As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

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Lius looked on with satisfaction. He glanced at the notebook in his hand, then at the red-haired woman in front of him, gaining a new impression of her personality.

"Ha, what a great diary! It records your thoughts so clearly. Very good. It seems I have indeed come to understand your feelings, Your Excellency. I will pass on these feelings to Helen. Don't worry."

After reviewing the notes in his hand once more, he put them back on his desk, and with a gentle smile, nodded slightly in the direction of the saintess.

"Um... I'm sorry to trouble you, Young Master Lius. I'm a terrible mother to Helen, and I don't have the courage to admit it to her, at least not in this respect. Only you, Young Master Lius, can convey my feelings to her. Therefore, I beg you! Please take good care of Helen and help her break free from the desolation in her heart."

Looking at Lius, the saintess pursed her lips slightly, then raised her arms and placed her hands on the boy's shoulders, expressing her gratitude to him in a very serious and sincere tone. Lius, in turn, grasped the saintess's slender hand on his shoulder and nodded vigorously to her again.

"Helen is also part of my family. Family members should naturally be taken good care of. Besides, she needs my help to improve her own strength. So, Your Excellency, you don't need to worry at all. Just leave things to me."

“Well, in that case, I can finally relax.” The saintess patted Lius’s shoulder again, a look of relief on her face, her body gradually relaxing. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hesitated briefly before opening her delicate, bright red lips and speaking to the blond boy before her:

"By the way, Young Master Lius, there is another matter I would like to ask you about Helen. I wonder if you could give me a definite answer."

"Oh? Is there anything else? Of course you can. You are Helen's mother, so you are naturally free to ask me anything. Please speak, Your Holiness."

Looking at the red-haired woman before him, Leus nodded slightly, while the saintess, after a brief silence, finally made up her mind and spoke to him:

"Regarding Helen, what kind of feelings do you have for her? Why do you stay by her side? Is it just for friendship, or do you have other feelings for her?"

Chapter 369: Meeting with the "Holy Maiden" (Part 8)

"Young Master Lius, I want to ask... do you only feel friendship for Helen? Or is there some other... emotion?" Taking a deep breath, with a fluctuating thought, the saintess pursed her lips and asked the blond youth before her, voicing the question she had been pondering. "Well... what do you think, Your Excellency? Do you believe there might be a deeper connection between Bishop Helen and me?" Lius, however, did not directly answer the red-haired woman's question. He simply shifted his position slightly, tossing the question back into the saintess's hands, and asked her with a curious tone.

Faced with Lius's question, the Saintess slightly opened her lips, intending to answer based on her understanding of Lius and Helen. However, just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly realized that her current identity was that of a Saintess, unlike Rosalind who had much knowledge of Lius and Helen. Therefore, she quickly stopped herself before uttering a word, retracting her original statement and reconsidering her words regarding Lius.

"You've remained silent all this time. Is it because you, Your Grace, are also undecided? Then let me ask you again: what are your thoughts on the relationship between me and Helen? If I were to develop a closer relationship with Bishop Helen, what would your opinion be?"

Faced with the boy's renewed question, the saintess fell silent once more. She glanced at Lius before her, then at the diary on her desk, sighed, and slowly began to speak:

“If it were you, Prince Lius, then perhaps… perhaps I would feel at ease entrusting Helen to you. Although we are not very familiar with each other, I have learned about your relationship with Helen from Rosalind. You and Helen have a very harmonious relationship and you have taken good care of the child. So… if you can stay by Helen’s side and take care of her, I can feel more at ease.”

"Is this what you think, Your Holiness? ... You truly care deeply for your daughter. Even at a time like this, you still prioritize Helen's condition. It's truly touching..." Looking at the Holy Maiden, Lius smiled slightly and made this remark.

"This is just some compensation I'm giving to Helen, nothing serious... So now, Prince Lius, you don't need to hold back anymore. Tell me the truth about your relationship with Helen. Even if you and Helen have already established a closer relationship, I won't object or say anything. Please feel free to tell me."

Looking at Lius, the saintess slowly took a breath, as if she had made a decision in her heart. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was filled with a sincere and resolute light as she looked at the blond boy in front of her. "Then, please admit it, Young Master Lius, I have made up my mind."

