Vol 3. Chapter 50: Saint Candidate Examination
'Sigh, they're finally gone...'
Watching Xue Tianao's attendant leave the manor, and waiting until the gates closed behind him, Miss Yumo finally dropped the fake smile from her face. She casually tossed the invitation personally handwritten by Xue Tianao—one overflowing with sincerity—to the old butler Saiboke not far away.
Both her expression and movements were filled with disgust.
"Little Sai, keep this for me for now."
"Yes."
After accepting the invitation, Saiboke gave a respectful nod. At the same time, a trace of loathing flashed through his eyes. Still, he suppressed the displeasure in his heart and deliberately asked in a puzzled tone,
"Lady Yumo, aren't you going to accept His Highness Xue Tianao's invitation? Weren't you... always looking forward to meeting this Child of Destiny?"
The moment those words were spoken,
Mengxi frowned in the distance.
Even Yumo herself couldn't help showing a hint of displeasure. However, knowing that Saiboke hadn't actually said anything wrong, she quickly suppressed her dissatisfaction. Letting out a helpless sigh, she replied,
"Sigh... I already met him last night. For now, I don't really want to see that guy again. As for the invitation... I'll think about it. Just keep it with you for now, and don't ask any more questions."
"Understood, Lady Yumo."
Saiboke answered politely before slowly storing the invitation inside his spatial ring.
Thus, the matter of the invitation was temporarily settled.
Yumo slowly turned around and looked toward the staircase in the distance. Although the Veil of Deception suppressed her power, her basic perception remained intact. Naturally, she had long sensed a certain little cutie who had been "secretly watching" for quite some time...
Standing at the top of the stairs was an incomparably beautiful silver-haired girl dressed in an exquisite gown. Even without any makeup, she possessed beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Bathed in the brilliant morning sunlight streaming into the hall behind her, she looked like a breathtaking painting.
Although the members of the Black Rose Family held some grievances toward Mengxi, the moment they saw such an astonishing beauty, they all froze for an instant. Especially after meeting those violet gemstone eyes that constantly radiated a soul-stirring gentleness and unparalleled holiness...
Seeing the familiar beauty, Yumo revealed a polite smile.
"Good morning, Miss Mengxi."
She greeted her gracefully and calmly.
However,
Though she appeared composed on the surface, the instant she saw Mengxi's face, Yumo couldn't help recalling everything that had happened the previous night.
Her heartbeat began accelerating ever so slightly.
Then—
Under the astonished gazes of nearly everyone present, Mengxi completely ignored etiquette, skipped happily down the stairs, and without another word threw herself straight into Yumo's embrace!
After rubbing affectionately against Yumo for a while, Miss Mengxi intimately wrapped both arms around Yumo's arm.
Leaving the latter utterly dumbfounded.
"M-Miss Mengxi? Wh-What are you doing?"
"Hehe, Sister Yumo, aren't we friends? Being a little closer isn't a problem, right? Between girls, this is perfectly normal~"
"Hm? I-Is that so..."
Yumo frowned suspiciously.
Yet Mengxi paid no attention at all and continued clinging tightly to Yumo's arm, completely ignoring the increasingly icy stares from the surrounding members of the Black Rose Family...
After she had rubbed against Yumo to her heart's content,
Mengxi gradually revealed a puzzled expression and curiously looked at the black-haired girl before her. Then, pretending to think, she raised one finger to her lips, striking an adorably thoughtful pose.
"Sister Yumo, this is the Black Rose Family's manor, right? How did I end up here? What happened after we met last night?"
"Uh... well..."
Hearing that question, Yumo's cheeks flushed faintly, and an almost imperceptible trace of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Last night?
Tell this girl what had happened last night?
Th-That's impossible!
There was no way she could admit she'd been ambushed and forcibly kissed! Besides, if the children around here found out she'd been forcibly kissed by such a young little girl, then all of her dignity as an elder would completely disappear!
To preserve her authority, Yumo let out an awkward laugh.
"Haha... n-nothing happened. It's just... Miss Mengxi, you... got drunk last night, so I brought you back here to rest..."
"Hm? I got drunk? No wonder... I was wondering why I couldn't remember anything that happened last night."
As she spoke, Mengxi pressed a hand against her forehead in apparent distress.
A moment later,
the silver-haired girl nervously raised her head and looked uneasily at Yumo.
"Um... Sister Yumo... after I got drunk... did I do anything rude?"
"No! No, you didn't. Everything was perfectly normal."
Yumo hurriedly shook her head and answered in an absolutely resolute tone,
"You fell asleep almost immediately after getting drunk... and then... then you just kept sleeping until now..."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Nothing really happened?"
Mengxi looked at the girl before her with a teasing gaze.
Feeling that strangely meaningful stare, Miss Yumo guiltily turned her head toward the scenery outside the window.
