「 A Saintess must never offer her body to any man other than her spouse.
Adultery is grounds for the loss of the Saintess title, and premarital sex is likewise considered adultery. 」
The Quental Church, which serves Goddess Aurora, was known for its strict demand of premarital chastity from its Saintess.
But even more well-known was the following decree:
「 If she has more than one spouse, they must not be allowed to enter one another’s bedchambers. 」
Adultery and premarital sex were forbidden, but having only one husband was not.
However, as husbands were not to fight or engage in intimate relations with one another, it was mandated that they be barred from each other's rooms.
In the Kingdom of Laterre, a nation that followed monogamy, the Saintess alone was permitted to take multiple husbands.
And today, Liliana was holding her second wedding, officiated by the High Priest.
“…To take the Saintess as your lifelong partner means to renounce all worldly power you were born with, and to live henceforth as a follower of Goddess Aurora. No matter how noble your station in the secular world, before the goddess, remember that you are but a mere human. Let this truth be engraved deep in your heart…”
The High Priest repeated himself over and over, like a drunk rambling through a speech.
A yawn threatened to escape, but Saintess Liliana, ever the proper bride, bowed her head and pretended to listen with solemn reverence.
Beside her stood Liber, who, as of today, had become her second husband — utterly motionless.
Liliana stole a sideways glance at him.
Liber was the late king’s youngest son, born late in life, and the current king’s younger brother.
Unlike the crown prince — her peer in age — who was upright in all things and had never once drawn scandal, Liber was a man trailed by rumours of debauchery.
Yet, contrary to those whispers, his lips were sealed in a firm, thoughtful line, and the way his long golden lashes cast shadows over his face, paired with his elegantly sculpted features, lent him a strangely sorrowful air.
‘He’s not just flashy on the outside, right?’
Liliana turned her gaze away from his calm expression, inwardly pouting.
He was the type of man rumoured to have a different woman every week — a walking communal dildo.
His ruby-red eyes, gleaming beneath soft honey-blond hair, were certainly as striking as the stories claimed, but the slight upward lift at the corners of his eyes gave him a faintly fierce look.
‘...As long as he doesn’t act like Altus, I suppose it’s fine.’
Her first husband, Altus, was the commander of the Holy Knights Order, under the same Grand Temple.
His silver hair sparkled brilliantly in the sun, his nose was perfectly sculpted, and beneath strong brows, his deep blue eyes shone with intensity.
A firm jawline gave him an air of confidence, complemented by sun-bronzed skin and a muscular build carved by years of gruelling training.
Among the famously tall and handsome paladins of the Quental Church’s Holy Knights Order, he stood out like a star.
Even Liliana, before their marriage, had made detours past the training grounds just to sneak glances at the way his sweat-drenched shirt clung to his powerful frame.
But in truth, life with him as her husband had been far from satisfying.
Was his dick too small? Did he have terrible breath? Was he a two-pump chump who finished before she could catch her breath?
Amazingly, no.
His kisses were sweet, his touch careful and thorough, his cock large and firm enough to make her gasp when he thrust deep, and he had the stamina to match his knighthood.
There wasn’t a single thing lacking physically.
The problem was simply that he was a straight-laced, by-the-book Holy Knight.
Sex with Altus happened three times a week, always on fixed days, and always in the missionary position.
They had never tried it anywhere but the bed, and never more than once a night.
If she cautiously brought it up, pretending to be worried, saying, “Isn’t it boring to do it the same way? One more time wouldn’t hurt,” he would respond like this:
“The Goddess is watching us, Saintess.”
Surely Goddess Aurora wasn’t some kind of divine voyeur watching even this.
But with the name of a god invoked, what could a Saintess say in protest? She couldn’t very well insist it was fine and push for more.
In the end, Liliana had no choice but to grow accustomed to their rigid, formulaic sex life.
Liber’s sudden proposal had arrived just as her dissatisfaction with sex with Altus was beginning to pile up.
An experienced, promiscuous prince — if she were only allowed one husband, he’d have been the last man she’d choose.
But since a Saintess was permitted to have multiple husbands, there was no real reason to turn him down.
“...Then, the Saintess’s first husband will now present the wine and flowers.”
After the tedious congratulatory speeches, the wedding was finally reaching its final moments.
As always, the tall, handsome man stood straight, and when their eyes met, he gave a faint, almost hidden smile before turning to Liber.
The wine and flowers personally prepared by the first husband were a gesture of hospitality, showing that he wouldn’t be territorial toward the second husband but would welcome him as family.
Liber took a sip of the wine in his glass and accepted the brightly blooming flowers.
Watching this whole sequence unfold, Liliana quietly prayed to herself.
‘My Mother, [1] my Aurora. Please let me have an incredible night with this husband. I know Altus is far too stiff for something like this, but... if the three of us end up doing it together, I wouldn’t say no.’
Just then, the statue of the goddess standing behind the altar gave off a soft, shimmering glow.
Liliana blinked, startled, but quickly brushed it off.
It was probably just a trick of the chandelier light — nothing more.
・・・・・
After the ceremony ended, Liliana prepared for her wedding night in Liber’s room. A few unfamiliar priestesses helped with the preparations, offering her quiet, gentle reassurances.
“...The STI tests have all come back clean, so please don’t worry too much, Saintess.”
Thanks to the careful image she’d maintained, it seemed everyone in the temple assumed she’d reluctantly accepted the proposal to preserve harmony between the temple and the palace.
Liliana saw no reason to correct that misunderstanding.
“No need to worry. Whatever his past may be, he’s my partner now.”
Her soft reply drew a sigh from the priestesses — part concern, part resignation. One of them murmured under their breath:
“Sir Altus must be feeling quite hurt…”
It was spoken with concern, but clearly came from someone who didn’t know how Altus had reacted when she told him about the marriage.
Liliana remembered him nodding calmly, without so much as a flicker of emotion, and smiled silently to herself.
As she smoothed the hem of her gown, she suddenly lifted her head.
“Looks like Liber is running late.”
“He wouldn’t want to fall short in serving the Saintess. After all, he’s lived his whole life in the palace…”
“He will come after cleansing his body and mind, so please wait just a little longer.”
As they tidied the bedding once more, their voices gentle, Liliana gave a slow nod and let out a long yawn. Her eyelids felt unusually heavy.
Someone chuckled softly.
“You must be exhausted. Liber likely won’t arrive for at least another hour — feel free to rest a bit if you’d like.”
“...Are you sure that’s all right?”
“Of course. We’ll wake you when he arrives.”
The warmth in their voices washed over her, and Liliana nodded without meaning to.
She’d felt completely fine just moments ago, but now that she’d been permitted to rest, sleepiness came crashing in like a wave.
“Here, here — lie down, Saintess.”
One of the priestesses gently guided her to the bed.
The voice was sweet, almost coaxing. Without resistance, Liliana lay down just as instructed.
And as her consciousness began to slip, a fleeting thought passed through her mind:
‘Who are these people? There shouldn’t be any priestesses in the temple, I don’t recognise…’
But the hand that gently comforted her was kind, and the bed was as soft as lying on a cloud.
Liliana drifted off to sleep just like that, without a thought of what might happen next.
Translator's Corner:
[1] In this short story, Saintess Liliana refers to Goddess Aurora as "(my) Mother" (어머니). The manhwa translations just replace it as "Goddess Aurora", but I've kept it as "Mother" for consistency. In this context, "Mother" is similar to the phrase "Holy Mother" and is used as a title to refer to Goddess Aurora, the divine maternal figure.
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