"Fucking hell! It hurts so much! If I knew that my body would be in so much pain after I tried to defend the princess, then I would not have done that. Ugh, now I feel as if I cannot even move," Auriel cried out in pain as she tried to move her body.
All the joints in her back protested in shock as Auriel tried to pull herself off the bed, and her posture looked as if it came straight out of a horror movie.
"Tsk, at this rate, I won't be able to do anything that I set out to do."
Auriel complained as she somehow got out of bed and managed to groom herself. It was already almost 11:00 AM by the time she got out of bed, and the first thing she noticed was the lack of people around her.
No one came to wake her up, and even Priestess Lilith was not there to tell Auriel what she needed to do.
The freedom felt liberating for all of ten minutes before Auriel felt bored and decided to take a look around the temple. There was only so much she could do to entertain herself before her boredom took over and demanded some kind of relief.
______
"Are you ready to tell me more about what Lady Shelly Munero has planned and asked you to do? Don't worry! You will get to live if you open your mouth now. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what will happen to you."
The captive cried out in pain as his hand was twisted behind his back at an awkward angle. By the way his arm was bending, that man might as well have a broken wrist because there was no way he would be able to use it now.
But despite being in such a situation, the man refused to open his mouth and give Carol and Priestess Lilith any useful information.
"Hey, are you still not going to open your mouth and tell me what you are planning? Do I need to drag the confession out of you forcefully?" Carol's voice was harsh, and her actions were even harsher.
Carol's foot came down and landed on the prisoner's back, almost breaking him in half, and the man let out a pained roar at the action.
"Tsk, calm down, Carol! I know that you are angry, but we do need that man alive if we want to get any truth out of his mouth. Now, why don't you decide to be a little gentle toward him?"
Priestess Lilith asked with a calm voice as she looked at the torture scene from her position of leaning against the wall. She was enjoying this moment more than she let on.
Carol knew Priestess Lilith's hidden nature well. No matter how well she tried to hide it, there was no way Priestess Lilith would be able to hide her expression of pure joy.
Still, as per her advice, Carol did lower the intensity of her attack on the man she was holding hostage, and the man let out a relieved sigh.
"I-I will tell you all I know. S-So please, let me go! I-I have a family—" the man cried out in pain again as Carol increased the intensity of her attack.
"Stop talking nonsense and start talking about what I need you to speak about." Carol's words caused the man to let out a small sob before he told them about Shelly Munero and her plan to grab the attention of Goddess Auriel and join the race to become the empress.
______
Auriel could not stay in her room for much longer, and despite her body aching at the thought of heading out, Auriel's brain thought that it would be a good idea.
That was why she was currently walking around the temple's garden and trying to correct her posture… or at least that was what she told herself. But in reality, Auriel was just killing time since she had nothing else to do.
"It's so calm and serene here. I wish I could always—AAAHHHHH!" Auriel did not even get to finish when a loud scream penetrated her happy thoughts and made her flinch.
She instantly looked toward the internal chamber, and her curiosity urged her to check out what had happened.
But the cautious part of her mind told Auriel that it would be a bad idea for her to barge into… whatever was going on behind those closed doors. And Auriel was a person who listened to her caution.
So she decided not to head in there and forget about whatever she had heard.
Auriel would have forgotten all about it if not for the sudden beauty that appeared in front of her and leaned too close to Auriel.
"Goddess Auriel, it must be fate for us to meet again like this, right? Did you miss me? I wanted to see you as soon as possible, but my duties… Ah, it doesn't matter anymore since I get to see you."
Duchess Amara was standing too close to Auriel. Her face was inches away from Auriel's own, and Auriel could even feel her breath on her lips as the female leaned closer to her. The distance between Auriel and Duchess Amara was getting shorter as well.
Before the duchess could make her lips connect with Auriel's, the goddess was yanked back, and her back touched a hard chest and a squishy pair of breasts.
"Duchess Amara, you need to control your actions. Don't forget that you are one of the highest-ranking people in this kingdom, and you need to act accordingly. Please, do not make Goddess Auriel uncomfortable by coming too close to her like this," Evelyn Greengrass's words washed over Auriel as she blinked and looked up.
The arms wrapped around her currently belonged to the princess, and her grip felt a little too tight for Auriel's comfort.
But the thought of speaking up and telling this to the princess felt daunting, so Auriel kept her mouth quiet and let the pair figure out what to do next.
"Huh? I think the princess is getting a little too ahead of herself. What makes you think that the goddess is more comfortable with you than she is with me? At least I have a better temper and do not scare her like you do." Duchess Amara spoke confidently.
Her voice sounded different than when she talked to Auriel, but the obsession in it had not dropped an inch.
Auriel felt a shiver go down her spine at the bickering she heard around her, and she subtly tried to pull out from the grip the princess had on her. But the more Auriel tried to get out of it, the more she felt like she was being held tighter.
But finally, after a minute of struggling alone, Auriel's savior came in the form of Priestess Lilith.
As soon as Auriel's eyes met the priestess, she tried to beg her to help Auriel out. But at first, Auriel was not sure if the priestess would get her signal or not.
Luckily for her, Priestess Lilith understood what Auriel wanted her to do and she quickly walked over to the pair bickering over Auriel.
"Ladies, would you kindly let go of Goddess Auriel? She is not a toy for you both to play with. Goddess, it is time for you to head back inside and bless our praying," Priestess Lilith spoke softly, but her hands worked fast.
Before anyone realized what was happening, the priestess had separated Auriel from the bickering pair and pulled her into the priestess's arms.
It still felt weird to be held like this, but at least this hold did not make Auriel's stomach flutter… maybe. If it did, Auriel decided to erase that memory out of her mind.
"Ah, of course. We did not mean to make Goddess Auriel uncomfortable. Goddess, we are sorry if we crossed a line you did not want us to. However, please understand that it is all because I love you and want the best for you. I will never hurt you intentionally." Duchess Amara grabbed a hold of Auriel's hair and kissed them when she spoke.
Her golden eyes shined with certainty that made Auriel feel a little scared to even approach her after this. She had a feeling that she was going to get devoured if she made any sudden move.
"Duchess Amara, please do not touch the Divine messenger. If you continue to ignore me, then I will have no choice but to ban you from stepping foot in the temple ever again."
Priestess Lilith made her terms clear, and Duchess Amara finally pulled back with a pout on her face.
"Fine! I will behave myself in front of you two. Don't look at me like that, dear Evelyn. You look ready to eat me alive." Duchess Amara's words made Auriel turn toward the princess as well, and she almost flinched at the fury she saw on that lovely face.