Seraphina’s pupils contracted sharply from shock. A violent cough tore through her once more, ripping at the wound on her chest.
She stared in disbelief at the elegant woman before her. The name that had slipped so casually from the woman’s lips exploded like thunder in her ears.
Saint Eustacia?!
The Saint of the Church—Saint Eustacia?!
She… had fallen into her hands?
Even though Seraphina still thought of herself as human deep down, her outward identity as the Regent of the Demon Realm offered no escape.
She struggled to pull back, only for her body to protest even more fiercely. Cold sweat broke out from pain and fear, soaking the already damp strands of hair at her forehead.
The woman seemed to notice Seraphina’s terror. She slowly offered a cup and gently helped her sit up, soothing her.
“You don’t need to be afraid. You’re safe here—at least for now. Also, my name is Decaroline.”
She paused, turned back to her original spot, and added,
“It was Saint Eustacia who carried you here from the snow. She also promised that until you recover, she won’t hand you over to anyone.”
“Why…?” Seraphina clutched the cup of hot water, her voice dry and hoarse. She couldn’t understand why the human Saint would save her. Did she still carry a human aura?
“I don’t know. Only Saint Eustacia can answer that. Though… I can guess. A young woman whose mere disappearance drives the infamous Demon King nearly mad is worth paying attention to, isn’t she?”
Movira… How is she?
If I vanished, Movira would probably lose her mind too.
As if to confirm her thoughts, the door to the room was pushed open gently.
A figure stepped inside slowly, making almost no sound, yet the light in the entire room seemed to dim in her presence.
She possessed a beauty just as striking, but unlike Decaroline’s gentle intellect, hers was an icy cold allure.
Dressed in a simple yet holy white-and-gold robe—Saint Eustacia!
Her gaze did not fall on Seraphina first. Instead, she bowed slightly toward Decaroline.
“Teacher, you’ve come.”
Teacher?!
That single word was yet another bombshell. Seraphina had never expected that Decaroline was… the Saint’s teacher?!
Decaroline merely nodded lightly in greeting.
Only then did Saint Eustacia’s eyes settle on Seraphina, causing her to tense involuntarily.
“You’re awake.” Saint Eustacia’s voice was cool and emotionless. “Faster than I expected.”
Faced with the Saint she had only ever seen in newspapers or church statues, Seraphina’s lips trembled, but no sound emerged.
She had no idea how to respond. Beg? Admit her identity? Any action felt utterly futile right now.
Saint Eustacia didn’t seem to expect an answer. She walked to the window and turned her gaze outside.
It wasn’t a frozen wasteland but a carefully tended garden bursting with greenery—likely sustained by powerful magic that maintained the climate here.
“A few days ago, Movira…” Saint Eustacia began faintly, a trace of mockery in her tone. “When she couldn’t find you, she went completely mad, turning the border snowfields upside down and throwing everything into chaos. Fortunately, she still had a shred of reason left and didn’t cross the boundary.”
Seraphina listened quietly. She could imagine Movira in a rage, wielding world-destroying power… all just to find her.
“In the end, she barely caught the trail I deliberately left and found me.”
Saint Eustacia turned back and looked at Seraphina again.
“She demanded I bring you to her at once.”
“But as you can see, I refused.”
Yet the reason wasn’t simply to spite Movira.
“I told her your body is too weak—multiple frostbites, your life force teetering on the brink of exhaustion. You can’t withstand any long journey, not even magical teleportation.”
Seraphina was stunned. Saint Eustacia was protecting her?
“Even Movira wouldn’t dare force her way into human territory. So I told her to go home and wait.”
With that, Saint Eustacia took two steps forward, closing the distance to the bed.
She looked down at Seraphina with curiosity flowing from those ice-blue eyes.
“I’m very interested in you.”
“Uh…?” Seraphina frowned, failing to grasp that the surface meaning was the actual meaning. Having spent too long beside Movira, even the simplest emotions now carried an inappropriate haze for her.
“Tch… What are you thinking?” Seraphina’s expression made it clear her mind had gone somewhere improper.
But Saint Eustacia wasn’t ready to discuss such things yet. She simply continued.
“I’m curious how you managed it. As far as I know, in the Demon Realm, power and conquest are eternal themes. Yet you… seem to be trying to change that? Even Movira… has gone mad for you.”
The question cut straight to the core. Seraphina only shrank back slightly, her eyes shifting away to avoid Saint Eustacia’s gaze.
Her empty stare had nowhere to settle, carrying the numbness of someone still recovering from deep trauma.
The physical pain and the massive mental shock made it impossible for her to think about such grand issues.
Who was she? What had she done? Did any of it still matter? After walking the line between life and death, those questions suddenly felt far less important.
Seraphina just felt exhausted and in pain. The small bit of spirit she had regained was slowly being eaten away.
If she could, she wanted to find a safe little corner to hide in and see no one…
“It’s all right, you can…”
“Cough, cough!” Saint Eustacia’s next words were interrupted by Decaroline behind her.
“Enough. You know she’s weak, yet you’re pressing her like this. Out with you!”
Hearing her teacher, Saint Eustacia swallowed the rest of her sentence.
“Yes.”
Just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, Decaroline called out again.
“Wait—take this cake with you. Don’t you love it?”
Seraphina noticed that Saint Eustacia’s frozen cheeks softened for an instant, a spark of light appearing deep in her eyes.
But it was quickly hidden as she lowered her gaze, responding in her usual cool tone.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
She turned to the table, her movements still graceful and poised, but when her fingertips reached the plate of small cakes, they sped up ever so slightly—revealing the quiet excitement within.
“Cough!” Decaroline gave a short cough and lightly tapped the back of Saint Eustacia’s hand. “All of them? Won’t you leave half for our guest?”