Chapter 38………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I was startled.
‘This is too much!’
At this rate, Sertina could have drowned.
“Your Holiness.”
I grabbed tightly at his collar as I called out to him, but Cassius didn’t budge at all, as if he were firmly rooted to the ground.
‘Did his power run out of control?’
I hadn’t checked the curse on Cassius recently.
He’d said it wasn’t necessary yet.
When an alpha is consumed by the curse of their power, it can go berserk to the point of burning away their own life force, eventually collapsing mentally and dying.
‘I can still stop it.’
They say that when the curse takes over, even the face becomes covered in black thorns.
I couldn’t see any black thorns on his exposed neck.
The best way to stop a rampage was to touch the rose at the center of the curse.
The next best method was physical contact.
“Your Holiness, I’m fine!”
Sonia grabbed Cassius’s hand tightly, but he still didn’t move.
Stronger contact was needed.
Sonia swallowed hard.
Having steeled herself, she wrapped her arms around Cassius’s neck and rose onto her toes.
Only then could she barely reach his lips.
A quick peck.
At that moment, Cassius stopped using his power.
He couldn’t care less about the chaos the princess’s palace had become.
The soft sensation against his lips—brief, but intense enough to make his head spin.
He looked down at Sonia, who was clinging to his neck.
Her face was flushed as she murmured without quite meeting his eyes.
“I’m sorry for acting so rashly. I panicked.”
Her thoughts flowed into him.
‘Thank goodness. It looks like the rampage stopped.’
She had been worried that he might lose control after being consumed by his power.
Still holding onto his neck, Sonia spoke again. Her heart was pounding wildly with excitement.
“Do you need more?”
Her thoughts came flooding in chaotically.
‘It was soft. I want to do it one more time.’
Her sly lie made him laugh.
Even that short kiss had been enough to make her forget her bad memories and feel happy. Thanks to her healing power, her open omega pheromones swayed joyfully.
Cassius brushed aside Sonia’s wet hair and cupped her cheek.
Sonia showed her desire.
That she wanted him.
“I do. Very much.”
He parted his lips and sealed Sonia’s without leaving any gap.
“Hngh!”
Unable to withstand his strength, Sonia staggered.
Cassius wrapped an arm around her waist and cradled her head to keep her from falling. Holding her firmly, he pressed deeper.
“Haah…”
Each time their lips separated even slightly, she gasped for breath.
Not wanting to part even for a moment, he kissed her deeply again.
Her delayed response was unexpectedly provocative.
Closing his eyes, Cassius suppressed his power.
The soft sensation where they touched, the breath they shared, the warmth.
The way her body fidgeted in his arms.
With her, he wanted to communicate purely through their bodies.
Their lips parted. A thin strand connected them briefly before snapping.
A deep lily-of-the-valley scent lingered. Unlike usual, her omega pheromones smelled like lily-of-the-valley after a gentle drizzle, heavy with clinging droplets.
Cassius lightly kissed her cheek.
He wanted more—wanted to feel her fully.
“It’s a shame we’re outside,” he said.
Breathing heavily, Sonia replied,
“…With the rain, no one would’ve been able to see.”
The princess’s palace, which had seemed submerged like it was hit by a tidal wave, had grown quiet.
Still, the rain continued to pour loudly, obscuring visibility.
And conveniently, there was no one around.
“No. What I mean is, if Sonia allows it, I’d like to be connected more deeply.”
At his blatantly suggestive words, Sonia’s ears turned bright red.
She whispered,
“If the Lord God permits it.”
If rules were the problem, they could simply be changed.
The Next Day
It was the day they were to depart for the healing sanctuary located some distance from the imperial capital.
Fortunately, despite the heavy rain the day before, the weather was clear.
Cassius had been invited to a banquet with the imperial family.
The attendees were the Emperor, Shane, and Sertina.
They would leave for the sanctuary immediately after the banquet. Having finished preparing for departure, Cassius arrived slightly late.
“…Ah.”
Coincidentally, Sertina had also arrived late, and the two ran into each other right at the entrance.
Sertina was convinced that Cassius was responsible for the strange phenomenon, but she couldn’t point to him as the culprit.
Officially, it was merely damage caused by heavy rain.
To prove he was responsible, she’d need a priest of the same attribute.
But which priest from the Holy Kingdom would cooperate in accusing the Holy Emperor of all people?
Fearing another downpour, Sertina had spent the entire night trembling in silence.
It was more than enough as a warning for her—but Cassius wasn’t satisfied.
“Good evening. It rained quite heavily yesterday, didn’t it?”
