Chapter 102 : I Don’t Understand Her Anymore

For the next two days, Milly’s life was a repetition of suffering.

She was being taken care of every day.

Milly had tried to stay awake, but the searing pain of corrosion always overwhelmed her. By nightfall, she would inevitably pass out, waking up the next morning with no memory of what had happened.

Besides the familiar blanket, she noticed that her eyesight was gradually improving. The blurry text was becoming clearer, though still difficult to read.

The good news was that she could now identify the script as one of the language systems Stacy had forced into her brain.

Milly gave a bitter smile. Was this Stacy’s twisted way of doing something good?

But she would never forgive her for the pain she had endured. One day, she would have her revenge.

Curled up in the corner, she heard the familiar footsteps of the nuns. It was time for the purification ritual again.

They knew it was useless, but they kept at it. Were they trying to break her?

Strangely, since the second day in the holy water, her senses seemed to have been altered.

For the first hour, she only felt a faint tingling, almost negligible.

Only after an hour did the real pain begin, a delayed agony that gradually intensified into an unbearable burning. It was as if a barrier had been placed between her and the pain, a barrier that would eventually shatter.

And the delay was getting longer each day. Yesterday, it had been two hours.

The barrier was getting stronger. Maybe one day, it would block the pain completely.

But at what cost? Milly bit her lip, her forehead pressed against the cold stone wall.

“…Is she taking the pain for me?”

The thought made her clench her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

After a while, she touched her neck. There was nothing there. But when she was brought to the sanctuary, she felt something appear.

Like the faded sigil, reappearing. But when she tried to touch it, her fingers went numb.

She had to keep her eyes closed to protect them, so she couldn’t see her reflection in the water to confirm.

It meant that Stacy was still alive, watching everything from the shadows.

The person who was taking her pain, who was healing her wounds every night.

Stacy…

Besides sharing pain and pleasure, had she developed a new function?

The sigil, born from an accident, was now being used in so many ways.

Why was she doing this?

Milly suddenly didn’t understand her anymore.

Was it to make her completely dependent on her, to make her obedient?

The sound of the cage door opening broke her train of thought. Today’s ritual was about to begin.

That night, when Milly passed out from the pain, the cage door opened again.

Lillian looked down at Milly’s pale face.

“After tonight, your eyes should be fully healed.”

She whispered, gently brushing the sweat-soaked white hair from her forehead.

After healing her wounds, she took out a small silver bottle and gently parted her lips, feeding her warm, honeyed milk.

Sweet. She would probably have a good dream tonight.

The unconscious Milly swallowed, her throat moving slightly. Seeing a drop of milk at the corner of her lips, Lillian stopped and gently wiped it away, her movements filled with a tenderness she had never shown before.

She wondered what the little one would think if she suddenly woke up.

She couldn’t be indifferent, but she knew the little one was in a deep sleep. When she woke up, she wouldn’t remember a thing.

Maybe she would suspect something, guess what she had done. The stark contrast would throw her into confusion.

And if everything was revealed, what unpredictable fate awaited them?

Until then, she would just quietly complete the final night of treatment.

When she was done, exhausted, Lillian sat on the floor, her gaze on Milly filled with a tenderness she herself didn’t realize.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be fully recovered.”

She struggled to her feet. Before leaving, she looked at Milly, curled up in the blanket, and gently tucked her in.

Tomorrow.

Good night, see you tomorrow.

The next morning, as Lillian dragged her exhausted body out of bed, a knock came at the door.

For the past three days, Tifna had appeared at the same time every morning, bringing her a nourishing tonic.

Even though Lillian had told her it wasn’t necessary, she couldn’t be dissuaded.

“Come in.”

As Tifna entered and saw Lillian’s face, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

Ever since her memory had started to have gaps, Lillian’s condition had worsened each day, as if she had been doing something strenuous every night.

Tifna had a suspicion, but she didn’t say anything.

She had a sharp feeling that since she had left the Church, there had been two Lillians. The one she was facing now, and the one who went to the dungeon at night to see Milly.

Tifna couldn’t pinpoint the source of it all, only that it had started the day she left.

But after asking around, she had only learned that Milly had escaped that day and been recaptured by the Pope.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

“It is my duty to take care of the Saintess.”

“After the crusade, the guard duty should have ended…”

Before she could finish, a knock on the door interrupted her.

“Come in.”

It was a nun, but she was here for Tifna.

“His Holiness the Pope has ordered the Silver Falcon Knight Tifna to his study immediately.”