Before the operation, Mowan had indeed been very nervous.
However, after the plan was completed, Mowan’s state of mind became as calm as still water.
When she saw that Croll’s hands were still trembling even after they had returned to the Holy City, she realized that the Princess, who had never experienced such turmoil, might not be as mentally resilient as she had imagined.
‘The Princess probably feels that even Iserin won’t be able to protect her if the truth comes out.’
“Did you see the state Croll was in?”
Iserin asked, watching Croll disappear into the darkness of the night.
“Yeah. Is it really all right to let her return to the Royal Palace alone?”
Mowan asked, expressing her concern for Croll.
“I’ll go check on her. The time we gave her to adjust was far too short. She hasn’t done anything this significant before — something that could decide the fate of a nation — so I’m worried she won’t be able to recover on her own.”
Mowan nodded.
“But you are different. You’re more mature than she is, and you’ve experienced more. That’s why you have a broader perspective, right?”
“Of course.”
Mowan flashed a smile.
What Mowan had feared was the plan failing, not the plan being exposed.
She had been afraid of the plan being cut short.
Now that it had succeeded, she felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders.
“Then will you forgive me? Tonight should be a night for celebrating our victory, yet I won’t be by your side.”
“It’s not… something that requires forgiveness, Sister Selin. You should go see Her Highness the Princess.”
Iserin was always attentive to Mowan’s feelings, which touched her deeply, but she also knew that Croll’s current state was more concerning.
Only after receiving Mowan’s permission did Iserin set off to catch up with Croll.
Mowan returned home alone.
In the dining room, Mowan sat at the table, her chin resting on her hands as she stared out the door.
She knew there was a high probability that Iserin wouldn’t return tonight, yet she still wanted to wait.
She didn’t want to sleep.
She wondered what her future with Iserin would be like.
It would take some time before the destruction of the Boundary Gate was discovered and investigated.
Even if the investigation led back to Iserin and she ended up being ruined…
‘I… could just elope with Sister Selin!’
At that thought, Mowan’s eyes instantly lit up with a brilliant glow.
‘But this is just wishful thinking on my part. I don’t care how the world sees me, but what does Sister Selin think? Would she be willing to cast aside her status as the Saintess to elope with me? If she set aside that identity, would she still be herself?’
Mowan felt troubled by these thoughts, yet she also felt a sense of happiness.
Iserin had shown her what a miracle looked like.
In Mowan’s mind, the abstract concept of being “omnipotent” had taken on a concrete form — it was her Sister Selin.
The color of a miracle was white.
It was Sister Selin’s thousand strands of silvery-white hair, her simple white dress, and her holy white wings that resembled an angel’s.
‘So, as long as I am with Sister Selin, as long as our hearts remain connected, nothing is impossible.’
Mowan believed this firmly.
—
After an unknown amount of time, Mowan’s knuckles began to feel a bit numb.
She shifted into a more comfortable position, resting her cheek on her folded arms as she lay against the dining table.
Her eyes never left the door.
However, because of this more comfortable position, she quietly drifted off to sleep.
She had a dream.
She dreamed that the flames of war were sweeping through the Kingdom of Visa.
She dreamed that the Elders had seized power in the Demon Empire.
Though her father was still the Demon King, he sat on his throne, powerless to do anything.
Once a nation grew to a certain scale, an extreme system of absolute centralized power became difficult to maintain.
The Elders forced her father to start a war, actively pushing the Demon Empire into the Deep Abyss of ruin.
In that dream, the Vissa People were forced into the conflict, and every citizen of the Demon Empire became a soldier.
Finally…
Her heavily injured father died on the battlefield.
The legendary Descent of the Demon God never happened because she, the coward, was still alive.
She was still dreaming of a happy future in Iserin’s gentle embrace.
She couldn’t see who the ultimate victor was.
She only saw flesh and blood scattered everywhere and heard the screams of the victims.
Mowan jerked awake.
She rubbed her eyes dizzily.
Outside the door, the sky was just beginning to turn pale.
She clutched her aching chest.
