Latieana!

Meanwhile, armed holy knights encircled the garden, surrounding us, as calm footsteps approached.

“I never expected a rat to be hiding inside the temple.”

Maxiem hastily turned his head.

Even I, suspended midair gripped by a massive hand conjured through supernatural ability, looked toward the approaching figure.

It was Killian.

And beside him, Ivy glaring at me murderously.

Killian lazily lowered his slightly upturned eyes. Then, with a sharp glance, he swept past Maxiem and fixed his gaze on me.

His face was utterly expressionless—so cold-blooded, not even a drop of blood would spill if stabbed.

His hair, swept back from his forehead, remained perfectly undisturbed, just as it had been during the day.

Eyebrows slightly darker than Edan’s, and crimson irises slightly deeper than Edan’s.

A nose identical to Edan’s, and a jawline slightly more defined than Edan’s.

Merely standing there, perfectly poised and upright, staring at me—yet Killian’s gaze felt oppressively heavy, as if pinning me down.

His thoughts unknown, Killian stared at me with eyes so icy they sent chills down my spine—then slowly closed and reopened them. Instantly, rays of supernatural power emanating from his feet coiled tightly around my body.

The wounds inflicted by Ivy were mercilessly crushed under this overwhelming force.

“Cough!”

The pain constricting my chest forced me to gasp out a cough, expelling breath raggedly.

I tried opening my mouth to inhale, but couldn’t manage it properly—tears instantly welled in my eyes.

Though engulfed by terror, feeling as if death were imminent, Killian’s cold expression only tightened his grip further around my ribs.

Cold sweat streamed down Maxiem’s forehead as he watched my face grow paler by the second.

Maxiem swiftly spun around, dashed toward Killian, and dropped to his knees.

“Your Highness, I beg you! Please release Lady Latieana! Please!”

“I don’t understand—what is so special about this woman that a priest kneels and begs for her?”

“This isn’t for me! If anything happens to Lady Latieana, Your Highness will surely regret it! So please…!”

Killian frowned.

“Regret?”

Pfft—Killian let out a short, derisive scoff.

“How ridiculous.”

Killian withdrew the supernatural light, dropping me directly from midair onto the ground.

Thud!

Falling from adult-height, I crashed onto the grass, collapsing limply.

The moment the constricting supernatural force vanished, breathing became possible again—though labored.

“Gah! Cough, cough!”

My desperate gasps triggered violent coughing fits. Just as Maxiem leapt up to rush toward me—

“Kyaaah! Latieana!”

A beat too late, Ivy cried out my name in a frail, worry-laden voice. Despite having stood beside Killian the entire time without changing expression, she now patted Maxiem’s shoulder and ran toward me.

“Oh my goodness, Latieana! Are you alright?”

Ivy pulled me into a tight embrace, half-lifting my collapsed body, gripping my shoulders as she frantically examined me up and down.

Like someone genuinely distraught over a dear friend.

“Let me check carefully. What should I do…?”

Her voice brimmed with concern. But her eyes, gazing down at me while shielded from others, curved into crescent moons with laughter—and her mouth stretched into a wide, wicked grin.

As if my shuddering, gasping pain was hilarious—as if she were reveling in this moment.

Ivy’s face, visible only to me, wore an expression so grotesque, so unnaturally manufactured, it was impossible to mimic even if one tried.

“Let go!”

Barely composed, I slapped away Ivy’s hands gripping my shoulders.

“Ouch…!”

Ivy stumbled backward as if shoved with tremendous force.

At that moment, the surrounding holy knights simultaneously drew their swords.

“Your Holiness!”

“Your Holiness, are you unharmed?!”

Ivy trembled slightly, then replied with a faint smile.

“I’m fine. Please sheathe your swords—my friend is frightened.”

“But….”

“Please.”

Exchanging uncertain glances, the knights reluctantly sheathed their blades.

Slowly, Ivy turned her head toward me.

“Why are you acting like this, Latieana? If His Highness gets angry, even I won’t be able to defend you….”

“Drop that disgusting act.”

“Latieana.”

“You asked for this, didn’t you? You wanted me reduced to this state, right?”

“How can you say such things…?”

At my words, Ivy covered her mouth with both hands, feigning deep hurt and trembling lips.

Then she stood up and turned toward Killian.

“This is too much, Your Highness! You never said you’d handle her so roughly. Look—my friend is blaming me….”

Killian, who had been watching Ivy motionlessly, shifted his gaze toward me.

His eyes, meeting mine, remained just as cold as before.

“Truly, this is excessive. Even if Latieana slapped you, she’s still my friend. I feel wronged….”

I felt nauseated. How could she perform such shameless theatrics?

Though my body throbbed with pain as if shattered, I staggered to my feet. Maxiem quickly moved to support me.

Ivy’s gaze turned icy as she watched Maxiem helping me.

“Priest, step away from my friend.”

