Chapter 43
The entire previous night, I kept thinking, in what kind of setting? In what way should I confess my identity as the Saintess to Lian Qi?
I told Lian Qi I was going to contact the other members of my sister-squad and asked her to go to the palace first, while I went to the Holy Light Church. I hadn’t been back to the Church in a long time, ever since I started accompanying her as a maid.
“It’s been a while.”
I stood in the Papal Hall, gazing at the stained-glass windows and muttering to myself.
This is where I was born, where I grew up. To me, it’s home.
A voice sounded from behind me—
“Saintess, you’ve been on your incognito excursion for so long. You’ve finally returned?”
Pfft, “incognito excursion”? What the heck is that?
I turned around. One of the leaders of the Holy Light Church, Cardinal Bahl, was walking towards me. He is the youngest of all the cardinals.
“Mhm. Has the Church been okay recently?”
“There are many matters we’d like to ask your opinion on. For example, the issue of how to deal with Bishop Rodrigo, who embezzled four billion. Furthermore, Inspector Qifeng reported that you want to allocate some money for disaster relief? Recently, a new Druid organization calling themselves environmentalists has emerged, what are your thoughts? Also—”
My head started to ache just listening to all this.
“Well… let’s put those aside for now. I came this time to say, I plan to personally participate in the Holy Light Festival in three days. Can you help me arrange it?”
“It is time you participated personally.”
“How many Templars are in the royal capital?”
“There are still three days. If you require it, I can summon all the Templars to your side.”
“No, no, no, no need to go to that trouble… On the day of the festival, just have the Templars in the capital wear plain clothes, blend into the crowd, and help me by shouting ‘666.‘”1
“666” is a word Lian Qi taught me. No wonder he doesn’t understand.
“Anyway, just do as I’ve instructed, okay?”
After settling these matters, I left the Church.
Next… the moment that had to come finally had to be faced.
I opened my wardrobe and changed into my long-unworn white nun’s habit and white pantyhose. My feelings at this moment were both anxious and excited. I originally wondered if I should put on makeup, but then I thought, better not. If Lian Qi didn’t recognize me, that would be awkward!
I arrived at the royal palace. The door to the royal court was half-open. I nervously reached my hand for the door, only to hear Queen Tristina’s voice from inside.
“Alright, I’ve said everything. In short, your protection target this time is the Saintess.”
“The Saintess? Where is she?” Lian Qi asked.
“You’ll see her in a moment,” Tristina replied.
At that moment, I pushed open the door. Lian Qi turned and looked at me.
I calmed myself, gave her a weak smile, and remembered I said I was going to give her a surprise.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am the Saintess, Kefei’er.”
Lian Qi stared at me coldly. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and she was still staring at me coldly.
“Can you give me some kind of reaction?” I said weakly.
The atmosphere is so awkward. Even if I silently backed out and closed the door, pretending nothing happened, it’s impossible now, right?
“What kind of reaction do you want?”
…Mngh. She finally responded.
“Aren’t… aren’t you… surprised?”
“Surprised?” Lian Qi stared at me with a frown. I had a bad feeling. Images of washboards instinctively flashed through my mind.
“Um, you two take your time talking. I’ll be excusing myself.”
I caught a glimpse of Tristina getting up from the throne and slipping away. Eh, eh, eh??? And I thought you were my good sister! How could you just slip away like that? Weren’t you the one who tricked and deceived me, packing me up and sending me over in the first place? Even if you’re secretly giving me a thumbs-up now, I can’t handle this!
“Surprised that you’ve been lying to me this whole time? That is indeed very surprising.”
Ugh… Lian Qi’s words pierced my body like an arrow.
“No, that’s not it! I didn’t mean to lie to you!”
Actually, even I felt guilty saying that. From the very beginning, didn’t I deliberately pretend to be a maid to get close to Lian Qi?
“…I’m sorry. I have nothing to say in my defense.” I lowered my head in guilt.
“I always thought there was something strange about you. Other people’s saliva is made of water, protein, and various enzymes, but your saliva is Holy Light?”
“Eh? Bringing up saliva all of a sudden is too embarrassing!” I blushed and glanced at the door. No one heard that, right? That sentence could be misunderstood to mean Lian Qi has come into contact with my saliva…
Sob… although, she has come into contact with it.
“Also, from the Queen above to the General, the magic academy Headmaster, the Platinum-rank adventurer, and the Holy Light Church’s Inspector below… they’re all your ‘sisters’? How could a mere maid have such a wide network?”
“Th-Those things… I didn’t deliberately hide them from you!” I quickly explained.
“You didn’t hide them from me. You just revealed them one by one, so I could slowly digest it all.”
“N-I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Everyone, including you, has been lying to me. I feel like a ball you’ve all been playing with, spinning me around and around. Your world is too treacherous. I suddenly want to go back.”
I patted my chest and said, “I was the one who asked everyone to help me hide my identity as the Saintess from you. If you’re going to blame someone, just blame me! …I need you to defeat the Demon King. How can you just say you’re going back?”
I panicked. Lian Qi must be saying that out of anger, right? Please don’t let my deception lead to the world not being saved from the Demon King.
