In Maggie's eyes, the image of Harun and the image of the God of Light flashed and overlapped repeatedly before finally settling on Harun.
She thought that perhaps she shouldn't be so hesitant now. With such a useful knife being handed to her by hand, there was no reason for her not to use it.
She's already schemed against the God of Darkness and the Demon King, so one more god won't make a difference.
"I see."
Maggie rubbed her throbbing temples, her eyes gradually hardening. She walked up to Harlan, trailing her skirt, and extended her slender hand to him.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Harlan's smile widened, and he gently lifted Maggie's hand with his broad palm, placing a light kiss on the back of her hand.
Maggie then realized that he didn't seem to be wearing his white gloves again today.
In the splendid garden, a handsome man kneels before a saintly woman who is as pure as a goddess.
Maggie looked down at Harlan as if she were watching her own followers.
In reality, beneath her noble demeanor, she was lost in thought, her eyes gleaming with golden hair, its texture like satin silk, her mind wandering.
Wow, this hair must feel amazing! I want to touch it.
Beneath the solemn vow, Maggie's mind inexplicably went blank, drifting off into a trance.
Actually, you can't blame Maggie; it's mainly because Harlen is too deceptive.
At the same time, Harlan suddenly looked up and saw her arch her eyebrows. The slight upturn of her eyes always reminded people of a fox, which just brought Maggie back to her senses.
"What's wrong?"
Maggie's tone was a little awkward, as if his eyes could see right through people, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Especially now, with things almost at a standoff, her feelings are even stranger.
Don't look at me like that, it's making me a little scared.
As Maggie was still thinking, she suddenly felt Harlan's fingers tighten, drawing her hand into his palm.
"Perhaps, Your Highness, you can be more unrestrained with me."
As he spoke, Harlan actually took her hand and placed it on his head. Maggie's pupils dilated instantly, and her arm stiffened so much that she dared not move.
"you......"
Maggie froze, her voice dazed, a sharp, exploding sound echoing in her mind.
Was my gaze too blatant? Or do you have mind-reading abilities?!
[Stop it, stop it, this is too ambiguous! Absolutely not between us!!!]
"Does Your Highness not want to touch it? Or am I mistaken?"
Harlan's eyes looked innocent, and his tone was somewhat troubled.
"...I don't want to touch it."
Maggie turned her face away again, her tone stiff. Sure enough, the result of not being able to keep up the act was that he saw through her completely.
I really need to stay away from you from now on, you're too dangerous!
"All right."
A faint hint of regret appeared on Harlan's handsome face.
He looked harmless in the sunlight, and with the wonderfully soft, fluffy feel of his fur, Maggie couldn't resist the temptation and gently nuzzled his head.
Then, he pretended to be nonchalant and withdrew his hand, acting as if nothing had happened.
But when Maggie met Harlan's smiling eyes, she knew he had definitely sensed her subtle actions, and she suddenly felt extremely awkward.
"Ahem, in short, you can deal with the Duke's mansion however you like, just leave me with the key evidence."
Maggie could only change the subject and continue talking about what they hadn't finished discussing earlier.
Harlan's gaze fell on Maggie's withdrawn hand, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes, but he kept his gaze well hidden from Maggie's notice.
"I will use the evidence to proactively provide to the temple as a tool to exonerate myself."
Maggie cleared her mind of the little incident that had just occurred, calmed down, and immediately returned to normal.
"Yes, ma'am."
Harun's voice carried a hint of laughter.
Hearing Harlan's reply, Maggie didn't dwell on what he was thinking; she just felt a sense of relief.
"Don't do anything strange next time."
Maggie didn't look at him again, calmly uttered those words, and strode towards the interior of the temple.
Harlan watched Maggie's departing figure with a helpless look in his eyes. His slender fingers unconsciously tapped the sword, producing a ringing sound.
"As expected... you know more than I thought."
His voice faded into the wind, like a murmur to himself, unheard by anyone.
"But Your Highness, you are as wary as a cat. Gaining your trust is truly difficult..."
Harlan wore a bitter smile.
Who would risk everything because of a single test?
He always acts impulsively when it comes to Maggie. It was like this last time when he carried her out of the ruins, and it's the same this time when he used a sincere vow to gain her trust. The benefits he gains far outweigh the costs; it's so unlike him...
...
Maggie hurried along the quiet corridor, and only when she heard the sound of her footsteps did she slow down.
Only after confirming that the person was no longer following did Maggie completely relax her tense body.
"It's really numb."
Her composure just now was all an act; in fact, Maggie still couldn't figure out why Harlan would do such a thing.
"Wait... shouldn't I have trusted him just now...?"
Maggie walked along, torn between doubt and anxiety, compounded by her own withdrawn nature.
With just a little thought, she could tell that the cost of Harlan deceiving her was terrifyingly high.
First of all, a knight's oath is not just empty words. Although it does not have a physical contract like that of a demon, for a knight, if he goes against his conscience, his future strength will become extremely difficult to advance.
If it's just about lying to her, isn't the price too high?
Secondly, they shared the same goal: to kill the Pope. However, her goal was to survive and no longer be targeted.
He tried to escape the kingdom but failed. The Temple of Light was also a breeding ground for the evils of power. Since there was no pure land, his only choice was to create one.
Therefore, Harun's goal was to thoroughly clean up the temple and turn it into a true Temple of Light.
Now, the only one who can stand on his side is her.
Because Father Barton also disliked Harlan, thinking he was like a devil in human skin.
This isn't something Maggie made up; it's what Barton said to Harlan in the original comics, after Harlan successfully killed the Pope later in the story.
Of course, this is without knowing that he is the God of Light.
But speaking of which...
Although Harun doesn't seem like a good person, and the divine entity often acts like an evil god, the result of everything they do is surprisingly righteous.
When Maggie thought about this, her feelings were even a little complicated.
"But isn't it too much to pledge allegiance to me?"
Maggie touched her chin, feeling that something was off.
He might have other motives.
However, this wasn't a major problem. She had originally planned to establish her own power within the temple. In any case, since Harun had chosen to be her knight, then the Holy Knights...
Nine times out of ten, they will end up in her hands.
Now, we just need to let the influence spread subtly.
In the eyes of most of the nuns and knights in the temple, she was a somewhat frail saint, but if she grew stronger and more assertive, these influences would become the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Choosing to no longer follow the Pope was a matter of a single moment.
As for his trusted henchmen, Maggie will not let any of them go.
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