With a gesture from Ivy, the two nearest holy knights swiftly approached and dragged Maxiem far away. Their rough handling, pinning Maxiem’s arms like a criminal, was brutally harsh.

Ivy gestured again into the air. A maid, seeing this, immediately brought her pen and paper.

“Latieana, sign this, and I’ll take good care of you inside the temple.”

Dismissing the maid with a bright smile, Ivy extended the pledge document toward me.

“….”

The distance between Ivy and me—two or three steps.

“Come on, sign it. Okay?”

Ivy took one step closer, lowering her voice—whispering so only I could hear.

“Only then can I lock you up and drain your power to kill you as soon as possible, you damn brat.”

Ivy pulled her lips upward into a cruel smirk and continued.

“After you die, I’ll sincerely pretend to cry. Won’t I look so pitiful and adorable to everyone else—mourning my beloved friend’s death? So stop resisting uselessly and just sign.”

Ivy forcibly grabbed my arm, already clenched into a fist, and lifted it.

Enduring the pressure of her hand pressing deliberately not on my wrist but higher—onto the bruised spot hidden beneath my sleeve—I looked toward Maxiem.

“Lady Latieana….”

Maxiem, meeting my gaze, shook his head anxiously from side to side.

I slowly closed and reopened my eyes.

“Fine. I’ll do it, Ivy.”

The words Ivy most wanted to hear. Without hesitation, Ivy burst into a radiant smile.

Then she pulled me into a tight embrace.

“Finally giving up? Took you long enough to realize resisting is pointless. How stupid.”

Whispering that into my ear, Ivy pulled away and handed me the pen and paper.

“Go ahead, do it.”

Ivy tilted her chin upward, looking down at me arrogantly. I gazed limply at the pen and paper, then spoke to Ivy.

“But not in front of you.”

“What?”

“The one who ordered me to sign the pledge is His Highness. I’ll do it in front of him.”

When I lifted my head, Ivy’s face twisted in fury.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Because of me, the priest was captured. I may be helpless, but I can’t let him be thrown into the dungeon.”

“I can prevent that too!”

“You?”

I let out a hollow laugh and continued.

“You, who plan to kill me soon—you’ll promise not to punish the priest who helped me? Why should I trust you? Would you believe you?”

Ivy strained to read my expression, but I continued indifferently.

“Since even His Highness, because of your request, seems to desire my presence in the temple more than anyone else—I’ll speak directly to him. I’ll sign, but ask him not to punish the priest. Even though he threw me, I trust His Highness more than you, who’ve tormented me my entire life.”

“Don’t make me laugh. If you’re scheming something, it won’t work.”

“Look around, Ivy. What can I possibly do here? Like you said—I’ve given up now.”

I gradually lowered my voice—my lips trembling as if utterly exhausted, unable to continue.

“I don’t want to struggle anymore. How could I possibly defeat you? Just help me save the priest. This is my first and last request. If you refuse, I’ll never sign—I’d rather bite off my tongue and die. Is that fine with you?”

“Crazy, Latieana. Such useless stubbornness….”

Ivy ground her lower lip between her teeth, then abruptly turned to look at Maxiem—and finally took one step back.

“Thank you.”

I replied in an even more subdued, defeated tone.

Then, with a face on the verge of tears, I looked toward Maxiem.

“Thank you for everything, Priest. Even in death, I won’t forget your kindness.”

“L-Lady Latieana…? Why are you saying this? No! I-I’m fine! Don’t do it!”

Ignoring Maxiem’s shouts, I turned my darkened expression toward Killian and began walking.

Thankfully, Ivy—who I expected to follow—stopped and merely watched me.

Step by step. As the distance between Killian and me narrowed, I pulled a glass vial from my pocket.

Holding both the pledge and pen in my left hand made it awkward, but calmly, without rushing, I opened the lid.

I grasped the butterfly grass leaf in my right hand and simply dropped the vial onto the grass.

Making sure Killian’s gaze didn’t fall upon my hand, I stared directly into his eyes and crushed the leaf with all my strength.

The completely dry butterfly grass leaf instantly crumbled into powder in my palm.

Ordinary as a common leaf—harmless no matter how hard you squeezed.

But if it touched Ivy? That would be a different story.

This wasn’t the timing I’d hoped for. Ideally, I’d have found a way to avoid coming to the temple entirely and dealt with Ivy first.

If they discovered I was the true Great Saintess, surely both the temple and royal court would claim me.

They’d force me, by any means necessary, to sacrifice myself for the supernatural wielders.

Then—even if Hillstain or Dante forcibly attacked me—I’d have no right to protest.

No matter how unwilling I was, the Great Saintess’s role demanded self-sacrifice of body and power for healing.

I had no intention of performing such acts with anyone except Edan. Nor did I wish to derive pleasure from it like Ivy.

So I’d hoped to find another solution.

But now… this is what you brought upon yourself. You’re done for today, Ivy.