“How many days are left until the Emperor’s birthday celebration?”
“Four days remain.”
“Still?”
Escalion, who was sitting with his chin resting on his hand, frowned and crumpled the paper he was holding.
Wolf, observing this, opened his mouth with a pale face.
“My lord, that’s an important document…!”
“Is it?”
“Yes….”
Escalion said while forcibly smoothing out the already crumpled paper.
“It feels like it’s been a long time, but there are still four days left. Why is time passing so slowly?”
Wolf glanced at him and thought to himself.
It seems he’s like this because the lady is not in Griblata.
“Th-then, how about you visit Astanya for the birthday celebration, my lord?”
“I’ve already sent a letter saying I won’t go.”
“Such things can always be changed.”
At Wolf’s words, Escalion stopped fiddling with the paper.
Go to Astanya?
“There’s a mountain of work to handle in Griblata. You’re speaking too comfortably.”
“Don’t you have me? Thanks to you often being away for subjugations or wars, I’m confident in handling most matters.”
He had to prevent the divorce of the master couple by any means necessary.
Wolf was prepared to sacrifice himself for them, who clearly cared for and worried about each other, yet kept missing each other.
“Still, I have no intention of going.”
In his mind, he recalled Belladonna’s desperate words.
Since she had tried so hard to say she would return, he intended to wait here like an obedient hunting dog and watch for her return.
If she really came back to Griblata after the birthday celebration, then at that time…
‘…What do I want to do with her?’
“By the way, Miss Scarlet is late.”
Wolf, standing in front of the desk and receiving the document Escalion had diligently smoothed out, said.
At his voice, Escalion lifted his head, breaking from his thoughts.
At the same time, someone knocked on the office door.
“She’s not exactly a docile one, is she?”
Escalion said with a smirk.
Quickly turning around and opening the office door, Wolf smiled at the person standing outside.
“Welcome, Miss Scarlet!”
“Hello, Wolf. Hi, Escalion.”
Scarlet, who had casually greeted them, stepped into the office without hesitation.
Wolf, making way for the two siblings’ private time, said:
“Then, please speak comfortably. I’ll have the maids bring some light refreshments.”
“Thank you, Wolf!”
Scarlet replied as she plopped down in the seat across from Escalion.
After briefly looking around the spacious office, she abruptly said:
“When on earth is your wife coming back? Why is time passing so slowly? Isn’t it strange that there are still four days left until the birthday celebration?”
“I agree.”
Escalion said while rhythmically tapping his fingers on the desk.
It was an action that clearly showed his dissatisfaction.
Scarlet leaned forward towards him and asked:
“Can’t you just send me to Astanya? I want to see the Saint using her holy power with my own eyes on this occasion.”
Holy power… Escalion immediately frowned at the thought of Belladonna using her holy power.
She had to consume her own life force to use holy power.
Just thinking about how much she would bestow her healing power on others and eat away at her own life during the birthday celebration made him feel like his insides were burning black.
“What’s so good about that ability?”
“It’s an amazing ability! Are you saying that because you don’t know how fortunate it is to be able to heal sick people right away?”
“That’s not fortune. It’s a tremendous misfortune.”
“Why are you like this? Suddenly being grumpy.”
Scarlet looked over Escalion with a face that couldn’t understand and blurted out.
“By the way, the maids say the priests who came from Astanya are so handsome? Did you see them properly?”
“Who looks like what?”
At the useless talk, Escalion, who had been thinking about Belladonna, raised his golden eyes.
Scarlet shrugged and said:
“The priests from Astanya, they say they’re handsome.”
“I didn’t see them properly.”
“The maids say the Astanya priests are completely different from the men in Griblata? Unlike the men here who do rough exercises, they spend all day cooped up in the chapel praying, so they give off a white, thin, and pure feeling.”
“I’m not interested, so would you leave?”
“Like a male version of your beautiful and pure wife.”
Despite Escalion’s sarcasm, Scarlet didn’t stop talking.
“I’ve told you before that your and your wife’s appearances are very different, right? I haven’t seen the Astanya priests myself, but maybe your wife would match better externally with the Astanya priests.”
At Scarlet’s words, Escalion closed his mouth.
Bella and the Astanya priests?
“The maids say that among those who came from Astanya, the tallest priest especially followed your wife well, and that sight was very beautiful.”
“…”
On the day Belladonna left for Astanya, fearing he might want to grab her right away when she boarded the carriage leaving this place, afraid he might unknowingly use force to interfere, he had shut himself up in his office.
