Chapter 16

ETL – Chapter 16

I smiled and blinked at the servant holding the towel.

Every time I walked around the pure white temple, my mind would be cleared. The scenery when you look outside the window symbolizes abundance. There were places of lush grass and trees full of fruits.

The white walls were unique to the temple. No other buildings had white painted exterior. It was the pride of the temple and also the color that represented them.

The importance of white can be explained by the hair color. Those with real powers had white hair. It was different from the white hair you get when you age.

“Of course, I’m an exception.”

I had a rough idea of where Reneben went so I headed in that direction without hesitation. As I walked I straightened out my hair using the reflection from the window. My pink hair was out of place in the temple.

My hair was considered so beautiful that the jewels themselves became hidden when worn. It was my hair color but it did not feel like it fully belonged to me.

I stopped in front of the room.

Knock knock knock-

It did not really matter if I just opened the door and went in, but there was a matter of politeness. After knocking, I turned the handle.

I stepped into the room and saw her screaming as if she lost her mind. Reneben was watching her with a handkerchief covering his mouth.

Reneben greeted me. The noble lady turned to look at me with such a mechanical movement that I wanted to ask if there were sounds of gears turning in her head.

She had a dagger in one hand and a bottle of sleeping pills in the other. Reneben came to me while avoiding her.

“Do you have another handkerchief?”

“I do,” Reneben replied. While still covering his mouth, he took a handkerchief out and handed it to me.

With the freshly scented handkerchief in hand I approached the woman but she swung the dagger.

Reneben told me it was dangerous but I stopped him. He stood there as if he gave up.

“Miss, are you able to handle that scent?”

I tried to hand her a handkerchief but it did not seem necessary. She looked fine despite the strong scent of the medication.

Well… that’s that. It was not an easy situation right now judging by the dagger and sleeping medication.

While I was wondering where it came from, Reneben answered my questions with an explanation.

“It was hidden by her thighs.”

She was considered a criminal, but it seemed that the Imperial Knights could not do much since I had some of that authority.

I guess they did not check her closely. Her clothes were not torn. The knights must have brought her here as soon as they caught her.

So she probably had not gotten in contact with anybody else yet.

“How was it like at the Imperial Palace while she was brought to the temple?”

“The knights said they brought her straight to the temple before going to the palace.”

It was as expected. It was a huge benefit to me that there was no contact yet.

She swung the dagger recklessly and fell back.

“Please save me… I won’t do anything.”

I squatted so she would be less nervous. I was eye level with her sitting on the floor. She took a deep breath when she made eye contact.

“Just my parents… they don’t know anything… I’m…”

“It’s Jessie Portra, daughter of a baron, right?”

When I mentioned her name, she was stunned and placed her forehead on the ground.

“Saintess, please have mercy on me.”

“Stop.”

Her loud desperate pleas stopped. Instead she looked at me with tears in her eyes, begging me.

I took the bottle of sleeping pills from her hand since I figured it would be a bad idea to leave it.

I frowned at the strong scent that was emitted. I could tell what poison or medicine it was if a little bit came in contact with my body. The lid was tightly on, sealing off the medication that entices with a strong scent.

Reneben quickly opened the window to ventilate the room. He put his handkerchief down when the scent disappeared from the room.

“Is it ok to call you Jessie?”

“Huck, huck…”

“Well, I’ll call you Jessie.”

She kept holding the dagger in her hand as if she was going to die soon. She continued to shed tears. It was a pitiful sight.

I wanted to just sit comfortably on the sofa but I could not because I’ll be in trouble if something happens.

I squatted back down, wrapping my arms around my legs.

“Miss,” I called to the poor scapegoat. She was just a victim who was being taken advantage of

I could see why people would be afraid of me when I recalled the memories of when I first entered the temple.

I opened my mouth, hoping not to terrify her, “I can help you.”

“Hic…”

“I know you’re not the culprit.”

It would be like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. I could figure out who the real culprit is and help her at the same time.

She looked up and stared at me. Her eyes were filled with fear, begging me to save her.

I felt sorry for her. I remember a similar scene where a sick girl raised her head and jumped.

She managed to calm down and reached out.

“Can you really help me?”

She could at least tell me who did it or who told her to do it.

“Well, are you really going to help me?” She said in a clear voice. There was hope in that soft voice, reminding me of spring.

“Jessie, I will.”

“Hic…”

“I will protect what’s in my hands.”

I felt sorry for Jessie. She embraced me and cried, reminding me of a young chick. I was going to hug her back but stopped when I saw Reneben, who looked frustrated.

I took the dagger away from her first and instructed Reneben to take her to sit down.

I was thinking about changing my bloody clothes but decided that it could wait.

Jessie continued crying so much that I wondered where all the tears came from. After crying for a while, she seemed to have calmed down as she blew her nose with a handkerchief.

We were sitting comfortably next to each other on the sofa. I thought Reneben might be uncomfortable being the only one standing. I patted the spot next to me and told him to sit down.

“Well, excuse me.”

Reneben sat down. I grabbed the candy jar as I looked at him.

“Please try some.”

I offered some candy to help calm her down. It was my favorite herbal flavored candy that’s hard to describe. I love it so much that I always keep a jar of it around.

I gave one of the green tea colored candy to her. She didn’t seem to want to eat it and just held it in her hand. Unlike her, I took a piece of candy and ate it.

A cool, refreshing, and slightly sweet taste spread throughout my mouth. I felt better after eating the candy.

Reneben shook his head and said, “Miss Emilone is probably the only one in the temple that eats this candy.”

“Why?”

“As I always ask you, what flavor does it like to seem to you?” Reneben asked with drooping eyes.

I motioned for him to take one.

With a pale complexion, Reneben took one and mumbled, “Miss Emilone… the taste… there’s actually medicine that tastes better than this… it seems…”

I held out the glass jar and said he did not have to eat it. Reneben did not put back the candy though.

Jessie, on the other hand, had a determined face. She opened the wrapper and put the candy in her mouth. When Reneben saw it, he also put the candy in his mouth and frowned.

“If you both do not want to eat it, it’s fine. I can give you water.”

“No… it’s fine.”

I patted Reneben’s back and handed him a glass of water.

“Don’t overdo it. It’s ok, you can spit it out.”

I handed him a handkerchief. He refused at first but did eventually spit it out at my constant urging. He patted his lips with his sleeves, gently closed his eyes, and apologized.

“I’m sorry you have to see that. I thought I would be ok, I have never eaten it before, only smelled it.”

Was it that bad?

The candy had a strong enough scent that it could fill the entire room once the lid was opened. I told him not to eat it again. There was a squeaking sound and Reneben quickly turned his head.

“Jessie, don’t swallow it. Have you ever tried this candy?”

Reneben quickly moved and pulled the candy out of Jessie’s mouth.

“I’m sorry, the scent was so strong that I almost accidentally swallowed it while trying to eat it.”

Reneben sat back down next to me.