The Saintess of Pailon Island
I had wanted to scream at him from the moment I arrived, but I held back because of Sir Claude. Now Canna let her fury detonate.
“I didn’t come here to see you, so don’t flatter yourself! You disgusting bastard!”
She had expected him to snap back. Instead, something completely unexpected happened.
“……”
Orsini sank to the floor with a hollow, defeated expression.
What the hell? Why is he stopping here of all places? This isn’t like him at all.
She had been ready for several more rounds of insults. Instead, Orsini looked strangely drained, as if he had lost all will to fight.
“Hey, Orsini.”
“……”
“You do know you’ve been declared missing, right?”
“……”
“I never imagined you’d actually punch the high priest and get yourself thrown in prison.”
When the lord had told her the story, the satisfaction had been immense. Still, Orsini’s actions had been nothing short of insane.
“You’ve completely lost your mind.”
The authority of a high priest could shake an entire nation. Even the emperor himself could not treat one lightly. Yet Orsini had allegedly slapped that same high priest—left cheek, right cheek, over and over with those massive palms of his.
“Stop bothering me and just leave.”
Orsini leaned his shoulder against the bars and muttered, “Tell them I’m not missing. I’m simply taking a short rest. So shut up and get out of here.”
“A rest?”
A sneer curled at the corner of Canna’s mouth.
“Look at yourself. Sleeping under a pile of straw like some beggar. You call that resting properly?”
“……”
Orsini slowly lifted his head and glared at her. In the dim prison light, his green eyes glowed with a feral, beast-like intensity.
Canna smiled, seductive and poisonous, and whispered, “Shall I let you out?”
For a moment, an old memory flashed through her mind—Orsini standing outside her cell when she had been imprisoned on suspicion of poisoning Amelia, offering her a humiliating deal.
“Lick it.”
Canna slid her foot between the bars. The glossy red shoe gleamed like the flickering tongue of a mocking serpent.
“Do that, and I’ll release you.”
“……”
“What do you think? It’s a rather tempting offer, isn’t it?”
Orsini slowly lowered his gaze to the tip of her shoe.
Canna wanted to burst out laughing.
How refreshing! To be able to humiliate Orsini like this…
“……!”
The next instant, Orsini’s hand shot out and seized her ankle.
“Yeah. It is tempting.”
Goosebumps raced from the point of contact all the way up to the nape of her neck. She instinctively twisted her foot, but it didn’t budge.
Orsini twisted his lips into a smile. It was a savage, predatory grin.
“I feel like I could do more than lick it. I could chew it up and swallow it whole.”
This crazy bastard. Canna stared at him with pure loathing before speaking in a cold voice.
“Let go.”
“Why should I? I was just about to bite down to the bone.”
He sneered.
“Scared now, after all this time?”
“It’s not fear. It’s disgust.”
“What?”
“I didn’t realize being touched by you would feel this repulsive.”
She spoke each word clearly, then twisted her ankle again.
This time Orsini released her. Canna stepped back the moment she was free.
“I don’t care if you rot in here for the rest of your life. Though I suppose watching you like this might be entertaining.”
“……”
“I don’t know why you’re hiding in prison playing house, but as I said, because all news has been cut off, you’re currently listed as missing.”
She clicked her tongue, heavy with contempt.
“What was it you wanted me to tell them? Sorry, but I won’t. Do I have some obligation to clean up your messes?”
She kicked lightly at the bars, wishing she could kick his leg instead.
“If you have something to say, deliver the message yourself.”
Orsini glared at her fiercely. His eyes burned with killing intent, but Canna simply scoffed.
What could he possibly do while locked inside a cell? He couldn’t grab her by the collar or strike her.
“……”
Then, just as suddenly, the tension drained from Orsini’s eyes. He flopped back down onto the straw.
What is this?
It really wasn’t like him at all.
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you hear me?”
“Shut up and leave. I have no intention of getting out of here anytime soon.”
Canna narrowed her eyes and stared at him.
“Is it because all the knights you brought with you were wiped out?”
“……”
No answer. She must have hit the mark.
“So that’s why you’re sulking? Everyone died and you’re the only one left, so now you’re scared? Or is it guilt?”
Suddenly Orsini rose slowly to his feet. He grabbed the bars blocking his path, yanked them sideways in one violent motion.
With a grotesque metallic groan, the iron bars bent like taffy.
A m-monster…
Orsini stepped through the gap he had created.
How could he bend them so easily?
While Canna was still reeling from shock, Orsini closed the distance in an instant and seized her by the collar.
“Get out.”
His blazing eyes looked ready to kill her.
“I warned you. Leave this island right—”
The next moment, Canna’s own hand shot up and grabbed his collar. She yanked him forward with all her strength. Caught off guard, his body lurched toward her.
“Can’t understand simple words?”
You’re not the only one who can grab someone by the collar.
Staring into his wide, startled eyes, Canna whispered lowly.
“You’ve been declared missing. If you plan to handle it yourself, go tell them that yourself. Don’t order me around.”
“……!”
“Stop bothering other people and take care of your own damn business, you worthless piece of trash.”
Sparks of pure hatred flew between their locked gazes.
Orsini’s aura was truly terrifying, but Canna refused to back down.
That was when it happened.
“Forgive me for interrupting, Duchess.”
Claude’s voice came from outside.
“The lord’s daughter has come to see you.”
“……”
At those words, Canna’s mind went ice-cold.
“Goddammit.”
Orsini spat a curse and released her collar.
Another voice spoke—this time a woman’s, soft and polite.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, of course,” Canna answered.
The prison door swung open. A woman stepped inside. She smiled gently and said,
“Lord Orsini, please come to the dining hall. We have prepared a meal for you.”
“……”
“Please come up and eat. As you already know, the trout of Pailon Island is exquisite.”
“I don’t need it.”
Yet the woman’s expression never wavered. She continued in that same gentle, coaxing tone.
“For my sake, won’t you please leave this prison? Father is finding it very difficult with you staying here so long.”
“Difficult? It seems he’s forgotten who threw me in here in the first place.”
“You know it couldn’t be helped, Lord Orsini. You assaulted the high priest in front of so many people.”
“And now that I’m staying quiet, you won’t stop talking.”
It appeared the lord was trying to coax Orsini out of the cell.
So he wasn’t actually locked up. He threw himself in here and has been rolling around in the straw this whole time.
Perhaps sensing that persuasion would not work, the woman fell silent for a moment before speaking again in a calm voice.
“This morning, we recovered the body of Sir Camilton.”
Orsini’s eyes hardened instantly. So did Claude’s.
The woman continued in a soothing tone.
“I heard he was one of your most loyal subordinates. Please, at least see him off on his final journey.”
“……”
Orsini glared at her fiercely, then turned on his heel and strode out of the prison.
“He has finally left the cell.”
The woman smiled brightly and only then turned toward Canna.
“I apologize for greeting you so late. My name is Rachel Dale. The lord of Pailon is my father.”
“Nice to meet you. I am—”
“The physician His Majesty the Emperor sent, yes?”
Rachel approached with a warm smile. It looked like the very picture of kindness.
“You must have suffered a great deal on the journey here. We are truly grateful. However, my heart aches because it seems you have gone through all that trouble for nothing.”
“For nothing?”
“The abnormal symptoms on Pailon Island are not caused by any disease. The people have been possessed by evil spirits.”
Rachel spoke with genuine-looking sorrow, as though she pitied them from the bottom of her heart.
“Still, since you have come all this way, it would be best if you saw for yourself. I will guide you around the island personally.”