Chapter 3

What was this?

When I lowered my gaze, I saw the man’s fingers buried in my pale skin. It looked like red marks would remain the moment he let go.

…Well, it wasn’t a bad performance.

Pretending to stay calm, I answered Lothar’s question.

“Can’t we just skip that part? This is a deal anyway.”

“All political marriages are like that. They are deals in the end, but no one skips the process. After all, it’s still the joining of husband and wife.”

“……”

How strange.

I was the one who did the kidnapping.

Lothar was the one who got kidnapped.

And yet somehow, control of the conversation had shifted to him.

The joining of husband and wife? Did something like that really matter?

I stayed silent at the unexpected turn of events, and Lothar asked again.

“Do you dislike me?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what is the problem?”

He was strangely persistent.

For some reason, my head started hurting.

Before long, the carriage would arrive at the temple. I didn’t want the plan I’d prepared to fall apart.

So—

“…Later. We’ll discuss that later.”

I postponed my answer.

Maybe I should’ve just shouted at him to shut up and obey.

But staring into those unwavering, steady eyes, I didn’t feel like doing that.

Thankfully, Lothar didn’t press further.

He simply nodded.

“Understood. For now, let’s resolve the immediate problem first.”

The moment after he said that, the hand around my waist tightened.

My body, which had been straddling his thigh, was suddenly pulled forward, and our chests collided.

For a brief moment, my mind blanked from his strong scent.

Then his lips touched the back of my neck.

“Hngh.”

Hot, damp breath brushed against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

Lothar sucked at my skin after taking it into his mouth. There was slight pain, followed by a tingling sensation like electricity running beneath it, and my waist tensed on its own.

He slowly moved downward along the curve of my neck.

His lips brushed against my skin, and then his tongue slid out, lazily rubbing against my collarbone.

The wet, soft sensation made my eyes tremble.

This wasn’t what I meant.

Lothar didn’t need to slowly draw heat out of my body like this.

Just as I was about to remind him of the purpose of all this while he rolled his tongue over my exposed collarbone—

“Hah.”

The hand gripping my thigh slowly moved, touching softer flesh.

“W-Wait, what are you—!”

“There’s nothing wrong with making it feel good.”

Along with that brief whisper, Lothar’s hand moved.

His touch was delicate yet firm, like splitting open ripe fruit, and my vision swayed for a moment.

My hips and waist jerked instinctively, but his strong grip kept me from moving at all.

“Hah, ah, ngh—!”

Heat rose from deep inside my stomach.

I hurriedly bit my lip at the sounds escaping against my will.

The carriage had absolutely no soundproofing.

At this rate, the knights outside would hear the Saintess moaning in excitement in real time.

“Hngh, Lotha—stop, ah…”

Lothar slowly lowered the arm wrapped around my waist.

His hand gently stroked the part of my rear pressed against his thigh before firmly squeezing it once, then lifted the heavy hem of my dress.

At the same time, his green eyes lowered.

It felt like my bare body was being displayed beneath his gaze.

“Shh.”

Making a soothing sound, he sucked hard beneath my collarbone.

Tsk.

A sharp pulling sensation followed by throbbing pain spread through the spot.

After pulling away, he licked the aching area with the tip of his tongue and whispered,

“Your skin must be sensitive. Marks appear easily.”

“Hngh, mmph.”

I couldn’t even answer because my dress was clenched between my teeth.

Unbothered, Lothar lowered his head again.

Right before he opened his mouth to bite into my soft skin, he said,

“If I’m doing poorly, tell me. I’ll correct it.”

Just as his wet fingers moved to hook beneath my knee—

“Stop!”

A knight’s voice came from outside the carriage.

At the same time, the carriage slowly came to a halt.

Tch.

I think I heard Lothar click his tongue.

Only then did I come back to my senses and hurriedly pull my dress back below my knees.

Then I whispered urgently to him.

“Stab the inside hard.”

“…What?”

“We need blood!”

Lothar blinked at my urging.

Just moments ago he’d been doing things I never even asked for, so why hesitate now?

I reached to shake his shoulder again, but the hand touching me suddenly withdrew.

Then he pulled out a small dagger from inside his clothes.

Before I could even question it, he acted first.

Slash.

“……!”

I was so shocked I couldn’t make a sound.

Knock knock.

Even the sound of someone tapping on the carriage window went ignored.

Without changing expression, Lothar pressed his bleeding palm against the inside of my dress.

Only after seeing him smear blood around the area where my groin and thighs met did I understand his intention.

“…What are you doing?”

“As long as it looks like blood came out, it doesn’t matter, does it?”

No, I mean, that’s true, but…

Was this man insane?

While I sat there dumbfounded with my mouth open, Lothar diligently continued his work.

He carefully stained even the inner skirts of my dress before looking up and asking,

“Is this enough?”

“…Probably.”

Only then did Lothar pull his hand away and lower my dress neatly back down to my ankles.

Afterward, he wet a handkerchief and started roughly wiping the injured palm, making me panic and try to stop him.

But—

“…What?”

After the blood was wiped away, only a long scar remained on his palm.

The bleeding had already stopped.

As I stared blankly at the wound, Lothar folded the handkerchief away and said,

“By the time we enter the temple, the wound should be healed.”

“……”

That’s it?

That’s your explanation?

This was my sixth life.

I’d heard many times that the Second Prince’s physical abilities were fundamentally different from ordinary humans.

This was just my first time seeing it in person.

Just as I grabbed Lothar’s hand to question him further—

Knock knock.

“Saintess, is something wrong?”

The knight’s voice knocking again sounded tense.

Come to think of it, they’d knocked earlier too, and we hadn’t answered once.

They were probably worried something had happened inside the carriage.

Quietly climbing down from Lothar’s lap, I straightened my clothes.

Then, when the knocking came once more, I kicked the carriage door open.

“Guek!”

The knight struck by the suddenly opening door let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.

Watching from behind, Lothar asked in a voice only I could hear,

“How did you bribe the Holy Knights?”

Was that really important right now?

I could still clearly picture the wound on his palm.

“I didn’t bribe them.”

After checking the naturally spread bloodstains on the back of my dress, I pulled on the robe I’d prepared and answered,

“They pledged loyalty on their own.”

“…Did the Saintess possess enough authority for that?”

What was with that tone?

Frowning, I turned around to look at him, only to see calm eyes.

It didn’t seem like he was mocking me.

Well, anyone with half a brain would find it strange.

“I didn’t.”

Not just authority.

Money, honor, connections.

I had never been given any of those things as the saintess in name only.

“So I created them.”

Instead, I’d been given the resource called repeated lives.

And since I had the information, I simply used it as much as possible.

At my casual answer, Lothar nodded as though he understood.

“Sometimes threats are an important tool.”

“……”

What was he talking about?

That was honestly unfair.

The only people I’d threatened so far were a dying archbishop, an old priest nearing retirement, and a second prince who was supposed to die anyway.

…Actually, maybe that did count as a major method.

Whatever I said, it felt like we’d end up at the same conclusion, so I turned my head away.

Outside the carriage, armed Holy Knights marched in formation.

As I watched them while speaking with Lothar, a memory from my second life suddenly resurfaced.

More than a dozen holy knights are escorting me.

But in reality, I had possessed nothing in that second life as the Saintess.

Back then, my goal had been different.

To escape Maximilian.

Until the moment I successfully seduced and married a gentle baron, I truly thought it was possible.

But then—

“Elise. How does it feel to be a widow?”

My husband had been executed.