Chapter 177: First Meeting

“I think you might be insane.”

Bianca said seriously.

She was expecting Lady Catherine to immediately retort and insist she was perfectly sane, but instead, Lady Catherine replied,

“Perhaps.”

Her tone was indifferent, as if it didn’t matter at all.

“After all, arguing about so-called sanity and madness is meaningless to me.”

“For example, what you consider insane might seem perfectly normal and natural to me, so I see myself as sane.”

“So, you willingly embraced falling?”

Bianca asked.

“Willingly embraced falling? I like how you phrased that.”

Lady Catherine suddenly burst into a radiant smile.

“If in your eyes what I do is willingly embrace falling, then so be it.”

Bianca gently shook her head, feeling there was nothing more to say to this woman, and turned to leave.

“In time, you’ll come to understand.”

Lady Catherine watched Bianca’s departing figure.

“For that child, falling is a trivial matter—a concept that may as well not exist.”

“The process of falling is joyful, but its essence is destruction.”

“Why don’t you reflect on your own words? Are they truly correct?”

Lady Catherine spoke, then swept her sleeves with a carefree grace and walked away, not even bothering to threaten Bianca about revealing anything between her and Roman.

As she left, the corners of Lady Catherine’s lips curled up slightly.

She’d said all that simply to disturb Bianca, to see if she could make that pure nun taste the struggle of faith.

In truth, Lady Catherine’s resolve had always been unwavering.

And when it came to understanding falling, few could comprehend it more deeply than her.

During the crusade against the Demonic Flower, she’d witnessed the process and the aftermath of falling.

It was a power that destroyed both body and mind—a force that left people worse off than dead after a frenzied ecstasy.

Yet she felt clearly that, through her deepening connection with Roman, her body and spirit had reached a new level of exaltation.

Compared to the old Lady Catherine, she now truly felt alive, as if her heart and body had become at least ten years younger.

Moreover…

Lady Catherine sensed the boundless sea of Stellar Magic within her.

The threshold she thought could never be broken had been crossed in a single leap after that forbidden act.

Some things could only be understood by those who experienced them firsthand.

How could that nun possibly grasp the taste she’d savored?

Out of habit, she used her magic to fly.

But suddenly, Lady Catherine’s once-relaxed expression tightened.

The Starry Domain unfolded instantly, and as she searched for the source of danger, a voice sounded at her ear.

“Madam, please stop.”

Lady Catherine paused for a moment, then responded with magic as well,

“Who are you?”

“I… am right in front of you.”

Hearing this, Lady Catherine felt a chill run down her spine and immediately turned her head.

Behind her, a stunningly beautiful woman in a qipao was gently tapping an unfolded fan in her hand, smiling as she gazed at her.

***

Saint Key Knight Order.

Morning training was nearly over, and the knights in each group had found shady spots to rest.

“Lijie…”

Linda nudged the golden-haired girl beside her, who sat with her eyes closed like a Cat.

“….”

Lijie ignored her, and Linda instantly felt annoyed.

She eyed the towel covering Lijie’s face and grinned mischievously as she tried to pull it away.

“Do you want to die?”

Lijie’s pale fingertips pressed against Linda’s hand as she spoke weakly.

“Hehe.”

Compared to the physically frail Lijie, Linda was still brimming with energy after training, acting as if nothing had happened.

“Is this little bit of exercise enough to exhaust you? Miss Lijie, do you need me to carry you to the cafeteria later?”

“In that regard, I really admire you. No matter when, you’re like a tireless ox.”

“Tsk, why does it feel like you’re insulting me?”

The corners of Lijie’s lips lifted slightly, but she didn’t reply.

“I won’t waste time on pointless talk with you.”

Linda suddenly perked up.

“Hey, did you hear? That fairy… no, the Saint Son is about to come train and live with us.”

Lijie quietly wiped sweat from her forehead with her towel.

Despite her exhaustion, her every move maintained noble elegance, her proud expression like a regal Persian Cat.

“I was right next to you yesterday.”

She replied expressionlessly.

Linda seemed used to Lijie’s subtle jabs and didn’t mind at all.

She glanced left and right.

Seeing no one around, she leaned closer.

“Tell me… why would the dignified Saint Son abandon a life of luxury to come suffer here with us?”

“If he wanted, even if those old geezers disagreed, becoming a bishop would be easy for him.”

“Even without his own faction, a life of riches and glory would be guaranteed.”

“Besides, he wouldn’t seriously try to compete with Princess Milis for the position of Pope, would he? That’s just asking for trouble.”

Lijie was silent for a moment, then finally put down the towel covering her face and opened her eyes, staring coldly at Linda.

“Wh-why are you staring at me like that?”

Linda hugged her shoulders uneasily.

Lijie’s sharp, beautiful eyes swept the area.

Once she was certain it was safe, she grabbed Linda’s ear and scolded her harshly.

“You’ve been getting more and more reckless lately… Wasn’t the Captain’s last lesson enough? You dare say things like this out loud?”

“What’s wrong with it…?”

Linda asked, puzzled.

Lijie rolled her eyes and stopped responding.

After a while, Linda suddenly realized.

“That’s right!”

“Lijie, how could I forget? That little fairy—tsk, the Saint Son—is involved with our Captain.”

“I don’t know about anything else, but when it comes to understanding the Captain, even a sly fox like you can’t compare to me.”

“That morning, I saw the always-aloof Captain looking at His Highness with such glowing eyes.”

“No wonder the Saint Son wants to come to the Saint Key Knight Order so badly.”

“Hmph, that little man is clinging to our Captain’s thigh, considering he has no power of his own.”

“As for our Captain, no one in the Cathedral would dare claim to be second in strength or influence if she said she was third.”

Suddenly, she lowered her voice.

“This Saint Son looks pure and beautiful, but he’s really cunning. He ignores the Holy Throne and only cozies up to our Captain.”

“Thinking about it, it makes sense. Our Captain is beautiful, handsome, powerful, and, hmm, has great stamina! No old geezer could compare.”

“Tsk, not just men—even I feel a little restless just thinking about it.”

“Should we warn the Captain not to be seduced by male charm… mmph…”

Lijie had been holding her forehead, trying to ignore her, but out of the corner of her eye she suddenly spotted someone walking toward them.

This is…

Her exhausted nerves snapped to attention.

She clamped her hand over Linda’s mouth and responded swiftly.

“Hello.”

A pure white holy robe, long sacred silver hair flowing down to the waist—when the two of them looked up, the face before them was so stunningly beautiful it left them both frozen.