The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 196
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 196
Everyone in the Main Hall of the Main Temple turned to look at both of us.
No matter how thick-skinned I might be, having so many priests, clerics, and Holy Maidens turn their heads without exception to stare in our direction did make me a bit self-conscious.
But…
Seeing Ruellian stride toward me as if nothing else in the world mattered right now, a smile appeared on my lips as well.
My heart began to flutter as if adolescence had suddenly struck me.
When I thought about it, it was rather amusing.
Even though it was to protect me in dangerous situations, he had embraced me several times. Even though it was for treatment, he had seen my bare skin. We had even pressed our lips together under the pretense of transferring divine power. And I had shown everyone the sight of me fainting in his arms…
At this point, it seemed like we had done everything there was to do, yet here I was getting excited as if we had never even held hands.
I smiled brightly at him and said,
“You finished all your work before coming? You looked busy.”
“No.”
Ruellian shook his head.
“They weren’t important matters anyway. I just finished everything. When you arrived.”
Then he glanced at the numerous clerics who were staring in our direction with their mouths half-open.
They flinched and quickly averted their gazes.
But Ruellian still seemed displeased that there were other people here.
He extended one hand to me and said,
“Shall we go somewhere else?”
“Sure.”
I took his hand.
As if he had already thought of a place, Ruellian led the way without hesitation.
I didn’t know where, but it would surely be somewhere quiet.
Come to think of it, he always took me to places where no one else was around to talk. The secret garden, his private room, and even his residence where he supposedly didn’t receive guests.
Of course, security was a major reason, but was that all there was to it?
Thinking about the confession he made in that underwater cave, he had already had feelings for me from long ago.
So wasn’t he always trying to be alone with me? So that we could talk completely alone, without other people’s gazes or voices.
‘I feel the same way.’
Meeting Ruellian, I too wanted to go somewhere I could hear only his voice, free from other noise.
So I followed along lightly, holding his hand, when I suddenly stopped.
“Wait, this place is…”
“Do you remember?”
Ruellian said with a grin.
Trees towering high into the sky. Moss growing thick like a green carpet laid out by fairies.
This was the ‘Forest of the Gods’ surrounding the chapel.
The very place where we first met. He as a mercenary, and I as a poor maid’s young lady.
I had snuck in to steal Amaranthia flowers and ran right into Ruellian, who had just finished his thief work and fought with Zikren. Our connection began when I accidentally saw his stigmata then.
I pointed into the forest with wonder.
“It was right over there, wasn’t it? Right?”
“That’s right.”
Ruellian also nodded with a smile on his lips.
Strictly speaking, I had been caught by Ruellian trying to steal Amaranthia flowers two years ago as well, so it was our second meeting…
But since it was the first time I encountered him after mistakenly thinking I had possessed someone, that meeting in this forest felt like our very first encounter.
‘Back then, I never could have dreamed that we two would end up like this.’
Indeed, one can never know a person’s fate.
Ruellian seemed to have similar thoughts as he gazed for a moment at the place where we had met, then took my hand again.
“Come, this way.”
“Weren’t we going to talk here?”
“Yes. Just come along for now.”
Was he taking me to the Amaranthine Flower Garden? But that wasn’t it either.
Well, there are Holy Knights there. Security had been strengthened even more after I had robbed the place last time.
Following him away from the flower garden in the opposite direction, I saw a massive tree.
It was a tree so enormous it reminded me of the World Tree, but peculiarly, both its trunk and leaves were all silver.
Around this beautiful and mysterious tree, iron bars were set up in a circle to prevent people from approaching.
But Ruellian casually opened the iron gate and went inside.
I flinched and asked,
“Isn’t this a national treasure? Is it okay to go in?”
“It’s fine. It’s fine.”
“Fine, my foot. Even if you’re the head of the Order, you shouldn’t abuse your power.”
“That’s not it…”
Ruellian shook his head slightly.
“Anyway, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, so don’t worry about abusing power and hurry inside.”
Honestly, I did want to see it up close, so I didn’t refuse any longer and entered through the iron gate.
At that moment, something amazing happened.
As soon as we both entered, the tree began to sparkle and shine, and the densely grown branches moved to both sides, opening a path.
