A Cunning Fox

Creak—

The door was pushed open, making a very soft sound.

A blue light streamed in through the gap in the door, spilling across the floor in front of the bed. Mia, who had been sleeping, frowned and quickly sat up.

Upon seeing who it was, she let out a sigh of relief and said with a hint of fondness, “Your Highness, you have your own room.”

Ever since the day they purified Marcus, Lady Elena had rearranged their rooms in the lord's manor. Mia now slept right next door to Lovene.

Lovene leaned against the doorframe, not stepping inside just yet.

“But I want to sleep here. Are you... not welcoming me?”

She was not wearing her usual holy robe, but a silvery-white nightgown. As the evening breeze swept through the corridor, the fabric of her nightgown clung to her, perfectly outlining her graceful figure.

“I will naturally do my best to fulfill Your Highness's requests, but I am your Holy Knight. It is not proper for us to sleep together.”

Mia stood up from the bed and picked up her coat from the side, seemingly preparing to leave the room and yield her bedroom to Lovene. However, in the next second, she froze.

Click.

The faint sound of a lock turning was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. Lovene's fingers slid off the bronze latch, a teasing, almost enchanting smile playing on her lips.

Mia's eye twitched, and she subconsciously swallowed.

“Being a Holy Knight is merely an excuse I used to keep you by my side. Mia, do you really still not understand my feelings after all this time?”

As she spoke, Lovene walked toward Mia.

Mia quickly retreated until she backed up against the edge of the bed.

Lovene pressed down on her shoulders and gave a gentle push, sending Mia tumbling backward onto the bed. Before she could move, Lovene pinned her wrists. Silver strands of hair fell against Mia's delicate collarbones.

The nightgown draped down, seeming to block out the light and closing the last remaining distance between them.

“Your Highness! Please... please behave yourself!”

Mia's heart raced, and she began to stammer again.

Hearing this, Lovene lowered her head slightly, her gaze landing on Mia's tightly pressed lips. “Behave myself? Mia, I see you still don't understand.”

Mia turned her head away to avoid her gaze. Her fingers gripped the edge of the bedsheet, her knuckles straining against the white fabric. “Un-understand what?”

“Understand what you ought to understand.”

Lovene's gaze lingered on the side of Mia's face for a long time. Then, she leaned down, slowly bringing her face closer to Mia's lips. Mia closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, her shoulders tense, and her breath hitching.

She was incredibly nervous.

Lovene did not lean in any further, nor did she let go. She remained in that position, pausing for a moment, before her lips curved into a soft laugh. “Alright, I'll stop teasing you.”

She withdrew her hands and sat up, allowing the light to fall back onto the edge of the bed.

Mia let out a massive sigh of relief.

She opened her eyes, sat up, and smoothed out her rumpled collar. Her voice was as cold and aloof as ever, as if the person who had almost been kissed just now was someone else entirely.

“Your Highness, acting like this is truly beneath your status as the Saintess.”

Despite her words, she felt a strange, inexplicable sense of disappointment deep down. But she would never admit to it.

As a Holy Knight, her duty was to protect Her Highness. In her eyes, any behavior that threatened to blur the lines of their relationship was a transgression.

Lovene had already lied down on the other side of the bed. She looked at Mia and smiled. “So what? You're the only one here who knows. Or are you going to tell everyone about my true nature?”

Mia opened her mouth, but in the end, she lay down beside Lovene, muttering softly under her breath, “Your Highness... is a cunning fox.”

She was constantly being teased, yet she could never pin her down.

Lovene did not object. She turned onto her side, draping her arm over Mia's waist, her fingertips resting gently on the fabric. Her movements were incredibly soft and tender.

Mia's body stiffened.

She could feel Lovene's breath, carrying a faint floral scent, brushing against the back of her neck.

“Tomorrow night, I will purify Marcus,” Lovene said softly. “Perhaps the anomalies in the territory will finally come to an end.”

“This is all thanks to you, Your Highness.”

“It's only what I should do. It's just...” Lovene hesitated for a moment. “I've been wondering... if one day I am truly gone, will you still stand by the door every day, waiting for me like this?”

Mia's breathing slowed slightly.

“I will wait. I can wait for as long as it takes. If Your Highness doesn't return, I will stand by the door until you do. That was our agreement from the very beginning.”

Lovene lowered her eyes, her fingers still resting lightly on Mia's waist. “You are always like this. You never ask where I am going, when I will return, or why I do the things I do.”

“When Your Highness wants to tell me, you will.”

“And what if I don't want to tell you?”

“Then you don't have to.”

Lovene remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. “But I don't want you to wait for me forever, Mia. You are my Holy Knight, but you are also your own person. You should have your own brilliant life; you don't need to sacrifice everything for me. Promise me, if there comes a day when I truly don't return... you won't wait for me.”

Hearing this, Mia's body trembled slightly, but she remained silent.

She recalled the fate of the church's Saintess.

Lovene was the key of flesh and soul to awaken the Lord of the Morning Light. Her ultimate fate was to be sacrificed to the ancient god in the awakening ritual, eventually dissolving into a pool of soulless blood.

And that day was not far off.

Yet... even so, she would never agree to Lovene's request.

From the moment she was saved by her, she had dedicated her life to her. No matter what happened in the future, she would never leave her side. She would never leave Lovene.

Mia's silence gave Lovene her answer. Her eyes dimmed, and she slowly withdrew her arms from around Mia, eventually turning over to lie on her back, leaving a small distance between them.

Outside the window, the white mist drifted slowly, shrouding the territory.

It was a sleepless night.

...

The next evening, the white mist dispersed.

Gale had specially dressed in a clean coat before coming to the lord's manor. His right shoulder was still empty, but his posture was different than before—he stood with a much more heroic bearing.

Lovene walked out from the side corridor. She glanced at him, looking as if she had already anticipated his arrival. “Have you made up your mind?”

“It's just to save someone,” Gale said.

“That young girl?”

“You know?” Gale was quite surprised.

Lovene nodded, a trace of regret in her expression. “Yes, but I can no longer help her.”

“Aren't you the church's Saintess? How can you not help her? Even though Toronto is a wealthy merchant in the territory, shouldn't he be nothing more than an ant in front of you?”

He believed that with just a single word from the Saintess, Toronto would not dare to continue abusing his servants. After all, the Church of the Morning Light was always like a sword hanging over the heads of ordinary people.

Yet Lovene's response left him deeply bewildered.

“He won't fear someone who is no longer here.”