Chapter 23 Awakening
◎Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw Elena's dark and deep eyes.◎
The sky and the earth were covered with clouds and mist. Elena was running on the fragrant grass, holding the hand of the girl she fell in love with at first sight.
Before my eyes were flocks of sheep like clouds, and vast expanses of rose blossoms. Everywhere I looked, the wind blew, and the tinkling of lilies of the valley filled the air.
"You, you go slower, be careful not to fall." The shepherdess's face was lightly flushed, and even her sweat was fragrant.
"It's not steep here, how could I fall down?" Elena stepped on the solid ground under her feet and smiled nonchalantly.
In the real world, Melia clutched Elena's arm tightly with both hands. They were standing on a high roof. This was the Temple District. If you ran left for a while, you would see the square.
Click, a crisp sound came from behind.
Melia turned around suddenly and looked at the masked man who had just climbed up the stairs: Who are you?
The masked man reacted faster. He pulled out a crossbow from his arms and took almost no time to aim - snap!
The fist hit the neck, making a crisp sound that made your teeth ache.
Elena withdrew her hand and let the assassin fall downstairs. She picked up the crossbow on the ground and a bright smile appeared on her face.
"This wolf is quite strange."
"Strange? What's strange?" Seeing her smile in her dream, Melia stepped back with a look of disgust.
Elena pulled out the crossbow and twirled it between her fingers. "It's actually holding a flower. Look, isn't this rose really beautiful?"
I could probably imagine what she was seeing. Melia looked at the faint green light on the arrow and swallowed her saliva: "This flower is poisonous. Remember to wash your hands after throwing it away."
“…hiss.” Elena looked closely and saw that the rose in her hand was covered with thorns, and it fell to the ground with a shake.
She quickly jumped out of the house and washed her fingers with the fountain beside the temple. When she turned around, she found that Melia was squatting obediently on the eaves and did not dare to come down at all.
"Don't be afraid, the slope is not steep!" She opened her arms: "Are you still scared? Jump to me, I will catch you -"
This is not a hillside... Melia sniffed and climbed to the edge of the eaves. It was a little higher than two floors now. It shouldn't be a big problem to jump down, right?
She quietly stuck out half of her head and saw Elena's arms not far away.
What if I jump and she doesn't catch me?
The image of it being smashed to pieces appeared in my mind.
But Elena was still gently waving her hands, calling out sincerely, "Come down quickly, I'll catch you."
Her ocean-blue eyes were filled with doting, and in the illusion they were in, it seemed as if there were no enemies or harm.
"Okay, you must catch it." Melia slowly stood up by holding the edge and took a staggering step forward.
one two three!
My feet instantly left the eaves and I fell downwards, following the force of gravity. The wind brushed my cheeks, and a gentle touch enveloped my shoulders.
Elena held her waist and spun her half a circle, and the two of them leaned on the haystack behind the temple.
"Well, catch it."
In the illusory perspective, the shepherdess lowered her head shyly, and her black hair shone with brilliant colors in the sunlight, as if she was wearing a colorful crown.
Elena studied the beautiful girl, and the more she looked, the more familiar she seemed. Those emerald eyes, those long, slightly curled, black hair, those cherry-like, smooth lips...
You must have seen it in a dream, right?
She smiled with relief, rubbed the girl's long hair, then released one hand and tapped her cheek: "Aren't you going to thank me?"
After saying that, he let go of my hand with a click and looked into the distance as if he had said nothing.
Pfft, so easily shy and still imitates others to say sour words~ Melia's eyes tilted, and her heart fluttered slightly. If you want to see her youthful appearance like this, now is the only time, you will definitely not see it in a few years~
"My friend is fat and white."
Well, then have your fat friend pretend to kiss you! Then stop and laugh!
Melia bumped her shoulder gently.
"What's wrong?" Elena turned around and saw the shepherdess leaning in her arms like a little bird, her lips pouting.