"Admit it... Ha, so you're already convinced in your heart that Helen and I are very close? I really don't know how to refute that." Reflecting on the Saintess's words, Lius smiled helplessly to himself. Then, he looked at the Saintess with a serious expression, nodded slightly, and said:

"As for me, my relationship with Helen has indeed become very close, almost beyond friendship." "I knew it. You and Helen have indeed become lovers."

Sensing Lius's words, the saintess's gaze grew increasingly serious, and her look at Lius became more authoritative. On one hand, she was scrutinizing the thoughts of her future "son-in-law," and on the other hand, she was suppressing her inner turmoil, allowing him to remain calm as she continued to ask:

"So... if that's the case, Prince Leus, do you truly love Helen? At least in your heart, do you see her as a partner you can spend your life with?"

"If I had to say, I would want to be like this. I know that I rarely think too much about this. I don't usually think about things that are too profound. The only thing I can do is to care for the girls around me with my love and make them happy. As long as that's enough for me, it's a wonderful thing."

"And what about Helen? Regarding Helen, is that how she sees you? Does she see you as the person she wants to spend her life with?" The saint continued, looking at Lius.

"Well... I can't see through everyone's thoughts, but I can feel the sincere emotions in her heart. Although she may not have fully realized these emotions yet, I believe that as long as we get along well with her in the future, she will eventually realize her true feelings. I can guarantee that, and please believe me, Your Holiness."

Lius lowered his head slightly and spoke these words to the red-haired woman in front of him. The saintess, after gazing at the blond boy in front of her, nodded slightly, the scrutiny in her eyes disappearing and replaced by relief and comfort.

"If this is your own thought, Prince Lius... then I can rest assured now. As for Helen, I can now completely entrust her to you."

As she spoke these words, the saintess gently walked up to Leus, extended her slender hand, and grasped it tightly with the young man's. "Oh?"

Sensing the saintess's sudden action, Lius narrowed his eyes, curious about what she was about to do. He relaxed, letting the young woman in front of him do as she pleased, waiting for what she was about to do.

Meanwhile, the saintess stepped forward and gently took Lius's right hand. She removed a diamond ring from her own ring finger and, with a very solemn gesture, placed the ring on Lius's ring finger. Under his slightly surprised gaze, she gently put the diamond-encrusted ring on the young man's finger. "Hmm? Your Excellency, are you...?" Lius's eyes widened slightly, feeling a sense of shock. Under the brilliance of the silver-white diamond ring in his hand, his gaze towards the saintess became even more astonished.

Chapter 370: Meeting with the "Holy Maiden" (Part 9)

"Hmm, Your Holiness, are you feeling the young woman's sudden movement?" Lius asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I am now placing our family crest on you, Prince Lius. Since we have agreed to take care of Helen for the rest of your life, you should be given appropriate adornment. For example, this ring engraved with our family crest is a fine piece of jewelry, a symbol of the close relationship between you and us."

"Um... I wasn't referring to what you put on me. I meant to say... wasn't what you did a little inappropriate?" Inappropriate? Was there anything inappropriate about it?

Looking at the blond boy in front of her, the red-haired woman tilted her head slightly and asked him this question. At this moment, Lius was also somewhat surprised to find that the saintess's eyes showed a somewhat doubtful look. It did not seem like she was deliberately teasing or joking with him, but rather she was genuinely puzzled by this so-called "inappropriateness".

"Hmm? The saintess's reaction... does it mean she really doesn't know what her actions represent?"

Looking at the red-haired young woman in front of him, Lius pondered these thoughts, while stroking the slightly glowing diamond ring on his finger again, his inner turmoil intensifying.

The etiquette and customs in this world are largely similar to those in the original world. When someone gives a diamond ring to another person of the opposite sex, it's generally considered a marriage proposal. However, this world also has a new custom: if the ring bears a family crest, it carries family significance and is legally permissible. Therefore, in this situation, the saintess placing the diamond ring on Lius's ring finger symbolizes that she and the blond youth before her are about to become husband and wife.

