There’s No Way My Maid Is a Villain

Chapter 50 : Interwoven

Interwoven

After finishing up matters with the elves, an overwhelming fatigue swept over Yinhua, making her appear as if she might collapse at any moment.

"Are you tired?"

Odin asked in confusion.

This body shouldn't be capable of feeling fatigue.

"So sleepy,"

Yinhua muttered, her eyes half-closed.

"Please, come rest in my room for now. I'll have the queen receive you again once you wake,"

Yuexuan said respectfully.

"I see. Thank you,"

Yinhua replied.

"No need to thank me. It's our duty."

Yuexuan led Yinhua all the way under a towering ancient tree, where there was a modest house—small, but certainly spacious enough for two to live in.

"Sorry, I'm really so sleepy..."

As soon as Yinhua entered the house, she lay right down, clearly exhausted.

Yuexuan sprinkled some pollen into the air.

"This is a sleep aid pollen. May you have pleasant dreams."

............ Elsewhere, in another realm...............

At the Ecclesia—one of the mightiest forces in the Songluo Celestial Domain—a nun hurried through the corridor, arriving at the heart of the ecclesiastical seat, only to be halted by a guard.

"I have an urgent report for the Holy Emperor. Please let me through."

"Do you have a summons?"

"No, but this is really important."

"Please return. You lack the qualification and the summons; I have no authority to grant you entry."

"But..."

The nun wanted to protest.

"Let her in," said a nun with short purple hair.

"Yes, priestess Korniel."

The guard saluted respectfully.

Korniel was the Holy Emperor's personal attendant—her words almost counted as those of the emperor herself.

"Thank you, priestess Korniel!"

The nun's voice brimmed with gratitude.

"No need to thank me. All is the will of the Holy Emperor. From your urgency, I suppose it must be something grave—come, tell me inside."

"Yes!"

Korniel led the nun into the depths of the Ecclesia. Every person they passed bowed their heads in respect.

"Hey, korniel, where are you off to?"

A black-haired knight greeted Korniel.

"I'm going to see the Holy Emperor. Join us, kei."

"Is something wrong in the East again?"

Kei put away her playful demeanor and grew serious.

"Most likely. We'll discuss the details when we see the Holy Emperor."

"This is a dead end no matter what."

Korniel pushed open the vast doors ahead. Contrary to what one might imagine, there was no dazzling splendor nor overwhelming pomp within—only a pure white expanse, and a throne at the center occupied by a young maiden whose beauty defied description—more accurately, whose holiness was beyond words. Her sky-green hair cascaded in waterfalls over her shoulders, and her eyes were pure and radiant, sparkling like the stars, as if nothing could escape their gaze. Though her face possessed little expression, it always conveyed a sense of shrewd calculation. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her white garments were etched with exquisite patterns—like an unopened peony, sacred and inviolable even with its petals closed.

This was the Holy Emperor of the Ecclesia, the newly ascended 5th Divinity: Tian Huixi.

"Holy Emperor..."

If not for Korniel's support, the young nun would have nearly knelt on the spot.

"What's the matter?"

Huixi's ethereal voice cleansed hearts in an instant.

"Holy Emperor, the disaster in the East has worsened again. The number of refugees keeps increasing."

"About how many?"

"Eight hundred thousand to a million."

"How could there be so many?"

Korniel slowly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "With the fall of Moon Azure Court, the East has descended into lawlessness. Many lost souls and criminals rush there, and others become local tyrants. Years of disaster have turned the place into a hell for ordinary people. That's why there are so many displaced refugees."

"Then can't the Ecclesia take them in?" the nun asked.

"No,"

Huixi instantly rejected.

"Why not?"

"These displaced refugees are all ordinary folk. They need food, water, shelter. Even the Ecclesia cannot afford to feed a million for free. If only a portion were taken in, resentment among the rest would quickly lead to riots, and that would be difficult to contain,"

Kei, who had remained silent for a long time, interjected.

"So we just do nothing and let them suffer?" the nun pressed.

"I'll find a way to resolve this. Kei, take her outside and contact Wangxi (the Priestess) for me."

"Yes."

Kei led the nun away.

Only Korniel and Huixi remained in the room.

"I've foreseen these problems long ago,"

Huixi said.

"Then how do you plan to handle it?"

Huixi slowly stood, and a map of the Celestial Domain appeared midair.

"The most extreme and effective way is for me to take action and erase the Eastern lands."

Her hand hovered over the east of the map; at once, the region turned to motes of light and vanished.

"If she were still here, such petty clowns would have never appeared."

Few knew, but the garden-master founder and the Holy Emperor of ages past had been spouses.

(Though they're both female, does calling them 'spouses' matter?)

"The Holy Empress is already..."

"I know. I've already requested instructions from the Priestess. As soon as she agrees, I'll erase the East at once."

Huixi sighed and sank back into her seat. She felt her vision begin to blur.

"Holy Emperor, holy Emperor..."

Korniel called several times, but got no response.

"Ah? What is it?"

"Are you sleepy?"

"Am I... sleepy?"

How long had it been since she'd felt tired? How could she possibly feel sleepiness?

Yet her eyes refused to stay open—that, too, was a fact.

"Then please rest for a while. I'll call you for supper."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"Good night..."

Korniel said, then watched as Huixi had already half reclined in her chair and fallen asleep.