“So, you pretended to be a maid and infiltrated my side just to use me to defeat the Demon King, right? Guiding the Hero onto the right path… that’s your duty as the Saintess, isn’t it?”
“Wait a minute! You were the one who asked for a white-haired beautiful girl first! That’s why Tristina came to find me. I’m the only white-haired beautiful girl in the entire country!”
“Are you saying it’s my fault? She could have just found any maid and dyed her hair white!”
“Did you want me to not be the one serving you that badly!?” I said resentfully. “I may not be as professional as a real maid, but… was I bad to you? I took care of you, cooked for you, and even did your laundry!”
“That’s exactly what I want to ask! You’re the high-and-mighty Saintess, why would you lower yourself to do those things!?”
“I have never felt that I was high-and-mighty!”
I patted my chest and said to her.
Whoops, I accidentally got too agitated. When I said that, Lian Qi stared at me, stunned. I took this opportunity to calm down.
“I never felt that doing laundry or cooking was lowering myself. I’m the same as everyone else.”
“You’re the first Saintess I’ve ever seen like this,” Lian Qi said softly.
I thought to myself, I’ve never seen a Saintess who’s a boy before, either.
“I didn’t want to use you. Maybe at the very beginning, I approached you to urge you onto the right path. But later… I stayed by your side because I was worried about you. I just wanted to be with you, that’s all,” I said, my nose stinging.
Lian Qi, you misunderstand me, but can’t you see? Slowly, I’ve grown attached to you. In your eyes, is my attachment to you just for the sake of you defeating the Demon King?
Forget it. I didn’t say that out loud. I sniffled, looked up, and found Lian Qi looking at me silently. The trace of anger in her amber eyes seemed to have disappeared.
Can she really forgive me?
“…I really don’t get you. You’re the Saintess. The supreme Saintess. Yet you were willing to be my maid and be bullied by me… What is your mindset?”
“Eh? My mindset…? …Lian Qi, are you misunderstanding something again?” My face instantly turned red.
She stepped closer to me.
“Does it have to do with my accidental ‘training’? As the Saintess, you’re used to having everyone at your beck and call, so does the feeling of being conquered by me feel really exciting?”
“…Can we talk about this when we get home?”
I said weakly, forced to take a step back. This is the royal palace! Saying such shameful things in a place like this is too embarrassing! What if the walls have ears… I really don’t want anyone else to hear this!
“No. Answer me honestly right now.”
“I don’t care… A-Anyway, we’ve… been through so much. How can you just say you’re leaving?”
“Oh, right. A lot of shameless things have happened.”
“Stop. We’ll talk about this at home.”
“So, what you mean is, if I stay, you can unlock even more positions, is that it?”
“…What?” I said, blushing.
“Honestly, when you found out I was a girl, were you disappointed?”
I looked surprised. “Disappointed about what!?”
“In a lot of stories, the Saintess ends up giving herself to the Hero.”
“I’ve never heard of that kind of story!”
“I’ve suddenly changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind? You don’t… not want to defeat the Demon King anymore, do you?”
“See? You really do only care about defeating the Demon King.”
“Wh—”
I feel like I’ve been misunderstood again.
“I suddenly have a bold idea. Or rather, a demand. I can go challenge the Demon King, but my condition is—”
Lian Qi pointed at me and said.
“After I defeat the Demon King, you will marry me.”
My face instantly flushed crimson.
“M-Marry you??? How can I marry you?”
“What? You don’t want to? Because you’re the Saintess?” Lian Qi asked impatiently.
“No, no—”
“Or is it because you think we’re both girls so we can’t get married?”
“No, no—”
“Hmph. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have revealed I was a girl. It would have been much more straightforward then.”
I looked at her silently, full of shame. She doesn’t understand at all! I’m a boy! How can I “marry” her?
She suddenly turned her face towards me, a smile playing on her lips. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes.”
“W-Wait a minute! Lian Qi, you don’t understand at all—”
I stopped myself. No, I can’t tell her I’m actually a boy right now. I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle one blow after another.
“The one who doesn’t understand is you—”
Lian Qi gave me a push, kabedon-ing me against the door. Her face was so close to mine, our noses were touching.
She maintained that smile on her lips and said to me, “You’re so innocent. You don’t really think marriage is just simple things like sucking fingers, leaving marks, and licking ears, do you? It’s about getting naked and doing naughty things. For someone as easily ashamed as you, I’m really looking forward to your performance.”
I felt offended and angrily pushed her away.
“I never said I agreed! What do you take me for? A spoil of war for defeating the Demon King?”
“What spoil of war? Don’t you understand my feelings?” Lian Qi glared at me, annoyed. I glared right back at her, just as annoyed!
“Your saying these things… do you still think I only got close to you for the sake of defeating the Demon King? So… in your eyes, I’d do anything to defeat the Demon King, is that it?”
“What are you talking about? I always talk to you like this, and I’ve never seen you get angry. Why are you so different today now that you’re back to being the Saintess?”
I was furious, and pointed at her resentfully. “D-Don’t get so cocky! If that day ever comes… I’ll scare you to death on our wedding night!”
Footnotes
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“666” is Chinese internet slang, derived from gaming, meaning “awesome,” “cool,” or “well-played.” ↩