Aililan let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as the words were spoken clearly, things would go much smoother.
But could things really be that simple? Who could forget a night of such intimacy?
‘Who could truly forget?’
Aililan could pretend that nothing had ever happened, but what about Teying? That young girl said she was fine, but she would likely remember it forever, wouldn’t she?
Sigh…
Aililan exhaled.
She hadn’t even had a moment to relax before the Holy Sea sent a request for her to go to the cathedral to lead a prayer. The Parliament had topics to discuss, and she needed to visit local areas to perform ceremonies and display the Light, among other duties.
She thought for a moment.
She would cancel the unimportant ones.
She would streamline the unnecessary ones.
After all, there was a mouse at home that needed to be dealt with. ‘The mice are even daring to climb onto the table and drug the Saintess now? This has gone too far.’
Around 2:00 or 3:00 PM, Aililan returned to the estate once again.
The morning’s chaos had already concluded, and the place had returned to its usual peaceful and beautiful state.
Yarandale, the Head Maid, brought out afternoon tea and some snacks. She whispered, “According to our observations, we have narrowed it down to at least six people. Either they’ve become lazy since arriving at Atester—to the point of being unfamiliar with their basic duties—or there is something fundamentally wrong with them.”
Aililan took a small sip of tea and asked, “How do you plan to handle them?”
“Direct containment,” Yarandale replied.
Aililan tilted her head and said, “Have you ever considered what kind of backup plans a Demon who managed to sneak into the estate might have left behind? Have you thought about what the consequences might be then?”
“Saintess, it was my lack of foresight.”
“I don’t blame you.”
Aililan fell silent for a moment before making a decision. “Go and arrange for them to be on duty by my side tomorrow. You can come up with the reason yourself.”
Yarandale was startled and shook her head repeatedly. “Saintess, that is unwise.”
Was she joking?
The Saintess had nearly lost her Virtue of Chastity just moments ago, and now she wanted to arrange for those dangerous elements to be right by her side?
If the Sacred Land found out about this, the elders in charge of the maids wouldn’t even need to wait for Church Law to take effect; they would probably just peel the skin off the staff themselves.
Aililan said earnestly, “Yarandale, you don’t need to question my words. You only need to listen to me.”
“So far, we don’t have many people in the capital, but we don’t have few either.”
“This means the demon is hiding among us, perhaps even taking the form of someone we know.”
“Or perhaps your investigations are simply wrong.”
“In short, there are too many uncertainties.”
“Just do as I say.”
Yarandale was helpless.
She could only agree to Aililan’s request.
—
The next day, Aililan used the excuse of needing rest to cancel all her appointments. She intended to take the people Yarandale suspected and leave the estate.
On second thought…
She decided to stay within the estate.
Internal matters should be resolved internally.
Yarandale had already begun searching the rooms where the suspects lived.
Meanwhile, Aililan sat before her vanity, lightly brushing her long, golden hair.
A gentle maid stepped forward.
“Saintess, let me help you.”
“Saint… Oh, your name is Rosa, right?”
Aililan had a rather deep impression of this maid because she had a very alluring, plump rear that swayed particularly well when she walked.
Of course, the girl was Rosa.
Aililan didn’t have a strong sense of class superiority. When she did act with dignity and authority, it was mostly to stay in line with her position and intimidate those beneath her.
Before confirming that these people were enemies, Aililan was willing to give them the necessary respect.
Rosa—or rather, the Succubus Ginea—lightly stroked the long, golden hair of the Saintess. The silk-like texture made her unable to resist commenting, “The Saintess’s hair is truly beautiful.”
Aililan smiled and said modestly, “Rosa, you are also very beautiful. You’re just as much of a beauty as I am.”
‘Saintess…’
Ginea’s heart skipped a beat.
Even she had to admit that the Saintess before her was truly captivating.
This Saintess didn’t have that arrogant attitude, nor did she order people around on a whim. Yet, when necessary, she was stricter than anyone else.
She had taken over the Parliament with iron-fisted methods.
While striking at those profiting from the Grey Industry, she had simultaneously supported a new group of stakeholders who backed her. This caused the previous power players to fail to stir up any trouble at all; they either perished or joined the Saintess’s secret order.
With just a few government decrees…
She had left her neighbors in utter chaos.
Every action she took proved that Aililan was by no means the naive, young Saintess who had just come of age and been sent away that the rumors suggested.
Ginea believed that if Aililan were allowed to grow, she would become another legendary Saintess whose name would be passed down through the ages.
But precisely because of that, Ginea couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted to devour Aililan.
Gulp—
Ginea swallowed her saliva.
Just as some people have a physical reaction when facing a beautiful person of the opposite sex they like…
Facing a beauty like Aililan, Ginea found that her saliva was secreting at an unusually high rate.
She was afraid that if she spoke too much, her drool would drip from the corners of her mouth.
‘I want her.’
‘I want to eat her so badly.’
Ginea felt that as someone with the bloodline of a Succubus Lord, only a girl of noble status and pure heart like Aililan was worthy of being her prey.
Knock, knock.
A knock came from the door.
It momentarily interrupted Ginea’s fantasies.
Aililan gave a response. “Come in.”
Yarandale entered with a slight bow and said softly, “Saintess, there are some matters you need to handle.”
“Is it the people from the Parliament? Didn’t I tell them I was resting today?”
“No.”
“Then who is it?”
“It is High Priest Haiyisi from the Church. He says there are arrangements for activities in the Sacred Land that require your cooperation.”
“How troublesome…”
Aililan grumbled.
Nevertheless, she stood up and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned back to the people in her study and said, “You all stay here and tidy up for me. I wouldn’t want people to say I lack etiquette if I were to meet a guest.”
The few people in the room agreed one after another.
After Aililan left the room…
She quickly vanished from everyone’s sight. There were no guests visiting the estate at all.
Aililan asked, “How is it?”
Yarandale lowered her voice and said, “We found a person in a thicket of trees.”
“Who?”
“Rosa.”
“What? The plump… I mean, you’re saying it’s Rosa? Isn’t she in my study? She was just brushing my hair.”
Aililan tapped her own head and added, “What strange things am I saying? I was already suspicious that a Succubus had taken the identity of someone in the estate.”
Aililan asked again, “Is the person dead?”
Yarandale shook her head. “No. The real Rosa has been in a coma. No matter what method we use, we cannot wake her up.”
Aililan breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as she isn’t dead, that’s the best possible outcome.”
That intruding demon…
It hadn’t crossed Aililan’s bottom line yet.
However, many things suddenly became clear. No wonder her mind had been filled with that maid’s rear lately.
Aililan now only wanted to use her own foot to give that Ginea’s plump, rounded rear a very hard kick.