Most people say things they don’t mean—things that are far too cruel—in the heat of an argument.
This was true for Mowan and Rosa as well.
No…
It couldn’t even be called an argument between her and Rosa.
From start to finish, Mowan was the only one who had lost her mind.
It was only after the fact that Mowan clearly understood that although Rosa’s words were harsh, they were filled with the concern of a friend who cared deeply for her.
She could doubt that Rosa’s perspective was wrong, but she could not doubt Rosa’s sincerity toward her.
In the morning, Rosa had agreed to let her stay by Iserin’s side because Rosa did not know about her romantic relationship with the Saintess.
Rosa had thought she was simply tired of the conflicts within the Demon Empire, attracted by the peace of the Kingdom of Visa, and had been enlightened by the Saintess to become a Vissa person at heart.
But at noon, Rosa opposed her.
It was because Rosa knew she was walking down a wrong path—a path of no return where a Saintess of the Human Race and a Demon Princess of the Demon Race fell in love.
Mowan walked toward her home, her soul seemingly lost.
‘How could I not know that falling in love with the Saintess is scandalous?’
She wondered.
But she had no choice.
Yes… she had already been blinded by love, falling for Iserin long before she realized something was wrong.
However, when Laedel found her, she had already considered the possibility that Iserin might have an ulterior motive for being with her.
And yet.
Aside from continuing to be with Iserin, what else could she do?
Was she supposed to leave her?
Setting aside whether she could even bear to do so, if she proposed leaving, it would surely be a massive shock to Iserin.
Mowan did not know why Iserin’s possessiveness toward her was so deep.
If she were merely a replacement for Iserin’s sister, Iserin had already shown an extremely strong sense of possession from the very beginning.
Compared to the idea of being a sister’s substitute, the notion of Iserin having an ulterior motive seemed to fit their current situation far better.
Mowan’s heart ached.
She realized she could no longer lie to herself.
Rosa’s faithful but jarring advice still rang in her ears, etched into her very bones.
—
Mowan was afraid to go home, so she stopped in her tracks.
She found a bookstore and borrowed several sheets of paper from the owner.
Pretending to read, she sat inside and wrote a one-page story outline.
The outline told the story of a member of the Demon Race who, while pretending to be a Human, was saved by a Saintess.
From then on, the demon fell in love with the gentle and kind Saintess, abandoning her identity as a demon in hopes of integrating into human society and receiving a sliver of pity from the Saintess.
She believed her outline was subtle enough.
After finishing the draft, she tremblingly handed the story outline to the bookstore owner.
“Sir, hello. This… this is an outline for a literary work I just came up with. I think it’s very realistic and thought-provoking. Please take a look. If you think it’s good, I hope you can support me in continuing to write it. I believe this story will definitely become a bestseller.”
The bookstore owner glanced at Mowan.
Seeing her dressed so elegantly and virtuously, like a Noble lady, he instinctively assumed she was a seasoned writer.
“Very well.”
The bookstore owner took the outline Mowan had written.
As his eyes scanned the page, his brow instantly furrowed.
“What is this you’ve written?”
“Is it not allowed? I’ve seen many works, but none with a protagonist from the Demon Race. I thought that starting from this perspective might give readers something fresh.”
“You think the problem with this story is having a demon as the protagonist?”
“Is… is it not?” Mowan asked, feigning ignorance.
“How do you plan to develop the plot?”
“I want the Saintess to discover the demon’s True Heart and be moved by her.”
“Cough…”
The bookstore owner gritted his teeth, seemingly trying hard to suppress a laugh.
Or perhaps he was furious that his faith was being trampled upon.
“My Lady, this kind of story would be banned if it were published. No work can ever portray the Saintess like this. The first thing a Saintess should do upon discovering a demon is to eliminate them, even if the enemy is heavily wounded. She would never save them.”
“Is that so? But how will we know if we don’t try? No one has ever attempted this theme before. I think it has the potential to be a hit.”
“It’s not that no one has tried; it’s that no one dares to try. My Lady, I know you want to become famous, but relying on this kind of shortcut will only put your name on the Church’s wanted list. You’ll become a different kind of ‘famous’ person.”