It also makes a murmured "Chiu~" sound.
Could it be that?!
The temperature of her whole body slowly rose, and Elena swallowed her saliva, which flowed down her throat into her esophagus like a flame.
The happy girl stood on tiptoe and moved closer, kissing him sweetly.
Bang, bang, bang.
My heart was pounding, my eardrums were throbbing, my eyes and eyelashes were fluttering, and I couldn't focus at all.
"Ha ha……"
She wanted to stop her uncontrollable breathing, and the blood rushed to her brain.
Swish—the strange barrier was broken. After being out of the fog for too long, the last trace of magic potion in the body dissipated.
Her eyes gradually cleared, and Elena was a little confused for a moment: Where am I? What am I doing?
She looked around subconsciously and was startled by a face that was very close to her: her pink mouth was pouting high, just like the pork pie she had eaten in the morning.
"Who?!" She grabbed Melia's shoulders and twisted them behind her back.
"Ah, ah, ah, it hurts!" Melia squeaked and fell backwards: "It's me, it's me... Don't you remember? You just-"
The memory of the illusion flowed smoothly into her mind, unencrypted. Elena's face grew increasingly pale. She had been so fooled by Sura's potion, falling in love at first sight with a woman like this on this imaginary "prairie"!
"Mei, Li, Ya—!"
"Ahhhh, it's none of my business—"
…
Melia touched the bag on her head and poked her head out with Elena. The square was not far away, and they could hear the sound of splashing water.
"Can you see who is splashing water?" There was a person standing in front of her head and she couldn't see anything.
"My men were the ones pouring the water. I told them to bring buckets if there was a fire or smoke."
Elena's voice was a little complacent, but after a few seconds she became cautious again: "And there's someone from Sura, I think I saw him."
"What?!"
Two hands supported her back in surprise. Melia jumped up with a snap, but was pushed back down by Elena: "Don't lie on my back!"
"Stingy..." He often lay down before.
The two played around for a while, and finally Elena held Melia's legs and let her climb onto the box to look forward.
Sulla was indeed standing in the crowd, surrounded by senators, merchants, and some people in strange clothing. If an assassin shot at him from this angle, he would definitely miss Sulla.
"Elena, who are those people with bells around their necks? And the one wearing two gold scarves?"
"... Sounds like they're the priests and guards of the Pantheon. What are they doing?"
"I didn't do anything, just stood around."
"You come down, let me go up and take a look."
MMSSC organizes more resources to join
…
"Lord Sura, it was not found."
A fully armed slave walked over through puddles and knelt down ten steps away from Sura.
"Really? I wonder if Melia is okay. Muala has only one daughter." Sura gently stroked his chest with his hand, his face showing no sign of displeasure. But the attendants behind him all unconsciously stepped back an inch or two.
Ta-da, ta-da.
Sandals clattered crisply across the wet ground as Melia and Elena walked out of the dark alley side by side.
The expressions on their faces were different, but they all had a hint of irony in their smiles.
Melia lifted her long hair and raised her palm to Sura pompously. "Master Sura, thanks to you, I'm fine. By the way, can you help me here? I still need to go over and tell them to clean up the place."
After saying this, he walked towards the square: "After all, today is the last day. Once my father's coffin returns to the temple, everything will be over."
Even though she didn't believe it in her heart, the irony at the moment still made her feel comfortable: You like playing dirty, right? Come back to find out~
"Ms. Melia, please stay."
"Um?"
Melia turned around with a triumphant look, wanting to see the frustrated expression on Sulla's face. However, the person who could hold her back wasn't Sulla, but an old man wearing a golden ribbon.
He stood in front of Sulla, followed by many guards armed with swords. He was obviously the person in charge of the temple.
For the sake of the sword, Melia reluctantly stopped and said, "Sir—Priest, are you here to take my father away? Please come with me."