Upon realizing what was happening, Leus quickly shook his head slightly and, before things got too chaotic, spoke first to the red-haired woman in front of him:

"Wait...wait a minute, Your Holiness, isn't this diamond ring a bit too abrupt? I'm not ready yet." Does it really require so much preparation? Didn't we already say we'd be together with Helen forever? Does it mean that Prince Lius isn't truly prepared for this? The Holy Maiden frowned slightly as she looked at Lius, asking him this question in return.

"Well... that's not what I meant. What I meant was that, Your Excellency, your actions were really... inappropriate. After all, putting the diamond ring on my hand means... means you want it."

"Hmm? Young Master Lius, what's with that expression? Is there something wrong with my behavior?"

Seeing Lius's stammering manner, the saintess tilted her head slightly, seemingly sensing something amiss. Lius nodded slightly, leaned close to the saintess's ear, and slowly spoke:

Your Excellency, your actions... I don't know why you don't quite understand, but in the kingdom, the fact that you put the diamond ring on my hand... actually represents this meaning.

"Hmm?" Leaning close to the young woman's ear, Leus slowly recounted his inner thoughts, explaining the meaning and customs associated with the diamond ring. Upon hearing this, the saintess's eyes gradually widened in surprise, her expression shifting from initial confusion to shock, until she looked at Leus in disbelief, attempting to confirm her suspicions further.

"You...you're serious? Wearing a diamond ring really is equivalent to proposing?"

"Of course... this matter is even written into the kingdom's laws. If you don't believe me, Your Holiness, you can go and see for yourself, and then you will understand completely." Looking at the red-haired young woman in front of him, Lius awkwardly moved away, trying not to see the embarrassing expression on the Holy Maiden's face. At the same time, he gently placed his finger on the diamond ring on his ring finger, wanting to take it off his finger.

"So now... let me take the ring off. Luckily, it's just the two of us here, and no one else will see us. Otherwise, if someone saw me wearing a diamond ring with your mark, Saintess, it would be hard to explain..." As he said this, Lius tightened his grip on the ring, trying to remove it.

However, to his surprise, no matter how hard he tried, or how he twisted and turned the diamond ring, it seemed to have taken root and sprouted, and he could not remove it from his finger. It was firmly attached to Lius's skin and could not be moved in the slightest.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Sensing the strange sensation on his finger, Leus blinked slightly. After several more attempts, it still had no effect. The saintess beside him, upon hearing this, trembled violently, as if she had realized something. Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead, and her initial disbelief faded, replaced by shock and unease. "Young Master Leus... I have a question. If... if some of my magic power were injected into the diamond, would this diamond ring... undergo any change?"

"Hmm? Your Majesty, you... infused it with magic?!"

Faced with the saintess's words, Leus's eyes widened, and he immediately realized what she had done. He then frowned helplessly, looked at the silver-white diamond ring firmly held on his ring finger, and replied with a sigh:

"If that's really the case... then this diamond ring has become a magical contract, symbolizing the unbreakable love between magicians. Only by fulfilling this marriage contract can the ring be removed from their fingers. There is no other way."

"What! A marriage contract?!"

Upon hearing this, the saintess once again showed a look of shock, her entire body frozen in place, unsure of what to do, and could only stare blankly at Lius with her legs tense.

Meanwhile, Lius, sensing the saintess's shocked and terrified gaze, sighed again, glanced at the silvery-white diamond ring in his hand, and nodded slightly.

"That's right, the engagement was made the moment you put this ring on my finger and I instinctively accepted it. It is... the engagement between you and the Holy Maiden."

"Young Master Leus, are you serious? I really want to." That's right.

Looking at the shocked saintess, Lius nodded slightly and stated his final answer:

"In the future, only when Your Excellency and I walk down the aisle together and become husband and wife will this ring be possible to be removed. That is the situation."

Chapter 371: Meeting with the "Holy Maiden" (Part 10)

Some time later, inside the study.

"So, could you tell me again about this diamond ring?"

Looking at the blond boy's hands in front of her, and noticing the constantly shimmering silver ring on his finger, the saintess wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to remain calm, and asked Lius this question.

Meanwhile, feeling the saintess's urgent gaze, Lius helplessly stroked the ring on his hand and nodded slightly.

