Chapter 358
Duke Leon lowered his head, but his hidden eyebrows twitched slightly.
Only after the horde of people from the temple had left did his expression darken, his eyes brimming with a storm of emotions.
If Cynthia was the daughter of a commoner, then becoming a saint would be the greatest honor for her.
Cynthia was the only daughter of Duke Leon, but this saint was a shackle for her.
Duke Leon hugged himself tightly, recalling Ling Wu's unusual behavior just now. He imagined many things in his mind, and his heart softened beyond belief.
“That was my lovely Cynthia, wasn’t she the one who chased them away and forbade them from bullying their father?”
After asking the question, he found his own childish behavior laughable.
But to everyone's surprise, Ling Wu, who had just closed her eyes, opened them and stared at him with a sweet smile.
Duke Leon paused, a warmth spreading through his heart.
Regardless of whether it was a coincidence or not, he was convinced that this was his child's thoughtfulness.
Lingwu then closed her eyes.
The cardinal just said that there was only one baby girl born today. Either the Pope misheard the oracle, or the God of Light conveyed a wrong oracle.
But would God really make such a small mistake?
Or perhaps, the existence of the fake saintess was to ensure that his real saintess could grow up safely.
After all, how could He not know that the believers had sought the wrong saint after eighteen years?
But He never explained.
They allowed their followers to ruin the life of a young girl who should have been as passionate as a rose.
This is why Cynthia's wish was blasphemous.
Because she had glimpsed the God of Light whom she had devoutly believed in for eighteen years, she sacrificed everything for His favoritism.
At the same time, those golden eyes finally witnessed the birth of their true saintess.
In the old hut on the ranch, she was wrinkled like an ordinary newborn baby girl, her skin not as white as Cynthia's when they first met.
He didn't care about these things; what concerned Him was that she seemed unable to sense His presence.
The wrinkled baby never opened its eyes, only whimpering softly, until it cried itself out and was fed by the haggard-looking woman in its arms, at which point it finally calmed down and fell asleep.
He remained calm, his indifferent golden eyes only showing a fleeting ripple when Celia was born.
For some reason, He remembered the eyes that Cynthia had met when they looked at each other.
She was indifferent, somewhat like Him, yet infinitely gentler.
Gentle...
Humans do not deserve His tenderness.
A month later, Celia still hadn't discovered His presence.
Three months later, there was still nothing.
He left Celia's side and went to Duke Leon's manor.
The manor was filled with the fragrance of flowers, a stark contrast to what He had seen in that chaotic pasture.
But He did not take it to heart and remained calm.
Only when his eyes met those of the little girl lying in the center of the garden, covered in soft velvet, did a ripple appear in his eyes for a moment.
However, the ripples were so fast that they couldn't be captured.
Unlike Celia's short hair, the little girl's soft black curly hair was long enough to spread out on both sides.
Her pink lace-trimmed princess dress fluttered slightly in the wind, perfectly complementing her white lace stockings and brown leather shoes.
And those beautiful eyes were meeting His gaze.
Lingwu raised her hand, which was holding a small flower, and gently waved it towards the clear blue sky. Her face was radiant with a sweet and warm smile, as bright as the morning sun.
He looked at the small flower, but did not take it; instead, he continued to gaze at it indifferently.
The young lady sitting next to Cynthia had an exceptionally beautiful Eastern face by human standards.
She reached out and ruffled the little girl's soft hair, saying, "Cynthia is the most beautiful little girl on this continent."
The most beautiful?
Faces flashed before His eyes.
This was the first time I had ever agreed with something said by a human other than Celia.
Upon returning to the manor from the palace, Duke Leon removed all the metal ornaments he was wearing before opening his arms to embrace the mother and daughter.
This action caused the pretty little girl to stop greeting him.
Instead, he smiled softly at the young lady and the Duke of Leon.
She babbled softly, making sweet, childlike sounds that delighted the newly minted parents.
Yet, their eyes were filled with unbearable sorrow.
Having never made eye contact with a human before, He hadn't even decided whether to accept the flower when He lost her gaze.
But in just a moment, He left this place.
Holding her tightly, Lingwu, who could see nothing, blinked, showing no reluctance at His departure.
The original Cynthia was taken away shortly after birth.
As a result, Tao Ruhua, who was already depressed during her ten months of pregnancy, was not even able to hold her baby herself.
Tao Ruhua became even more depressed and passed away less than six months later.
During those six months, Duke Leon repeatedly requested the temple to allow Tao Ruhua to meet Cynthia.
However, the temple refused all of them, arguing that the saintess belonged to the God of Light and that she could not be tainted by the scent of other people.
Having witnessed the death of his beloved wife, the Duke of Leon gradually gained military power, and ultimately, when the real and fake saintess appeared, he resolutely took the fake saintess away.
Despite the fanatical followers, he still lost Cynthia.
Even when he finally found Cynthia, all he saw was a dead Cynthia, her face covered in knife marks, her always straight back broken.
Completely deranged, Duke Leon, holding Cynthia, led his army to raze the temple, and personally pierced the chest of the fanatical believer with his sword.
Just as he was blinded by rage and about to kill Celia, who was protecting the believers, the God of Light appeared.
In a mere instant, he was swallowed by the divine light.
Lingwu opened her eyes, her dark pupils blinking, which dispelled the sadness in the two of them.
“Cynthia is no ordinary girl; she is the apple of the eye of Duke Leon, who will one day hold the reins of the royal power and military authority.”
Tao Ruhua quickly covered Duke Leon's mouth, saying, "Words can be dangerous."
"Words can be dangerous?" Duke Leon pondered for a long time before understanding the meaning. He nodded, leaned close to Tao Ruhua's ear, and whispered, "I love you."
After he finished speaking, he asked, "How about this?"
Tao Ruhua blushed and pushed him away, but Duke Leon smiled and still leaned forward to hug her tightly.
"Believe me, with me here, we will be reunited." He lowered his head and gently kissed Tao Ruhua's forehead.
Tao Ruhua's eyes welled up with tears as she hugged Ling Wu tightly, saying, "I believe you."
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