The Saintess Returned to the Emperor’s Arms – Chapter 117

Author: Chewyy

I want it

After sending Herhan into the inner room first, Riella stepped back out to the door on the second floor.

She had been uneasy after seeing Andel, who was on guard duty, bickering with a soldier—and sure enough, the two were still there.

“Sir Andel. What’s wrong?”

“N-No, Lady Blinite. I apologize for causing a commotion.”

As Sir Andel explained the situation, the ‘problematic soldier’ kept his head deeply bowed.

Riella walked directly over to him.

“Did you come to see me?”

“…….”

“It’s okay, raise your head.”

“…….”

Only after Andel barked, ‘How dare you disobey Lady Blinite’s command!’ did the soldier finally raise his head—and the moment their eyes met, a chill ran down Riella’s spine.

Was it rash to think she’d seen those hollow eyes somewhere before?

Riella came to her senses and spoke to the soldier with a deliberate smile on her face.

“You came to deliver the report, didn’t you? Give it to me.”

She reached out her hand.

To confirm her suspicion, she needed to touch him directly.

But just before their fingers could meet—

“No. I apologize for the inconvenience caused by my ignorance.”

The soldier said this and took a long step backward.

Then he took a few more steps back, turned around, and ran down the stairs.

As the Emperor’s fiancée, Rielha was treated almost on par with Herhan within the imperial palace.

For someone to turn their back and walk away from her without permission was unthinkable.

It was so absurd that Andel was speechless and stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before he came to his senses and straightened his posture.

“I’m sorry, Lady Blinite. He seems suspicious. Don’t worry, I’ll catch him right away.”

“No. Let him go.”

“Yes?”

“Instead, would you please bring Captain Asion? Right now.”

A little later, Asion came running with a serious expression.

Until then, Riella had been pacing back and forth outside the door, lost in thought, but as soon as she saw Asion, she started to pour out her thoughts at a rapid-fire rate.

Asion, who was already out of breath due to his hasty arrival, became even paler.

“I see…”

“There is no definitive evidence yet. It’s just my feeling….”

“Is there any evidence more reliable than your intuition, Lady Riella?”

Asion, who had been listening to Riella calmly without missing a single word, nodded with a determined and strong expression in the end.

“Don’t worry, just leave it to me and I’ll check it out.”

* * *

Despite Asion’s solid figure, Riella’s worries deepened.

After entering the room, she sat up straight and deep in thought, when suddenly the sweet smell of perfume wafted around her.

She could also feel the refreshing humidity and the faint smell of soap bubbles.

Herhan had just come out of his bath.

“It took you five minutes to notice that I was here.”

As soon as Riella turned around, a slightly raspy voice came out to reprimand her.

Riella gave a short laugh and straightened her posture again.

Herhan, bringing with him the warmth and moisture of his bath, hugged her from behind the chair.

“What on earth are you thinking? Huh?”

“That’s….”

Riella was about to talk about the soldier from earlier. About what had happened to the mercenary group.

And how Lou had soothed her today on Herhan’s orders.

But before she could say anything, Herhan bit Riella’s nape and started to tease her.

“Your majesty…”

Herhan’s lips slowly moved up the nape of Riella’s neck.

Rather than a kiss, it felt like he was cherishing her as if he was treating her like a treasure, his breath warming every inch of her skin.

The final destination of the lips that passed through the neck, chin, earlobe, and cheek was Riella’s lips.

Riella turned her head slightly to the side and gladly welcomed the sweet lips that slowly approached her one step at a time.

Even after their lips met, Herhan continued to tickle and caress the soft surface of Riella’s lips for a while.

His breath, slipping between her slightly parted teeth, grew hotter—but unlike usual, he didn’t push further.

It was so playful that she wondered if he was intentionally trying to tease her.

Just then, as her heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed, Riella’s gaze fell on Herhan’s right hand.

—Crack

Herhan’s grip on the armrest of the chair was so tight that it was audible.

Veins bulged along his muscular forearms, his hand pale from clenching too tightly.

Something was definitely off.

“Your majesty,”

Riella tilted her head back for a moment and opened her wide eyes.

“Why are you gripping so hard?”

Like someone desperately holding on to something.

“No.”

“Pretty sure you are.”

“…….”

Herhan couldn’t find any more words, his gaze drifting vaguely into empty space instead.

‘Avoiding my eyes too?’

Riella narrowed her eyes slightly and placed her hand on top of his, which was holding the armrest.

Herhan, who was still holding his arms with all his might, flinched at Riella’s touch and his pupils fluttered.

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“That’s not it….”

Herhan, who had been hesitating, soon reluctantly confessed his feelings.

“It’s just… you’re too precious.”

“……?”

“You are so precious and valuable to me, I don’t know how to treat you.”

“Huh?”

So he held back his urges by just giving cute kisses like a child?

She appreciated the way he cherished her, but to bring that up now of all times?

Riela looked at him closely, unsure whether this was sincere or just another playful joke — But Herhan’s expression was impossibly serious.

He even looked a little angry.