“I… I understand. Cough cough, let’s start with the magic on the ring. As you know, Your Grace, diamonds are not produced in large quantities in the kingdom, and they are rarely used as a medium for magic. However, diamonds are perfectly suited for the transmission and storage of magic. Therefore, if you put magic into them… you can make them a medium similar to a wand.”

"So, even so, why can't this ring be removed from your hand?" the saintess continued, frowning. "Because you and I each possess our own magic. As this magic dissipates, a sudden intrusion of external magic makes it difficult for the medium to break free from the body. And since a diamond ring is one of the most potent mediums for storing magic, once it's on my hand, it comes into contact with the magic within me, making it impossible to break free for a while," Lius explained.

"Then...why does the magic only disappear when we get married? What's the reason for this? Why is that?"

After asking three questions in a row, the saintess's voice sounded increasingly anxious, and Lius tried to comfort her, explaining as he did so:

"Calm down, Your Grace. It's really nothing to worry about. As long as we try to find a solution, there's more than one way. As for why you have to get married to remove the ring, that actually stems from a characteristic of diamonds."

"A characteristic?" The saintess narrowed her eyes slightly.

"That's right. As mentioned before, diamonds can act as a medium of magic to a certain extent, and the power of this medium is very profound. It can not only store and accumulate magic, but also store some of the feelings and thoughts in other people's hearts. For example, right now, you have used magic to flow your feelings into the ring, so that they can merge with mine."

At this point, Leus looked at the red-haired saintess before him again, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked her:

"Holy Maiden, there is something I would like to confirm: when did you transfer magic power into this ring, and what were you thinking when you did so?"

"What was I thinking at the time...?" Faced with Lius's question, the saintess frowned and pondered for a moment, then spoke hesitantly, "At that time, when I took the ring off my hand, I began to channel magic into it, wanting it to be my symbol. When you meet Helen later, showing this ring would make Helen trust you more. So at that time, my thought was... that you, Prince Lius, would hold the ring in your hand, wearing this symbol that belongs to me, to attend the upcoming date or even the wedding."

"That's right... At that time, Your Excellency, you were only thinking about marriage, but you didn't confirm your true thoughts. You only had images of me in your mind and were thinking about me, but you didn't consider Helen. As a result, the thought that you wanted me to marry Helen was mistaken for the idea that you wanted me to marry you, which ultimately led you and me to sign this marriage contract."

"Is...really so? But if such a thing really happened, then both of us should have had this thought. Even if I was careless at the time and accidentally made a marriage contract with you, if you, Prince Lius, did not have this thought, this should not have happened."

Faced with the young woman's words, Lius awkwardly shifted his gaze slightly, pondering how to answer the saintess's question. Although this "saintess" was inexplicably ignorant about diamond rings, after learning about the underlying principles, she had made this deduction based on her common sense, and this deduction sounded reasonable, leaving Lius unable to find a way to answer it for the time being.

How should he answer...? Should he say that he was startled by the saintess's sudden action and subconsciously agreed with her? Or should he say that he had already fallen for this beautiful red-haired saintess at first sight, and that's why he did this? After some thought, Lius felt that whatever response he gave would sound very strange in the current situation. Therefore, facing the young woman's surprised and intense gaze, he coughed lightly a few times and finally spoke to the red-haired saintess before him:

"Perhaps it's because... Your Excellency looks very much like Helen. When you put the ring on my finger, I accidentally mistook you for her and subconsciously agreed, which led to the marriage contract between us."

"You've made me out to be Helen's version of events to Leus," the saintess said, her eyes narrowing slightly. She seemed momentarily surprised, then a thoughtful look crossed her face. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she pursed her lips and said:

"To see me as my daughter. That's certainly a possibility, but for it to happen at this time... is just too embarrassing."

Chapter 371: Meeting with the "Holy Maiden" (Part 10)

Some time later, inside the study.

"So, could you tell me again about this diamond ring?"

Looking at the blond boy's hands in front of her, and noticing the constantly shimmering silver ring on his finger, the saintess wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to remain calm, and asked Lius this question.

Meanwhile, feeling the saintess's urgent gaze, Lius helplessly stroked the ring on his hand and nodded slightly.

