Hero? Are You Worthy?

The new Holy Daughter?

Angelica's eyes widened drastically, and her breath even became somewhat rapid, an excited gleam flashing within the depths of her eyes. She had thought it was already an incredible stroke of fortune to have escaped from the clutches of Rose Vesper, never having imagined that there would still be a hope of becoming the Holy Daughter once again.

Ever since she joined the God Sect at a very young age, she had been striving to become the Holy Daughter, never expecting to plummet overnight from heaven to hell, from Saintess Candidate to Maid.

She thought that being the Holy Daughter was already out of her reach.

In an instant, Angelica felt a fervent heat within her chest, a strong impulse surging forth.

Yet quickly, a hint of doubt surfaced on Angelica's face.

Excited?

It seemed... not so much.

Angelica had thought that this sudden stimulus might cause her to leap up in excitement, but to her surprise, the fervor in her heart only persisted for a brief moment before rapidly cooling down.

The words "Holy Daughter" seemed to have lost much of their allure to her.

The only thing that somewhat interested Angelica was that if she became the Holy Daughter, she could rightfully be with Qin Chu and become his wife.

She was very clear about why she was being treated as she was now.

Everything was because of Qin Chu.

If Qin Chu hadn't chosen her, would Augustus have stopped Rose Vesper from killing her? No!

If Qin Chu hadn't chosen her, would Augustus have promised to restore her honor and let her become the next Holy Daughter? No!

All that she had now was given by Qin Chu. The promises of Augustus to her were merely to use her to influence and control Qin Chu, in order to enhance the influence of the God Sect.

Now things were different from the past; to make her work, they had to give her some enticement.

Regardless of the reason, even if it was just for her body, only Qin Chu truly treated her as a real person. In the eyes of Augustus, she was nothing but a tool.

Simply because Qin Chu had chosen her, everything around her had changed.

Angelica sneered in her heart, but her face showed none of it. Until she could leave the God Sect and reach the Hero's side, she was never truly safe. She didn't yet have the capital to refuse Augustus.

"Your Holiness the Pope, I understand," Angelica answered as such.

Augustus was very satisfied with Angelica's answer, nodding slightly, "Good, do well, and the God Sect will not forget your sacrifices."

Watching Angelica's back as she left, Augustus's eyes also narrowed into slits.

Murderous intent flickered in his eyes; he could tell that Angelica was not truly submissive. For a wily old bird like him, if he couldn't even discern the thoughts of a young girl, that would be too pathetic.

But still he did not act. With the Hero being new to the scene, he didn't want to create unnecessary complications at this time. It was he who had asked Angelica to return to the God Sect; if she were to die within, no matter whether it was the work of the God Sect or not, it would surely cause the Hero to harbor dissatisfaction towards the God Sect.

In the Holy Daughter's room, Rose Vesper sat in front of her dressing table, the mirror shattered into pieces.

She kneaded her cheeks with her hands, adjusting the expressions on her face. She was the Holy Daughter, after all; she had to maintain elegance and beauty at all times. The impulsiveness she had just displayed was truly improper.

The crisp sound of a knock on the door came through. Rose Vesper did not even lift her head, "Come in!"

She knew who it was.

Indeed, the figure of Augustus appeared at the doorway.

"Rose Vesper, did you just want to kill Angelica?" Glancing casually over the disheveled room, Augustus pretended not to notice, his voice somewhat hoarse.

He was irritated. The Hero was a law unto himself, disrupting many of Augustus's plans, forcing him to lower his own status to do some appeasing work.

"Your Holiness the Pope, how could that be? No matter what, I would not go so far as to kill Angelica within the God Sect," Rose Vesper replied with a smile, her tone carrying little respect for the Pope.

When alone, the difference between her demeanor in the presence of others and in private was perhaps a bit too great.

And Augustus's attitude towards Rose Vesper was completely unaffected; he did not mind at all, seemingly long accustomed to it.

"That's good. Angelica cannot die just yet..." Augustus's eyelids drooped, "If, after Angelica's death, Qin Chu would choose you, then her death wouldn't matter. But the key is if she died, it would likely provoke Qin Chu's animosity towards the God Sect, which would only push Qin Chu into opposition against us, to the advantage of Saint Monica and Wozworth. You know those two old foxes have always been eyeing Qin Chu."

Her gaze drifted down, Rose Vesper looked at the tips of her fingers, nails sharp like knives, still trembling slightly.

Even as she strived to adjust her mood, the killing intent was still difficult to suppress.

"Don't blame me."

"Angelica must die," Augustus continued to say.

"Angelica's heart is full of hatred towards the God Sect, and she will no longer stand truly with us, but even if we must kill her, we have to completely clear the God Sect's involvement, understand?"

Her gaze flowed, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up, ultimately standing with a graceful curtsy, "I will heed His Holiness the Pope's command, I understand…"

Her figure floated by like a startled swan, her face adorned with a beautiful smile.

"You are my godfather, I was able to become the Saintess largely thanks to His Holiness the Pope's help, I've always remembered your kindness, gratitude is what I feel, how could I dare blame His Holiness the Pope?"

Her voice was gentle and clear as a bell.

But, Augustus's face had turned somewhat ugly.

He did not continue to dwell on this matter, "Then, you should rest early; if I remember correctly, you have a tea party hosted by the Grand Duke's house tomorrow, don't show up looking haggard, it would disgrace the image of the God Sect."

Augustus turned to leave, but at the very moment he turned, that kindly face horrifyingly twisted, his azure eyes becoming blood-red.

Twisted like a malevolent demon.

Rose Vesper, that damned bastard…

Augustus's thoughts drifted back to the past.

The primary deity worshipped by the Holy Court was the Holy Light Goddess.

But besides her, other divine entities were also venerated: the Sun God, the War God, the Elemental God, amongst numerous other deities.

Within the Church Court, the Pope held the highest and most unique position.

Below the Pope, there were two esteemed roles: the Saint Heir and the Holy Daughter.

Only the most pure and beautiful youths could serve as the Saint Heir and the Holy Daughter; they were the public image of the God Sect.

The Saint Heir and the Holy Daughter existed to serve the divine.

On the surface, that was so, yet in reality, the God Sect never offered the Saint Heir and Holy Daughter as sacrifices to the deities. The so-called service was nothing more than kneeling devoutly before the Divine Statue once a year to pray.

Within the God Sect, marriage was never prohibited.

Although there were those who chose to remain unmarried to demonstrate their devotion, they were after all the minority; the desire to procreate is a fundamental human instinct.

Even the noble Saint Heir and Holy Daughter, once they reached an age where they were no longer suitable for serving the divine, many would choose to marry and have children.

In his youth, Augustus had been the Saint Heir.

And the Holy Daughter of his era was named… Rose Philis!

Perhaps it was because of their equally exalted statuses or perhaps because they often had to study various ceremonies together; they became the people they spent the most time with in each other's lives.

There were no dramatic stories, only the tranquility of mild affection.

Neither Augustus nor Rose Philis knew exactly when they started to fancy each other.

Even Augustus had his youthful days, after all.

They liked each other but had never tasted the forbidden fruit; they still followed the rules of the God Sect, maintaining purity of body while serving as the Saint Heir and Holy Daughter.

That shallow, sweet, warm tenderness was enough to make them both feel happy.

It came to be the annual day of service to the divine.

This was the last time Augustus and Rose Philis would serve the divine.

With intertwined fingers at the temple door, they promised that after tonight, they would no longer be the Saint Heir and Holy Daughter; they would make their romance public…

And then, marry!

Embracing the beautiful hopes for the future, they stepped into the Temple.