Chapter 33: Hiding Someone Beneath the Skirt!

After Prince Wendy returned to his room, he locked the door behind him, spread out a piece of parchment, and began to write down, word by word, the thoughts he had been brewing all along the way.

Wendy didn’t waste words, but chose sincerity.

In the letter, he confessed everything to Astreia.

He repeatedly urged her that if the Orcs became too strong to resist, she must retreat to the Royal Capital, never try to fight alone, and, above all, never touch that tainted ‘Holy Sword’.

After finishing the last word, Wendy gently blew the ink dry and pressed the letter in the center of the desk with a Brass Candlestick.

This spot ensured that anyone entering the room would see it immediately.

Once everything was done, Wendy quickly shouldered the travel bag he had long since prepared—inside were rations, water, a change of clothes, and that mysterious Recommendation Letter that would determine his fate.

Finally, he fastened the Dagger Astreia had given him tightly at his waist.

The cold touch gave him a fleeting sense of false security.

“Click.”

The door was gently closed from the outside.

Yet, just as Wendy’s figure disappeared around the corridor’s corner, inside the room, the supposedly extinguished Brass Candlestick silently burst into a flicker of eerie purple flame.

A slender hand clad in white silk gloves stretched out from the shadows. With a gentle tug of her fingertips, the letter slid smoothly out from beneath the candlestick.

The letter curled silently in the purple fire, burning…

Very soon, it was reduced to unrecognizable ashes.

“Heeheehee…”

With a bewitching, bone-melting giggle, the candle flame was snuffed out once more, and the room fell into utter silence.

Only the night breeze, origin unknown, scattered the last ashes without a trace.

***

At the same time, Wendy was pressing close to the wall, tiptoeing toward the back gate of the fortress.

However, just as he darted past the final corner, everything suddenly went black before his eyes.

He crashed solidly into a wall.

A wall that was… fragrant, soft, and springy.

Oh no!

Wendy’s heart lurched in terror, his blood freezing.

He’d been discovered!

With pectorals this impressive, in all of Sunset Fortress, who else could it be but the “Northern Lioness”?!

Stiff all over, he raised his head, mind racing as he prepared at least three pitiful excuses to answer the Princess Royal’s questioning.

Yet, what greeted his eyes was a pure white priest’s robe, and a face so alluring it could move even the gods.

“You… What are you doing here?”

“Oh? I should be asking you that~”

The Beauty Priest crossed her arms, accentuating her already breathtaking figure.

“Prince Wendy, it’s so late and you’re not resting, but sneaking out with a travel bag. Where exactly are you trying to run off to?”

Gulp.

Wendy looked into those enchanting purple eyes and couldn’t help but swallow.

Every move this woman made was like a barbed feather, scraping over his heart again and again.

It tickled.

And it was deadly.

But he didn’t forget his situation; suppressing the strange feelings rising inside, he quickly made a decision.

In front of someone who could see through his ‘illness’, any lie would be powerless and only reveal his guilt.

Better to retreat in order to advance.

“I’m not sneaking out, it’s just… I couldn’t bear to say goodbye.”

Wendy instantly switched modes, his handsome face showing just the right amount of melancholy and sorrow, enough to move even the hardest-hearted woman.

“Once I reach the Saint City and purify the Curse in my body, I will return in person to explain everything to Princess Astreia and beg for her forgiveness.”

At the mention of “Saint City” and “Curse,” the priest’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“In that case, why don’t you… let me help you~”

“Help me?”

Wendy was a bit surprised, then shook his head.

“No need, you should get some rest. In a couple of days, when the Orcs attack, we’ll need you to heal a few more Soldiers.”

What a joke!

Let this woman, who practically screams “pervert” from head to toe, help him?

That’s just jumping out of the wolf’s den and into the tiger’s jaws!

“Oh? Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Rejected, the Beauty Priest only smiled more seductively, stepping forward until she was almost pressed against Wendy.

That sweet, intoxicating scent invaded Wendy’s nose like poison.

“Then how do you plan to get out the back gate? There are plenty of Soldiers on patrol all night, you know~”

“Uh…”

Wendy was instantly at a loss for words.

He couldn’t guarantee the gate guards wouldn’t report to Astreia. If some fool blabbed, he’d be dragged back by Astreia herself before he made it ten miles.

Thinking this, Wendy looked again at the smiling Beauty Priest in front of him, his face full of conflict.

But in the end, reason prevailed over emotion.

Through gritted teeth, he squeezed out a few words:

“…How are you planning to help me?”

Seeing this stubborn little kitten finally give in, the priest’s smile deepened.

She leaned down and, with a voice that could melt bones, whispered in the prince’s ear.

“It’s simple~ All you have to do is… follow my lead~”

***

A short while later.

Deputy Commander Kara, her white hair gleaming, was leading a squad of Soldiers on a routine patrol to the back gate of Sunset Fortress.

Suddenly.

A tall figure in white, carrying a bulging bundle, strolled out from around the corner at a leisurely pace.

“Miss Priestess… What brings you here?”

Kara looked at the Beauty Priest in front of her, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Good evening, Deputy Commander Kara.”

The priest’s manner was dignified and holy, utterly different from how she had been with Wendy just moments ago.

“I see that Sunset Fortress is about to face a decisive battle with the Orcs, and I’m worried that our stock of medicinal herbs may not be enough. So I thought I’d take advantage of the night to gather more outside, just in case.”

“That’s… that’s really too much trouble for you!”

Upon hearing this, a deep respect immediately appeared on Kara’s usually stern face.

This priestess, though only a traveler here, cared so much for Sunset Fortress—it was truly admirable.

Some Soldiers had even gossiped about her overly voluptuous figure behind her back before; they really shouldn’t have.

“On behalf of all the Soldiers and citizens of Sunset Fortress, let me thank you for your selfless dedication!”

She immediately bowed and stepped aside, making way for the priestess to pass through the back gate.

“No, it’s we who enjoy peace that should thank the Border Warriors who fight and bleed for us.”

The Beauty Priest nodded slightly and, with elegant little steps, walked past Kara, out the back gate, and soon vanished into the deep night.

Kara gazed after her departing figure, feeling a sudden surge of emotion.

This Miss Priestess is truly a noble and kind person.

But…

Tonight, Miss Priestess’s figure seemed a bit… bulkier than usual?

Especially around her waist and abdomen—she looked unusually broad, and her walking was a bit stiff and awkward.

Her steps were small and unnatural, nothing like her usual graceful stride.

Was it just my imagination…?

Wait! She’s going out to gather herbs, so why is her bundle already full?!

Kara suddenly looked down at the patch of damp, soft mud the priestess had just walked across.

There, two sets of footprints were clearly visible.

But they weren’t from just one person!

There were two distinct tracks—one large, one small, one outside, one inside!

It was as if…

As if someone had been completely wrapped up between the priestess’s legs in a bizarre posture and carried away step by step!

And the smaller, inner prints—throughout all of Sunset Fortress…

Only Prince Wendy!!