Chapter 100: The Price of a Lie

Her fingers slowly traced Milly’s eyelid. As the final stroke of the sigil was complete, Lillian’s body went limp, as if all her strength had been drained. She lay on the floor, gasping for air.

Sweat beaded on her pale face, collecting in small puddles on the ground. Her robe was soaked, clinging to her fragile body.

Her trembling fingers touched her bruised lower lip. A soft white light emanated from her fingertip, enveloping the wound. In moments, the injury healed. But the lingering ache from the prolonged biting would not fade so easily.

Time passed silently in the darkness. As the pain subsided, Lillian struggled to sit up. A sudden wave of dizziness nearly sent her tumbling backward.

“Phew.”

She held onto the wall, waiting for the disorientation to pass. When her vision cleared, she slowly released her grip.

She gently touched the sigil on her neck. Without it, Milly would have borne all that agonizing pain alone.

Milly had suffered enough. It was only right that she took some of it for her. Moreover, this ensured Milly could complete her healing in her sleep, undisturbed by the pain.

Her fingers gently caressed Milly’s cheek. Lillian’s eyes softened. The little one’s sleeping face was still so adorable. She wished she had a recording crystal to capture it. Since she didn’t, she would use her eyes, engraving Milly’s sleeping face deep into her memory.

It was almost time. She had to leave.

Her gaze lingered on Milly’s eyes. The only worry was the treatment’s effectiveness. This wasn’t her own body. If the treatment was compromised, she would have to repeat the agonizing process.

The sigil drawn on Milly’s eyes would naturally fade in a few hours. There was no risk of discovery. And with Xavier now serving as her spy, she had no worries about anomalies.

The only variable was the old fool Pope. As long as he didn’t personally come down, everything would be fine. But knowing him, he wouldn’t give up easily.

With a moment of clarity, she knew he wouldn’t stoop to entering the dungeon himself.

Before leaving, she wrapped Milly in the blanket again. She had to cover her to protect her from the cold.

She opened the cell door and locked it, replacing the key in Xavier’s hand. Just as she was about to leave the dungeon, she paused.

She had almost forgotten about the peeping Tom.

She found the unconscious Tifna. Tentacles shot from her palm and entered Tifna’s mind. When Tifna woke tomorrow, the last thing she would remember would be Lillian leaving the kitchen.

She would deliberately leave a gap in her memory, making Tifna realize something was wrong. She would wonder what she had seen that made the Saintess erase her memory. She would realize the Saintess had gone to the dungeon to see Milly.

Then, she would have to confirm if Tifna would report this to the Pope.

If she didn’t, a new set of possibilities would open up.

She controlled Tifna’s body. The unconscious knight slowly rose. She led her out, towards the kitchen.

It was late. To avoid raising suspicion from the night patrol, she controlled Tifna’s body. She was just lazy. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to touch anyone other than Milly.

She sat Tifna down in the corner of the kitchen, faking a sudden sleep. Tomorrow, the little knight would notice the anomaly and act accordingly.

She returned to her room, exhausted. She lay down on the bed, and as her eyes closed, the crimson faded. Lillian was back in control.

‘What did I do last night?’

Her entire body ached.

She got up and rushed to the mirror. The sight of her disheveled hair and pale face made her sigh.

Stacy must have taken over. And she had done it in the middle of the night.

Lillian knew she couldn’t stop her. She was sure the woman was still alive, hiding in her body.

If she went to the Church now, they might be able to draw Stacy out.

But Lillian didn’t. She just looked at the scratch on the mirror, which split her reflection in two.

It was a symbol. Half Stacy, half her.

“Stacy, you owe me this. I just want the answer. Tell me what you saw.”

A crimson flicker in her eyes. A silent response.

“Tch… so she’s not dead after all.”

Just then, a knock on the door.

She quickly tidied herself, making sure she looked normal. She opened the door. Tifna stood there, holding a tray of food.

A complex look in Tifna’s eyes, which quickly disappeared.

“Your Holiness has been feeling unwell. I made something special.”

The porridge was filled with herbs, a faint scent of medicine lingering in the steam.

As a Saintess, her meals were usually prepared by the nuns. But Tifna had brought her a calming tea last night and now, breakfast.

“Thank you, Tifna.”

She placed the tray on the vanity. Tifna almost spoke, but stopped herself. She remembered the last time she had seen Lillian, she was putting white porridge into a water bag.

She was supposed to be delivering it to Milly. But her memory ended there. She had woken up in the kitchen.

She had to report this. But her confusion was too great.

She had been assigned to protect the Saintess. If there was an anomaly, she had to report it.

But if Lillian was truly possessed, she might be in danger.

She had given Lillian a bowl of porridge, a subtle hint of her knowledge, but Lillian just ate it, seemingly unaware of the events of the previous night.

She couldn’t report this now. If Lillian was truly the culprit, she would be in danger. If Lillian went out again tonight, she would follow her, find the cause of the anomaly, and then decide whether to report it.

Meanwhile, in the cell, Milly slowly opened her eyes.

The darkness was gone. Her vision had largely returned. But when she looked at the guard beside her, she noticed something strange.

A few lines of blurry text were floating around him.