Saint Lady, Please Let Them Go

Chapter 4: The Night the Saintess and I Had to Talk About?

Facing the Holy Light Ceremony, Sophia needed to make two preparations.

Because she couldn’t know whether her Joyful Magic and her actions toward the girls she had harmed could deceive the Holy Light.

Three months from now, it was possible that Sophia, the Saintess, would fall into ruin and disgrace.

So, she needed to enhance her strength while preparing an escape plan for the potential end.

She had considered fleeing directly but ultimately rejected the idea.

First, her current status as Saintess was too precious to abandon, and Sophia openly admitted she was that shallow.

Second, if she fled, the Holy Light Church would surely investigate, and if exposed prematurely, she’d have no chance at all, becoming a target for everyone.

Third, there was still some hope.

The so-called Holy Light could be seen as a deity worshiped in this world.

If it truly existed, it was merely a being or object far stronger than her, with consciousness.

It couldn’t possibly descend with its will at every ceremony.

As long as her strength was sufficient, deceiving it should pose no problem.

Fleeing out of fear of the Holy Light Ceremony would be tantamount to admitting guilt, leaving her no way out.

At least by striving until the last moment, she would have no regrets.

====

The day passed quickly.

Night fell, and Sophia returned to her room.

Long ago, she had refused the Holy Light Church’s offer to assign her guardian knights or nuns to serve her.

While others praised her virtue, only Sophia knew it was simply to avoid being monitored by those around her.

She first took a bath, masking her scent with cheap perfume.

Then she applied makeup and donned a magical mask that could alter perception.

In less than an hour, a girl who bore no resemblance to Saintess Sophia appeared in the room.

As the night deepened, Sophia nimbly slipped out of the church, vanishing into the darkness.

===

The Minglu Merchant Guild was one of the largest merchant guilds in Red Maple City.

It oversaw numerous industries, from the cultivation, acquisition, and storage to the sale of agricultural products, as well as light industries such as textiles, tobacco, sewing, and fur trading…

It also dabbled in mining, weaponry, and magical beast-related industries.

This vast commercial empire meant the Minglu Merchant Guild had many partners.

But as the guild’s president and largest investor, Babbitt Noyce and his family were the guild’s most powerful figures.

Nifreya Noyce was Babbitt Noyce’s cherished daughter, the second young miss of the family, and one of only two heirs.

She had an elder sister, Hestia Noyce, who constantly accompanied their parents, learning commerce, negotiation, and bidding.

Rumor had it she was a great beauty and a formidable woman.

She rarely returned to Red Maple City.

To elevate the Minglu Merchant Guild further, it was said that Hestia had verbally agreed to a betrothal with a powerful figure in the imperial capital, though no formal engagement had occurred.

Whether this rumor was true remained to be verified.

In Red Maple City, people often spoke of the eldest miss.

But for Nifreya, who had always lived here, they were clearly more intrigued.

Since Nifreya turned sixteen, many had come to propose marriage.

Without exception, all were rejected by old Babbit.

Her parents doted on their youngest daughter and didn’t want her to marry so soon.

Moreover, if Nifreya left home, it would mean dividing a portion of the Minglu Merchant Guild as her dowry.

Another option was to take a husband into the family, but no suitable candidate had been found.

Thus, Nifreya remained unbetrothed.

She currently resides in Ivory Citadel in Red Maple City, a vast estate inhabited by the wealthy.

High walls blocked prying eyes, and within were countless Eastern-style mansions with pavilions, towers, and ornate buildings.

Castles, gardens, courtyards, and swan lakes dotted the area.

Nifreya lived in Flower Citadel, a small castle within Ivory Citadel.

Outside the castle, flowerbeds stretched like a sea, swaying beautifully under the moonlight, creating a breathtaking floral wave.

Apart from Ivory Citadel’s patrol teams and security personnel, Flower Citadel had its own guards, both inside and out.

They were knights of considerable strength.

Day and night, they protected the Minglu Merchant Guild’s most dazzling flower.

Sophia had scouted Ivory Citadel before, and choosing Nifreya as her next target wasn’t a ̉whim.

