Linde walked toward her:
“Research is her life. This blueprint is of great significance to her.”
He walked over to Nazla and naturally put his arm around her waist. "Are you settled in?"
"Yes, your servants are very capable, and your castle is quite large."
Nazla nestled against him, but her gaze drifted toward the church, her eyes becoming somewhat playful.
"However... compared to this genius mage, that silver-haired knight seems to be more intriguing."
Linde followed her gaze and saw the setting sun painting the church spire gold, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.
You noticed it too?
Lind sighed softly, "Leonis... something's wrong with her. She grew up under the strict discipline of the church, and her emotional world is a blank. When she saw Alice and me just now... her reaction was very unusual, a kind of... confusion and escapism she had never experienced before."
Nazra chuckled softly, her fingertip lightly tapping Linde's chest:
"My viscount, are you showing off that your charm is so great that even the stone-like Holy Punishment Knight has been swayed by you?"
Linde grasped her mischievous fingers and said seriously:
"Don't be silly. I'm worried. The conflict between dogma and instinct can be very painful for her. She almost ran into the church just now."
"church?"
Nazra's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of understanding flashing across them.
"Seeking the protection and guidance of the Holy Light? Trying to suppress the unfamiliar flames within with cold doctrines?"
She looked up at Lind, her eyes gleaming with a knowing cunning:
"So what do you plan to do? Let her torture herself in front of the icon? Or... will you, the lord, personally 'enlighten' your lost knight?"
Linde remained silent for a moment, gazing intently in the direction of the church.
"The one who tied the knot must untie it. Avoiding the problem will not solve it."
He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a sense of determination.
“The church… is perhaps the most suitable place to talk. There, at the heart of her faith, she might be able to let her guard down a little.”
Nazra's lips curled into a meaningful smile, and she gently pushed Linde:
"Go, my lord. Soothe your loyal but confused knight. I don't want my lord to have only me as his woman; that would be too boring."
"And also..."
She leaned close to Linde's ear, her lowered voice carrying a languid allure and an undeniable declaration:
"Tonight, you're mine. Don't let that lady knight take up too much of your time."
After saying that, she chuckled and turned around, her silver hair drawing a graceful arc in the evening breeze, as she walked slowly towards the main building of the castle.
Linde watched her retreating figure and shook his head helplessly. He straightened his robes, took a deep breath, and strode towards the Church of Holy Light, which appeared exceptionally tranquil in the setting sun, yet seemed to harbor a silent storm.
…………
The last rays of the setting sun pierced through the stained glass windows of the church, casting dappled and fragmented light and shadow on the cold marble floor.
The air was filled with the familiar scents of incense and burning candles, as well as a tranquility that seemed to have stood the test of time.
Leonis knelt before the statue of Lucios, the Lord of the Light Veins, her hands clasped in front of her forehead, bowing deeply until her forehead almost touched the cold floor tiles.
She has maintained this most devout prayer posture for a long time.
"Lord...please forgive the confusion in your servant's heart..."
"Please grant me a clear mind, to dispel those unwanted distractions..."
"The belief in protection should be as pure as steel, and should not be swayed by worldly emotions..."
"A heart as still as water, a will as strong as steel—only with these can one bear the heavy responsibility of the Holy Light..."
She silently recited the familiar prayers in her heart again and again, those doctrines instilled in her since childhood and ingrained in her very being. The stern admonitions of the nuns from her childhood convent seemed to echo in her ears once more:
"Love is poison! It's rust that corrodes the will! It's a temptation that plunges the soul into the abyss!"
"In the eyes of a Holy Knight, there should be only the glory of the Lord and the evil that needs purification! Worldly desires are a desecration of the oath!"
These words were like cold hammers, striking her chaotic mind again and again, trying to completely shatter and freeze that unfamiliar, unsettling feeling.
However, the more he suppressed it, the clearer the image became in his mind.
Lord Linde's warm embrace... Miss Alice's unreserved dependence and joy when she rushed in... the almost overwhelming tenderness in Lord Linde's eyes when he looked down...
And then there was... the concerned gaze that followed me as I fled like a coward...
"No! I shouldn't be thinking about these things!"
Leonis harshly rebuked herself in her heart, pressing her forehead hard against the cold ground, trying to use the chill to dispel the heat on her face and the stuffiness in her chest.
But her body betrayed her will.
Her heart pounded heavily and erratically in her chest, each beat bringing a suffocating, aching sensation.
My cheeks were burning uncontrollably.
Even... when she thought of Lind's deep purple eyes, a slight tingling sensation would run through her fingertips.
This feeling was so unfamiliar! It made her even more helpless than when facing the most ferocious Shadow Abyss monsters!
At least when facing enemies, she knows when to raise her sword and when to unleash holy light.
But faced with this invisible quagmire in her heart, all her weapons and beliefs lost their direction.
"Why...why is this happening?"
A profound sense of powerlessness and self-loathing gripped her.
Is it because I am not devout enough that I am swayed by such base temptations?
Is it because I am inherently... a weak person?
A drop of scalding liquid fell onto the cold floor tile without warning, making a soft "plop" sound.
Leonis was startled and realized that she was actually crying!
This made her even more fearful and ashamed.
How could a knight of holy punishment shed tears? Especially before the icon of the Lord, for this...this...
Just then, extremely faint yet steady and powerful footsteps came from behind, their clear and rhythmic sounds echoing on the stone surface of the empty church as they approached.
Leonis's body stiffened instantly!
She hurriedly raised her hand and wiped the wetness from her cheeks with her sleeve, trying to calm her breathing, straighten her back, and return to the most standard kneeling posture.
She dared not turn around, but her heart began to pound uncontrollably—at this time, with these footsteps… she could almost guess who it was.
The footsteps stopped a few steps behind her.
He didn't speak immediately, as if giving her time to process her emotions.
A brief silence fell over the church, broken only by the crackling of the burning candles and the sound of the wind picking up outside the window.
Finally, a deep and gentle voice broke the silence, carrying an all-knowing calm, and softly rang out:
"Leonis".
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