Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 107

Chapter 54.1

The man on the throne placed one hand on the armrest, his crimson eyes sweeping downward with cold arrogance. It wasn’t the elegance of dignity.

After all, could a beast ever possess grace?

Yet, there was something in his untamed gaze that made others instinctively shrink back. Dressed in form-fitting black attire, the young man looked like death itself. With eyes as red as spilled blood and a face carved with icy detachment, he should have been frightening. But in reality, he simply smiled, beautifully unfazed.

Across from him, a man clad in pristine white priestly robes with neatly kept deep blue hair sat. His orange eyes, wavering between a smirk and a smile, were locked onto the man with red eyes.

“High Priest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A smooth, polite voice responded.

“So, that’s the condition?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s not a hard condition to meet. It benefits Charlotte as well.”

“That’s right.”

His fingers tightened around the armrest.

“And in exchange, you’re saying you’ll go to subjugate the monsters…”

“Yes. His Holiness has graciously accepted Your Majesty’s anger.”

“….”

“It’s only natural for Your Majesty to be enraged that the priest failed to notice Princess Charlotte’s illness. And a Normaty wouldn’t dare ask His Holiness to preside over the coronation.”

“….”

‘This man knows what the temple did to Charlotte. I was planning to spread the rumors at the right time.’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Erich deliberately used the word ‘Normaty’ with added softness, knowing it was an insult.

Arkan’s crimson eyes swept over the strikingly beautiful young man. Beneath his polite words and charming smile, his red tongue dripped with venom. Arkan could understand his hatred toward the temple, but why did he despise this person so much? The blatant insult didn’t even make him angry.

With no one else around, he was in a private confrontation with Erich.

It was true that he was in a more desperate position.

By tolerating this insult, he ensured that the priests and paladins would lay down their lives for the greater cause. What better deal could there possibly be?

“Alright.”

Erich’s expression twisted slightly at Arkan’s response.

Arkan’s calm demeanor made Erich seem like the unreasonable one.

‘If those in power want to struggle on their own, who am I to stop them?’

This summed up Arkan’s attitude perfectly.

Without even glancing at Erich, Arkan idly tapped his fingers on the armrest as he spoke.

“It looks like the palace is going to be quite noisy for a while.”

A satisfied smile crossed Arkan’s lips.

Erich looked at him and let out a dry chuckle.

“So, what is Ellin doing?”

The smile on Arkan’s face froze instantly. He had never been the type to hide behind a refined facade. His eyes revealed the emotions he couldn’t conceal.

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Isn’t it natural to be curious? She’s the child I personally brought to the temple.”

“….”

“She’s kind to everyone, but she’s too soft-hearted, which makes her an easy target for the cruel.”

“Didn’t you cast out such a child?”

Erich responded to Arkan’s remark with a smile.

“I thought it was best for her to leave rather than endure torment fueled by someone’s jealousy.”

There was an unknown passion flickering in those orange eyes.

Rage surged within Arkan at his words. He already knew from his investigations that Erich and Ellin had been close when she lived at the temple. A young and beautiful high priest, always wearing a warm smile, and the one who had once selected her. Erich, unlike him, knew how to show kindness and warmth.

How much of that kindness had Ellin given him? Flames of anger stirred deep inside him, but he forced them down.

“Is Ellin aware of that, too?”

“Yes.”

“….”

“I told her everything, but she still wouldn’t forgive me.”

‘Ah, of course.’

Someone as steadfast as her would never accept that. Arkan almost found himself smiling at Ellin’s unwavering nature, which he had once disliked so much.

“So, Your Majesty, I can’t help but wonder what you will do.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Erich said nothing.

His usually clear orange eyes seemed cloudy, and then, with graceful composure, he offered a bow before disappearing.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

Ellin sat in the gazebo near the princess’s palace, deep in thought. Her mind was so overwhelmed it felt like it was about to burst.

‘Was it a mistake to say anything?’

Ever since the discussion about the farmland, Arkan has repeatedly questioned her about the location of the territory she mentioned.

Of course, she dodged the question, insisting she had no idea.

Every time, Arkan would fix his gaze on her, studying her expression. Could he possibly suspect something about her origins? Asking on behalf of a friend must have been too obvious.

Then Arkan spoke again.

“So, is there anything you need?”

Ellin shook her head at his question, and after that, a long, unbroken silence settled between them. What she had assumed would last only a day continued. He kept watching her, day after day. Each time, he would part his lips as if about to say something, only to close them again. The silence between them was tense, yet neither of them broke it.

Whenever her face showed signs of discomfort, he would simply tell her to leave.

‘…Arkan hasn’t changed at all.’

Even in her past life, he had always done this—asking her to join him for tea while silently staring at her, or intruding into her room only to watch her without a word. It never carried the weight of crude desire, longing, or intrusive curiosity, which always left her confused.

Did he simply enjoy observing people? Or was it driven by suspicion?

She couldn’t understand.

Holding onto the gazebo’s railing, she exhaled a deep sigh.

‘Arkan is… strange.’

At least it wasn’t outright hostility, which was a small relief. Still, she couldn’t shake the regret of having spoken.