Before long, Timothy was let in.
As he stepped into the sacred hall and saw the two familiar figures—one large, one small—he couldn't help but greet them with a smile. "Hey, long ti no see."
But instead of a warm welco, Timothy was t with wary glances from Holy Maiden Aeliana and Azura, as if they were on high alert around him.
There was no helping it. Both the Holy Maiden and the dragon had grown deeply suspicious of Timothy. Even though he was alone this ti, without the goddess by his side, they couldn't shake the fear that they might once again be subjected to an overwhelming display of affection.
"Relax, I'm just here to deliver a ssage from the goddess. I don't have ti to ss with you two," Timothy said casually, brushing off their concerns. He explained, "In three days, the goddess will hold a conference with all the sects to reveal the full details of what happened in the Sepulcher of the Sacred.
And… she'll also announce the second matter she ntioned before we entered the Sepulcher."
"I've been sent from the Sky Sanctuary to deliver these letters to the major sects," he added, and with a wave of his hand, a stack of letters appeared out of thin air.
"Oh, I see," Holy Maiden Aeliana finally relaxed a little, nodding seriously. After all, the Sepulcher of the Sacred was a matter that concerned the entire world, sothing of imnse importance. It made sense that Sylvia, ever efficient, would waste no ti in organizing a eting after returning from the Sepulcher.
Still, Aeliana exchanged a cautious glance with Azura, and the two began whispering to each other.
"This is about the Sepulcher of the Sacred. There's no way they'll have ti to flaunt their relationship, right?"
"This is serious business. I don't think we're at risk this ti."
"Yeah, I think so too."
With that, the Holy Maiden and the dragon finally let their guard down, albeit reluctantly.
"Well, since it's about the Sepulcher, which was incredibly dangerous… I'll just pretend I didn't hear about you two going off to the Netherworld for a honeymoon after showing off your love," Aeliana muttered after a long pause, her tone filled with resignation.
The letters Timothy held were clearly signed by the goddess herself, and the luxurious quality of the envelopes showed just how much importance she placed on this matter. Two major announcents for the entire world of sects—surely, there wouldn't be any ti for public displays of affection, right?
"I think we're safe this ti!" Aeliana nodded seriously, her confidence growing.
" too!" Azura chid in, high-fiving Aeliana. Both of them let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally, we won't have to endure another round of being force-fed their lovey-dovey nonsense!"
The days of feeling like they were stuffed to the brim with unwanted affection were finally over!
No matter how they looked at it, the goddess wasn't here right now. And before the conference, there was no way the couple could find ti to flaunt their relationship again, right?
Aeliana, who had been single for what felt like centuries, couldn't help but smile a little. "Alright, hand over the letter from the goddess."
Her newfound confidence made it seem like she had completely forgotten how she had been trembling in fear just monts ago, dreading another round of "dog food"—a term they used to describe being forced to witness soone else's public displays of affection.
"Ahem, but… Holy Maiden, your letter got a little crumpled. I hope you don't mind," Timothy said, suddenly rembering sothing and coughing awkwardly as he pulled out the envelope.
"Crumpled? I don't care about that. As long as you and Sylvia stop showing off your love all the ti, that's all that matters," Aeliana replied, clearly in a good mood after several days of peace.
It had been a while since she'd last been subjected to their relentless affection, and it was obvious she was enjoying the break.
"Well… would it be a problem if it got a little wet too?" Timothy asked again, his tone cautious.
"Got wet?" Holy Maiden Aeliana hesitated for a mont but didn't seem too bothered by the detail. "It's probably just Sylvia accidentally spilling so water on the desk. No big deal, as long as I can still read it."
"As expected of Holy Maiden Aeliana—so easygoing! You're amazing!" Timothy gave her a thumbs-up, clearly impressed.
"Hmph, now you see how great I am," Aeliana replied, feeling a bit pleased with herself. It wasn't often that Timothy praised her like this, and she couldn't help but feel a little proud. Tilting her head slightly, she added with a hint of smugness, "That's just how I am. As long as I can understand what Sylvia wants to convey, I don't sweat the small stuff."
"Well then, Holy Maiden, go ahead and take a look," Timothy said, finally opening a spatial pocket and retrieving the letter ant specifically for Aeliana.
It wasn't that Timothy hadn't tried to fix the situation. The problem was the paper itself, made from Sylvessence Wood. While this special material didn't warp or blur the writing when wet, it had an unfortunate tendency to absorb and retain water—and slls. Unless you burned it, there was no way to get rid of the moisture or the scent once it soaked in.
That's why Timothy had been giving Aeliana so many warnings.
"Ugh, why did the goddess have to write exactly the right number of letters? If she'd written just one extra, we wouldn't be in this ss," Timothy thought to himself with a sigh. But now that he was already here, he had no choice but to hand the letter over to Aeliana.
"Let's see what Sylvia wrote," Aeliana said, still feeling a bit smug as she took the envelope. She was just about to open it when she noticed sothing odd. The texture of the letter… felt strange.
She knew about the water-absorbing properties of Sylvessence Wood, and Timothy had already warned her. But she had assud it was just a bit of spilled water. Now, though, sothing felt off.
Why did it feel… sticky?
This texture was definitely not what she expected from water. It felt… different. Almost like…
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.
"This isn't water, is it…?" Aeliana's face paled slightly as the realization hit her. Her fingers trembled as she held the damp letter, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"No way, no way… Even Sylvia wouldn't go that far, right?"
Her heart raced, and she could no longer keep her composure. With trembling hands, she lifted the letter closer, as if steeling herself for what was to co. Finally, after a mont of hesitation, she brought the letter to her nose and took a cautious sniff.
"This… this sll!"
In an instant, Aeliana's face flushed a deep crimson, as if she had been splashed with the colors of a sunset. Even her voice trembled with a mix of embarrassnt and outrage.
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