“Why? I’m just writing a book.”
The bookstore owner looked Mowan up and down with a strange expression.
“You can write about a Nun, the Demon Race, a Princess, a Prince, or even Nobles and commoners. But you cannot write about the Saintess, the Pope, or the King. Do you understand?”
“……”
Mowan lowered her head.
The Saintess…
Indeed, while the Saintess always called Croll ‘Her Highness the Princess,’ in reality, her power was second only to the King and the Pope.
It was actually greater than that of a Prince or Princess.
As the one who held the people’s faith and served as the spokesperson for the Angel, the Saintess certainly played a pivotal role in the kingdom’s direction.
How could her power be small?
Mowan had overlooked this.
She had believed the Saintess was merely a Saintess.
“I will destroy this original copy for you to prevent word from getting out and you being held responsible.”
“No, give it back to me. I will destroy it myself.”
“Fine.”
The bookstore owner returned the paper to Mowan.
However, the moment she turned around, he ran to the Church to report her.
Led by the bookstore owner, Iserin found Mowan wandering the streets. Iserin gave the bookstore owner a reward and then waited for Mowan to come home.
—
It wasn’t until the sky had turned dark that Mowan finally stepped through the front door.
She looked at Iserin sitting in the dining room.
As Iserin’s silver-white hair came into view, the face that was originally holy and gentle seemed to have gained a bit more coldness in Mowan’s eyes.
No… it should be said that from the very beginning, Iserin’s face had always felt this way.
A Saintess was always sacred and inviolable.
Iserin was the most perfect Saintess in the people’s eyes.
It was only after falling in love with Iserin that Mowan had added more and more layers of filters to her perception of her.
“You’re back.”
“Yes.”
Iserin turned around and picked up a vase on the dining table.
“I didn’t see you at home at noon, so I preserved this flower to keep it fresh. I wasn’t able to let you see it in its most natural state.”
Mowan’s heart was not on the flower.
She spoke to herself as much as to Iserin.
“Sister Selin, I’ve already had Rosa leave. Also, I told my cousin, Laedel, to go back to the Demon Empire and tell my father to stop delaying the marriages proposed by the Elders. I told him to hurry up and produce an heir for the Demon King so he can pass the throne to a younger brother or sister. That way… I will no longer be the Demon Princess.”
“Did you not say anything else to Rosa?”
“No.”
“Then why are you home so late?”
“I… it’s just that another friend is gone. I’m a bit sad to see her go. I was in a bad mood, so I walked around outside for a while.”
Mowan quietly crumpled the paper into a ball and hid it behind her back.
She actually had no choice.
She could only return to Iserin’s side.
If she left Iserin now, the Saintess would no longer interfere with the Kingdom of Visa’s war plans.
If she were not by Iserin’s side, Iserin would not do so much to try and make her stay.
As long as she remained, Iserin would continually delay the war the kingdom intended to launch against the Demon Race for the sake of her feelings.
Iserin was a gentle person; she would not use violent means to make someone stay.
During their days and nights together, Mowan had become incredibly clear on this point—Iserin would never use force against her.
Therefore, as long as she stayed by Iserin’s side and spoke of her worries for the Demon Race, she could use Iserin’s gentleness to buy time for her people.
She would wait until the Demon Race resolved its internal conflicts and stood up once again.
Mowan constantly searched for a rational explanation in her heart for why she was staying with Iserin.
She did not want to admit her mistake, nor did she want to admit that she was a madwoman blinded by love.
After all, she had personally witnessed Iserin stop a war.
This act was undoubtedly beneficial to the Demon Race.
She had done something good for her people; she was not crazy.
It wasn’t as if the fact that Iserin destroyed the Boundary Gate was a lie, right?
She had seen it with her own eyes.
But… what if it was?
As she replayed every single move Iserin made that night in her mind, cracks began to appear in the originally perfect Miracle.
Mowan thought of Iserin’s perfect Disguise Magic, which could cover her and Croll’s bodies in a magical cloak, allowing them to blend perfectly into the surrounding scenery.
She looked up at Iserin, and a new sense of dread filled her eyes.