Chapter 51
She was certain that her last memory was crying that she couldn’t take it anymore, trembling in Theodore’s bedroom.
“Do you like it, Daphne? Does it feel good?”
“I-I like it, hngh, yes… I like it…!”
“Good, I’ll feed you until you’re full.”
The memory of being lifted into the air and pounded like she was weightless surged back, and Daphne’s face flushed hot. It had been an animalistic coupling — shameless and degrading. And yet for some reason, her thighs gave a twitch at the thought. A tingling heat crept through her lower belly, and the nape of her neck prickled. Her body was heating up again, yearning for the stimulation she had once endured.
‘This is insane… really…!’
At this rate, she had no argument left against the whispers of the demon in her dreams. Pressing the back of her hand to her burning face, Daphne hesitantly asked:
“Um, Thalia? How long… I mean, when did I fall asleep?”
“Hm? You don’t remember?”
Thalia, who had been wiping Daphne’s forehead and neck, tilted her head before quickly nodding in understanding.
“Well, I guess it makes sense if you don’t. You came back carried in His Eminence’s arms.”
What?
“Th— Wait, are you saying I was carried here by His Eminence the Cardinal?”
Stammering in shock, Daphne stared at her. Thalia nodded casually.
“Yup. I was just as surprised, honestly. But looking at your condition, it made sense why His Eminence would be so concerned. They said you fainted during a prayer of petition, right? That must’ve been really rough. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
Thalia had marvelled that even someone as healthy as Daphne would inevitably fall ill after being consumed by ceremony for over two days. Daphne was dumbfounded.
A prayer of petition, she had said.
That was a ritual reserved for the gravely ill, the devil-possessed, or clerics on the brink of renouncing their vows — those desperate to receive one final blessing.
‘So… Theodore Valentino covered up our repeated… trysts by claiming I was away performing a prayer of petition?’
He had said he’d speak to Bishop Isabella during morning prayers. This must have been what he meant.
‘Oh, Holy Father.’
Her already pounding head throbbed even harder. Who was she to deserve a prayer of petition? To even qualify for such a rite, one had to be a high-ranking member of the clergy.
‘I’m sure Bishop Isabella will be demanding to know the details of what happened.’
Daphne could easily picture the bishop’s eyes glinting as she pressed for an exact account of what had happened. A sigh slipped out before she could stop it.
Noticing Daphne’s expression, Thalia gave a crooked smile and said:
“Well, it’s a relief you’re awake now. If you’d stayed out any longer, we wouldn’t have made it in time. Shall we start getting ready? If we hurry, we can all leave together.”
“…Leave together? Go where?”
At her question, Thalia tilted her head.
“Huh? What do you mean where? Out of the temple, of course. You said you changed your mind about returning to the secular world. So we’ve all been getting ready to leave with you.”
“What?”
“…?”
Daphne’s eyes flew wide open, and Thalia looked genuinely confused. She was sure she’d heard correctly: Daphne’s petition for secular reinstatement had been submitted and was expected to be approved soon.
“Daphne? What’s wrong?”
“Who told you that?”
“Huh? Uh… His Eminence, Cardinal Theodore said so? That while helping him with the prayer of petition, you changed your mind about returning to the secular world… so, um, he said your application was submitted.”
“…”
Noticing Daphne’s silence, Thalia continued cautiously, though her tone was still hopeful.
“It’s really for the best, Daphne. Those ceremonies are no joke. If you stay here, you’ll be called on for more of them, and since we can’t be ordained, we’d just be stuck doing grunt work. I used to joke about it, but seriously, I couldn’t sleep at all last night thinking about you going through that alone. Can’t you see the dark circles under my eyes?”
There really were bags under her eyes. As she gently wiped down Daphne’s body, Thalia added how relieved she was that Daphne had finally decided to leave with them. She chattered on about what they should do first once they were out, her voice bubbling with barely concealed joy.
But Daphne’s heart was pounding.
‘This can’t be real. How could such a decision be made without my consent?’
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