FLBE Chapter 6 Part 4
by SYLPHShe felt overwhelmed. She wished someone would explain things clearly, but she was surrounded by dangerous people, leaving her nowhere to turn.
Liena glanced at the man sitting across from her. Seeing him look out the window with an indifferent expression, she figured he wasn’t an alpha. If he were, he would have reacted to her pheromones by now.
Moreover, if he were an alpha, Rhetrik wouldn’t have sent him along. Determined, Liena, hiding her cunning intent behind an innocent face, called out to him.
“Excuse me……”
“Yes? Oh, yes. Saintess.”
At Liena’s call, Theor politely responded.
“I have a question.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“The person who said he came to the royal palace earlier… Could it be someone named Lance?”
At her question, Theor’s face showed a troubled expression. From his reaction, Liena was certain. Lance was truly alive.
How did he manage to escape from Rhetrik? Was he truly a remarkable mage? No matter the case…
As it became clear Lance was alive, Liena’s mind filled with even more questions. However, asking directly seemed likely to yield no answers from the man before her.
Liena deliberately looked out the window, feigning calm as she spoke.
“They say he’s good with magic, being a tower master and all. Even His Majesty couldn’t capture him, right?”
“It’s not that he couldn’t be captured!”
Hoo…
Theor’s immediate response caught Liena’s attention, suppressing a smirk as she widened her eyes in feigned surprise.
“Right? How great Your Majesty is? Who could escape from His Majesty? Unless he was let go on purpose.”
“Ahem. Well, yes.”
“Why would he let him go, though? He tried to kidnap me… How scared I was. If it weren’t for His Majesty…”
Imagining the horror, Liena shivered, then sadly drooped her eyelids, prompting Theor to look at her with sympathy.
Despite feeling slightly guilty for manipulating such a seemingly kind person, Liena knew she couldn’t afford to consider his feelings with her future at stake.
If Lance was like Rhetrik and Roan…
Liena sighed deeply and muttered in a tragic tone.
“Was he let go because he’s also a top-righteous alpha…”
It was a gamble. It might turn out well, or not, but given the unusual circumstances, Liena decided to probe Theor directly. And Theor fell for Liena’s trap.
“Hmm, being a top-righteous alpha isn’t the reason he was let go. Not all of the same disposition are equal, after all.”
My goodness! Really?
Liena’s eyes widened in shock.
To think there was another high-tier alpha! Where was this crazy novel heading? Was it trying to kill her?
One Rhetrik was already too much for the previous Saintess. Now there were three such madmen! Liena grasped her throbbing head and slumped against the carriage’s backrest.
“Saintess? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Ah… Just my head…”
“Oh no, what should we do? We still have a way to go.”
“Sigh, it’s okay. I’ll feel better after some fresh air.”
Liena opened the carriage window and took a deep breath. The shock was bigger than expected, even though she had braced for it. Where had things gone wrong? It felt like being sucked into an endless quagmire.
Whom should I trust? Whose side is the safest?
Ironically, Roan was the first to come to mind. Yet, even he, having concealed his identity from the start, was a source of discomfort.
Still…
Of the three, Roan seemed the most trustworthy. Despite the dangerous choices, she needed to survive. Roan appeared to be the most normal.
Liena sighed deeply and frowned.
* * *
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
Liena sipped the tea, savoring the aroma. Yet, she couldn’t taste or smell anything. What was she supposed to appreciate in it?
Despite making an elegant face as if enjoying the tea’s fine flavor, Liena couldn’t hide her furrowed brow.
Roan chuckled and set down his teacup, saying,
“It seems the Saintess has many facets.”
“Huh?”
“You appear fragile, yet show strength; bold, yet cute. You seem out of place as a Saintess, yet no one could fit the role better. The more I see, the more intriguing you become.”
“Is that… a compliment?”
“Of course.”
Blushing at the unexpected praise, Liena awkwardly looked around, lost for words. Then, staring directly at Roan, she showed her assertive side without reservation.
“Lance.”
“……!”
Roan’s hand which was trying to lift the teacup again froze mid-air at the mention of that unwelcome name. Liena smirked at his flustered expression and continued,
“He’s a top-righteous alpha, right?”
“….Ah, it seems our Saintess knows everything.”
His words seemed laden with meaning, but that wasn’t Liena’s concern at the moment.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Liena’s sharp tone made Roan’s eyebrows droop.
“Are you deceiving me again? Tell me everything now. You’re the Pope, aren’t you? A servant of God shouldn’t deceive people like this.”
“Ah, it seems I’ve become a deceiver to the Saintess. I was merely being cautious.”
“Then tell me everything now. Only then I can trust you.”
Roan set down his teacup again and looked at her warmly. He has always shown a kind smile to her, thus Liena couldn’t decipher his thoughts, leaving her frustrated.
“Will you truly believe me if I tell you everything?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“A Saintess shouldn’t lie.”
“If the Pope lies, then so can the Saintess, right?”
“Huh? Hahaha.”
Roan laughed heartily for the first time, then became serious.
“Then, trusting you, I’ll speak honestly.”
“Okay.”
The atmosphere turned serious, and Liena grew nervous. Wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, she awaited his words. However, what Roan said next was completely unexpected.
“I think I’ve developed feelings for you.”
What? Feelings?
“Wh-What do you mean…?”
“I’ve been the Pope for a long time, watched over many Saintesses. But this is a first for me.”
“……”
“Every time I see you, my alpha instincts surge. I want to be seen not just as a pope but as a man.”
A confession, right now? So suddenly?