It was likely that sleeping hunched over the table had been too tiring, causing her to have such a terrible nightmare.
But Iserin still hadn’t returned.
Mowan sighed.
She couldn’t help but miss her.
Even though she knew rationally that Iserin had more important matters to attend to, Mowan still longed for her.
She missed Iserin with an almost obsessive intensity.
She wanted to see Iserin’s face, touch her hands, and breathe in her scent.
As long as Iserin was by her side, she would never have those unnecessary thoughts.
As long as Iserin gave her a reassuring smile, she felt that everything in the world was going exactly as she wished.
The omnipotent Iserin would bring her miracles.
After all, she had witnessed one Boundary Gate after another being annihilated by Iserin’s hands.
She had seen Iserin stop a war that humanity was about to initiate.
When the bright sunlight cast the shadow of the eaves across the doorway, the lilies outside took on a vibrant color.
Mowan finally saw that dream-like white figure appear before her eyes.
Iserin had her hands tucked behind her back.
As soon as she stepped over the threshold, Mowan threw herself into Iserin’s arms like a gust of wind.
Mowan nuzzled against Iserin’s neck and sniffed.
Iserin carried the scent of the Princess, and her skin felt a bit cold, as if she had been outside all night.
Iserin stroked Mowan’s head.
“Did you stay up all night?”
“I dozed off for a short while, but I didn’t sleep long.”
Mowan hugged Iserin tightly, wanting her own scent to cover up the traces of anyone else.
“The Princess… returned to the Royal Palace safely.”
“That’s good.”
“She’ll be fine.”
“Is she under suspicion?”
“She will certainly be suspected. Only those with direct royal blood can open the Energy Barrier. No one else would want to destroy a Boundary Gate. She also guessed this outcome, which is why she’s been so afraid. She was worried her father would execute her.”
“…”
“But she’ll be fine. She won’t bear any guilt. As long as the Saintess Iserin remains the Saintess, the heroes of Visa will not suffer injustice. The Saintess will save all Heroes who turn toward the light.”
‘What about Rosa?’
Mowan suddenly thought of her best friend.
“This is a profound realization I came to after I lost Rosa. I no longer want to be a Saintess who only watches from the rear while Heroes sacrifice themselves.”
Mowan’s body trembled.
She hadn’t expected Iserin to respond to her inner thoughts just as she was thinking of Rosa.
“Sister Selin, I had a nightmare.”
“Oh?”
“I dreamed that although we stopped the war in Visa, the Demon Race started one instead.”
“With me here, there’s no need to fear. As long as I am here, Visa will have eternal peace.”
“I believe you.”
Iserin leaned down and kissed Mowan’s forehead, then the corners of her eyes, and finally the corner of her mouth, before deepening the kiss.
She coaxed the Demon Princess into complete submission.
When Mowan’s body went limp, Iserin scooped her up around the waist, carried her back to her room, and laid her on the bed.
She placed a white tulip into a pre-prepared empty vase.
Iserin glanced back at Mowan.
“Sleep well, okay? I still have things to handle. Many things… I have to deal with personally.”
“Okay.”
“I wish you sweet dreams.”
Before leaving, Iserin kissed Mowan’s forehead one more time.
She stepped out of the room and closed the door.
She stepped out of the house and closed the front door.
She would use layer after layer of Sweet Shackles to imprison Mowan within her secret heart.
No one would ever be able to take Mowan away from her again, and no one would ever be able to drive her out of Mowan’s heart.
Iserin turned her head to look toward the Church.
How could a Saintess who calculated every detail allow someone with lingering suspicions to roam free?
“Lady Saintess, Miss Rosa has returned to the Holy City. Before this, she went to Valos City.”
The report from the Nun Hilaiya earlier that morning still echoed in her ears.
Iserin had already deduced the entire situation.
It was self-evident who Rosa must have met in Valos City to make her turn around and rush back to the Holy City.
She had already given Rosa enough tenderness.
She had given Rosa two chances to turn back.
Since Rosa still chose to run toward the darkness, she couldn’t be blamed for personally destroying the last shred of beauty Rosa held in Mowan’s heart.