The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 236

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and immorality. Reader discretion is advised.

Mechanically, she washed up, changed into her pajamas, and sat on the bed. She looked at the spot where her favorite bird painting had been. All she saw was a bare wall.

It was a painting she liked because of its pretty colors, even though it was a bit clumsy. She could see stationary things in detail, but flying birds, which she wanted to draw, were not commonly seen. She had spent a long time looking at birds and the sky to draw that painting. One day, she had secretly begged a bird sitting in the garden not to leave. She seemed to have become friends with that bird after sharing some food. Her father disliked birds, so that time didn’t last long…

Neilla jumped up. Bad thoughts kept coming to her. She didn’t want to, but she kept resenting her father. Feeling suffocated and nauseous, she put on a cloak and pulled down her hood as if possessed. And she did something she had never done before.

She climbed out of her room through the window and left the house using a gap in the corner of the wall. She always prayed to the goddess when her heart was troubled. She thought she would feel better if she did that. She needed to confess her sins and ask for forgiveness from the goddess. She needed to ask her to purify her heart. That’s what Neilla thought.

The house and the temple were very close, so she arrived quickly. Neilla stared blankly at the temple in front of her. The firmly closed iron gate greeted her.

Now that she thought about it, there was no way the temple would be open in the middle of the night. Until the empire occupied it, the temple gates were always open, but these days, they were usually closed because of concerns that priests might be attacked by dangerous individuals.

Neilla simply walked around a bit and then crouched down with her back against the wall near the temple gate. She hugged her knees and lowered her head. She was so tired and exhausted. A deep sense of powerlessness seemed to envelop her. At that moment, she wanted to see that bird she had befriended in the garden again.

“…Neilla-nim?”

At that moment, someone called her. Neilla lifted her head towards the voice. She saw Priest Mana holding a lantern.

“Why are you here? Is something wrong?”

Mana lowered his eyebrows slightly and spoke in a kind voice. His eyes were filled with genuine concern for Neilla. Priest Mana was a truly kind person. He was always gentle to her and continued to show interest in her.

Neilla suddenly felt a sense of relief. The light from the lantern he was holding and the cold sensation of the temple wall she was leaning against became vivid. She suddenly became fully aware of the chilly night air. It was only natural, since she was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown and was barefoot, with only a cloak on top.

Although it was better than the real sandy desert area outside the city, the night temperatures in Castrello were quite low.

“Ah, Priest… It’s, it’s nothing much…”

Drip, drip-

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, tears began to fall. Neilla wiped them away. She wiped and wiped, but the tears kept falling, and she was so flustered that she kept wiping, but the tears didn’t stop.

“It’s strange… No, it’s… Huh… Sob…”

The tears wouldn’t stop, strangely enough. She really didn’t intend to cry, she thought she was fine, but once the sobs started, she couldn’t control them.

In front of Priest Mana, she put her hands together and buried her face in them, bowing her head deeply again. Suddenly, a warm coat fell over her bowed head. It was the coat that Priest Mana had been wearing just a moment ago. And she felt a hand gently patting her back. From that moment on, Neilla couldn’t hold back and wept for a long time.

“Are you feeling a little better now?”

Neilla sniffled and nodded her head vigorously. They were temporarily in a room in the temple, guided by Mana. She subtly wiggled her aching toes. It was only natural that they were full of scratches, having walked barefoot on the rough floor after only ever stepping on soft surfaces.

She glanced at Priest Mana and blushed, lowering her head again.

Mana, noticing that Neilla was barefoot, asked for her understanding and then lifted her up and carried her here. She hadn’t realized it because of his priestly robes and almost feminine appearance, but his body, which she had come into direct contact with, was warmer and felt firmer and stronger than she had imagined. The arms and firm chest that had held her seemed to support her weightless body without the slightest tremor.

Perhaps because it was her first time being so close to a man, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Neilla slightly covered her flushed cheeks with her hands and hid her expression by sipping the warm tea that Mana had given her.