Chapter 690
What on earth are you thinking, Tara?!
Suddenly, Tara raised her right hand and slapped her own face with her delicate, pale hand, leaving a red mark streaked with blood.
The sharp pain wiped away the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, and at last, she calmed down.
She took out a bottle of light green mint-flavored restorative potion from her pocket and applied it to her face.
At that moment, another shadow appeared beside her. The figure, slightly distorted, was Eleanor, wearing a mask, standing next to Tara.
“What’s wrong, Archbishop Tara...?” Eleanor’s voice came through the mask, a bit hoarse.
Although the church had not yet officially merged and the titles on both sides had not been re-evaluated, Eleanor still addressed Tara by her clerical title from the Saintly Church.
“Lady Eleanor,” Tara looked up at her and said, “Could you please go to the Russell Marquisate and fetch Lady Avina? Lord Charles needs to see her... the sooner, the better.”
“Understood.” Eleanor quickly bowed her head.
Upon hearing it was a matter concerning Lord Charles, Eleanor wasted no time and swiftly vanished from sight.
Once Eleanor had left, Tara raised her hand to cover her still-painful cheek, tilting her head to gaze toward the study on the second floor...
What’s wrong with me...
Am I wavering in my faith in the Mother Goddess...?
...
“Please follow me, Lady Avina...”
Tara walked ahead, with Avina closely following her. It wasn’t until they reached the door of the study that Tara finally stopped.
She opened the door and stepped aside to let Avina enter. After Avina had walked in, Tara took a moment before stepping inside herself.
She couldn’t help but glance at Charles, who lay slumped against the white shadow. But after a brief moment of eye contact, she quickly looked away.
“What happened to Charles?” Avina hurried to the sofa, extending her hands to support Charles under his arms, using nearly all her strength to lift him back onto the sofa.
“Ha... ha...”
Avina panted slightly; just moving the unconscious Charles to the sofa had left her a bit breathless.
Yet she didn’t stop her actions. Avina reached out to lift Charles’s eyelids, revealing his eyes glowing with a purple halo...
After a long while, Avina finally released her grip, allowing Charles to continue lying on the sofa.
“He’s fine... just asleep, really. His spirit isn’t in too much trouble...” Avina murmured.
Hearing Avina’s words, Tara, who stood a short distance away, felt a slight sense of relief wash over her.
In the past, she would never have worried about anything happening to Charles, for she firmly believed that even if the entire world were to collapse, the Mother Goddess would remain unharmed.
But now, Tara found herself beginning to worry.
It wasn’t that she feared for the Mother Goddess; rather, she was concerned about the earthly form of the Mother’s embodiment, this “Charles,” and what might happen to him...
Why am I thinking this way...
Having spent nearly her entire life in the church, Tara had never contemplated anything beyond the scriptures, and now her mind felt like a tangled mess.
After examining Charles’s body, Avina hesitated for a moment before turning to Tara and asking, “Miss Tara, could you help me out?”
“Of course, Lady Avina.” Tara shook off her chaotic thoughts and quickly walked toward Avina, lowering her head to ask, “What do you need help with?”
“I need you to lift him... I can’t do it alone.” Avina, holding Charles’s shoulders, looked at Tara with a hint of embarrassment.
“Alright...” Tara raised her hands but momentarily didn’t know how to proceed.
The capable Tara now seemed like a clumsy young lady.
“Lift his legs.” Avina noticed Tara’s unusual demeanor and turned to her, asking, “Are you alright?”
“I’m... sorry.” Tara quickly moved to the other side, extending her hands to grasp Charles’s slender ankles, wrapped in stockings.
The delicate stockings seemed to add a more textured feel to his originally soft skin; Charles’s ankles were so slender that even Tara could easily grip them.
“One... two... three.”
Avina took a deep breath and exerted herself to lift Charles.
At that moment, Tara realized that Avina might not have enough strength, so she summoned a white shadow.
Four figures, burning with white shadow flames, appeared beside Tara, gently supporting Charles’s body from different angles, significantly easing Avina’s burden.
They successfully carried Charles back to the room, and once he was laid on the bed, Avina took out a handkerchief to wipe her forehead.
The exertion they had just gone through was enough to equal several weeks of work for Avina—of course, that was without sharing a bed with Charles.
Now, her muscles still felt sore; it seemed the previous “exercise” hadn’t quite worn off.
“Please continue to take care of Charles. I’ll come back to check on him later.” After glancing at Charles on the bed, Avina turned back to Tara, her expression returning to its usual calm.
Having rushed over earlier, Avina still had some matters to attend to, and since Charles wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, she planned to handle everything quickly and return before afternoon.
“Yes, Lady Avina.” Tara bowed her head.
After seeing Avina off, Tara returned to the room, removed Charles’s boots and white stockings, and knelt by the bed, staring at Charles’s sleeping face, motionless.
Whether in prayer or simply lost in thought, she remained there.
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Chapter 353: Super Sensitivity
“Hmm...”
On the bed, a red-haired girl let out a soft hum. After a slight tremor in her fingers, her eyes slowly opened.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Charles felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, accompanied by a slight headache.
But soon, a surge of energy followed, indicating that the earlier discomfort had stemmed from an extended sleep.
She glanced around.
It seemed to be deep into the night; the oil lamp on the bedside cast a warm glow, illuminating the surroundings. She saw Avina, fully clothed, sleeping beside her.
Avina’s hand rested on Charles, looking equally exhausted.
Charles had experienced fainting spells before, so she understood that Avina had likely used her abilities to help her achieve deep mental restoration.
To her left, Charles noticed Tara kneeling by the bed, her head resting on the edge, fast asleep. The dark circles under her lower eyelids indicated that she had also been awake for quite a long time.
Charles checked the time.
It was 5 AM on July 30th... she had been unconscious for over ten hours.
Fortunately, with Avina’s help, her mental strength had nearly returned to peak condition.
Gently, she grasped Avina’s arm and shifted the hand resting on her to Avina’s own body.
Normally, even the slightest movement would have awakened the sensitive Avina, but she showed no signs of stirring, still deeply asleep.
She must really be worn out.
Charles carefully pulled back the covers and propped herself up, the slight rustling disturbing Tara.
Tara abruptly opened her eyes, looking around in confusion. Upon realizing what was happening, she immediately stood up and lowered her head.
Perhaps due to kneeling for too long, Tara’s legs felt numb, and as she stood, she lost her balance, landing on the thick carpet with a thud.
“Sorry...”
“Shh...”
As Tara began to apologize, Charles placed a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet, then pointed to the sleeping Avina beside them, indicating that Tara shouldn’t wake her.
Charles got out of bed, slipped on the slippers Tara had prepared for her, and walked toward the door. Tara, using the bedside table for support, waited for the numbness in her legs to subside before quickly following Charles.
Once they reached the hallway outside, Charles turned back to Tara and quietly asked, “Did anything happen while I was asleep?”
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