BDBM | Chapter 13

“Come with me. I want to show you something quickly.”

Tenev had been aloof since she woke up in pain, which made this invitation seem particularly odd. But any suspicion was brief, as Ivyor’s knack for seeing things her own way kicked in.

“It seems like there are no priests around, acting like mother hens… Feeling lonely, she ends up seeking her mother?”

After all, she’s just a kid. Without anyone on her side, it’s natural for her to revert to what’s familiar.

“Hold on, my daughter.”

“Ren, let’s talk next time.”

Renard tried to intervene when he saw the dismissed teaching priest flit through his mind, but Ivyor, unaware of the situation, hastily got up and followed Tenev.

“What are you planning to give me? It must be something you’ve hidden in your bedroom?”

However, contrary to Ivyor’s expectations, the small child briskly walked out of the main palace with her short legs.

“How far are we going?”

“To the Heir Palace.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

It made sense. The main palace was Renard’s domain, so she probably wanted to give it somewhere out of his sight.

“Did you receive the key to the treasure storage of the Heir Palace?”

The treasures of the Holy Land! Enough to settle debts or secure a comfortable future. But instead of indulging in her happy fantasies, Tenev abruptly stopped in the garden.

“Mother. Sit here.”

“What? Sit on the ground? Are you out of your mind? My clothes will get dirty.”

Tenev didn’t ask twice. With a slight wave of her hand, divine power shot out like a small arrowhead, striking Ivyor’s legs forcefully.

“Ah!”

Despite not wanting to, Ivyor fell among the lilies, unable to stand back up as her legs wouldn’t support her.

“Got the acupoint right.”

Acupuncture. Blocking the pathways where energy flows. Tenev had done it using her divine power, and she took a deep breath. Her face was serene, but the divine power within her surged like a whirlpool.

“She planned to gather her strength quietly until the oath ceremony.”

At the ceremony, the deity would recognize her as the Holy King’s heir, and a stream of divine light would bless her. Her plan was to transcend her limits right at that moment.

“It might not be as spectacular as ‘Three Flowers at Dawn,’ but it would still be a grand scene.”

She intended to show a spectacle overwhelming enough that no deceitful rivals would dare challenge her. It was risky, though. Transcending limits required mental strength, inner power, and a physically trained body. Her mind was ready, her inner power replaced by ample divine power, but her untrained body was a point of concern. If things went wrong, she could go mad or even die.

“But in this land, I can make it happen magnificently.”

Tenev trusted in her own experiences as Jin Danye and in the divine power.

“This power is meant to embrace and heal rather than destroy.”

She planned to channel more divine power to compensate for her physical shortcomings. If all went well, her underdeveloped body would catch up in growth.

“Sigh.”

After organizing her thoughts in a few seconds, Tenev spoke.

“I maintain these lilies with divine power so they bloom all year round. Aren’t they beautiful?”

Her speech was crisp, an unnecessary waste of divine power, but necessary when needed.

“You wouldn’t make threats with a lisp, right?”

Initially, Ivyor didn’t notice the change in Tenev’s speech, only showing annoyance that her daughter didn’t seem concerned about her falling.

“They’re beautiful. But planting so many lilies? What a waste.”

In the vast lily garden, although beautiful, Ivyor’s mood was sour, and she couldn’t appreciate it.

“If I buried you here, I wouldn’t need to order more lilies or set up a funeral service.”

“What did you just say?” Ivyor paused, shocked.

Ah, no. It’s a waste of time to seek meaning in a child’s words.

“Instead of babbling, lead me to the treasure storage.”

“The treasure storage?”

“You said you had something gathered for me!”

“Oh, that.”

Tenev’s smile deepened.

“I meant I’d give you a chance.”

“What?”

“A chance to leave here alive.”

Ivyor instinctively backed away from Tenev.

“Mother. You have taken bribes since coming to the Holy Land.”

“What nonsense! Who would know how to find me?”

Ivyor denied it, but it didn’t work on Tenev.

“There was nothing in your past that would make you act differently.”

How it hadn’t reached Renard’s ears yet, she wasn’t sure, but it was right to eliminate any compromising elements early.

“Ever heard the saying, ‘Greed shortens the life thread’?”

“What, life thread? Did Ren tell you to threaten me?”

“Stop clinging to futile hopes and quietly return to the Empire.”

Tenev turned away. A serving priest hurried over, draping a thick coat over her shoulders.

“Will you wait for your mother, Agi-nim?”

“Done. I’d rather enjoy the lily fragrance a bit longer.”

Tenev frowned. It seemed like the divine power backfired, making her speech even more garbled as soon as she tried to revert it to normal.

“It’s like… every time I use my power, this happens. It won’t continue after the oath ceremony, will it?”

From Ivyor’s perspective, it looked like Tenev was only showing her true, grotesque self in front of her.

“This is…!”

Still unable to stand, Ivyor tore at the lilies in frustration, glaring at Tenev’s retreating figure. She too was a person who wouldn’t hold back.

After spending an hour punished in the garden, she went to find Tenev the next afternoon.

“Since you gave me advice, I ought to return the favor, shouldn’t I?”

In the classroom after lessons, the children, forgetting to go home, watched the standoff between mother and daughter until Tenev glanced at them.

“Let’s go.”

The kids discreetly disappeared, and Tenev nodded.

“I knew this and told those performing to not come up to this floor.”

Ivyor was predictable. A woman of pride with nothing else, easy to provoke.

“Return the favor? Go ahead.”

And just as she finished speaking, a harsh screeching sound as Tenev’s small body fell backward.

“There’s a limit to underestimating people!”

Despite her frail appearance, Ivyor’s grip on Tenev’s hair made her flutter like a paper doll.

Reflecting on the night’s events in the lily garden, Ivyor thought.

“No matter how twisted she is, Tenev wouldn’t have humiliated me on her own.”

Until recently, she had clung annoyingly, seeking affection. Surely, someone had manipulated Tenev into turning against her.

“Must be those people from the Holy Land.”

They were Renard’s people. Ivyor was frustrated about having to bow to the situation, finding Tenev the only target for her anger.

“Did I say I couldn’t let you go? Just pay the price! Using a child because you’re too stingy!”

“…”

“They cling to your side, thinking you’re good? Utterly senseless!”

Tenev clenched her teeth in silence, disappointed yet not surprised by the accuracy of her predictions.

“Such perfect timing for a slap, tsk tsk.”

Meanwhile, children hidden below the window were shocked.

“How could she do that…”

“Didn’t she call her mom?”

“I’m so scared. I feel sorry for Tenev…”

Fluffy-haired children murmured tearfully, but the aspiring paladins, recently trampled by Tenev, mumbled in disbelief.

“No way she’d get hit like that…”