Inside, there were older tree branches extending in all directions. Each one was as thick as a decent tree trunk, so people could easily sit on the branches that drooped toward the ground.
Ruellian said to me,
“Sit anywhere comfortable.”
“Should I?”
I sat on a branch and looked around once more.
To think I was sitting inside a massive tree.
Because of the tree branches that surrounded us densely on all sides, it felt like entering a very cozy space. Moreover, everything was glowing silver, making it very mystical.
I found myself murmuring,
“It’s wonderful.”
“Do you like it?”
A briefly proud expression appeared and disappeared on Ruellian’s face.
“I can’t catch your interest with flashy and luxurious things. You’ve had your fill of such things. Something mysterious like this is better, right?”
“I think so.”
I agreed with his words.
Flashy and luxurious things are certainly nice too.
But if possible, things that money can’t buy do feel more special. Though I’m not one to talk, being steeped in vulgar capitalism to my bones…
I liked that Ruellian hadn’t just found a quiet place, but had thought this was somewhere I would enjoy.
Especially since we had both achieved our respective goals and recovered what we had lost, sitting here together leisurely like this made it even better.
‘This is what happiness is.’
While happily taking in the surrounding scenery, I belatedly remembered the purpose of my visit to the Holy Order today.
“Oh right, you recovered your late father’s remains? That’s really wonderful. I thought Tesseud might have disposed of them to destroy evidence.”
“I also thought that might be the case in the worst scenario…”
Ruellian said with a bitter expression.
“We searched through That Person’s study where he guided knights and handled business, and found them. It seems he hid them there since it was a place no one else could enter. He probably couldn’t dispose of them immediately for fear of being discovered, but once people’s attention died down, he would have discarded them right away. If we had been even a little later, we wouldn’t have found them.”
“That’s really fortunate.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“And despite being busy with that matter, you even took care of Sion? Father is very grateful. And so am I.”
“I just did that because I wanted to.”
“But to step forward and say you would treat him personally instead of leaving it to others is really amazing.”
“What’s the big deal? If I had thought of Sion as a stranger, I wouldn’t have gone that far.”
After answering carelessly, Ruellian’s face turned slightly red.
Not a stranger. What, does that make him like a brother-in-law or something?
My face also turned red accordingly.
After a moment of silence.
Ruellian opened his mouth again.
“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you…”
“What is it?”
“Only two people in the world can enter this place. One is the Agent of the Divine. And the other is…”
Despite wearing sacred robes, his confident demeanor made him look like an underworld boss. Contrary to this appearance, Ruellian hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Someone qualified to be his companion.”
“Someone qualified to be his companion?”
At these unexpected words, I immediately asked back.
“What kind of person is that? Do they look into souls and pair them up like in Aldensis?”
“No.”
Ruellian shook his head.
“It’s simple. It’s the person the Agent of the Divine loves.”
Even though I had already heard his confession in the underwater cave and confirmed his feelings several times during our crises, my heart began racing again.
Ruellian continued speaking.
“Someone like me must choose only one person from all the countless people in this world. Once I make that choice, I can never change it for the rest of my life. No matter how fate unfolds in the future, whether your heart changes and you leave me or not… Even accepting all that uncertainty, when I find someone I absolutely want to be with, I bring them here to make a vow.”
“What kind of vow?”
“A covenant of true love made before God.”
He answered with a light blush on his face.
“It’s far more significant than worldly ceremonies like engagements or marriages, and once performed, it can never be undone. It’s a vow made before God, staking one’s soul. A promise that no matter what happens to the other person, I will never waver in my devotion.”
Then he lowered his eyes slightly.
“If you’re okay with it, I’m thinking of making this covenant of true love with you this time. What do you think?”
To make such a vow, staking his very soul.
Does he really have the confidence that he won’t regret it?
The weight I felt in his calm words touched my heart so heavily that I was moved.
“I feel the same way. Even though I’m not an Agent of the Divine, I have my own sense of loyalty. Besides, no one else has ever caught my eye anyway.”
Then I said to him.
“I’ll accept that precious vow of yours.”
Ruellian raised his head.
His face was shining brightly with joy.
It was an expression I had never seen before.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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