But now, if male priests had stuck close to her side that day, helping her with everything, he began to regret not having done so.
Scarlet said with an exaggerated expression:
“Ah, what if your wife really doesn’t come back? Because there are so many handsome men in Astanya? I want to go too!”
Escalion silently glared at her.
“Why are you saying this in front of me?”
“To turn your stomach inside out.”
Scarlet said with a giggle. Escalion continued to glare at her for a while, then shook his head with a tired expression.
“Bella seems to have misunderstood badly. We’re a couple that can never get close for the rest of our lives.”
“If you care for her so much, why did you send your wife to Astanya alone?”
At Scarlet’s question, Escalion couldn’t answer easily.
It was because he hadn’t told anyone except Wolf that he was still considering divorce from her.
“Because I have things to do in Griblata.”
“She must have been disappointed that you couldn’t even clear your schedule that much for her.”
“She’s already as disappointed in me as she can be.”
When he spoke self-deprecatingly, Scarlet looked at him as if surprised.
“Are you stupid? Why do you keep disappointing the person you like?”
“I know.”
Escalion leaned back in his chair.
He raised his head to look at the high ceiling and exhaled as if sighing.
“Why did I do that, I wonder.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Who are you?”
Belladonna was startled when she made eye contact with the man who turned his head.
The one who turned to look at her was not Escalion, but a completely different man.
He doesn’t even look similar at all…! Belladonna blinked her wide eyes in surprise, still holding onto him.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
The man asked again.
Belladonna was startled and removed her hand, then lowered her face under her robe and shook her head.
No. P-please go…
As the man tilted his head and went on his way, Belladonna slumped her shoulders with a deeply disappointed face.
“…”
I thought it was Escalion, did I see an illusion…?
After standing still on the street for a moment, she slowly turned her body.
Since time was not abundant, it seemed she would have to walk diligently to the papal office.
[This is the timeline separator]“Saint!”
Roji, who had been standing at the fork in front of the papal office, spotted Belladonna and shouted loudly as she ran over.
She seemed to have been very anxious waiting for Belladonna, who hadn’t come even after the promised time had passed.
Belladonna ran towards her with an apologetic face.
‘I got lost…!’
She thought she could come back quickly when returning from where the Gaia Hotel was to the papal office since it was a familiar path, but strangely, she kept getting confused by her memories and ended up going around in circles on the familiar road.
“Why are you so late! I was worried…! Let’s hurry back!”
Belladonna nodded at the urging Roji and grabbed her hand, running towards the papal office.
“Saint! You’ve finally come! Oh my, thank goodness. When you didn’t return even after half a day had passed, we thought something might have happened.”
The knights guarding the entrance, who had been waiting with anxious faces, sighed in relief when they saw them.
To make so many people worry like this, Belladonna smiled awkwardly.
I’m sorry for worrying everyone by being much later than expected…
Just as she was thinking it was fortunate that she had returned not too late after all, the knight who looked to be the most senior among them stepped forward and said:
“Saint! The Pope has been looking for you since earlier. We made excuses that you went out very briefly, but it seems you should go see him.”
The, the Pope?
Belladonna turned to look at Roji with wide eyes.
Roji, standing beside her, also looked surprised.
“Huh? The Saint didn’t have any special schedule today? There shouldn’t be any reason to look for her urgently…”
“We’re not sure of the reason either. Anyway, please hurry and go!”
The knights said as they made way for them, who were standing there blankly.
Belladonna nodded to Roji and the knights with an understanding expression and quickly moved her feet.
Following the shortcut to the building where the papal office was located, she hurried up the stairs.
Why is he looking for me? Today wasn’t a day for mass, nor was it a day when the confessional was open.
He had told me to rest well for the birthday celebration for the time being…
When she carefully knocked on the door in front of the office, the Pope’s voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
Although she felt uneasy about his voice being lowered, she slowly pushed the door open.
Is he angry? Why…?
Just as she was about to enter inside without thinking, something blunt flew and struck her face squarely.
“…!!”
Belladonna collapsed in place, clutching her face without even being able to scream.
Wh-what? What happened…? Her vision went black, and whether she was too shocked or not, she couldn’t feel any sensation in the part that was hit.
She just blinked her eyes dazedly and trembled, holding her face with both hands.
Before she could realize what had just happened, someone grabbed her hair tightly and pulled her up.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