“…Yes. Our palace was damaged as well, so we’ll be staying in another palace until repairs are finished.”
“Oh dear. Why was only the princess’s palace affected? Perhaps the land itself is unlucky.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Cassius was testing her. It felt like a warning—if she said anything, she’d get another taste of the rain.
“You must have been through quite an ordeal. You’re trembling.”
Though she tried to appear calm, Sertina’s body was shaking uncontrollably.
Cassius gave a small chuckle.
“If you require prayers, feel free to call on me. I’m quite satisfied with the Empire’s hospitality—this much I can do.”
He passed the frozen princess and stopped before the banquet hall doors.
A servant opened them, and Cassius entered without hesitation.
Left standing outside, Sertina clenched the hem of her skirt tightly.
‘Did that woman tattle to Cassius?’
Even if she had, Sertina couldn’t confront her.
If she angered her, it wouldn’t end with just a warning.
I recalled what happened after kissing Cassius.
When I returned, soaked to the bone, I’d been shivering with cold.
“I’ll prepare the bath.”
Cassius had offered to let me use the bath in his room, but I stubbornly refused and returned to my own.
I thought I’d catch a cold, but when I woke up, I felt perfectly fine.
‘Healing attribute really is the best.’
Even though my awakening had failed and my ability was basically a downgraded version of holy water, preventing colds was still something.
‘This world doesn’t even have proper cold medicine.’
A high fever here would be a real nightmare.
I tried to think of other things, but memories of yesterday kept resurfacing.
Especially that intense kiss with Cassius.
We’re adults—kissing should be fine.
The problem is what comes after.
‘“If the Lord God permits it”? What was I thinking saying something so crazy?’
Kissing Cassius had felt so good it made my thoughts turn soft and fuzzy.
It felt like we were melting a piece of cotton candy placed between our lips.
Then when our tongues tangled, my mind went completely blank in a dizzying way.
Caught up in the excitement, I’d practically suggested going further.
‘I shouldn’t have answered so ambiguously!’
I should’ve said absolutely not.
I’m a priest.
A body devoted to God—sleeping with Cassius would be a disaster!
‘Nothing beyond kissing. Absolutely not.’
Firmly resolving that, I headed to the prayer hall.
Near the palace where the priests stayed, there was a chapel.
Priests who had already been praying approached me.
“Priest Sonia, I hear you’re leaving for the sanctuary today?”
“Yes. We’ll depart as soon as His Holiness returns from the banquet.”
It was about time he came back.
Just thinking about seeing Cassius again made the memories I’d pushed aside resurface. I clenched my hands tightly to drive away the thoughts.
A priest beside me grinned.
“It must be such a shame. A sanctuary that massive was discovered, yet you can’t read the prayer tablet.”
“If you’d awakened as is, you might’ve become a cardinal right away. You’re the only healing-attribute priest, after all.”
“That’s right. We thought you might gain another attribute—it’s such a pity.”
I could see right through them.
Everyone gathered before me had four-attribute divine power.
Each of them had awakened only partially, making everyone a rival.
They were wary that I—the youngest in the Holy See—might suddenly awaken overwhelming power.
It wasn’t the first time I’d faced this kind of pressure.
I clasped my hands together and smiled brightly.
“I think the prayer tablet written in the ancient divine language is a trial given to me by the Lord God. Even if it takes my entire life, I’ll interpret it.”
The seniors who’d been teasing me coughed awkwardly and left, saying I was right.
Petty people.
For Sertina, the banquet was pure torture.
Her favorite roast veal was served, but the atmosphere was so uncomfortable she could hardly taste it.
To make matters worse, her seat was close to Cassius.
If their eyes met, she felt like she’d freeze, unable even to use her knife.
‘Second brother didn’t come.’
She wished she could’ve skipped it too.
The Emperor and Shane alone would’ve been enough to host Cassius.
After half of the princess’s palace collapsed and flooded overnight, the Emperor had assigned guards to Sertina.
With the Emperor’s personal guard even escorting her, she couldn’t refuse and was dragged to the meal.
‘Why does His Majesty keep glancing over here?’
Cassius alone was nerve-wracking enough, but the Emperor’s behavior was strange too.
He kept looking back and forth between her and Cassius, then nodded with a satisfied smile.
She couldn’t understand it at all.
After the uncomfortable meal, Sertina headed to the temporary palace she’d be using until repairs were finished.
A maid greeted her.
“Your Highness, a message has arrived from the Mage Tower.”
Having been grimacing from indigestion caused by the awkward meal, Sertina’s face brightened at once.
