In the Name of Empress

Chapter 747 413: A Woman's Vengeful Heart (Part 2)

Christine could certainly feel the goodwill, but the thought of marrying him still made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry, maybe you'll think I'm being petty, even though you're trying to pull me out of the abyss, I'm still fussing over the imperfect way you're doing it."

"No, I never thought that, your requests are completely reasonable."

Roland softly said, "Then let's set aside the obsession with marriage, let me rephrase it; would you accept my pursuit and become my girlfriend?"

Girlfriend?

Christine stood there, stunned.

"It's a relationship with the intention of marriage."

"I know."

Christine blushed slightly and asked softly, "Do you know the meaning of 'girlfriend' in the Holy Scripture of Light?"

"A girlfriend can enjoy the privileges of a wife without being bound. In earlier times, the Saintess lived together with her partner under the title of girlfriend and even had children."

Is that kind of book you've been reading all this time?

Roland was momentarily at a loss for words.

Thankfully, Cardinal Martin had given him a heads-up, so he wasn't entirely in the dark.

Whether it's girlfriend or wife, it's just a title. Apart from the wedding itself, there's no essential difference, and if it's certain that there won't be a breakup, it even takes away some of life's greasiness and replaces it with a sense of refreshing comfort.

He already has a wife, a lover, a sister, so having one more girlfriend might not be so bad.

"You are my only girlfriend."

Roland placed his hand on Christine's shoulder, gazing into her stunningly beautiful face.

The faint Holy Mark was the price she paid to stop Sofia, the scar was on her face, but the pain was in Roland's heart.

The once ferocious scar had now faded to a mere pattern, but the past events remained vivid, as if it were yesterday.

Roland thought of Sofia, another woman connected to this Holy Mark, and felt an inexplicable sense of blockage in his heart.

He didn't give Christine much room to think, rudely leaning in to kiss her.

Caught off guard, Christine couldn't react, her soft red lips were completely enveloped by Roland, who kissed her greedily.

Is this what a kiss is?

The books say a kiss is suffocating, makes your soul spin, truly...

It was indeed the case, her soul seemed to leave her body, spinning freely within the prayer room.

Her mood soared to the clouds, the wonderful tingling sensation made her want to indulge in it, to give up everything until she saw the giant statue of the Goddess leaning against the wall.

This Goddess statue, filled with divinity, was the eyes through which the Goddess touched this world.

Only the Pope could pray under this Goddess statue.

With enough luck, prayers here could be heard by the Goddess.

The closer one is to the Goddess statue, the higher the possibility of being heard.

So...

Christine suddenly snapped back to reality, grabbing Roland's shoulder, gently pushing him away.

"The Goddess can see here."

Is this the power of habit? Even when abandoned by the Goddess, it's still hard to change.

Roland felt a bit disappointed but still gently adhered to Christine's will, silently buttoning her top's first button which had been quietly undone.

"Then let's leave."

"No!"

Christine resolutely opposed.

She shook her head vigorously, her voice as cold as the Polar Glacier.

"If I like something, are you willing to do anything, no matter how excessive?"

Watching the increasingly manic Christine, Roland's lips curved slightly.

Luckily, she still knew how to act coy and be willful, indeed stepping into the role of a girlfriend.

He resolutely nodded.

"As you wish."

Christine turned back to look at the Goddess statue.

Though a statue, it perfectly captured the Goddess's beauty and dignity, a masterpiece full of artistic taste, worthy of being the pinnacle work by the most famous artist of the Fourth Era.

She softly said, "Do you see it?"

"I see it. Although it's a perfect piece of art, it's just a statue, there's no need to take it too seriously."

"It is indeed a statue, but it can also be seen as part of the Goddess."

Christine's gaze turned sharp, piercing like a knife.

"I have done everything a believer could do, I haven't let the Goddess down, have I?"

"Of course not."

"You said, when a lord abandons a vassal, the vassal can see the lord as an enemy, right?"

Christine's words invigorated Roland and even made him somewhat expectant.

Everyone knows that the hatred born from a collapse of faith is unparalleled, and female believers are more prone to extremes.

Christine was different from ordinary female believers; when she became extreme, even Roland felt a chill down his spine.

Christine was heartbroken by Tiya, she would surely take revenge, but he didn't know how.

Roland was curious; a brainstorming session ignited in his mind.

Could it be dismantling the Goddess statue?

This statue, crafted with the Celestial Divine Stone as its base and fortified with Divine Power from the Goddess, was said to be unshakeable.

Once an adversary had struck it with a Divine Artifact, yet the resulting damage was nearly nonexistent.

At least for now, Roland and Christine couldn't dismantle the statue.

If dismantling it wasn't feasible, could it be graffiti on the statue to desecrate its sacredness?

Or perhaps stealing the statue outright, taking it back to slowly deal with it?

As Roland let his imagination run wild, Christine placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I currently lack the strength, take me up there, remember to bring the bedding."

The design of the Goddess statue involves the Goddess raising her hands above her head, forming a small platform at the top.

It's quite spacious up there, enough for several people to lie down.

Though it was a bit strange, Roland followed her instructions, picked up the soft bedding from the nearby large bed, wrapped it around Christine's slightly trembling body, and gently leaped up to the statue over twenty meters high.