Aililan closed her eyes and immersed herself in the moment until the singing faded into the depths of the forest.
She thought that she would probably never forget Sister Temperance’s singing for the rest of her life. Lizberu was exactly the person she wanted to protect.
Without realizing it, the braids Lizberu had been making for her were finished.
Lizberu gently brushed over Aililan’s hair and said in admiration, “Aililan, you are truly beautiful.”
Aililan opened her mouth and whispered, “May this beauty always remain with you, Sister Temperance.”
“I will always be your sister.”
“Yes,” Aililan said with a smile, nodding in agreement. “You will always be my beloved Saintess sister.”
In the distance…
Theresa stood behind a pillar and let out a heavy sigh. Her mood was a bit low, and she felt a strange sense of loss.
Precisely because she could not see, she could use her heart to sense things more clearly. The emotions Aililan felt for the Saintess of Temperance, Lizberu, were definitely not ordinary.
‘Ah, she likes the Saintess of Temperance so much.’
‘No, that’s not right. Isn’t Aililan the Saintess of Chastity? How can she fall in love with her own sister? Even if… there is no blood relation between them.’
‘But…’
‘Things shouldn’t be this way.’
Theresa felt a bit dazed.
She once had a bold idea: to bind Aililan in the name of the Virtue of Chastity. She wanted that girl she cared about to be trapped within the bounds of chastity.
She had even thought about locking the doors of her heart tight until she finally had enough confidence to pluck up the courage to confess her love.
But, ‘I, I…’ Theresa hesitated. She shook her head and hurriedly left the spot. She did not want to see any more, nor could she stay there. She was afraid that her current jealous expression would make her look very ugly.
She realized that she liked Aililan.
From the first time that girl appeared before her and asked if she believed in the Light…
And then, when she actually saw the Light, she knew she had already fallen hopelessly in love.
***
The atmosphere in Freya Manor became somewhat strange, which left the Head Maid, Yarandale, quite puzzled. For example, her own Saintess cherished the time she spent with the Saintess of Temperance exceptionally well. Every minute and every second seemed as if it had been borrowed from the God of Light himself.
Lizberu spoiled Aililan more than a biological sister would.
Even Theresa often seemed to be lost in thought.
Yarandale became even more confused and couldn’t help but mutter, “What on earth is going on?”
But happy times are always brief. Even though Lizberu treated Aililan like a beloved sister, the Saintess’s side could not do without her for long.
The Saintess of Temperance finally bid her farewell.
The manor returned to its usual tranquility.
Except for the fact that Aililan acted as if she had been injected with adrenaline, looking like she was determined to accomplish great things.
Late at night…
Aililan was still buried in official business.
Theresa walked over, carrying a lamp. Although she could not see, doing this made her feel more like a normal person.
“Miss Yarandale.”
“Oh, it’s Miss Theresa.”
“Is Saintess Aililan still not resting?”
“No. I’m really worried about her health. If she works too hard, it will eventually take a toll on her body.”
“Um,” Theresa paused for a moment and suddenly asked, “May I go in and accompany Miss Aililan? Perhaps I can chat with her to help relieve her fatigue.”
Yarandale did not dare to make the decision on her own.
After entering the room to ask for permission, she received Aililan’s consent and finally let Theresa inside.
Aililan stretched her neck.
In the next moment, a pair of slightly cool, small hands were placed gently on her shoulders.
Theresa whispered, “Miss Aililan, please forgive my rudeness. This is the only small, insignificant thing I can do for you. Please do not refuse.”
Aililan chuckled. “Haha, my shoulders were actually feeling quite sore!”
“If you work too hard, Miss Aililan, it might not be a good thing.”
“I understand. I’ll rest in a while.”
“But — “
Before Theresa could finish, Aililan interrupted with a face full of smiles. “Since you’re here, what do you think of Bitgel? I want to establish a settlement there. The scale would probably be about the size of a village.”
“We can recruit workers from the slums. In the short term, it could solve the employment problems for many people.”
“Once the mutual market is built, visitors will come from all directions. It could even comprehensively drive the development of Atester City. As long as the people from the slums are hardworking, they will surely be able to earn a living.”
Aililan spoke with confidence.
Theresa did not understand much of this.
But she knew that Aililan was a kindhearted Saintess. Everything she did was for the good of the people of Atester City. To this day, this Saintess had never forgotten the suffering people in the slums.
Theresa decided to speak honestly and said shamefully, “I… I don’t really understand these things.”
Aililan smiled and said somewhat apologetically, “It’s fine if you don’t understand. Once the market in Bitgel is ready, I’ll take you there for a walk.”
“I will listen to whatever you say.”
“Theresa, you are so good.”
“You are the best Saintess.”
The two of them chatted for a while.
Theresa felt a bit frustrated because she was truly unable to ask those ridiculous emotional questions in front of a Miss Aililan who was working so seriously.
While Aililan was talking about her career to benefit the people, how could she ask, ‘Do you like me?’
She really couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Even after the lights in the manor were all extinguished, she still hadn’t managed to say those words. Hesitant, she could only retreat in defeat.
‘Next time…’
‘Next time, I will definitely say those words!’
Theresa cheered herself up. She also wanted to taste the Saintess’s wonderful love.
***
The next day…
A small cavalry squad escorted a carriage out of the city. Leading the group was Fina Nisi.
This commander had been quite annoyed lately. Her budget was tight, the “Slum Saintess” she was looking for still hadn’t been found, and the Saintess herself had her own career to manage.
That day, when she heard the Orc Army was approaching, Fina Nisi had been excited for a long time. She thought her chance had finally come. As long as she helped the Saintess defeat the Orc Army, even if the Saintess didn’t sacrifice herself to her, she could at least hold her hand, right?
Who could have expected…
The Saintesses of Temperance and Diligence were actually there too?
Fina Nisi immediately lost all her ideas. It wasn’t until those two Saintesses left that her mind became active again.
Fina Nisi looked at the hardworking Saintess in the carriage and couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘I really have to speed things up. If Aililan also grows up and becomes as powerful as her sisters, then I won’t be able to “eat” a single one of these seven little chicks. Damn it.’
Fina Nisi had to admit…
Those Saintesses were very powerful.
Otherwise, given her personality, would she really just watch those other beautiful Saintesses and remain unmoved? Was it because she didn’t want to?
At the end of the day, there was only one reason: except for Aililan, who was currently small, pitiful, and helpless, the other Saintesses could beat her to a pulp.
If she could go unpunished, Fina Nisi swore she would have snatched all seven Saintesses long ago.
Then she would have had her way with them all.