“I read all of his memories today.”

“Ah….”

‘That guy. Probably Hank.’

Only then did Riella realize why Herhan’s body was so tense, more than usual.

“To be precise… I saw you through his memories.”

“Your Majesty, what do you think of me? Was I pretty in the past?”

At her question, Herhan pressed his lips tightly together.

For some reason, a gaze full of irritation flew towards Riella. As if to say, “Is that really what you care about right now?”

“Was I pretty?”

At her bright persistence, Herhan’s eyelids fluttered shut with a sigh.

“Yeah. You were pretty.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I thought you’d be pretty, but you were even more beautiful than I expected.”

“.….”

“I thought it would be hard, but it was even harder.”

This time, Riella bit her lip.

She tried to smile, but emotion surged up from deep inside.

And when Herhan gently brushed the hair behind her ear, it only made the feeling stronger.

It was a huge blessing to have someone who knew all about her difficult days without her having to say anything.

“You’re amazing. You endured all that and are still coming back to me.”

And in this moment of love and gratitude, she didn’t want to cry.

Riella smiled with all her might and looked up with moist eyes.

“So are you saying that I’m so special that you can’t even kiss me?”

“Oh, that….”

Herhan hesitated slightly.

“It’s just… If I rush things because I’m overwhelmed, I might hurt you. I don’t want that.”

Even in his quiet excuses, he was so serious.

“I swear, Riella. From now on, I won’t let you be hurt again.”

“….”

“Never again will these hands be swollen. Never again will this beautiful body be blemished.”

“You’re already doing that. So you don’t have to hold back anymore. Kisses… you don’t have to resist.”

It must be tiring to see all those memories.

More than ever, he would have needed her purifying powers.

But, no, rather, because of that, Herhan suppressed his impulses even more.

He was afraid he’d lose control in a desperate attempt to ease his thirst and push her too far again.

But to Riella, it was still okay.

To be treasured this much — even if it meant enduring something worse than her painful past — That would still be heaven.

“Your Majesty, I want it.”

Riella grabbed Herhan by the collar.

“Come on.”

The hand that had clutched the armrest hard enough to break it finally let go —

And instead, wrapped around Riella, lifting her into his arms.

* * *

The next afternoon, Jess slowly made his way to the inner room.

Since his master’s condition was terrible yesterday, there was a high probability that Riella would be exhausted today.

Because every day after his master overworked, it was Riella who shouldered the burden and lost consciousness instead.

However.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I feel great.”

To his surprise, Riella looked completely refreshed.

Her complexion was healthy, her voice cheerful.

It was Herhan who looked haggard.

“What is this? Did you torture His Majesty all night or something?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose…. I told him I was fine, really…”

“Huh? So you did torture him?”

Jess had only been half-joking, but now he frantically scanned the room, trying to piece together what had happened last night.

Apparently, something had changed.

It seemed that Herhan was newly heartbroken by the fact that Riella was going through all the trouble to purify him.

So he tried that thing called “moderation.” So that it wouldn’t be difficult for her.

He’d bundled Riella up in layers of clothes, saying they couldn’t have too much skin contact — Then just held her in his arms all night.

Sure, that would’ve been enough for purification. But for Herhan’s mental health? Probably not the best idea.

“If you’re going to go that far, maybe just sleep in separate rooms.”

“How can a married couple use separate rooms?”

“You’re not married yet— ah. Never mind.”

What can he do with that love-blind master?

Jess just sighed and pulled out his medical bag.

Since he was here anyway, he decided to check Riela’s blood pressure and fatigue level.

But the moment he wrapped the band around her arm, Herhan already looked displeased.

“You wrapped it too tightly.”

“I did it as usual. Oh man. I guess I should retire or something.”

It was around that time that Asion knocked on the inner room door.

Herhan, naturally assuming he was being called, casually picked up the jacket he had taken off earlier.

But the one Asion approached was Riella.

“Lady Riella. Can you come with me?”

Riella, who had been laughing at the amusing bickering between Herhan and Jess, slowly let her smile fade.

‘What should I say? It felt like… ‘The moment has come.’

* * *

The soldier walked with a limp.

It was a forest not far from the Imperial Palace, yet rugged and rarely visited.

Surrounded by cliffs and filled with dangerous wild beasts, it wouldn’t be too surprising if someone went missing there and was found dead the next day.

In the middle of the forest, the soldier took out his sword.

And then, at that very moment, he took a sharp, flashing blade and stabbed it into his heart.

Clang!

A sword suddenly shot out from behind and struck the soldier’s sword.

The ground shook, dust rose, and many people rushed around him.

It was the elite knights of the imperial palace.

“Ramosh! Stop this foolishness and surrender!”

Asion shouted, but the soldier did not move.

It was because he didn’t know his own name, ‘Ramosh’, and even if he did know, his body was unable to move as he wished.

Immediately several knights rushed in, tied up his limbs, and forced him to his knees.

Until then, the soldier was just creaking like a wooden doll with some parts out of place.

“Ramosh. Or should I call you something else?”