Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 110

Chapter 55.2

̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊

Ellin averted her eyes from Arkan, her face set in a rigid expression. That evening, after finishing her report, she sat in silence with Arkan. After a long pause, he glanced at her and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“….”

“It seems like something is bothering you.”

His voice carried a trace of amusement.

She realized that Arkan was aware of her discomfort.

Could it be that he was mocking her unease?

With the appearance of the monsters, the village troubles, and everything involving Erich, her mind had been in turmoil. However, after a long night of contemplation, she resolved not to dwell on the unknown and instead let things unfold as they may. Still, Liliana was the one thing she couldn’t just ignore. Her hatred for Ellin ran too deep.

“The paladins are being sent to subdue the beasts. That was the agreement.”

That single sentence was enough for her to grasp the situation.

Upon hearing that, she resolved to push down her feelings. Her personal discomfort as a mere caretaker meant nothing compared to the duty of protecting lives in the kingdom. Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t mockery in Arkan’s voice, but rather, he was trying to make her see his reasoning.

Ellin tried to convince herself of that.

“Ellin.”

“….”

“Miss Ellin.”

“….”

“Are you very angry?”

At Arkan’s question, she replied.

“I understand that this was unavoidable. Thank you for telling me.”

“….”

Ellin gave a slight bow as a gesture of respect.

Arkan stared at her, momentarily at a loss for words. His eyes held the look of someone who couldn’t quite comprehend her.

“The saintess will be building a relationship with the princess. That means they don’t want to sever ties with us either.”

Despite the fact that the saintess surely loathed her, Ellin’s face held no trace of coldness or fury. It was simply an expression of compliance. The saintess who had framed her and cast her out was returning…. And yet, she showed no emotion at all, and that unreadable expression frustrated him.

“No matter how upset you are, I told you to speak your mind.”

“….”

“Speak.”

Ellin sighed softly at his command before finally responding.

“How could I possibly be angry? And why would my feelings matter in any of this…”

If you say you don’t want this, I’ll handle it.

It was a decision that could jeopardize the throne he had seized, but he wanted to say it anyway, as if none of that mattered to him.

“They matter.”

For Arkan, saying those words took courage.

I want to understand your feelings. It frustrated me that you always looked at me with that same expression.

Was she still holding onto resentment over not being allowed to go out? Was that the reason?

“I’m not angry.”

“….”

“As I said earlier, thank you. You explained the situation to me.”

Ellin offered a faint smile.

In truth, when she first heard about the monster attacks, what worried her most was whether the temple would provide support. When she heard that Arkan had chosen to bring Liliana back, a strange feeling surfaced within her, but his explanation had clarified everything.

As her lips curved into a soft smile, Arkan couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of irritation.

She didn’t need to lash out, but he wished she would at least show some sign of anger. He wanted to see a crack in that composed expression.

First came the expressionless face, then the polite smile. Why did it irritate him so much? Was it simply her gentle nature, or was it her obedience? Maybe it was because she had lived as a slave, conditioned to accept everything without question. That infuriatingly gentle nature showed no signs of fading.

A cruel impulse flickered inside him. He wanted to see that face contort again.

But…

“I won’t kill you.”

“….”

“I’ll never kill you, so at least show some anger. Tell me you hate it.”

A look of confusion appeared on her face.

Would anything change even if she admitted she didn’t like it? Her personal feelings would never take precedence over the lives of others.

“I’m really fine.”

Liliana was frightening, and she made her uneasy, but she wasn’t angry. She had long since grown accustomed to enduring and persevering.

Ellin gave a vague smile but never once said she disliked it. Perhaps it would have been better if she had said nothing at all.

Arkan let his emotions erupt in merciless bloodshed. He could no longer hold back.

Was it the position that shaped a person like this? Even though he had always been aware of it, he was struck once more by how deeply warped she had become.

This wasn’t just fear of him as the emperor. If she were only cautious because of his title, then why would she have risked her life for Charlotte? This was a fear unlike that which came with status. Holding back one’s emotions was tormenting. It would only bring suffering.

But Ellin didn’t seem to feel any pain at all. She simply accepted everything.

You and I, we’re both twisted in the same way.

“Your Majesty, may I ask you something…?”

Ellin parted her lips and gazed at Arkan. He responded with a faint trace of willingness on his face.

“If the saintess was sent as a theology instructor under the guise of the paladins’ campaign…”

“And if she is?”

“Did Sir Maynard join the expedition as well?”

Maynard.

The thought of the blond paladin made him snap the quill in his hand. It was a clear display of his irritation.

“Why do you want to know?”

“No, it’s nothing. I apologize.”

He realized his mistake, but Ellin had already bowed her head. This was exactly why… why he had tried to keep his distance.

“Leave.”

She gave a brief bow before stepping out.

His eyes fell on the paper, stained with black ink.

He had grown far too accustomed to violence, bloodshed, and force. It was only natural. There wasn’t enough legitimacy for him to claim the throne. Without demonstrating cruelty, the nobles would never respect him, so he had shown his dominance through blood.

Some were hailed as noble knights, while others were remembered as blood-soaked black emperors.

A person stained with blood could never be noble, just like this page tainted with ink.