“I… I understand. Cough cough, let’s start with the magic on the ring. As you know, Your Grace, diamonds are not produced in large quantities in the kingdom, and they are rarely used as a medium for magic. However, diamonds are perfectly suited for the transmission and storage of magic. Therefore, if you put magic into them… you can make them a medium similar to a wand.”

"So, even so, why can't this ring be removed from your hand?" the saintess continued, frowning. "Because you and I each possess our own magic. As this magic dissipates, a sudden intrusion of external magic makes it difficult for the medium to break free from the body. And since a diamond ring is one of the most potent mediums for storing magic, once it's on my hand, it comes into contact with the magic within me, making it impossible to break free for a while," Lius explained.

"Then...why does the magic only disappear when we get married? What's the reason for this? Why is that?"

After asking three questions in a row, the saintess's voice clearly grew increasingly anxious, prompting Leus to repeatedly comfort her and offer explanations:

"Calm down, Your Grace. It's really nothing to worry about. As long as we try to find a solution, there's more than one way. As for why you have to get married to remove the ring, that actually stems from a characteristic of diamonds."

“One. A characteristic?” The saintess narrowed her eyes slightly.

"That's right. As mentioned before, the right side of the ring can act as a medium for magic to a certain extent. And the power of this medium is very profound. It can not only store and accumulate magic, but also store some of the feelings and thoughts in other people's hearts. For example, right now, you have poured your feelings into the ring through magic, so that they can merge with me."

At this point, Leus looked at the red-haired saintess before him again, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked her:

"Holy Maiden, there is something I would like to confirm: when did you transfer magic power into this ring, and what were you thinking when you did so?"

"What I was thinking at the time... this."

Faced with Lius's question, the saintess frowned and pondered for a moment, then hesitated before speaking:

"At that time, when I took the ring off my hand, I began to channel magic into it, wanting it to be my symbol. When you meet Helen later, showing this ring to her will make her trust you more. So my thought at the time was... that you, Prince Lius, would hold the ring in your hand, wearing this symbol that belongs to me, to attend your next date or even your wedding."

"That's right... At that time, Your Excellency, you were only thinking about marriage, but you didn't confirm your true thoughts. You only had images of me in your mind and were thinking about me, but you didn't consider Helen. As a result, the thought that you wanted me to marry Helen was mistaken for the idea that you wanted me to marry you, which ultimately led you and me to sign this marriage contract."

"Is...really so? But if such a thing really happened, then both of us should have had this thought. Even if I was careless at the time and accidentally made a marriage contract with you, if you, Prince Lius, did not have this thought, this should not have happened."

Faced with the young woman's words, Leus awkwardly shifted his gaze slightly, pondering how to answer the saintess's question. Although this "saintess" was inexplicably ignorant about diamond rings, after roughly understanding the background, she had made this deduction based on her common sense, and this deduction sounded reasonable, leaving Leus speechless for a moment.

How should he answer...? Should he say that he was startled by the saintess's sudden action and subconsciously agreed with her? Or should he say that he had already fallen for this beautiful red-haired saintess at first sight, and that's why he did this? After some thought, Lius felt that whatever response he gave would sound very strange in the current situation. Therefore, facing the young woman's surprised and intense gaze, he coughed lightly a few times and finally spoke to the red-haired saintess before him:

"Perhaps it's because... Your Excellency looks very much like Helen. When you put the ring on my finger, I accidentally mistook you for her and subconsciously agreed, which led to the marriage contract between us."

"You've made my story into Helen's account to Leus," the saintess said, her eyes narrowing slightly. She seemed momentarily surprised, then a thoughtful look crossed her face. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she pursed her lips and said:

"To see me as my daughter. That's certainly a possibility, but for it to happen at this time... is just too embarrassing."

"Well, in short, after the magic was injected into the ring, the emotions within it were continuously transferred into my body along with the magic, which led to the current situation."

Looking at the red-haired saintess in front of him, Lius once again brought his wandering gaze back, tried to adopt a serious posture, exhaled, and gently raised the silver-white ring in his hand, placing it in front of the saintess.

"Now, we should seriously consider this ring. What are your thoughts on how to remove it, Your Excellency?"

"I...I know nothing about this matter, and I can't give a definite answer if you ask me. Besides, shouldn't you, Prince Lius, know the most about this? Why are you asking me?"