"Can you... promise not to tell anyone?"
Luo Li's brow furrowed slightly, her sorrowful expression enough to make anyone's heart ache.
This sight gave the female knight and the three nuns an uncontrollable urge to pull the small girl into their arms and soothe her worries.
The Saintess held a supreme position within the Holy Church, and as a knight of the Temple, Hilda was technically a subordinate. How could she allow Her Highness to be troubled by her own selfishness?
"Your Highness, please do not trouble yourself over this matter. I was being presumptuous."
The Saintess was the most noble person in the entire Kingdom of the Moon, second only to Archangel Sariel herself. To let her wear such an expression was entirely the fault of a knight like her!
Seeing the sorrow on the Saintess's face, Hilda grew incredibly anxious, her heart swelling with an urge to repent. At this moment, she would agree to anything if it meant the Saintess would stop being sad.
Even... even if the Saintess felt lonely at night and wanted her to... to attend her bedchamber, Hilda would agree without a moment's hesitation!
That would be so for—no! Hilda definitely wasn't thinking of her own selfish desires; it was for the Saintess, for the Holy Church! Her own innocence meant nothing!
In fact, it would be the greatest honor of her life!
Fortunately, Luo Li had no idea what was going through the mind of the knight before her.
As one of the eight Guardian Knights of the Kingdom of the Moon, the woman known as the Light of the Flowing Moon was actually harboring such thoughts.
If Luo Li knew, her jaw would surely drop, and she might even flee Brilliant City on impulse!
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I promise I won't tell! Just tell us, please~"
At that moment, a girl with short blonde hair sitting beside Luo Li spoke up with anticipation and curiosity. Her bright emerald eyes were fixed on the Saintess, her small hands wringing together in front of her chest. If not for the Temple rules forbidding commoners from touching the Saintess, she likely would have pounced on her to ask for the truth long ago.
Luo Li turned her head. The blonde, green-eyed girl was one of the three she had personally screened from among the many nuns.
These three nuns all came from clean backgrounds, with family histories in Brilliant City that could be traced back five generations.
Luo Li had put a lot of effort into selecting these three.
Nara's emerald eyes were like the flowing waters of a spring, so expressive that Luo Li felt as though the girl might cry if she didn't say something.
"Nara, how can you speak to Her Highness like that? Have you forgotten you are a nun?"
Interrupting Nara was Lola. She used to be responsible for recording documents and transcribing scriptures, and like Nara, she had been chosen by Luo Li after a rigorous selection process.
She had straight orange hair and an aura of natural authority. She was always stern, methodical, and meticulous in her work. In Luo Li's mind, she was the ideal right-hand woman.
"If Her Highness wishes to speak, she will. We... we should not pressure her."
The last to speak was Ella, who was sitting in the innermost part of the carriage.
She was a girl with long, curly green hair and a faint air of melancholy about her, though she was surprisingly talkative once she started. She was quite timid and usually had no chance to interact with the Saintess, as her primary job was tending the flowers and plants in the Temple's backyard.
Perhaps they knew, or perhaps they didn't.
From the moment they were chosen, their fates had changed.
Luo Li had spent an entire afternoon selecting them based on a series of criteria: personality, behavior, family background, and knowledge.
Nara was curious and lively with a cute appearance—especially her 'bouncy' assets, which were quite easy on the eyes.
She would make a qualified lady-in-waiting. More importantly, her curiosity and wide social circle made her quite well-known within the Temple.
Lola was the capable assistant she had chosen, specifically for her rigid, meticulous, and cautious personality. Such a person might not be a leader, but she was a perfect administrator.
Finally, there was Ella. Although the girl was timid, she was observant and often noticed things others missed.
And the final reason was... all three girls were young and beautiful.
Even though Nara kept insisting she wouldn't tell a soul, Luo Li knew that was impossible!
However, this was exactly what she wanted!
Certain things would seem far more 'real' coming from their mouths than if she, the Saintess, were to go out and proclaim them herself.
That was human nature; the more secret a matter was, the easier it was to spread.
Especially when that 'secret' contained a hint of the mysterious.
As the news spread exponentially, her story would be refined and perfected by each person who passed it along.
It was like a relay novel.
She would provide the beginning, and the rest would be written by the people spreading the word.
Faking a deep frown, Luo Li waited a long time before relaxing slightly and beginning her fabrication.
"Actually... it's because I heard a voice."
"A voice?!"
Nara, the lively girl, covered her mouth in shock, her emerald eyes shimmering with excitement.
Lola lowered her head slightly, showing no reaction.
Ella clasped her hands over her chest in a pious gesture, closed her eyes, and began to pray.
As for the ponytail-wearing knight, a burning intensity flared in her eyes, as if her gaze could melt someone.
To an ordinary person, such words would likely be unbelievable.
But the three nuns and the knight beside her were all fanatical devotees of the 'Angel.'
No matter how incredible the lie, to them, it was truer than pure gold.
The eyes of the four women grew fervent.
Luo Li felt as if they might pounce on her and devour her at any moment!
She didn't disturb their imaginations and continued flipping through the book, 《Heroic Legends》, in her hands.
She knew her words would be amplified and become increasingly real as they reached the ears of the common people.
And this... would be incredibly beneficial for what she planned to do next.
Plan successful!
Luo Li lifted the carriage curtain; they had already left the city.
However, the roads outside were not maintained, and the carriage was bumping incessantly.
It made a certain part of her body hurt.
Luo Li found the pain hard to endure. As the Saintess, her body had been baptized by holy water, making her skin as delicate as a baby's.
Ugh... it hurts so much.
Luo Li's teeth itched with annoyance whenever she thought about being forced to leave the elegant and comfortable Temple.
Just you wait!
Rate on N.U.
