Chapter 53: The Wager and Whispers of Deceit

Outside the glass window, several crows cawed. Vivian stared intently at the relaxed and confident Allyrose before her, her perfectly manicured nails almost digging into her flesh. After a long moment, she finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

“Deal.”

Having delivered her words, Vivian found herself unable to maintain her composure any longer. Seizing the moment before her emotions erupted, she quickly turned away, then strode directly towards the main door and fled.

‘Well, I’ll be…’

Allyrose watched Tok and Jennelle hastily follow Vivian’s retreating figure, finding the scene quite amusing. Why did this ‘True Saintess’ always run off without a backward glance whenever she got angry?

‘Was she afraid that staying here longer would cause her to lose control and shatter her carefully constructed persona?’

Still, the other party had already revealed her true colors today. It was foolish Tok who hadn’t caught on; Vivian’s face had been utterly dark, and her normally sweet voice had lost its veneer, yet he still saw her as an innocent, sweet girl.

‘An innocent, sweet girl? Luo Jia is far better than her~’

****

Only after stepping out of the monastery gates did Vivian finally stop. Her expression remained grim.

Before leaving, she turned her head once more to look at the sign above the monastery entrance.

[Allyrose Monastery]

The seven characters were so glaringly obvious that Vivian couldn’t help but grit her teeth in frustration. It was a long, long while before she finally took a deep breath.

Witnessing her mistress’s agitated state, Jennelle dared not even breathe beside her. Fortunately, though Tok lacked any sense of atmosphere, he possessed an abundance of ‘first love’ devotion. Even with Vivian on the verge of exploding, he still tried to comfort her.

“Vivian, it’s… it’s alright. Allyrose will only humiliate herself this time! You simply can’t lose!”

“Y-yes, that’s right!” Jennelle quickly caught on, immediately echoing Tok’s words. “Who would choose such a small, dilapidated monastery over the Grand Cathedral at the heart of the Holy See? And who would choose a mere nun from a monastery over you, our esteemed Saintess? Allyrose truly overestimates herself! You will surely win this competition!”

With Tok and Jennelle’s combined flattery, Vivian gradually calmed down. After another moment, she let out a soft chuckle, then nodded on the spot, adopting a completely different demeanor. Feigning innocence and vulnerability, she spoke softly.

“Well… Brother Tok and Jennelle make a lot of sense. However… I didn’t choose to compete with Sister Allyrose just because I wanted to win against her. I was just worried… if her monastery were to be deserted in the future, with no one coming at all, it would make Sister Allyrose even sadder, you see~ That’s why I had to be the ‘bad guy,’ hoping to convince Sister Allyrose to switch to a different, more profitable building. Although it wouldn’t fulfill her dream, at least she could still be happy~”

Vivian blinked, seemingly realizing that her last demand might have sounded too hypocritical. So, she quickly added a clarification.

“As for what I said earlier about handing over the monastery to the Holy See if she lost, that was just to motivate her… In the end, I wouldn’t actually make such a demand. Of course, if she herself feels she should honor the wager and voluntarily donates the monastery… then it would depend on the Bishop’s opinion. I wouldn’t make the decision~”

Vivian smiled faintly, sending a shiver down Jennelle’s spine. This… this clearly didn’t seem like someone who *didn’t* want the monastery, did it? And she had completely absolved herself of any responsibility. This…

However, Jennelle quickly caught on to Allyrose’s line of thought, nodding as she chimed in. “Lady Vivian, you are truly too kind. It’s just a pity that Allyrose woman has such a terrible personality! I understood this when I served her before; she’s always been so stubborn. If anyone offers a kind word of advice, she throws a temper! I truly feel wronged for you, that she can’t understand your good intentions.”

“Well… don’t say that about Sister Allyrose. People… always change. I believe she’ll become good friends with me someday~”

Vivian silently scoffed in her heart. ‘Become friends with *that* woman? Impossible…’

However, a moment later, being the professional ‘actress’ she was, she lowered her head and adopted a wronged expression, speaking softly. “But… right now, I truly feel a little wronged… Still, it’s… it’s alright. It’s enough for me to be true to my own conscience. Besides… Sister Allyrose is actually quite formidable. She’s been accepting prayers from believers for so many years, so she must be far more experienced than I am. So… the final outcome is hard to say. But it doesn’t matter, even if I lose the wager, it’s fine. Consider it… a learning experience, hmm…”

As she spoke, Vivian gave Jennelle a meaningful look. Jennelle immediately understood, recalling the plan they had discussed before. After a brief pause, once Vivian had walked a couple of steps ahead, she suddenly grabbed Tok, who was about to follow, and spoke softly.

“Wait a moment!”

“W-what is it? Vivian is getting far away…”

Tok frowned as he turned around, anxious to catch up with Vivian, who was clearly ‘upset.’ Jennelle sighed, then continued, “There’s something I need to discuss with you, for Lady Vivian’s sake. Come over here with me.”

“Ah, this…”

Upon hearing it concerned Vivian, Tok ultimately chose to follow Jennelle to a secluded corner, despite his hesitation. The nun first looked around to ensure no one was nearby before lowering her voice and speaking to Tok.

“This matter is very dangerous now. Allyrose, that woman, dared to accept the challenge with such confidence. There might be a trick involved! Don’t forget what happened when Prince Arius made a bet with her before… Allyrose has been a Saintess for so many years; she has far more experience than Lady Vivian currently does. This wager cannot be won with blind confidence alone.”

“This…”

Hearing Jennelle’s words, Tok was instantly dumbfounded. He had genuinely believed Vivian couldn’t lose, and only now, after Jennelle’s reminder, did a sense of dread creep in.

“But Vivian can’t lose! Not only is seven million dinars an astronomical sum that the Holy See would never cover for Lady Vivian, but… if she loses, she… she’ll be heartbroken!”

The devoted man’s anxious and helpless expression made Jennelle inwardly sneer. However, a moment later, she maintained a serious demeanor, nodding earnestly before speaking. “Exactly… So, we need to find a way to create trouble for Allyrose’s monastery… Especially, Mr. Tok, have you noticed that this place seems to still be under renovation?”

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