When the Villainess Died, the Male Lead Went Crazy - Chapter 83
Even after returning to her original body, Anais seemed to be blocked from speaking every time she tried, unable to utter a word.
At that moment.
Anais felt her mind drifting away again.
She had an ominous premonition that she might return to Lilith’s body like this.
“Wife.”
Before Anais lost consciousness, she grabbed Kylian’s hand. Then, she wrote something on the palm of his hand.
And then, she lost her consciousness.
“Anais!”
The place she opened her eyes to was Phileal’s room. Phileal was crying, looking surprised when she suddenly opened her eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
Phileal had her hands on Anais’s neck as if shocked.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I died a long time ago.”
Phileal felt somehow unfair about the situation. He was shocked and used up all his energy, but Anais remained unresponsive.
“I was surprised when I saw your hair turning gray.”
“Did I stop breathing?”
“Yes.”
Anais was perplexed by Phileal’s crying. It was the first time she had seen him show such an emotional reaction.
To confirm if he was crying again, she looked up, and he was smiling. It was a well-fabricated smile, but his eyes were swollen as if he had been crying.
“Did you cry because you couldn’t offer me as a sacrifice?”
“Ung. If I lose you… well, everything I’ve done so far would be in vain.”
“Ha.”
Although the situation was serious, Anais was dumbfounded by Phileal’s shamelessness. However, she was relieved that he was someone who spoke honestly.
“Help me, Phileal.”
“I’ve been helping you all along.”
“I went back to my body and came back.”
“Huh?”
Phileal looked at her with a puzzled face.
“Do I need purification?”
“I don’t know. It seems like purification might have an effect.”
“Then, I can return to my original body with the power of purification.”
“I can’t. I’m not a bishop.”
“Oh, right.”
The goddess Julias was in charge of healing and purification. Lilith was the saint with the strongest divine energy in history. If she purified her, it would undoubtedly be more powerful than the high priest.
“Is there no other way?”
“How about becoming a priest of the God of Death at this point?”
“Are you joking?”
“No, I’m serious.”
“If I become the priest of the God of Death, what about Lilith’s body?”
“You’ll take over when her lifespan ends.”
Anais, unsure if he was serious or joking, looked at him intently. Then, Phileal closed his eyes and smiled, saying:
“It felt strange after you died.”
“How was it?”
“I felt like sacrificing the emperor. Like how I did with my father.”
“I’m not your mother.”
“You’re not my mother.”
Unable to understand Phileal’s words, Anais waited until his red eyes opened again. When he did, his watery eyes were surprisingly clear.
“You’re stronger than anyone.”
“Don’t touch Kylian.”
“If I kill the emperor, everything you worry about will be solved.”
“Then, the priests of death have to leave the palace. Did you forget?”
Upon hearing Anais’s words, Phileal seemed to feel the weight of what he had said, and slowly, his smile disappeared.
Anais felt strange that he seemed so comfortable with her. She didn’t think they were so close that he couldn’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said.
Then he sighed, thinking that maybe it wasn’t because he didn’t pay attention to her but because he considered her an object of no concern.
“I hope you live a little longer.”
“…”
“I guess that’s why I said that.”
His eyes, looking at Anais, briefly shifted downward and then focused on her again.
“If I truly sacrifice you, I might become the high priest.”
While Anais thought his words were appalling, she couldn’t refuse the apparent favor he showed.
“Nonsense.”
“Hehe.”
He said that and collapsed.
“Phileal?”
He was so exhausted that he showed no response even when called.
“Phileal!”
Surprised by the weight of the man’s collapsed body on her shoulders, Anais shook him by hitting his back.
“Wake up!”
However, Phileal didn’t wake up until morning.
“I find it hard to walk.”
“Should I carry you?”
“Yeah.”
Phileal genuinely seemed tired. Because of that, when Anais casually offered to carry him, he said yes. He seemed to think she wouldn’t really carry him, but she surprised him by lifting him like it was a joke.
“You, ugh! Really heavy!”
“You haven’t even lifted my feet off the ground.”
“Enough! Walk on your own!”
“Haha!”
He laughed in amusement amusing.
“I can walk properly now. Laughing gave me strength.”
“If you bother me, you’re the one who gains strength. Nasty guy.”
“Hehehe.”
Anais decided to keep her mouth shut, fearing that engaging in further conversation with him might complicate things. She couldn’t treat him harshly after seeing him cry yesterday.
They had arrived at the prison located in the underground of the imperial palace.
“Father, hello?”
