The rooster crowed when the sky was just beginning to brighten slightly. A ray of morning sunlight flowed into the room through the cracks in the curtain. Daphne was huddled in the corner of the bed, wiping away her tears.
Elena Perkins probably wasn't a particularly strong-willed person either. With her appearance, Daphne, who was crying at the moment, looked extremely pitiful and made people couldn't help but want to tease her a little.
The silk nightgown was in disarray, and the light red hickeys and bite marks were clearly visible. Her slender legs covered with white silk stockings were trembling slightly in the girl's embrace.
Daphne didn't sleep well that night.
Although Edith had told her to have a good rest first, she came and knocked on her door again in the dead of night.
Whenever Daphne recalled what had happened last night, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Edith had forced her to change into this nightgown that didn't have much covering effect and didn't leave until it was almost dawn.
Fortunately, for now, it was just kisses and bites, and they hadn't gone any further.
If she found that she had been made to wear a particularly conspicuous little thing down there, Daphne's last bit of self-esteem would be completely shattered.
But Daphne knew very well that that day would come sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.
The poor half-blood girl could only pray that that day would come more slowly.
All Daphne could do now was comfort herself that it was better to give her first time to Edith than to an unknown woman.
"Woohoo... Give my little angel back to me..." Thinking of this, Daphne couldn't help crying again.
It was a pity that before she returned to Cole Town, she had been looking forward to being healed by Edith, but she hadn't expected that Edith was far more dangerous than Grevia. Compared with this real predator, Grevia's actions of just grabbing and rubbing there were already considered naive and inexperienced.
What should she do in the future?
If she still wanted to stay in Cole Town and continue to reap some benefits in the identity of Elena, it seemed that she would have to submit to Edith. At least Edith was willing to help her conceal her identity and could even cooperate with her to cover for her in more critical situations.
Moreover, Daphne actually couldn't escape at all.
This time was different from the last time. The teleportation magic wouldn't leave any traces that were difficult to track, so there was no need to worry that Grevia would catch up.
And if she tried to escape using "Shadow Sprint", she would be easily caught by the Templar Knights who had embarked on the Path of Radiance. If Edith noticed something was wrong, she could report the truth. It would be useless even if Daphne ran away a day and a night in advance.
It seemed that she had really gone too far this time and was about to become Edith's plaything completely.
She could only take one step at a time.
Daphne was feeling sad when there was a sudden knock on the door.
She had developed a psychological fear of the knock on the door and was so startled that she almost fell off the bed. When she heard the knock on the door again, Daphne realized that this time the rhythm was fixed and rather reserved.
Wasn't it Edith?
Daphne's suspended heart sank a little. She got out of bed tremblingly, forgetting to put on her boots and just stepping on the floor with her white silk-clad delicate feet.
She gently opened the door. Her long platinum-blond hair shone brightly in the weak sunlight in the corridor. Grevia, bathed in the morning light, looked holy and flawless.
Her sky-blue eyes dropped their gaze but quickly looked away. Grevia immediately turned her head aside and then covered her cheeks with her hands when she saw Daphne. There was a hint of embarrassment in her tone as she said, "Master Reader, your dress..."
Only then did Daphne notice that the shoulder strap had slipped down and hadn't been pulled up yet, and half of her snow-white bosom was still exposed to the air.
Her face flushed red all of a sudden.
"Sorry, I just got up and I'm still not quite awake." Daphne quickly tried to make an excuse for herself.
She awkwardly pulled up the shoulder strap for herself again and deliberately or inadvertently reached out to cover those hickeys and bite marks. However, the material of this dress was as thin as a cicada's wings, and her attempts to cover them with her two arms were just like a drop in the bucket.
Strangely enough, Grevia's reaction was unexpected. Normally, she should have been completely indifferent to such a thing and just ignored it as if she hadn't seen it.
Now she was acting very embarrassed, and Daphne also felt extremely awkward.
"I just came to check if you had a good rest yesterday. If I've bothered you, I should apologize." Grevia took a half step back and bowed slightly.
"It's okay, Your Highness the Saintess. It's about time to get up at this hour anyway." Daphne cleared her throat and quickly got into character, resuming her role as Elena. "I had a good rest. Thank you for your warm hospitality. I just need some time to calm my nerves."
"That's great." Grevia tried to smile.
But she failed. The muscles on her face were a bit stiff, and the expression she put on looked a bit awkward.
This clumsy attempt looked rather cute to Daphne, and she couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness the Saintess."
"If you have any difficulties or needs, you can come to me. My room is right across the hall." Grevia didn't take it to heart. She pointed sideways to a room on the southwest side. "Of course, I'm usually not in the church during the day. You can also look for Reader Edith. She's the adopted daughter of His Holiness the Pope and is very good at taking care of people. She's more reliable than I am."
As she spoke, Grevia's gaze glanced in the direction of Edith's room, not noticing Daphne's now unsightly expression.
"When you want to return to the Holy Mary Religious Region, I can also arrange for several Templar Knights to escort you back. The war is approaching here, and it's not a safe place." She withdrew her gaze and then said.
"Please don't worry about me. I don't have any intention of going back for the time being." Daphne nodded.
"In that case, then I'll take my leave for now. There are affairs in the Knight Order waiting for me to deal with." Grevia bowed again. "Good morning and goodbye, Miss Elena."
What was going on?
For a moment, Daphne was actually a bit touched.
Was Grevia the really nice girl after all?
Compared to coercion and threats, just rubbing her chest wasn't unforgivable. At this age, it was all within the normal range of physiological needs. Punishing the arrogant half-blood female imp was even more in line with the identity and stance of the Saintess of the Blazing Sun Church... No, that last part wasn't right!
But if Grevia knew what Edith was really like...
"Er, that—" Seeing Grevia preparing to turn around and leave, Daphne subconsciously called out to her.
But soon, Daphne was startled by her own thoughts.
Asking Grevia for help would mean that she would also expose her own identity at the same time. Compared to Edith's scheming and cunning, Daphne's act of impersonating the Master Reader as a half-blood was even more unforgivable.
She and Edith were actually like two grasshoppers tied to the same rope, but Edith had the right to take the initiative to cut the rope and the ability to protect herself, while Daphne could only be forced to accept and obey.
"Is there anything else, Miss Elena?" Grevia stopped and turned around to ask.
"No, nothing. Please take your time, Your Highness the Saintess." Daphne quickly suppressed the terrifying thought in her heart and then put on a business-like smile.
Grevia nodded and then left. But as soon as the sound of her high-heeled shoes disappeared on one side, the sound of flat-heeled shoes rang out on the other side.
The bright golden hair was also brilliant in the morning light, but that color meant a kind of hell in a certain sense to Daphne.
The sea-blue eyes, which were somewhat different from Grevia's, stared coldly over. Edith was already standing outside Daphne's room. She had a cold expression on her face, and it was obvious that she was burning with anger.
"If you tell on me to my sister, you know very well what will happen to you." Edith said casually. "Don't do any senseless stupid things. Just be my toy obediently."
Seeing Daphne trembling slightly, the ice on the golden-haired girl's face melted away in an instant, and she smiled charmingly.
"Come to my room, little darling. It's time to change your clothes for you."