Chapter 8: The Sweet Taste of Secrets

In those few seconds, her jade-like finger grazed empty air; the spot where the book had been was now a void.

Noah glanced sideways with a hint of innocent curiosity, only to see the pretty maid’s face flush slightly, her hands clasped behind her back as if concealing something.

She cleared her throat twice, her posture somewhat stiff as she advised:

“These are just… trivial matters, of no benefit to Her Holiness’s breadth of knowledge. Please continue your search for the wisdom you desire, and pay no mind to such an unimportant read.”

“Oh… hmm~”

Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly, a pleased smile curving her lips.

It was the expression of one who had spotted delicious prey.

The usually prim and proper maid now wore a shy expression, as if her embarrassing past had been uncovered.

Such a sight… how could one resist the urge to tease her thoroughly?

“Hmm… trivial matters, you say…”

“H-Her Holiness? Why do you wear such an all-knowing smile?”

Astolfo felt a chill run down her spine at the Saintess’s brilliant smile, her voice involuntarily tightening with nervousness.

“No, I was just thinking…”

Noah’s smile was as cunning as a fox’s, yet as naturally radiant as sunlight.

“Since they are trivial matters, then… there would be no harm in letting me see, would there?”

“! No! Don’t!”

Astolfo desperately hid the book behind her back, her pupils dilating as she stared at the predator approaching her step by step.

Just as Noah surmised, that book contained her absolute ‘black history’—something she never wanted anyone, especially the Saintess before her, to know.

Yet, the one steadily closing in on her was precisely one of the few people she could never disobey.

“Be good, let me see~”

Noah’s pleased smile was utterly irrepressible, as she slowly advanced on her small, delectable prey, like a glutton.

There was perhaps no more interesting pastime than delving into a cute girl’s secrets.

Though, such behavior could certainly be considered quite mischievous.

“No!”

Despite her protest, Astolfo held the book tightly, refusing to let go, her small face taut, her closed eyelids trembling with rapidly fluttering lashes.

It was unclear whether this was due to fear preventing resistance, or duty forbidding it.

That fragile posture, already resigned to whatever might come, yet still unwilling to surrender the precious item, was truly more tempting than anything else.

But for Noah, this submissive demeanor caused her gaze to dim slightly.

A sweet scent drifted into her nostrils, and Astolfo heard a long sigh near her ear, as if expressing helplessness at her current state.

Before she could react, Noah enveloped her in a warm, yielding embrace; the soft fabric and dry fragrance caused her entire body to freeze.

“Her… Holiness?”

Astolfo froze for two seconds, realizing she was completely enveloped. The floral scent in her nostrils was so warm and gentle, and the slender arms holding her were incredibly soft—she could break free anytime she wished.

The softness that enveloped her entire face felt like heaven, the voluptuous sensation causing Astolfo’s cheeks to flush slightly.

“There, there, don’t be scared, don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to frighten you. If I did anything wrong, I apologize, alright?”

Noah’s eyes were gentle, her smile imbued with unparalleled maternal warmth and tenderness, as she cradled the maid, who was unaware of the comfort.

It felt like holding a frightened child close in one’s arms.

Again and again, with comforting words, familiar scents, and warm body heat, she assured the child that there was no need to fear, for she was here.

Astolfo had always regarded the Saintess with a rather cautious attitude.

In her mind, this Saintess, capable of subjugating the Demon King, must be an even crueler, more dangerous entity than the Demon King herself.

But within this warmth, almost forgotten, she finally realized that the esteemed person before her was indeed the high-minded individual known as the Saintess.

The one who bestowed love and gentleness, adorned with the beautiful title of the Healing Saintess, was this young girl right before her.

Such a feeling and scent couldn’t help but evoke a profound sense of security and warmth, making one unconsciously sink into it.

Astolfo couldn’t help but clear her mind, her previously tense body relaxing considerably.

“Alright, I’ve got the book now~”

Lost too deeply in the moment, Astolfo was completely unaware that Noah had already slipped the book from her grasp.

Only when a slightly pleased and lighthearted voice drifted past her ear did Astolfo realize the magnitude of her mistake.

“Now, let big sister see what cute little~ sec~rets~ A-Fu-chan has been hiding.”

Noah, still holding Astolfo in her embrace, smiled as she made to open the book.

“! Wuwuwuwuwu!”

Astolfo immediately sensed trouble, but those too-large spheres, burying her too deeply, made it impossible for her to break free from Noah’s embrace for a moment.

“Mmm! A-Fu-chan, don’t squirm like that~ It tickles so much~.”

Noah, panting from Astolfo’s frantic burrowing into her chest, squinted one eye, her body writhing with unbearable itchiness.

The book in her jade hand, however, settled steadily back into its original place on the shelf. Noah had never intended to open it.

Prying into a girl’s secrets, after all, was simply impolite.

Teasing was one thing, but genuinely exposing them would be rather insensitive.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Astolfo finally broke free from Noah’s heavenly soft embrace, her ample chest rising and falling slightly, her face flushed as she let out breaths that sparked vivid imaginations.

That sensation, for a centuries-old, pure-hearted Demon King’s retainer, was simply too stimulating.

It was probably best not to easily get entangled in Noah’s alluring beauty.

***

“Where did that woman go?”

After the morning court, the usual time for reviewing official documents commenced. As a Demon King of exceptional ability, Letitia had easily finished in just two hours.

It was now noon, and she was in the Demon King’s dining hall, enjoying a meal served by her maids.

“Astolfo isn’t here either… Honestly, where did those two run off to, leaving me behind?”

However, unlike breakfast, the troublesome Saintess was absent, as was the personal maid who would constantly point things out to her.

The maids, skilled in reading expressions, had also realized that His Majesty the Demon King was somewhat different from the morning.

Simply put, there was a strong, lingering sense of being abandoned by someone important—a palpable feeling of being the ‘loser’.