Chapter 32: This does not constitute crossing the line

Why have you calmed down at a time like this?

Iserin felt a rare flicker of anger in her heart.

In Iserin’s expectations, a girl like Mowan, in the bloom of her youth and stirred by love, should have completely lost her reason after being kissed by her beloved.

She should have been lying obediently on the bed, allowing herself to be handled as one pleased.

When you touched yourself in the past, when things got out of hand in the dead of night as you whimpered “Sister Selin,” why didn’t you stop to think if it was appropriate then?

But the anger was only fleeting. Iserin calmed down quickly.

She had to carefully consider Mowan’s question.

She could neither answer “yes” nor “no.”

If she said that none of it mattered because the so-called rules of the Church were only meant to tame believers and Nuns—and did not apply to the supreme rulers—it would be a mistake.

That would mean the Saintess could do whatever she wanted.

As long as she wasn’t discovered, as long as she fulfilled her duties as the Saintess and sought welfare for the people, then even if the Saintess was involved with multiple people at once, she would still be the Saintess.

The Pope would not reprimand her, the Divine Lord would not send down punishment, and the King would care even less.

However, if she said that, the Saintess’s purity in Mowan’s heart would shatter.

Her credibility in Mowan’s eyes would become very low.

Conversely, if she denied the legitimacy of their current intimacy, she would cut off Mowan’s thoughts of continuing to get closer to her.

Mowan would believe that being with her would push her into an abyss of eternal damnation.

Fearing that Iserin would ultimately be sentenced to a Pyre Execution by the Church, Mowan would give up on being with her.

Iserin could absolutely not allow Mowan to have thoughts of giving up.

“I haven’t crossed the line yet.”

Mowan’s eyes widened.

She had already kissed someone; did that not count as crossing the line?

Iserin began her sophistry.

“As long as I retain my virginity, no matter how the Church inspects my body, I will always be whole. As long as the relationship between us remains a secret, it is the same as not crossing the line.”

Did that mean Mowan would always have to be the one on the bottom?

Mowan bit her lower lip.

She raised her hand, cupping Iserin’s face.

But for Iserin, she was willing.

Yet, she was still worried.

It wasn’t just because she feared Iserin might slip up in the future.

In such a crucial moment, she thought of another possibility.

Iserin would not allow her to leave this house.

From the very beginning, Iserin’s intentions had been very obvious.

“Sister Selin, do you like me?”

Mowan asked the question that weighed most heavily on her heart.

“I’m sorry, Mowan. I can’t give you an accurate answer. But I know that you like me. Therefore, I want to give you a response. I don’t want you to live every day in uncertain anxiety, even if my choice means I’m taking a risk.”

Mowan reached her hand behind Iserin’s neck, pulling her close.

Iserin also gave up the support of her arms and pressed down onto Mowan.

Mowan could clearly sense the softness of their chests deforming against each other.

The deep sense of pressure made Mowan feel a bit breathless.

They turned over while holding each other, lying on their sides face-to-face.

Mowan’s forehead rested against Iserin’s.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly into a very sweet smile.

What she feared most was Iserin giving her a firm, decisive “yes.”

No matter how much Mowan’s emotions craved for Iserin to truly feel that way, her reason told her that a woman with as much experience as Iserin would not fall in love with someone easily.

Furthermore, if everything went exactly as Mowan wished, it would feel like a dream.

It would make Mowan feel it wasn’t real, as if everything was part of Iserin’s careful calculations.

Uncertainty… was fine.

Iserin was a great Saintess; she pitied her believers like an Angel.

Therefore, she could see through the burning love in my heart, and so, she could not bear to fail my sincerity toward her.

Mowan moved closer to Iserin’s face and cautiously touched Iserin’s lips once more.

Then, she quickly pulled away.

In an instant, her face turned as red as sunset clouds.

This feeling was truly wonderful.

Their lips were soft, and her heart felt like countless marshmallow bombs had suddenly exploded.