According to the funeral process, the temple staff will be responsible for carrying away the body, the burial objects, and the remaining wine and food. Muala donated a lot of money during his lifetime, but since he is gone, they are now determined to be closer to Sura.
The old man nodded and whispered instructions to his followers. Several white-robed followers, accompanied by guards, entered the square and walked towards Muala's coffin.
But he did not leave. Instead, he looked at Melia with a strange look.
He stared at her for a long time, but Melia refused to respond.
The old man had no choice but to speak slowly: "Ms. Melia, I see a ray of light in you."
“…”
"I believe that is God's blessing to you."
Phew~ The little heart that had just been lifted up suddenly shoved back into her stomach, and Melia relaxed her shoulders: "Really? Thank you."
"We should thank you." The priest waved his hand, and several priests with bells tied to their necks walked towards Melia.
"Miss Melia, please come back with us to the Temple of the Gods to pray for Caesar and the army."
Following the priest's enthusiastic voice, Sura also smiled softly: "Yes, no one would refuse such an honor."
"Hahaha." Even Elena couldn't help but let out a gloating laugh.
Oops!
Melia quickly flipped through the pages of "Rose Queen," which clearly stated the Pantheon's supreme status. Even after Elena ascended the throne, she had to work hard to reclaim some of the divine authority.
After all, this is a world where magic exists. Openly rejecting the Temple's [legitimate request] will damage more than just your reputation!
What was Sulla planning? Was he trying to trap her in the temple and assassinate her, or was he stalling for time and cooking the books?
Melia glanced at the box where the gold coins were stored in the square and quickly smiled apologetically: "Priest, you see, I still have so much gold here that I haven't put back. How about I go home first..."
"No hurry, Sura just told me." The priest walked over to her and patted her shoulder affectionately. "You owe some debts, and this gold needs to be paid to the creditors. You can deposit it in the temple first."
[Is this also your plan, Sura!]
The temple is a natural notary public, with a reputation for being the most honorable and fair. However, all property that passes through the temple's hands must be donated as a voluntary donation of at least one tenth!
This old man is asking for too much. Not only did he involve the temple in this, but he also solidified part of the debt... When she was trapped in the temple, the old man would definitely take the opportunity to forge a batch of more realistic IOUs to withdraw her working capital.
Wait, if the gold is stored in the temple, then the temple has the responsibility to store it.
Who can stop a little kitten that is tearing through space?
Melia took a deep breath, her hair obscuring her expression. "Priest, as long as there's a written copper contract... I believe in the temple's credibility."
"That's natural."
The priest looked down at Melia, and even though the gladiators had squeezed out of the commotion and surrounded her, his eyes were still as if he was looking at a lamb to be slaughtered.
Plop, plop, someone is running towards us quickly, stepping on the water.
A group of young men and women in formal attire rushed into the square, laughing and joking. Their eyes were bright and their clothes were formal, and it was obvious that they were not paid slaves.
The young men surrounded a beautiful girl, placed her at the highest point, and lifted her up in a wicker basket.
The girl wore a crown with fiery red gems and dark green hair... Melia guessed her identity: the current third princess, Ophelia.
Looking back, you can also see the eldest prince Marcus.
Marcus seemed not to expect her gaze and nodded in return.
What are they doing here? Dead Muala is unworthy of such honor...
Before Melia could go up to ask, the boys had already carried Ophelia to Elena.
Ophelia raised her face, the silver moon on her neck reflecting the light, she solemnly said a few words to the sun, then picked up the wreath on her knees and put it on Elena's head.
"Oh——" the teenagers cheered.
A young girl announced loudly: "The one chosen by the goddess of victory is Elena! She will lead the soldiers to welcome Caesar back—"
"Puha," Melia quickly covered her mouth. Oops, she couldn't help it!
Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw Elena's dark and deep eyes.
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Thanks to Juzi, Si Shi Yi Si, x, An, Shiqi, and Zheqi for their support~
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