CHAPTER 42: HOLY SEDUCTION

"Who are you?" Julian stood up with the cake in his arms, looking cautiously at Myris. His initial wariness turned to puzzlement when he got a better look at her. If he remembered correctly, she was the one he had seen early this morning after leaving his room—seemingly there to talk to Losiya.

He shared the same reaction with Losiya—staring at the silver-haired woman for a long while.

Since arriving in this world, it was the first time he’d seen someone with the same hair color as his—not pale white, but shimmering silver.

Myris had been staring straight at his face the whole time, her gaze unwavering and expressionless.

Even though he had met many women in this world with similarly calm temperaments, Julian couldn’t help but feel shy, his face reddening slightly as he looked away.

The rear garden fell into a silent awkwardness, broken only by the cat cake in Julian’s arms meowing uncontrollably and waving its little paws—clearly excited for some reason.

"Why are you here?" Myris asked first.

Julian didn’t quite understand but then replied, "The Count allowed me to come."

In front of strangers, his manner of speaking remained particularly gentle.

Myris’s expression turned briefly confused, then seemed to understand.

Recalling Julian’s disheveled appearance coming out of Losiya’s room early in the morning, she instantly realized what his identity must be.

For some reason, this thought stirred a sense of discomfort in her chest—something instinctive, even a bit unwilling to accept.

"And who might you be?" Julian asked.

"Me?" Myris, regaining her composure, replied, "I’m Myris, the most devoted follower of Lord Farad."

When she mentioned that, coupled with what Alice had casually chatted about earlier that morning, Julian was able to infer that Myris was currently the Holy Maiden of the Church of Holy Light.

"How did you get here?" Julian asked curiously.

Myris looked toward the cat cake in his arms.

"Did the cake bring you here?" Julian lifted it slightly, and it immediately meowed.

That action seemed rather lively in Myris’s eyes, and the corners of her mouth tugged upward slightly.

"Let’s go with that. Are you its owner?"

Using the cat cake as an excuse, Myris slowly approached Julian, softly asking as she drew near.

"Let’s go with that," Julian said with a smile.

From up close, looking at Julian, she could see that his right eye was entirely a white flower—no iris, no sclera. Most people would probably find it eerie and frightening.

But Myris couldn’t stop staring at it, feeling it was beautiful and refined.

Born with a strange left eye, she’d suffered ridicule and bullying before being discovered by the Church. Looking at Julian now, she felt a rare sense of kinship.

"Is your eye also something you were born with?" Myris asked softly.

Julian was stunned for a moment. A few seconds later, he realized she hadn’t been looking at his face, but at his right eye.

This made his cheeks flush even more, not from embarrassment this time, but from awkwardness.

After composing himself, he looked calmly at Myris and replied politely, "Yes."

A second later, Julian’s eyelid twitched—Myris had suddenly stepped right in front of him, stopping less than a meter away.

At that close distance, he could clearly smell fragrance clinging to her skin—a delicate mix of jasmine and something darker, more mysterious. Her full, voluptuous curves pressed subtly against him as she leaned in, the generous swell of her breasts barely restrained by the fabric of her dress, rising and falling with each slow breath.

A breeze passed by, lifting her bangs and revealing a golden cross-shaped mark on her forehead.

A pupil shaped like a cross—something no ordinary human could possess.

"No reaction?" Myris reached out toward Julian. He instinctively took several steps back.

After what happened last night, his body now resisted physical contact from others—it made both his body and mind uneasy.

"You’re resisting me?" Myris sounded genuinely surprised.

Since childhood, everyone—even those on the Holy Throne—had always indulged her in every way. No one had ever dared to reject her like this.

"We just met. If there’s something you want to talk about, we can speak plainly. No need to get so close." Julian stepped back a few more steps and spoke seriously.

At the same time, anxiety rose in his chest. How did she get in? No servants could possibly access this area. If she intended...

Fortunately, Myris seemed to understand what he meant. She stood her ground and said, "I’m just very curious. Aside from your unusual eye, I can also sense a hidden magical current moving within you."

His biggest secret had just been exposed in an instant. Julian’s eyes widened, filled with uncertainty and alarm.

But Myris continued calmly, "Catherine’s tricks won’t fool me, so you don’t need to worry too much. Other than me, no one will know your secret."

To Julian, those words sounded full of implicit threat. However, he also understood her hidden meaning—she didn’t yet know he bore the holy Mark.

He mustered the courage to respond, "So what?"

"So what?" Myris shook her head. "You shouldn’t think I’m threatening you. I don’t want anything from you. I just want to satisfy my curiosity."

"Sorry. To me, your behavior is a bit excessive—I can’t accept it."

From her clothes, behavior, and tone, Julian could tell Myris was of high status, given his knack for reading people. But inside Losiya Manor, he didn’t feel fear or intimidation.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of danger finally flashed across Myris’s otherwise composed expression. Without hesitation, she closed the distance between them with silent, deliberate steps. Seizing the moment when Julian was momentarily distracted, she swiftly positioned herself directly behind him.

In one fluid motion, her hand came down firmly on his shoulder, her grip unyielding. The sudden contact sent a jolt through Julian’s body, locking his muscles in place as if an invisible force had rendered him completely immobile. A tense silence fell between them, heavy with unspoken tension.

In that moment, he clearly felt this Holy Maiden wasn’t as benevolent as the legends described—rather, she had a distinctly darker side.

"If I’m not mistaken, you must be the one who caused that stir at the recent auction?" Myris tilted her head slightly, her voice calm.

Julian remained silent, but Myris could sense he was a little angry.

The cat cake jumped down from his arms and ran over to rub against Myris’s leg. Julian opened his mouth, looking troubled.

Luckily, Myris didn’t pay it any attention and continued, "A million coins. This Countess is quite extravagant... So young and already so romantic. It must be fun being with her?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"You must’ve been deeply moved at the time, right?"

Julian frowned, saying nothing.

"Never mind. I’ll ask it a different way."

Myris shook her head and continued, "Compared to the other nobles at the auction, how do you think Losiya is different from the rest?"

Julian opened his mouth, still silent. Myris went on: "Can’t say?"

But contrary to her expectation, Julian answered directly: "Why wouldn’t I say? I’ll tell you right now."

"If there’s something I truly don’t want to do, she’ll never force me to do it. That alone is enough."

Julian’s eyes were strikingly clear in that moment, leaving Myris momentarily dazed as she looked at him.