“…”
Duke Percival naturally ignored Anais’s greeting. Anais looked at him with a smile, then turned her gaze to High Priest Raviel, who was now imprisoned where she used to be.
Upon seeing Lilith in the prison, the high priest shouted.
“You wretched woman.”
“That’s harsh.”
Anais said the same thing to High Priest Raviel, who insulted Lilith without any reason.
“What do you want?”
Anais, despite acting defiantly in front of him, actually pitied him, as he was bound and helpless with his arms, legs, and neck tied.
For some unknown reason, he received different treatment compared to other prisoners. Despite the torn and bloody clothes, there were no visible wounds on his body. As a high priest of Life, he had exceptional self-healing abilities.
“I don’t regret selling you.”
“You have strong unnecessary pride, High Priest Raviel.”
“If it weren’t for you, the Temple of Julias wouldn’t have become like this.”
“That’s my line. If there weren’t people like you, the temple wouldn’t have decayed to such an extent.”
Unlike Lewarren, who admired the nobility and gathered money, he was still weak towards the weak. He used to grumble when Anais demanded money or asked to hide someone, but he followed her orders.
In contrast, Raviel was rotten to the core.
“Forget about the rest. If you want to survive there, you better listen to me.”
“I’d rather die than cooperate with someone like you!”
“Die, then.”
“….”
“Why don’t you bite your tongue or something?”
“….This insolent…!”
“Phileal, do you want to offer that as a sacrifice?”
“Can I?”
Phileal knew that Anais was just saying it, but he decided to play along. After all, anything, even trivial things, felt like a joy to him after she had died and came back yesterday.
“Are you insane? How can the saint from the Goddess of Life form an alliance with the priest of Death! You filthy traitor!”
“Who’s calling whom a traitor? You’re the one who betrayed the paladins, giving them all up to save yourself!”
“They originally existed for me! They received the power of the High Priest because I was superior!”
“How on earth did Goddess Julias love such a person?”
At Phileal’s mocking question, Anais remained silent. After sighing, she spoke again.
“I’m not Lilith. I am Anais Percival.”
“Ha! Such a trick could only be played only on His Majesty!”
“You once told me to stay away from Lilith. You said that Lilith’s mother was originally your fiance. She ran away and conceived a child with another man. In desperation, you revealed you had divine power and became a priest. You said that due to Lilith’s innate low blood, she would eventually betray me.”
“How, how do you know that?”
“Ah, was that supposed to be a secret?”
The revelation that High Priest Raviel had only told Anais until now came to light through Lilith’s mouth.
He had made those remarks during Anais’s life to distance herself from Lilith, creating suspicion. Also, it was to solidify his position by looking good in front of Young Duke Percival.
“I know you two were close like sisters!”
“We were close like sisters, but do we bring up parents? And even talk about you, who Lilith hates the most in the world. And the possibility that you might be Lilith’s father?”
“….”
The High Priest of Life disliked the fact that Anais was close to Lilith, who was like a thorn in his side. She was not an easy person to deal with, and it was obvious the longer she stuck around Anais, it would be even more difficult to handle her.
Moreover, he had sworn to not tell this to anyone except Anais. He felt embarrassed about it himself.
“You must have done some background checks.”
“What can you do to someone who deliberately found a corpse and erased his own identity?”
After erasing his identity, the High Priest became an entirely new person. Abandoning his original status as a commoner, he gained recognition for his abilities and eventually joined a noble family.
“….”
The High Priest of Life became truly perplexed. The lady in front of him was too dignified and confident to be Lilith. Besides, when he used to get angry and scold her, Lilith would be too busy crying she couldn’t look him in the eye like this. She used to be someone who endured, no matter she hated him.
“Is it really you…?”
“Yes.”
High Priest Raviel wondered if maybe he had taken some painkillers from the Temple of Morphis. Those painkillers showed the fantasies people wanted to see.
But he had been too cautious, never taking even a sip of water since entering this place. Besides, this wasn’t what he wanted.
“Why is Duke Percival so cold to you if you are Lady Anais?”
“My father just doesn’t recognize me.”
Anais didn’t turn around. She knew that Duke Percival was watching her.
“What is your purpose in coming to me?”
“To purify my body.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing her purpose, High Priest Raviel truly began to doubt whether she was Lilith. Purifying Anais’s body would only drive out the corrupted soul, that was all.
“If I assist Lady Anais, what will you do for me?”
Raviel, whose tone had become polite, rolled his eyes and looked at Anais. Then, he acknowledged Phileal, who was glaring at him from behind.
“I’ll help you escape.”
That’s how Raviel agreed to cooperate with Anais for a while.
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