Chapter 422
"That's really unfortunate," Charles said, pulling out his golden antique pocket watch. After glancing at the time, he continued, "Please come to my residence another day for a chat. I’m in a hurry to attend a meeting... Seraphin, let’s go."
Charles and Seraphin climbed into the carriage one after the other. Once the carriage had rolled away, Seraphin, sitting opposite Charles, finally spoke up.
"Your Grace, why not just capture her directly? The young lady is already under her spell. Didn’t you see the look in her eyes? Just one glance sent chills down my spine!"
Charles merely closed his eyes, ignoring Seraphin's words.
Capture her directly?
Could an ordinary person reach the level of silver chips? Could an ordinary person maintain their composure in front of a duke? Could an ordinary person’s gaze induce a fourth-tier heart palpitation or a third-tier shiver?
Until he had thoroughly investigated the other party's background, Charles would not make any moves.
Moreover, his focus was entirely on Qiangyin at the moment; he simply couldn’t afford to be distracted by anything else.
Qiangyin had been acting a bit too suspiciously these past few days, seemingly searching for someone... but he didn’t know who exactly. Charles wanted to get to the bottom of this.
After all, her behavior at the royal private luncheon that day had raised too many eyebrows... it left him with a nagging sense of foreboding.
Fortunately, Charles had already taken note of the scars on Qiangyin's face.
He just didn’t know what this urgent meeting was about...
Meanwhile, in another carriage.
After waiting for Charles's carriage to disappear from sight, Xia'er let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She had come to the private park merely to fulfill a promise made in a simulation. Who would have thought she would run into Duke Charles here? If she had known he would be around, she certainly wouldn’t have taken the long way.
But thankfully, Charles seemed completely uninterested in why she was there, as if something more important awaited him.
It was a relief that it was only Charles she encountered, not Qiangyin... the West District was indeed a bit too small; one could run into acquaintances just by walking around.
The rest of the time, Xia'er went to Lucy's home, handed over the list of instruments Adele needed, and confirmed the current condition of her sister Lichi—she intended to send Lichi to the Redemption Society's sanatorium in Bliss City—before leaving without lingering.
Xia'er worried that if she stayed any longer, she might run into someone she shouldn’t.
Her final destination was her new house, which was a bit closer to Amy's, and the prices were about the same.
By now, Xia'er’s house was nearly tidied up. The butler, after confirming her identity, called over the other maids to introduce them one by one, allowing them to greet their new employer.
Xia'er took a brief walk with Tara to familiarize herself with her new home before finally entering her room, leaning back against a chair and letting out a soft sigh.
In the simulation, Xia'er had personally approached Lichi to discuss her treatment, but in reality, she had left everything to Lucy.
She knew Lucy could handle it well, but at the same time, Xia'er wanted to minimize her contact with Lichi.
Lichi was just an ordinary person, and now she had been drawn too deeply into extraordinary matters... at least until this situation calmed down, Xia'er wouldn’t seek her out again.
Xia'er understood that this might seem a bit heartless to outsiders, but it was unavoidable—being around her was simply too dangerous.
In reality, mistakes had no chance for a do-over.
"Tara, come here," Xia'er beckoned, inviting her to come closer.
"Lady Xia'er," Tara stepped forward, standing beside her and lowering her head to ask, "Is there something you need from your servant?"
"I have a task for you," Xia'er said, looking at Tara. "From now on, you’ll be in charge of the mission involving the Church of the Savior."
"Engage with... the Church of the Savior?" Tara's face showed a hint of confusion. She looked down at Xia'er’s shoes and asked, "Forgive your humble servant’s ignorance... how should I approach the Church of the Savior? Should I reveal my identity directly or...?"
Currently, the Holy Church and the Church of the Savior were in a state of mutual hostility. If Tara were to appear before the Church of the Savior and disclose her identity, she would likely be arrested on the spot and sent to the tribunal for judgment, with no chance of survival.
Yet, even so, if Xia'er gave the word, Tara would undoubtedly rush to the Church of the Savior’s doorstep and expose herself without a second thought, disregarding her own safety.
Xia'er didn’t rush to exchange the holy contract and the scepter; she didn’t intend to give Tara any specific tasks just yet. She simply wanted to hear Tara’s thoughts to help her plan for the next simulation.
The next simulation was in three days, on the 21st, coinciding with Aivina’s housewarming party, so Xia'er needed to prepare in advance.
"Later, I might give you a holy contract and a papal scepter from the Church of the Savior. You can use these two items to engage with the Church and gain a temporary hold over it."
Xia'er continued, "In simple terms, you’ll be acting as a temporary pope for a while."
A holy contract and a papal scepter? You want me to be a temporary pope?
Is that even possible?
Tara felt a jolt of shock. She was all too aware of the significance of those two items, especially the papal scepter.
Was the Mother Goddess planning to gradually turn the Church of the Savior around and take control?
"Yes!" Tara straightened her back and declared, "I will follow your will, Lady Xia'er!"
"Once you take on the role of temporary pope, you will definitely be exposed to others," Xia'er said. "At that point, you’ll continue your mission within the Church of the Savior, minimizing our contact until it’s absolutely necessary for me to step in."
Tara had initially felt excited, but upon hearing the latter part of Xiaer's statement, her smile froze.
After a long silence, Tara slowly raised her head to look at Xia'er, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling.
"Lady Xia'er... did Tara do something wrong?" Tara knelt down, speaking in a pleading tone. "If I’ve made a mistake, you can punish me... why don’t you want me anymore?"
For someone from the Holy Church to become a temporary pope in the Church of the Savior was a coveted position. If she successfully facilitated the merging of the two churches, she would be remembered throughout history, becoming a saint celebrated for ages.
But only Tara knew that this was definitely not a good deal.
Becoming a temporary pope meant being removed from the Mother Goddess’s side, and they could no longer meet?
Wasn’t this a demotion in disguise?
Tara’s mind raced, tangled in confusion. She couldn’t fathom what she had done wrong to warrant being "exiled" by the Mother Goddess.
At that moment, Xia'er was taken aback by Tara’s reaction.
To be honest, she hadn’t expected Tara to react so strongly; it seemed she was very resistant to leaving her side.
"This is only temporary, Tara," Xia'er shook her head, speaking with a hint of helplessness. "You can’t stay by my side as a maid forever."
Having a highly influential archbishop from the Holy Church serving as her maid was indeed a waste of her talents. Xia'er believed that making her a temporary pope was the best way to utilize her abilities.
Especially in overseeing the church merger—given Tara’s theological knowledge, she would excel at this task.
"Mother Goddess, please don’t abandon me... wuwuwu..." Tara knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, pressing her forehead against Xia'er’s shoes, tears streaming down her face.
The intensity of her emotional resistance was surprising...
Xia'er sighed inwardly.
Tara’s loyalty stemmed entirely from her belief that she was serving the Mother Goddess, but Xia'er knew she was not that "Sadana." As time went on, more issues would inevitably surface.
But given Tara’s fervor... if she were truly separated from Xia'er, who knew what she might do? Tara’s faith was too extreme and fervent; the more intense it was, the more likely it would trigger some distorted emotions.
Could she only replace her with someone else?
But Xia'er genuinely didn’t know who else could take on this task.
"Get up, Tara. Let me think about who to send instead," Xia'er sighed, shaking her foot to encourage Tara to lift her head.
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