Chapter 12: Viviane - Saintess

Chapter 12: Viviane - SaintessViviane heard the knight’s words, her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief. "What are you saying? I don’t understand," Viviane frowned. "Yeah, what the hell are you talking about?" At that moment, the believers present also immediately shouted, protecting Saintess Viviane. "How dare you slander the Saintess?" "The Saintess would never do something so terrible! This must be a misunderstanding." "Huh! I think these people just want to oppress the Saintess." "Bastards! You want to arrest the Saintess? Everyone, risk your lives for her, protect the Saintess!" "That’s right, we can’t let them take the Saintess!" Seeing the crowd’s anger and even intent to attack, the knight only sneered, his voice mocking as it echoed through the grand hall. "Looks like my suspicions are correct, you really did steal from the National Treasury and the aid for the people." Viviane was so angry she was trembling, but she still tried to stay calm, her clenched fists slowly relaxing. She frowned and said, "Sir Knight... If you don’t have solid proof, please don’t say such things carelessly." "Proof?" The captain of the knights immediately kicked the stomach of the middle-aged man lying on the floor. "Huk!" The man groaned in pain from the blow. The knight still didn’t let him go, grabbing his hair and lifting his head up so he could face Saintess Viviane directly. "Tell me, who ordered you to steal from the Treasury? Who told you to steal the aid money?" The middle-aged man’s face was so battered it was unrecognizable. His lips trembled as he spoke, "She... she forced me to do it... said that... it was... the will of God." "Lies!" Viviane shouted in anger, her face flushed, her body trembling, "You are slandering me! I have never said such a thing!" The knight sneered and said, "Saintess, I don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not, but what he did is fact. However... if you can present evidence to prove your innocence, I may drop the investigation." "You bastard! We’ll fight you to the death!" The congregation in the church went mad, immediately rushing at the Royal Knights. "That’s right! How dare they insult the Saintess—kill them, protect the Saintess!" "Protect the Saintess!" Viviane hurriedly shouted, "Silence!" Her voice echoed through the hall, forcing everyone to halt their actions. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Viviane clenched her fists so hard they turned white but still tried to remain calm. "What do I need to do to prove my innocence?" The knight captain smiled, "How could I know? But the Church always preaches love and compassion. Right now, the people of the Kingdom are suffering. I think... as someone with a great heart, you must know what you need to do, right?" Viviane, hearing this, immediately recalled what had happened the previous night. Rage surged through her, her body trembling as if she were about to explode. She gritted her teeth, cursing in her heart: *Lathel, you are truly ruthless. I completely misjudged you.* *Warmth, gentleness, compassion? Bastard! You... you are truly a devil.* Viviane took a deep breath, then frowned and said, "Fine! Of course I know what I need to do. But as you can see, I’m very busy. Once this prayer session is over, I’ll have my followers help the people." "Ah!" The Captain sneered. "Saintess, it seems you misunderstood my point. The military is already helping to repair the damage. But... with a cathedral this grand and so many followers, I imagine your income isn’t small, right?" Viviane could no longer restrain herself, gritting her teeth as she said, "Captain, I suggest you be careful with your words." "Saintess..." The Captain seemed unfazed by her threat. Instead, he smiled mockingly: "I think you’re the one who needs to be careful. The Church has many saintesses—if you disappear, someone else will take your place in an instant." Viviane’s fury boiled over. Blood vessels stood out in her eyes, making them red as if they were about to burst into flames, her whole body shaking violently. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her palms and blood trickled down. But the pain helped her regain some clarity. She took a deep breath and said softly, "Fine! I understand. I will contribute five hundred thousand gold coins and ten tons of wheat to aid the people." "And what about the loss to the National Treasury?" The captain pulled a badge from the middle-aged man’s pocket—a symbol of a devoted follower of the Church. Viviane took a shaky breath, her eyes glistening as if she were about to cry. But she didn’t cry from sorrow—it was from anger. She forced herself to hold back the tears, grinding out the words: "The Church will also provide compensation." "Hahahaha... I hope the Saintess keeps her promise." The Captain laughed loudly, then waved his hand and left with all the knights. Viviane could no longer hold back, tears streaming down her face. "Saintess..." Someone called out, but Viviane seemed not to hear. "The prayer session ends here. I’m a bit tired, so I want to rest." With that, she turned and left at once. Everyone witnessing this scene immediately understood—their Saintess had been forced to tears. At that moment, a fire had been kindled. It wasn’t yet large, but it was the beginning of a terrible conflict to come. ... BAM! "Bastard!" Viviane stormed into her private chamber, grabbed a flower vase, and smashed it to pieces on the floor. "AAAA!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, tears pouring down her face, her expression twisted with rage—a far cry from the serene figure she’d shown during prayer. "Lathel! You bastard! You dog! Damn you! Devil!" "AAAA!!!" BAM! BAM! BAM! Viviane tore through everything in the room, destroying furniture and ornaments, then collapsed on the floor, fists clenched, not caring as blood dripped steadily from her wounds. "Saintess! Please calm down!" At that moment, one of Viviane’s maids rushed to embrace her, trying to hold her back. SLAP! "Agh!" Viviane, unable to control herself, swung her hand and slapped the maid hard across the face. Even though the slap left a bright red mark on her cheek and brought tears to her eyes, the maid still clung to Viviane, trying to stop her. "Saintess! Please, you have to calm down." Held tightly by the maid, Viviane eventually began to calm herself. She slumped on the floor, gasping for breath, having completely lost the dignified, pure, and holy appearance she always maintained in public. Her white hat lay tossed aside on the floor, her hair wild and tangled like a mass of straw, her eyes burning with rage and hatred. "My money!" Viviane gritted her teeth and muttered, "My money... my treasury... my plan... AAAA!!!" "All the wealth I saved up over these years, my resources... Lathel! This grudge—I swear, I’ll pay you back a hundredfold!" ... In stark contrast to Viviane’s hatred and suffering, Selvia had just awakened and finished washing up. She smiled happily as Lathel handed her an exquisite box, inside which was a ring that shimmered with a faint silvery glow. Selvia covered her mouth in surprise and confusion. "Lathel, this is..." Lathel smiled warmly, gently taking out the ring. "This is a gift for you." "A gift? But..." Selvia glanced at the ring. Like any woman, she naturally loved jewelry, but something came to mind. She bit her lip and said, "I... I can’t accept it." "Why?" Lathel asked in confusion. "Is it not beautiful enough?" "No! That’s not it!" Selvia panicked, her face flustered as she quickly explained, "Lathel, I... I know this ring is very precious, so... I... I don’t dare to accept it." "Hahaha..." Lathel laughed heartily, pulling her into his embrace, enjoying the softness of her body. "You silly girl, you’re my woman—these things are meant for you." Selvia felt a wave of warmth in her heart. She gently nodded and said, "Uhm! I understand now." "Let me put it on for you." Lathel smiled, taking the ring and softly slipping it onto her index finger. In that moment, Selvia felt something truly special. Her body, which had been exhausted after "battling" Lathel twice, was suddenly filled with vitality. Even the soreness she felt in that place after two rounds seemed to melt away, leaving her surprised. "Lathel... what is this?" Selvia’s eyes widened as she looked at him, confused. "This is a magic item," Lathel replied with a smile. "It’s called the ’Ring of Life.’ When you wear it, your recovery ability and life force are greatly enhanced." "Besides that, it also helps you resist certain diseases and low-level poisons." "This..." Selvia gently caressed the ring, finding it both beautiful and wondrous—so much so that she didn’t want to take it off. "This is really precious." Lathel stroked her hair and spoke in a warm, gentle voice, "No matter how precious it is, it could never compare to the love you have for me." Hearing this, Selvia bit her lip, eyes brimming with tears, then hugged him tightly. As Lathel enjoyed the feeling of holding a beautiful woman, his gaze flickered to the System’s status panel. ???? [Ding! You have successfully gifted the ’Ring of Life’ to Selvia. Her EXP production rate has increased by 50%.]