Holy Father

After the girl's softly whispered voice fell, a brief silence blanketed the Tribunal.

Just like Lu Li, everyone else had never expected Amore to plead guilty so decisively.

The crowd looked from the girl kneeling on the floor to His Holiness the Pope sitting on the magistrate's bench, his expression solemn and meticulous, before exchanging bewildered glances.

“As expected of the Holy See. A single word from him was enough to make the wicked plead guilty.”

“The Pope's bearing is truly enviable!”

“Indeed! As expected of the Pope!”

The spectators in the gallery whispered among themselves, their admiration for the youth who had donned the crown at such a young age growing deeper by the second.

Even though Lu Li was an exceptionally rare case in the history of the Holy State—having been consecrated as Pope as a male—they still remained full of hope for the Holy State's future.

Yet, Lu Li's current mood was far from pleasant.

Did he abandon the Saint Clement Academy's opening ceremony and rush all the way here just to personally judge a silver-haired brat?

She had clearly clamored before about wanting to become one of the Twelve Sacred Knights, even saying that being by his side was Heaven itself, yet now she refused to give him even the simplest of trust.

Or was this stubborn fool still unwilling to lean on him, even now?

“Amore, do you know where you went wrong?”

Lu Li raised the gavel and struck it heavily twice. A solemn atmosphere instantly blanketed the Tribunal. Even the Presiding Judge, who had been openly slacking off, was startled by his sudden display of authority, feeling a sudden wave of guilt as if she had been caught red-handed.

“I... Me?” Amore froze for a moment, then raised her head blankly.

Her eyes were slightly red, her expression somewhat uneasy. She hadn't even processed why the youth on the magistrate's bench would ask such a question.

Did he want her to confess to her crimes with her own mouth?

Had anyone else spoken these words, Amore might have felt humiliated. But if it was him... if he was the one who wished for her to confess to everything...

Her tears cascaded uncontrollably once more, the crystal-like drops shattering against the cold floor—just like her heart, which was currently breaking into a million pieces.

“I... I am guilty. I shouldn't have... betrayed the Holy Court... I shouldn't have...”

The girl choked out her words. With every word she spoke, she felt herself drift a step further from the youth. Perhaps once she finished speaking, once he handed down her sentence, she would never see him again?

Even if it was just one last time, she wanted to look at him just a little longer.

Holding onto this belief, Amore raised her head.

Yet, when she was only halfway through her sentence and her gaze had barely landed on him, the young, great, and merciful Pope interrupted her.

“Enough!” he shouted, his eyes conveying a meaning Amore could not decipher.

Lu Li was truly exasperated by her lack of spine. He clearly remembered her as an arrogant and stubborn brat. Why had she become so spineless at a time like this?

“You brat, you really are a massive headache! You clearly saw me arrive—I'm standing right here!” Standing up, he stepped down from the magistrate's bench and made his way to the girl in a few short steps.

“Your Holiness!” The Presiding Judge's pupils dilated in panic as she scrambled to cry out. “Too close! Your Holiness is standing too close! What if...” What if the sinner suddenly lashed out? Even with two High Knights guarding her, they couldn't guarantee His Holiness's safety...

Before she could finish, however, Lu Li testily cut her off.

“Shut up!”

The youth glared at the Presiding Judge, who had instinctively stood up. Cowering under his imposing aura, she could only sit back down in embarrassment.

“You!”

Once she sat down, Lu Li shifted his gaze back to Amore. He extended a finger and poked the girl hard on the forehead. As he poked her, he scolded with deep, painful exasperation.

“Look at you! How can you be so pathetic? Didn't you say you wanted to stand by my side?”

“I was standing right here just now. Why didn't you just throw yourself forward and cling to my leg?”

The more Lu Li spoke, the angrier he got. Seeing her eyes red and keeping silent, he couldn't help but scold, “Cry, cry, cry, all you know how to do is cry! I gave you a chance, but you couldn't even take it!”

Amore's mind had already turned into mush from the sheer volume of information packed into his words. She couldn't wrap her head around what was happening.

But His Holiness was right in front of her. His finger was so soft, so cool... If only this moment could last forever.

She could no longer be bothered to think. She only wanted to be closer to the youth. Even if she was beaten, scolded, or blamed by him, anything was better than going back to those days without him.

Lu Li was growing a bit tired from his lecturing. In the brief moment he paused to catch his breath, the girl kneeling on the ground had somehow crawled right up to his feet. With her cheeks slightly flushed, she rubbed against his sleeve, making strange, soft noises.

“Mmh... I love you... Your Holiness...”

Hearing her slurred murmurs, Lu Li's face, which had recovered slightly, darkened once more.

“You really are beyond saving!”

He gave his sleeve a sharp flick and turned to return to the magistrate's bench, but the moment he took a step, he felt a faint pull from the back of his holy robes.

“D-don't go... I beg you... Please don't leave me behind...”

The girl's humble, pleading voice sounded from behind him. Extending her fair little hand, she gently tugged on the hem of his holy robes that had fallen near her when he turned around.

Seeing this, the two knights guarding her turned pale with fright and immediately brought their scabbards crashing down onto her back.

“Let go!” one of them barked angrily.

Amore let out a painful groan. Stars danced across her vision, but she gritted her teeth and absolutely refused to let go.

Just as the two knights were about to pry her fingers open, Lu Li stopped them.

Looking at Amore, whose tear-stained face was a complete mess, Lu Li sighed and walked back over to her.

He slowly squatted down, his eyes landing on her little hand clutching his robes. Her knuckles were white, as if she were desperately holding onto something she could never afford to lose.

“Alright, aren't you embarrassed? Why do you think I came all the way here?” Lu Li sighed, reaching out to give her head a vigorous rub before continuing, “It was all for you.”

“Seriously, you idiot, why did you have to go and plead guilty out of nowhere? I was actually planning on using a tiny bit of my privilege,” he complained in a quiet mumble, truly having never expected that this girl, who seemed rather intelligent, could actually be so foolish.

The two knights standing behind Amore listened to Lu Li's complaints without cracking a smile. Fortunately, they were professionally trained, and no matter how much they wanted to tease him, they would hold it in.

But His Holiness was truly so adorable. Even if he abused his power, nobody could ever hate him!

“Well, since you've already pleaded guilty, there's no helping it then.”

“It seems I have no choice but to use that. I really didn't want to...”

“But who told me to be your—Holy—Father!”

Lu Li said through gritted teeth, dragging out the last few words.

So frustrating! He was really afraid of pain!