She had visited Flower Citadel several times under the guise of spreading the teachings of the Holy Light, naturally to study its layout, defenses, and, most importantly—Nifreya’s bedroom.

As a thief of hearts, it would be embarrassing to arrive and not know the target’s room, searching one by one.

“I wonder what kind of stunning scene it’ll be when Nifreya tries desperately to stay silent later?”

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

But before that…

Sophia lurked in the shadows, eyeing the knights patrolling under the moonlight around Flower Citadel, her heart alert.

The key was not being spotted by these bothersome knights.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a novice.

Having studied Flower Citadel’s defenses in advance, Sophia cautiously slipped through a gap in the knights’ patrol and entered the castle’s second floor.

“Phew, perfect. No magical traps or alarms triggered. Looks like the spots I noted haven’t changed.”

Inside the castle, the pressure was much lighter.

Aside from servants, only Nifreya’s personal bodyguard remained.

It was a sweet-looking girl whom Sophia had seen during her preaching visits.

A spirit master skilled in disguise, proficient with swords and daggers, her sweet eyes always carried a lingering hint of killing intent.

Her name—Tina.

A very ordinary name.

But for a swordmaster, assassin, and protector, such an ordinary name was fitting.

“Tina, you can rest now. I’m going to sleep.”

On the third floor, in a corridor covered with soft, exquisite wool carpets, a massive crystal magic lamp provided constant illumination.

Sophia hid in the shadows, watching Nifreya’s room.

The door was half-open, revealing a room filled with girlish dolls, wardrobes, a vanity, a desk, bookshelves, and a floor-length mirror…

A beautiful carpet, luxurious magic lamps, and elegant floor-to-ceiling windows…

Before a grand, opulent bed, a girl with slightly curled pink hair leaned against a pillow, speaking to her friend and bodyguard beside her.

Wearing a silk nightgown, her porcelain-white skin was almost dazzling.

Nifreya’s smooth, pink shoulders couldn’t hold the nightgown’s straps, requiring her delicate hands to tug them up occasionally.

The girl called Tina appeared to be around the same age, sixteen or seventeen.

“Nifreya, you seem preoccupied?” Tina didn’t rush to leave.

She was both Nifreya’s servant and friend, addressing her by name when alone.

As if seen through, a trace of panic flashed across Nifreya’s face, a blush spreading over her lovely, delicate features.

“N-no, it’s nothing… Tina, go to bed already!”

Her eager words only made her seem more suspicious.

Not only did Tina ignore the order, she stepped forward and reached into Nifreya’s suspicious bedding.

“Eek! Tina, what are you doing? No, don’t!!”

Amid the girl’s flustered cries, Tina pulled a thin booklet from her bed.

Caught red-handed, Nifreya nervously tried to snatch it back.

Tina leaped back, staring at the booklet in disbelief: “The Saintess and the Night I Can’t Speak Of? Nifreya, you… last time you sent me away outside, was it… was it to buy something like this…”

“No wonder you’ve been acting sneaky lately.”

“N-no way, I wasn’t being… sneaky… or anything!” Seizing Tina’s shock, Nifreya jumped out of bed, her white silk-clad feet landing on the carpet as she snatched her item back.

Her pink face dipped toward her chest, too embarrassed to meet Tina’s eyes, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

“I-I was just curious… I r-really haven’t looked at it…”

Tina couldn’t help but rub her forehead, taking the booklet from her again.

“Your father doesn’t know, does he?”

“Mm, Tina, please, don’t tell Papa.” The girl looked up pitifully.

Tina’s face showed conflict but eventually softened: “Fine. It’s normal to be curious at your age, but you can’t read this… this unhealthy stuff anymore.”

Nifreya nodded eagerly: “Mm, mm! I went to the church to confess today, and the Holy Light has forgiven Nifreya, really!”

The girl raised her hand in a vow.

Her earnest, adorable demeanor made Tina chuckle.

“I’m confiscating this. Rest well.” With that, Tina left the room with the booklet, closing the door behind her.

As she entered the room next to Nifreya’s to rest, Sophia, in the shadows, smiled silently.

Hehe, little beauty, tonight you’re mine.