s expectant expression, her heart softened for some reason.
She leaned forward slightly and took a bite of the meat.
Her lips inevitably brushed against Yegeerlinai’s fingertips.
The tips of Yegeerlinai’s ears turned slightly red.
She seemed to be relishing the sensation of her fingertips grazing Aililan’s lips. That soft, warm feeling made her somewhat reluctant to withdraw her hand.
She suddenly felt a bit of regret.
‘I didn’t take the time to truly experience it just now.’
But then…
‘There were clearly more intoxicating things to focus on just a moment ago.’
Thinking of this, Yegeerlinai couldn’t help but sigh softly.
‘If there is another chance in the future…’
‘I must slowly savor Chastity’s lips.’
But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, her mood dampened again.
After all, the relationship between them now was, strictly speaking, not quite proper.
Moreover, Aililan had always acted as if she couldn’t wait to get away.
‘Does she really dislike me that much?’
After the meal was finished, Aililan made an excuse.
“I’m a little tired and want to rest for a bit. I also need to think about matters regarding my territory.”
Yegeerlinai’s body shook slightly.
She whispered, “Oh?… Oh, then I’ll head out first.”
‘Has Chastity really not accepted me yet?’
She originally wanted to give a reason to come back next time, but the words wouldn’t come out. In the end, she could only leave in silence.
Only when Yegeerlinai’s figure had completely disappeared did Aililan let out a long breath.
She really didn’t know how to evaluate their current relationship.
Was it because they had been intimate that Yegeerlinai had become so close?
What exactly was this?
Love?
Or… some other emotion?
“Forget it.”
“Since things have come to this, I’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Aililan took a deep breath. She had even begun considering locking herself in her room once she returned to reduce their meetings.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she called the Head Maid over.
“Regarding the Diligence Saintess’s visit today — what you saw, what you heard, and her every action at the dining table — none of it is to be disclosed to the outside world.”
“Do you understand?”
Yarandale looked puzzled.
‘Did the Diligence Saintess do anything out of line?’
‘How could they not have noticed at all?’
As for the slightly intimate behavior at the table — wasn’t that just normal interaction between Saintesses?
However, since it was the Saintess’s command, Yarandale still gave a solemn guarantee.
“Please rest assured, Saintess. Not a single word of gossip will leave this mansion.”
The door closed again.
The air still seemed to hold a trace of Yegeerlinai’s scent, leaving Aililan’s mind in a bit of a daze.
However, she quickly suppressed those thoughts. She sat down at her desk instead and began to contemplate her upcoming itinerary.
Saintesses could not stay in the Holy Land for long. Usually, the duration for Reporting Duty was only about fifteen days. Furthermore, there was a mountain of work waiting at Atester. She couldn’t stay even if she wanted to.
The so-called Reporting Duty was not merely about reporting the achievements of the year. More importantly, it was about fighting for interests.
Aililan pondered for a moment and whispered, “The most important financial taxes have already been given to me by my Sisters.”
“But there is one more thing.”
“That is to decouple the Civil Code from the Religious Law and officially promulgate it as a formal document.”
She frowned slightly.
“I’m afraid it won’t be easy to pass.”
In fact, many major decisions appeared to be under discussion on the surface, but the high-ranking officials had actually decided them long ago. The meeting in the field of flowers that day was exactly like that. They were just waiting for the formal meeting to be held so they could notify the lower levels.
In other words, Aililan’s Reporting Duty was already nearly complete.
The reason she remained in the Holy Land was to wait for the arrival of the primary officials in charge of the seven cities of the Fifth Wing to meet with them.
After thinking it over, Aililan took her plans and headed for the Temple to find the Saint of Temperance, Lizberu.
Unlike the Saintesses stationed abroad, Lizberu remained in the Temple, acting on behalf of the Seven Regents for a portion of their duties. Her daily affairs were very busy.
Aililan had someone announce her arrival outside the Temple. After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, a member of the clergy came out and said, “The Saint of Temperance invites you in.”
Aililan nodded and entered the Temple.
From a distance, she saw Lizberu talking with several Archbishops. Those people were dressed magnificently and clearly held substantial power.
Aililan thought back for a moment. These Archbishops did not serve in the Church’s home territory but were stationed in the surrounding countries. In a sense, they were powerful regional officials. However, their power was still slightly inferior to that of the local Archbishops.
There was an unwritten principle in politics: those who could stay in the central hub were rarely willing to go to the provinces. Only after enough Trial Experience or when a vacancy appeared in the center would they have the chance to return.
Seeing Aililan arrive, the Archbishops immediately rose to take their leave. As they passed her, they all bowed respectfully.
Aililan nodded slightly in return.
One could see their cautiousness from their words and deeds. Perhaps they were powerful officials abroad, but in the Holy Land, if you threw a single brick, you would hit several Archbishops of their level.
“Chastity, you’ve come,” Sister Lizberu said with a smile from up ahead.
Aililan looked up. Sister Lizberu was as beautiful as ever, still the person who made her heart throb. Only now, Aililan’s mood was inexplicably guilty.
“Yes… I’ve come.”
Sister Lizberu chuckled. “I assume you’ve rested well these past few days? But you can’t be lazy.”
“What has been going on with you and Diligence lately? You’re together every day and haven’t come down to help us handle government affairs.”
It was just a casual question, yet it caused cold sweat to instantly break out on Aililan’s forehead.
Only one thought remained in her mind — ‘I absolutely cannot let the Sisters know what happened between me and Diligence.’