Iserin hugged her gently, accepting her burning emotions.

Mowan felt as if she had arrived in heaven; her surroundings were filled with clouds of happiness.

One thing made Mowan feel that Iserin’s indulgence was reasonable.

It was because Mowan was like a younger sister to Iserin, and because Mowan was more obedient than Croll.

Thus, based on her own uniqueness, Mowan rationalized Iserin’s exceptionally tolerant way of treating her.

“I will be very careful. Unless it’s a special circumstance, I won’t go to the Church to disturb you anymore. I’ll just stay at home and wait for you to come back.”

“Good.”

The Nuns currently standing guard at the Church all knew her now.

Mowan worried that if she ran to the Church to find Iserin every time, someone would notice something was amiss.

After the two held each other on the bed for a while.

Mowan got up.

It was still early, and it wasn’t yet time for Iserin to return to the Church.

She leaned on Iserin’s shoulder.

She intended to reveal everything about herself.

“Sister Selin, actually, my soul comes from an Otherworld. I used to be a Human once, too.”

“Hmm?”

Mowan felt a little conflicted, but she still hid the fact of her gender in her previous life.

Aside from that, she told Iserin about her previous identity, her experiences, how old she was when she died, and the process of coming to this world through womb-travel.

However, Mowan’s consciousness wasn’t very clear during her time as a fetus.

It was only after she was born that she vaguely pieced together memories of being in her mother’s womb.

“Because I was a fetus then, I didn’t really have a concept of perception. Recalling that feeling now, I just remember it being very, very warm. Just like… being with Sister Selin.”

Then.

She described to Iserin what kind of Demon Race member her mother was.

Her mother was a gentle and kind member of the Demon Race.

Her mother also worried about the future of the Demon Race, and she often followed her father to attend various meetings.

However, her mother didn’t seem to be very popular.

In the end, her mother passed away at a young age after falling seriously ill due to excessive worry.

“I learned my Healing Magic because of my mother’s illness. It’s just a pity that after I mastered it, I never had the chance to save her.”

“So, that is why you are different from your father. Your father is so fatuous, yet you are so clear-headed.”

“Yes. I don’t like my father, but thinking about it now, it hasn’t been easy for him to sit in that position for so many years.”

Iserin smiled gently, watching Mowan dotingly.

Mowan’s desire to talk was opened up by Iserin’s smile, and she told Iserin every single thing she had experienced among the Demon Race.

Regarding her past life, she only touched upon it lightly.

Iserin was not surprised by the fact that Mowan’s soul came from an Otherworld, because in the legends of the Church, the Chief God was a visitor from outside the world during Antiquity.

Night was about to fall.

Mowan grabbed Iserin’s hand, her eyes full of reluctance.

Iserin squeezed her palm back.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Oh…”

Mowan thought of something and looked up expectantly at Iserin.

Iserin understood and nodded.

Mowan pursed her lips, smiling without a word.

They could sleep together tonight.

The reason they hadn’t slept together the previous two days was that the situation then was too chaotic.

The news of Rosa’s sacrifice had been a heavy blow, and neither of them really had the heart to sleep; it was just Mowan’s biological clock taking over.

Now that they had broken through that final barrier, it was only natural to sleep together.

Late at night.

Mowan and Iserin lay flat against each other, arm to arm.

Iserin was waiting for Mowan to do something unexpected.

In her memory, Mowan hadn’t tended to her own garden in a week.

Usually, Mowan would secretly water the flowers twice a week.

But after a long time, Mowan remained obediently pressed against her.

She didn’t even turn over to hug her like a sloth.

Forget it.

Iserin closed her eyes and cleared her mind.

She was indeed a bit tired.

Having not slept for three days, it was time to get some good rest.

Anyway, she intended to come to Mowan’s house to sleep every day from now on.

They would have plenty of opportunities.

If she wanted Mowan to completely become her captive, it wasn’t enough for just Mowan’s mind to submit; her body had to yield completely as well.