Memory Stone, activate.

Vanessa smiled as she combed the fur of a jade-white little fox lying sprawled on her lap, secretly activating the memory stone.

The other party would never expect her to conjure a memory stone out of thin air.

“Your leg was injured before, right? Does it still hurt? Bear with it a little, I’ll heal you right away.” As she spoke, a soft cherry-blossom-colored glow emanated from Vanessa’s palm, and she cast a basic healing spell on Julianna.

A tingling, numbing sensation spread across Julianna’s hind leg, causing her to let out a few involuntary, charming whimpers.

So this was the healing magic of Varelis?

If she remembered correctly, the light emitted by a [Saint Envoy] only came in three colors: green, white, and gold.

The closer the affinity with the [Saint Envoy], the more the light would lean toward gold.

Only the Saintess’s healing light was pink.

So, she was indeed the Saintess of this generation.

But why had she not heard any news about the succession of the human church’s Saintess?

Was her information network lacking? No, that was absolutely impossible.

It felt as though her entire body was immersed in a warm, hazy spring.

Her body relaxed, and the pain from her wounds was replaced by a soothing, pleasant itch.

It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, but rather like a warm current flowing through her limbs, repairing her damaged body.

During this process, Julianna was astonished to discover that her hidden illness had been suppressed, even showing signs of improvement.

This left her utterly amazed.

After all, this was her only fatal weakness.

For years, she had traveled far and wide, secretly searching for miraculous medicines and ancient methods to cure the congenital hidden illness caused by her bloodline.

She had tried every possible solution, but to no avail.

She had once considered that the [Saint Envoy] magic of the Church of Radiance might be able to heal her.

She had even captured a few renowned nuns from the Church of Radiance and forced them to heal her, but even their golden healing light had no effect on her illness.

A fragment of an ancient alchemy text she had painstakingly found had dashed her last hopes.

It stated: “Congenital defects or illnesses caused by the blood of the Saints can only be resolved by the creators or founders of that bloodline, and even then, it is merely a possibility.”

If even the ancient alchemy geniuses were powerless, what hope was there?

As for the possibility mentioned in the text, it could be ignored entirely.

The ancestors of the Nine-Tailed and Succubus lineages, who had ascended to the ranks of Saints, resurrecting them?

Even if she were Julianna, it was impossible. No one in the world could achieve such a feat.

She had already given up, but now, unexpectedly, a new path had opened.

Through a twist of fate, she had stumbled upon the “cure” for the illness that had plagued her since birth.

Soon, the injury on her leg healed, and Vanessa’s healing spell came to an end.

The warm, comforting sensation that had enveloped her body faded away, like snow melting under the winter sun.

Julianna reluctantly opened her enchanting eyes.

The magical circuits that had just been revitalized by the melting ice were once again frozen solid by the cold.

What was going on? It had seemed like her condition had improved earlier.

Could it be?

As she gazed at the pink-haired girl gently stroking her fur, Julianna thought of a possibility.

The healing spell the girl had cast earlier was relatively weak, likely a low-level spell.

Given the girl’s current level of magical ability, it wasn’t hard to guess that she hadn’t yet learned more advanced healing spells.

If even the most basic healing spell could suppress her illness, what about more advanced ones?

For a moment, a strange glint flashed in Julianna’s eyes, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Miss Saintess, you’re so lucky. Even the heavens don’t want me to kill you now. It seems our fates are intertwined~

Julianna rested her chin on Vanessa’s soft thigh, inhaling the pleasant scent of white tea flowers wafting from the girl’s pink hair.

The women of the Varelis family, though all pretentiously pure on the surface, were indeed breathtakingly beautiful.

Strangely enough, the scent of this woman was something she couldn’t get enough of.

For her, this was utterly baffling.

As a renowned demon lord, countless lesser lords and demon generals had offered her tributes, including priceless alchemical perfumes and luxurious silks.

Yet, neither the scents nor the value of these luxuries had ever held any appeal for her.

They were all left to gather dust in her treasury.

So why did she find the scent of this human woman so captivating?

Julianna narrowed her eyes.

Indeed, killing her would be a waste.

Besides, she was the only “medicine” she had found that could suppress, or even cure, her ailment.

She couldn’t afford to let anything happen to her.

However, the outside world was far too dangerous.

There were many ill-intentioned people out there, and to prevent this naive Saintess from falling into the hands of other villains, she would have no choice but to place her in her own “safe” for protection.

Though she would lose her freedom, she would gain a life of comfort and security.

Wasn’t that a fair trade~?

Julianna had made up her mind, already treating Vanessa as her personal “exclusive medicine.”

As for whether the girl would willingly serve as her medicine?

That wasn’t something Julianna even considered.

The nuns she had captured and brought to her demonic palace had initially refused to heal her, but they had all eventually relented under her “persuasion.”

In her view, personal will was irrelevant and didn’t need to be considered.

There were countless ways to bend someone’s will, and compared to those nuns, this girl was clearly more special.

Therefore, she would take a gentler approach, nothing more.

However, Julianna would never have guessed that the girl before her had already seen through her identity and intentions and had preemptively outmaneuvered her.

Feeling a bit hungry, Vanessa took out a bag of black bread and went to the river to wash her hands.

She elegantly tore off a small piece of bread and placed it in her mouth, chewing slowly.

Even though it was just cheap black bread, Vanessa made it look as though she were savoring a gourmet delicacy.

“Sweetie, are you hungry?” Vanessa’s soft, tender voice was like the whispers of a lover, effortlessly seeping into one’s heart like a spring rain.

Julianna felt her mind waver for a moment, and before she knew it, a piece of bread was held to her mouth.

She sniffed it. Although she wasn’t picky about food, the appearance of this bread was worse than the leftovers her servants ate.

However,

Julianna’s gaze fell on the black bread, or rather, on the slender, jade-like fingers holding it. They were as white as snow, flawless as jade.

Just looking at them made her appetite grow.

After a moment of silence, she took the bread and chewed it slowly.

Despite being accustomed to fine delicacies, she found the taste surprisingly good.