Chapter 9: A White Lotus and a Bitter Orange

“I… no, that’s not it! Who put the divine staff, disguised as a brooch, on me?! I… I never touched it, not even once—!”

“Smack—!”

Before Jennelle could utter another word, Allyrose suddenly struck her with a powerful slap across the face, sending the flustered woman sprawling to the ground.

This sudden counterattack left the Holy Church’s lackeys present utterly stunned, none daring to even breathe. Seizing the moment, Allyrose pressed her advantage, planting a foot firmly on Jennelle’s abdomen before letting out a cold scoff.

“Jennelle, you have audacious gall! Not only did you secretly steal and hide the Staff of Holy Light, but you even dared to bite back at me, attempting to sow discord between myself and Miss Vivian. Are you… trying to cause trouble for the new Saintess, Miss Vivian?! Tell me, what crime does this constitute?!”

Confronted by Allyrose’s rhetorical question, Jennelle, struck by her own boomerang, could only tremble and repeatedly cry out, “Injustice! Injustice!” Still not appeased, the twin-tailed girl used the chaos to kick the woman twice more. Only when the surrounding Holy Church lackeys rushed forward to intervene did Allyrose reluctantly withdraw her foot, her gaze falling upon Vivian, who had stepped between them, and a brow arched in question.

“Oh… please, don’t be angry, Sister Allyrose. I believe there might be some misunderstanding. I’ve known Sister Jennelle for a while, and I trust she’s not the kind of person who would steal. Let’s not fight anymore; let’s calm down first, and then we can investigate later.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Allyrose could only scoff internally, observing Vivian’s current ‘white lotus’ act. ‘She knows Jennelle isn’t a thief?’ Allyrose thought. ‘You, who are brazenly trying to steal my house right now, have the nerve to say such a thing?’

No, wait, ‘steal’ wasn’t even the right word. It should be ‘seize,’ ‘snatch,’ ‘deceive,’ or ‘ambush’ her home.

A moment later, Allyrose shook her head dismissively, then spoke with a sarcastic lilt:

“When Jennelle was with me, her hands and feet were indeed honest. But now, I can’t say for sure. After all, a tangerine grown south of the Huai River is a tangerine, but north of it, it becomes a bitter orange, doesn’t it~?”

‘A servant following a thieving master inevitably becomes a thieving servant~’

Vivian clearly understood the implicit meaning behind Allyrose’s words. The corner of the blonde loli’s mouth twitched, and her expression grew noticeably darker.

Yet, moments later, she feigned a sweet, innocent look once more, nodding as she spoke:

“Yes, yes, indeed~ I truly must learn more from you, Sister Allyrose. When it comes to disciplining subordinates, I simply can’t be as strict as you~”

Tsk…

‘Well, well, she’s actually starting to imply I’m too aggressive now.’

‘But what choice do I have, my dear best friend…? A gentle Allyrose simply wouldn’t survive in front of you!’

[Ding-dong, System Notification: Due to host’s physical limitations, the Holy Light Absorption Bracelet has reached its energy absorption limit. Absorption process paused.]

‘Hm?’

Hearing the sudden electronic prompt, the twin-tailed little fox blinked rapidly. ‘Well… well, it’s full?’

The Staff of Holy Light truly lived up to its name as a treasure of the Holy Church. It had completely filled her own golden-grade item, yet for over a decade, neither she nor the Holy Church had discovered its true purpose. Now, it seemed like an utter waste of a divine artifact.

It was practically a rich energy mine!

However, *cough, cough*, at this very moment, under the effects of her Holy Light Absorption Bracelet, the Staff of Holy Light seemed poised to join the ranks of depleted artifacts. Watching the glow on her bracelet steadily dim, Allyrose quickly tossed the nearly drained staff into Vivian’s hands.

“Alright, Miss New Saintess. Since the staff has been found, I shall return it to you. And now… I am rather tired and wish to rest undisturbed. You should all leave quickly. Otherwise… if this matter were to reach the Tribunal, it wouldn’t look good for anyone, would it?!”

Allyrose cast a cold glance at Vivian, who, in turn, strained to maintain her innocent and adorable expression. She nodded stiffly, then offered a forced, saccharine smile.

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Sister Allyrose. See you later…”

With that, the blonde loli immediately turned, then stormed out of Allyrose’s castle with long, angry strides.

Tok, standing nearby, awkwardly glanced around before hastily following suit. Following him were the Holy Church’s band of lackeys. Finally, Kitav unhurriedly approached Jennelle, pulled her to her feet, glared sharply at her, then turned and exited the castle.

Jennelle involuntarily shivered. After a long moment, she turned her head back, her gaze filled with confusion and fear as she looked at Allyrose, as if still silently asking, ‘How did you ever figure out the divine staff was hidden in my brooch?’

‘Well~ Heh…’

‘Of course, it’s because I’ve read the script.’

‘If I hadn’t read the novel, I probably would have been truly puzzled about the staff’s whereabouts, and might even have taken responsibility out of self-reproach.’

‘But unfortunately, the novel’s plot meticulously detailed the entire story from Vivian’s perspective. It included how Bishop Kitav had set a trap for me in advance, how Vivian conceived of using this as an excuse, and… during the final review, a smug Vivian herself revealed the staff’s location.’

‘In other words, Allyrose knew from the very beginning that the brooch was the divine staff, transformed by Kitav using illusion magic~’

‘To think that the system item I received ultimately brought such an unexpected bonus~’

A grin spread across the twin-tailed girl’s face, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction at the thought.

Jennelle instantly shivered again, then… she whirled around and sprinted out of the castle as if her life depended on it. This left Allyrose frozen on the spot, blinking in utter bewilderment.

‘Huh, why… did she react as if she’d seen a witch?’

‘I was the former Saintess, after all, with a hundred percent approval rating for my affinity, right? Am I really that terrifying?’

‘Hm~’

Having finally seen off these troublesome pests, Allyrose slowly turned her head. At this moment, only she remained in the room, along with the little white-haired boy she had just picked up and taken in, and…

Her fiancé, who stood frozen in place, still somewhat bewildered by what had transpired.

Seeing Jason awkwardly rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the retreating crowd outside the door, Allyrose couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. She knew his heart had followed Vivian; he was clearly afraid of incurring the true Saintess’s wrath if he didn’t pursue her.

Thus, acting the part of a virtuous maiden, Allyrose immediately yawned, then spoke languidly:

“Darling~ You must be tired too. Go back and get some rest.”

“Oh, oh, w-wife! See you tomorrow!”

Jason nodded hastily, then ran off without a backward glance to catch up. Allyrose, in turn, casually closed the door.

Afterward, the twin-tailed girl turned, pointing with amusement at the bewildered Luo Jia.

“Now~ it’s just the two of us left at home, little white-haired one~?”