Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 106

Chapter 53.2

Melissa thought it was because Ellin was naturally noble saintess, but others felt both a distance and an aversion toward her. She had tried multiple times to help Ellin make friends, but every attempt had failed. Instead, there were those who envied her with bitterness.

“Ellin, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

She lifted her head and offered a faint smile.

Melissa felt a pang of sympathy.

“I wish we could at least go out at times like this, but monsters keep appearing…”

“Monsters?”

Ellin flinched.

“Yes. There have been reports of monsters appearing in Pionche. Did you hear that their effects reached all the way to the capital?”

Her eyes trembled.

‘Monsters… Was it around this time?’

Back then, she, Erich, and Maynard had gone on their first expedition. And that was when they had saved Arkan.

She let out a sigh.

When she was nineteen, approaching twenty, a large number of monsters and beasts had appeared in Pionche. The saintess, the high priest, the paladins, and the sacred armies that followed them had all taken action.

The imperial family had supported them as well, sending none other than Prince Arkan.

Arkan, the fourth prince, was practically a discarded member of the imperial family. He had been kept alive by the Nicaean imperial family as a symbol of their supposed concern for a nation plagued by monsters and demonic beasts. If he succeeded, he would bring them glory; if he died, he would serve an even greater purpose.

So, Arkan had gone to fight in the great monster battle, where he was gravely injured by someone.

It was Saintess Elena, who had joined the expedition, who treated him.

As she recalled that expedition, Ellin reflected on her current life. Now, Liliana, Erich, and Maynard would be the ones setting out.

However, that assumption was based on the idea that the former emperor, who had maintained good relations with the temple, was still alive. The relationship between the temple and the imperial family was already deteriorating. Would it be okay? And wasn’t Liliana a fraud?

Ellin felt uneasy.

Despite the betrayal, sorrow, and melancholy she carried, time continued to move forward. Everything that was destined to happen was unfolding.

About six months.

It would take six months to eliminate all the monsters. That was the standard set by previous high priests’ campaigns. If someone with divine power, like the saintess or Erich, wasn’t present, it could take even longer.

“Please, stay safe…”

She kept wishing, over and over.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

Harald furrowed his brow as he gazed at Charlotte and Ellin.

It had been a year since that woman appeared. She had effortlessly inserted herself into their world. At first, he had been furious about it, but she hadn’t even been afraid of him.

She was truly a strange person.

Harald touched the wound on his head again. His lips were cracked as well.

It wasn’t anything serious. The injury had come from taking down knights and slave traders under Arkan’s orders. He didn’t care whether he got scars or not. However, the thought that crossed his mind now was embarrassment. Still, strangely, he also felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Would she touch his cheek like she did back then?

He shook his head at the foolish thought, but still… Harald stole glances at Ellin. She was just someone who had appeared out of nowhere. And yet… seeing how she treated Charlotte like a younger sister made his heart ache. He didn’t understand why. It just felt strange every time he saw it.

That was why he felt repulsed. And yet, oddly, he wasn’t angry.

It was true. If he had been the old him, he would’ve drawn his sword and dealt with the source of his discomfort.

“Brother!”

Charlotte noticed him. At that moment, Ellin, who had been sitting across from her, turned her head.

Her brown hair and light green eyes shifted toward him.

“Your Highness?”

Should he run away?

Before he knew it, his feet were already carrying him toward Charlotte. As he walked, he deliberately twisted his face into a scowl. e crossed his arms and stood there, lips tightly pressed together.

“My goodness, what happened to your face?!”

Ellin shot up from her seat, her voice exactly as he had expected. Nevertheless, Harald felt as though his heart had dropped.

She placed a hand on his wounded forehead and bruised cheek, worry filling her pale green eyes. She looked as if she were the one in pain, even though he felt nothing. The concern in her eyes made him feel a strange joy. He didn’t fully understand why, but it was there.

“Come here.”

She then gently took his hand and guided him to sit on the sofa. Then, after looking around, she pulled a first aid kit from the drawer.

“How did this happen?”

“I had a mission.”

“A mission?”

“It’s nothing to worry about. There was a slave trade, and I went after those bastards…”

“What’s a fifteen-year-old doing?!”

Ellin shouted in shock.

If anyone else had said that, he would’ve cursed at them for being insolent, but Ellin was different. He understood that her anger came from genuine concern for him.

“But I’m a prince. Since I’m a prince, I have to handle these things.”

“Even so, this is too much for someone your age.”

“You’re young as well.”

Harald spoke in a tone that almost resembled a docile beast. Meanwhile, Ellin carefully applied the ointment, spreading it smoothly before blowing on it with a soft ‘ho, ho.’

For some reason, it made a lump form in his throat.

She was only nineteen, but why did she seem so much more mature when they weren’t that far apart in age? Her hair, falling toward him, carried a pleasant fragrance. It wasn’t the scent of perfume, but something more natural—simply her.

Harald suddenly wanted to cry. Without thinking, he buried himself in her embrace.

“Ellin.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t go anywhere far away.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an order. Charlotte likes you, and even my damn brother seems to care about you, so don’t leave.”

He spoke, trying hard to hold back his tears.

“That’s a little…”

“It’s an order, so just do as I say.”

“Alright, alright.”

Her voice returned with a hint of laughter.

The moment she gave him the reaction he wanted, he realized just how sorrowful his world truly was. His damn brother, himself, even Charlotte… none of them had ever experienced this kind of affection.

“Damn it. This is so annoying.”

“You need to endure it.”

“I’m not talking to you! It’s just… so frustrating!”

After coming to that conclusion, Harald continued to grumble, his irritation evident. Still, he stole a glance at Ellin, worried that he might startle her.

His ears turned bright red.

All of a sudden, he realized just how much had changed since she arrived. Charlotte was no longer suffering, and he found himself enjoying his visits with her. He had started opening up to those around him. The moment he let someone into his life, and the moment he realized he cared for them…

A wave of sadness flooded the boy’s heart.

And at the same time, fear slowly began to rise.