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In the quiet backyard of the Cathedral of Light. Irene cautiously locked her door and checked it several times, ensuring everything was secure. Only then did she smile in satisfaction.

“I finally have a half-day off! Now I can read my novel!”

The novel she had been eagerly waiting to read was, of course, filled with mature themes. Naturally, she wouldn’t be acting so secretive otherwise.

As a pure Saintess in service to the Goddess of Light, being caught reading lewd novels would surely mean severe punishment—or worse, the loss of her position. With so many others coveting her position, a single slip-up could cost her everything.

‘Without communication with higher beings, the title of Saintess means nothing,’ Irene sighed to herself.

If there were no perks left to her title, she would have abandoned it long ago.

“Finally, my treasure, here I come!”

Eager to push those dull thoughts aside, Irene hurried to her bed, kneeling on the carpet. She leaned forward, stretching her hand underneath, searching for her secret.

“Hehe, there you are, my treasure!” She carefully pulled out a book with an ornate cover from under the bed.

The title read: “Lonely Thoughts: Sleepless Nights. Sister, Please Restrain Yourself.”

This was the latest novel by Mountain Lily, published just last month.

Irene had been too busy to enjoy it since she’d secretly bought it. When Yaeger had confiscated her stash of novels, she’d made sure not to include this one. Now, with some free time at last, she could finally indulge.

She gently opened the book’s cover, treating it as if it were a precious work of art.

“As expected from Sister Mountain Lily! The very first sentence hits right in the heart. I love it already!” Irene whispered with excitement.

To Irene, among all the novels with mature themes she had read, Mountain Lily’s works alone stood as true literary masterpieces—nourishment for the soul. Unfortunately, no matter how good they were, lewd novels were still lewd novels—never recognized as legitimate art.

Feeling a little sorry for the author, Irene flipped to the first page and began reading intently.

Time flew by. Irene became utterly engrossed in the story, completely oblivious to the outside world. She didn’t notice the dark shadow sneaking up behind her!

“Oh, this marquis is so wicked! How dare he interrupt the sister’s plan!” Irene blurted out as she reached an exciting part of the plot.

Just then, the shadow struck! A pair of hands shot out like vipers, grabbing her from behind!

“Irene, my friend! I’m here to hang out!” a familiar voice exclaimed.

“Wahhhh!” Irene screamed, startled out of her wits by the sudden attack.

If it weren’t for the excellent soundproofing of her room, her scream would have echoed throughout the entire Cathedral.

“Ow, my ears! Why are you screaming so loudly?” Yaeger complained with a groan.

Of course, the intruder was none other than the beautiful and mischievous Black-hearted Princess herself.

Irene relaxed the moment she recognized the familiar voice, picturing the beautiful figure in her mind.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she grumbled.
“You didn’t hear my loud footsteps? How is that my fault?” Yaeger teased as she let go and gave a calm smile.
Irene turned around, rolling her eyes. “Of course. You picked the lock again, didn’t you?”

She distinctly remembered locking the door securely the last time. This time, she had double-checked it several times, just to be sure. Yet, this person had still managed to sneak in effortlessly!

“Hehe,” Yaeger chuckled, saying nothing more.

“You’re so mean! Next time, you’d better knock!” Irene scolded, hands on her hips, looking up at Yaeger in disapproval.

“Knock? You want me to stand outside and knock again and again?” Yaeger asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing this, Irene instantly imagined the dazzling Black-hearted Princess knocking on her door and being noticed by church members.

If it were just an ordinary visitor, she wouldn’t care. But this was the Black-hearted Princess—the one person who held a huge grudge against the church!

‘If anyone finds out I’m secretly meeting with Princess… No way! No one must know about our connection!’ Irene thought, fists clenching in determination.

“So, do you still want me to knock?” Yaeger asked with a smile.
“No… but you can’t scare me like that again,” Irene replied, her voice laced with a hint of sadness.
“Sure, sure. I’ll be more careful next time,” Yaeger said, clearly not taking it seriously.

How could she ever stop such a fun game? Irene’s terrified expression had brought her far too much joy.

“I mean it! Don’t scare me again!” Irene emphasized, her tone a little more stern.
“Alright,” Yaeger replied, still casual.
“You’re not taking this seriously!” Irene pouted.
“Of course, I am.”
“Hmph, if you scare me again, I’ll stop recharging for you,” Irene huffed.

“Fine. I won’t do it again,” Yaeger agreed with a playful pat on Irene’s shoulder, her eyes catching sight of the book on the bed. “Were you hiding a book?”

“No, I just bought it!” Irene quickly replied, her eyes darting everywhere except at Yaeger.

“We agreed you’d let me keep all your collections, and you’d ask for them when you wanted to read. What if someone sneaks in and turns your room upside down, like I did?”

Yaeger gently grabbed Irene’s shoulders, speaking with sudden seriousness.

“But… I wanted to read it~” Irene replied, her voice pitiful.
“We’re in a critical time right now. You’ll just have to wait.”
“What critical time?” Irene asked, clearly confused.
“My critical time,” Yaeger clarified.
“And what does that have to do with me?” Irene asked, even more puzzled.

“Because I need you,” Yaeger explained vaguely, referring to Irene’s ability to recharge her Holy Spirit Shard.
“You… need me?” Irene’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushing a bright red as she looked at Yaeger. ‘Princess needs me!’ Irene thought, feeling giddy inside.

“If your secret stash of lewd novels gets exposed and you’re expelled from Jade City, I’ll be in trouble,” Yaeger explained calmly.

“That’s true… I suppose I’ll just have to bear with it,” Irene muttered, picking up the lewd novel from the bed and handing it to Yaeger.

Yaeger swiftly stored it inside her ring.

At that moment…

…came the system notification.

“Huh… I gained Favorability by gaslighting her?” Yaeger thought, baffled.

“Did you need something, Princess?” Irene asked, knowing full well that Yaeger didn’t visit without a reason.
“Yes, I do. Do you know a bounty hunter named Fiat?” Yaeger snapped back to reality, getting straight to the point.

Irene shook her head.

“Then how about the Genius Enchanter, Aurora?” Yaeger continued, hoping for a better result.
“I know her. Poor thing. I heard she’s been bedridden for over a year, unable to pass away. I even considered praying for her so she could finally rest.” Irene sighed.
“Do you seriously not have any information network of your own?” Yaeger asked, looking at her as if she were an oddity.
“Not at all. It’s way too much hassle,” Irene shrugged nonchalantly.

“Let me tell you, you’ll get scammed to death if you keep being this careless,” Yaeger said, exasperated.
“But I’m still alive and well, aren’t I?” Irene replied, indifferent.
“That’s only because they haven’t needed to use you yet,” Yaeger said, giving her a gentle tap on the head.
“Ow, that hurt!”

“I’m here about Aurora,” Yaeger cut straight to the point. “I cured her illness.”

Irene stared at her, dumbfounded.