Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 103

Chapter 52.1

Her hair was a different color, but there was no mistaking her.

Viscount Timothy’s eyes gleamed.

The girl he had lost sight of back then, the one who had caught his attention, was standing right before him. A girl? No, she was a woman now. She was no longer the frail, skinny girl he remembered. Her beauty had noticeably blossomed.

“What’s with that hair? It doesn’t suit you.”

As she slightly parted her lips, he saw his own reflection in her eyes.

Ellin stared at the man, caught off guard.

Of all the people she never wanted to see again, he was at the top of the list.

“….!”

She instinctively stepped backward. The viscount’s gaze, filled with greed, roamed over her as he licked his lips.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“…I should be going now.”

Just as Ellin turned to leave, Viscount Timothy swiftly grabbed her wrist.

“So, you changed your hair and disappeared. And of all places, you decided to hide in the imperial palace? How cute.”

“….”

His grip on her wrist tightened.

Ellin let out a low groan.

Should she scream? But if she did, it would cause a commotion, and their relationship would be exposed.

If people found out she had once lived on Viscount Timothy’s estate, they might realize she was the saintess. She… didn’t want to be a saint again. She didn’t want to return to a life of waiting for death. Even though the imperial palace felt like a gilded cage, it was still better than that.

She bit her lip.

“Come with me.”

The viscount grabbed her roughly and dragged her to a secluded spot, his sharp, snake-like eyes raking over her.

He looked at ‘Elena.’ Her expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever, yet it was the face he had longed to see more than anything.

“So, you handed the land over to the temple before you disappeared, didn’t you?”

“….”

“I can’t believe you stabbed me in the back like that… I was planning to rip you apart if I ever found you.”

“….”

“How pitifully foolish and naive you are.”

He reached out and grabbed Ellin’s face, forcing her to tilt her head upward.

“Did your parents leave you that much wealth? Is that why you had my knights killed?”

“Killed your knights…?”

“Don’t tell me you really don’t know?”

He released her chin, only to seize her hair in a tight grip.

A small cry of pain escaped her lips as she shot him a glare.

“I truly don’t know anything about that!”

“Oh, I’m sure you don’t. But it’s funny how all the men I sent to track you down ended up with their heads sent back!”

A twisted smile spread across his face, his bloodshot eyes brimming with malice and greed.

Ellin was dumbfounded.

“Now, let’s go.”

“What…!”

“You ran away, so it’s time to go back! You’ve certainly grown nicely.”

Even though she was only nineteen, Elena had already grown into a woman. If she dyed her hair back to its natural color, she would be even more beautiful.

The land he had been eyeing was donated to the temple by Elena, drawing the attention of the priests and their interference.

Naturally, the viscount was enraged. He had intended to take her as his mistress, yet she dared to run away. Worse still, the precious knights he had sent after her were all dead. He vowed that when he finally caught Elena, she wouldn’t get away unscathed.

And now, at last, he had found her. Once he dragged her back to his estate in the capital, he would make sure she suffered in every way imaginable.

At that moment, Ellin fought back with all her strength. She dug her nails into the hand gripping her hair, scratching deeply.

“What have I done wrong?!”

She shouted, her face flushed with anger.

Viscount Timothy’s eyes darkened as he caught sight of the scratch on his hand.

“How dare you!”

Slap!

His hand struck her across the face without mercy.

Ellin’s lip split open, a thin stream of blood dripping down. If she had actually done something wrong and deserved this pain, she wouldn’t have minded. Even though she held somewhat distorted beliefs, what enraged her was being subjected to such violence for something she hadn’t done.

“I asked you what crime I’ve committed! I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Her bold words made the viscount momentarily hesitate. The Elena he remembered had been naive and obedient. To him, she had been nothing more than a foolish peasant who would never dare to defy him. It soon dawned on him that they were in the imperial palace, and that she was working here.

Judging by her attire, which was far from that of a servant, she must have held a fairly significant position in the palace.

‘So that’s why she’s being so defiant.’

He smirked.

“A crime? A crime is whatever I say it is. If I claim you committed one and ran away, then of course you’re guilty.”

“…That’s ridiculous!”

“His Majesty the Emperor is a very terrifying man. If you don’t want to lose your head, you’d better follow me quietly.”

He grabbed Elena’s wrist.

“This is nothing but tyranny! Do you have no fear of divine punishment?!”

Viscount Timothy had his own daughter pose as a fake saint. Regardless of how things played out, his fate was bound to be grim. To Ellin, he was nothing but pitiful.

“If you want to take me to His Majesty, then do as you wish.”

“….”

“Instead, I’ll make sure His Majesty hears everything you’ve done to me, including the fact that you unlawfully seized land for yourself.”

Her voice was resolute.

Viscount Timothy chuckled at her audacious words.

“I took the land?”

“You tried to steal it.”

“No, that’s not what I was talking about…”

He laughed under his breath. It amused him to see that after all this time, she was still so naive. Had she really lived outside for this long and still not understood how things truly worked?

“Do you really think I could have taken that land alone?”

Ellin frowned in confusion at his words.

Alone?

A bad feeling instinctively crept over her. What did Viscount Timothy mean when he said he hadn’t done it ‘alone’?

“Ellinnn!”

A soft, childlike voice echoed through the air.

Ellin turned her head to see a young girl with blonde hair and red eyes running toward her. With her dazzling blonde curls and a bright yellow dress that made her look like a little chick, the girl threw herself into the arms of the person she loved most.

“Who is that?”

Charlotte turned her head and looked at the viscount.

The only woman with red eyes could be the imperial princess.

Viscount Timothy was visibly flustered.