"No... after you got drunk, you slept the whole time. At most... taking care of you was a little tiring..."
"Hmmmmm..."
Mengxi puffed out her cheeks, though the corners of her lips quietly curled upward.
Hehe~
Sister Yumo desperately trying to hide how embarrassed she is...
She's so adorable~
Makes me...
Want to bite her again~
Watching the beautiful yet irresistibly cute expression on the black-haired girl's face, Miss Mengxi unconsciously licked her lips with lingering satisfaction. Before long, however, she suppressed the inexplicable impulse in her mind.
'Forget it. I'll stop teasing Sister Yumo for now...'
There were more important things to deal with first.
Once she'd taken care of Xue Tianao and made sure Sister Yumo would stay by her side,
there would be plenty of opportunities for those kinds of things later...
Recalling what she'd read in that novel before (courtesy of White Yama~), anticipation quietly appeared in Miss Mengxi's light violet gemstone eyes. However, she quickly concealed her emotions and met Yumo's ruby-red eyes with an expression full of guilt.
"Well then... thank you for taking care of me, Sister."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"No, no, I can't just..."
...
...
After following Yumo's lead and exchanging a few polite pleasantries,
Miss Mengxi thoughtfully glanced toward the entrance.
After a moment of silence, she reluctantly looked back at the black-haired girl beside her.
"I'm sorry, Sister Yumo. I have to go now. There are still some things I need to take care of."
"Hm? So soon? Aren't you staying for breakfast?"
"It's alright. There's no need."
"I see... alright then."
"Mhm! Then I'll come play with you again later, Sister Yumo~"
After waving at Yumo,
Mengxi walked out through the manor gates under the complicated gazes of the Black Rose Family knights.
Yumo: ...
—
Not long after leaving White Star Manor, Mengxi was immediately surrounded by dozens of members of the Asumos Church dressed in white robes.
Before Miss Mengxi could say anything, an adorable white-haired girl suddenly pushed aside two stern-faced warriors and rushed straight up to her.
Then she grabbed Mengxi firmly by both shoulders.
The next moment,
words filled with both worry and anger burst from the white-haired girl's mouth.
"Hey! Mengxi! You've really gone too far this time! If you're going to run off, at least tell me first! If Kadri hadn't informed me that you came to White Star Manor, I would've worried myself to death!"
Looking at the white-haired girl before her—none other than Miss White Yama—Mengxi smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Sister Bai. I got a little too carried away last night."
"Too carried away?! Isn't that taking it way too far?!"
Seeing that Mengxi still looked completely unconcerned, White Yama couldn't help putting on a stern expression.
"You know perfectly well! Even though the Black Rose Family and we appear to stay out of each other's business, they've constantly been working against us behind the scenes! If they hadn't kept interfering, our Church's influence would've spread across the southeastern part of the Sadik Empire long ago! Even His Holiness the Cult Leader has told us to be careful around them! And yet you actually ran off to stay in their manor for an entire night without bringing a single guard?! You're far too reckless!"
As she spoke, White Yama became increasingly agitated, glaring unhappily at the gates behind Mengxi.
Had the Archbishop not stopped her, and had Mengxi's Soul Orb not shown any signs of danger, White Yama would probably have stormed into White Star Manor by force.
"You really went too far this time! You didn't even tell the Archbishop beforehand! He's in a terrible mood right now and wants to see you immediately... You'd better think carefully about how you're going to explain yourself... And please don't drag me into getting scolded with you..."
White Yama's voice carried a trace of anxiety.
After all, Mengxi's sudden disappearance had largely been her responsibility.
"You'd better figure out a way to calm the Archbishop down. Otherwise, if he reports this to His Holiness the Cult Leader... once we return to the Holy Capital, that person might invite both of us for tea..."
The moment she mentioned the Cult Leader, the uneasiness in White Yama's eyes became even stronger. Even her hands began trembling unconsciously.
At this moment, White Yama possessed none of the dignity expected of a Heavenly Apostle. Instead, she looked more like a pitiful girl who had just awakened from a nightmare...
She had assumed Mengxi would become nervous as well.
But the next instant, White Yama was stunned to discover that the silver-haired girl not only showed no guilty expression whatsoever, but instead raised an eyebrow with an amused smile.
"Mengxi?"
"Tea? Perfect. I was actually looking for an opportunity to meet His Holiness the Cult Leader."
?!!
"Mengxi? Are you serious? You want to meet him? Did you hit your head or something?!"
White Yama's pupils shrank as she stared at the girl before her in disbelief.
"I didn't hit my head. I just have something urgent I need to discuss with him."
"Something urgent? What is it?"
"It's nothing much."
"I just want to participate in the Saint Candidate Examination."
"The examination? Sigh... Is that all...? Hm?! Wait?! The examination?! The Saint Candidate Examination?! Mengxi, have you finally changed your mind?! You're actually willing to become the Saint?!"