My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 137
She trembled slightly from the shame. She was afraid of what he would think or say when he saw her like this.
But he continued without saying a word, moving his hands. When the shower ball brushed against her other breast, almost grazing her n*pple, she barely managed to hold back a sound, having braced herself this time.
After washing her body and drying her off with a towel, another crisis hit, but she managed to suppress a moan, though she flinched. Once he dressed her in a priest’s robe and dried her hair, he finally stopped attending to her.
She moved toward where her lace choker, bracelet, and rings had been set aside. Habitually, she put them back on and returned to the bed, only to find him with an unreadable expression.
“Frie… Valenti?”
“You can call me whatever you like.”
She had almost called him by his previous name but corrected herself, and Valenti responded as if it didn’t matter. Then, for some reason, he suddenly lowered his body.
“I need to check the injury from last time.”
“Hmm?”
He seated Regina at the edge of the bed, one hand wrapping around her knee and the other grabbing her ankle. It was only then that she realized he was referring to the time her ankle had been scratched during the endurance training.
“Luckily, it didn’t leave a scar.”
Kneeling on the floor, he examined her foot carefully and spoke calmly.
“The pope healed it with his divine power, so of course it’s fine. Now, uh… let go.”
Still holding her ankle with his large hand, he gently caressed her tibia with his thumb. Regina spoke up, but he didn’t follow her command. Instead, he continued massaging her foot and even started to play with her toes.
“Why do you keep touching it, such a dirty thing…?”
“Dirty? It’s so pale, with a pink tint, small and soft. I could even put it in my mouth.”
What? Regina froze, unable to believe his absurd words. His lips lowered to her foot, and though his kiss was gentle, his breath was hot against her skin.
She stiffened, but for a different reason this time. A kiss on the foot was something done in a subservient relationship.
“Shall we sleep now?”
Seeing her confused expression, he moved on without any explanation. When she nodded, too stunned to ask any questions, he turned off the lights, leaving only the bed lamp on.
Soon, she heard footsteps moving toward the wardrobe, followed by the sound of him changing clothes. The faint rustling of thin fabric brushing against his skin was disturbingly clear in the darkness.
Feeling her mouth dry, she remained perfectly still until he returned to the bed. After lying beside her, he spoke.
“I forgot to get you a pillow. I guess you’ll have to use my arm again tonight.”
Regina hesitated for a moment before resting her head on his arm. It didn’t seem like a good choice to struggle with him in the bed, shrouded in darkness. It was just a feeling she had.
* * *
The days in the sanctuary were peaceful.
Without shackles or chains on her hands and feet, she could move freely. At mealtimes, well-prepared meals were served, and she received constant attention from the pope throughout the day.
Although she was confined, the care she received was so thorough and devoted that it didn’t feel like imprisonment at all. It felt more like a vacation, and there was no sense of danger.
However, even without the chains restricting her movements, with the lavish meals served three times a day, and even with Valenti attending to her without lifting a finger, the essence of her situation was still ‘confinement.’
She made a conscious effort not to forget that fact. And the only way for her to escape this situation was clear.
“All Your Majesty needs to do is violate me. Once I lose my purity, I won’t be the Pope anymore, and then you won’t need my permission or pardon to leave.”
“Or….Unless you make it so that I can’t bear it without putting it inside Your Majesty.”
As Valenti had instructed, the only way to free herself was to take away his purity and remove him from the papacy.
Though she knew the answer, Regina still couldn’t bring herself to act on it.
‘Not just once, but twice… Is that something a person should do?’
In the past, Yekarna had done the same thing to Friedrich, who was meant to enter the temple. But now, asking Valenti—his reincarnation—to do the same thing again, to bring him down again, left her hesitating.
‘I can’t stay like this forever.’
But waiting for him to change his mind and release her didn’t seem like a realistic option either.
“Even if you don’t feel like eating, just try a little more, Your Majesty.”
As she paused for a moment, lost in thought, Valenti used his charm to offer her food once again. With his skillful way of presenting only the most appetizing parts of the dish, Regina couldn’t help but open her mouth. Like a mother bird feeding its young, he carefully placed a few more bites in her mouth.
Since she had been confined in the sanctuary, he acted as though he was determined not to let her lift a finger. But when it came to meals, he was especially attentive.
The moment her appetite seemed to lessen, he would employ his charm, making sure she couldn’t resist eating, and if that wasn’t enough, he would tempt her with snacks.
As she ate the tender meat he offered, she thought to herself,
‘What does he want from me?’
Surely, he couldn’t want to keep her imprisoned here forever. He had even shown her a way out of this room.
‘Could he be hoping that I’ll violate him…?’
No, that couldn’t be it.
‘Maybe he just wants to see me try to tempt him…?’
No, that couldn’t be it either.
She shouldn’t interpret the world from her own perspective.
After all, the fact that he had mentioned it at all meant he had an agenda to steer her in that direction.
‘Does he want to see me torn between my conscience and my self-interest, suffering in conflict?’
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