Chapter 167 Brother Xia, nothing happened - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

As a unique religion where all clergy are women with only a few rare male followers, the Silent Church seldom permits men to enter its premises. After all, in mythological stories, the Moon Goddess is extremely fond of beauty and greatly appreciates it. Thus, aside from the beautiful women of various races, only the elves can become Her followers without hindrance. Under normal circumstances, Sia should not be qualified to enter the church. Especially during the night when a curfew is enforced. Yet, he has never been one to follow the conventional path. After a series of twists and turns, Sia managed to break through the church’s stringent guards and obstacles, incapacitating several nuns, before finally reaching Tiya's room door. As the Silent Saintess, she held a high status within the church, residing alone on the top floor of the Moonlight Monastery. Sia frequently visited her in this manner, and thus, it felt somewhat routine to him. Earlier, when he glanced up at her window, he noticed the light was on, dispelling the last of his doubts. Clearly, given her quiet nature, she wouldn’t attend a noisy noble banquet. Sia decided to keep his thoughts to himself and refrained from questioning her. After all, as soon as he voiced such inquiries, it would imply suspicion toward her, and he did not wish for their relationship to suffer. With this in mind, he gently knocked on the door. Moments later, a somewhat low voice sounded from within. “Sister, didn’t I say I wanted to be alone for a while?” Upon hearing this, Sia was momentarily stunned. From her tone, it seemed Tiya was troubled by something? He furrowed his brow slightly. “It’s me, Tiya. I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d check on you.” “Ah!” Upon recognizing the voice outside, Tiya inside let out a startled cry. If one listened carefully, there was even a tinge of guilt and fear in her voice. Sia stood silently at the door, hearing the flurry of activity from within. Moments later, the door opened. At that moment, Tiya was in a moon-white nightgown, which concealed her enchanting figure, revealing only her slender legs and delicate feet, bare on the floor. Due to their proximity, Sia could even sense the subtle dampness and fragrance emanating from her. In the light of the room, he saw Tiya’s brown hair cascading over her shoulders and back, slightly damp, as if she had just finished bathing. Her face bore no makeup, yet she appeared extraordinarily fresh and lovely. “Brother Sia.” Though troubled by her emotions, Tiya didn’t want him to know everything that happened tonight. Thus, upon seeing Sia, a sense of reassurance washed over her as she masked her tired and troubled expression, presenting a gentle smile. Yet, Sia still perceived her inner unrest and seemed prompted by a thought. “Has someone been bullying you?” Sia asked, frowning, a flicker of coldness in his eyes. Was it him who had bullied me, or I him? By now, it was hard to tell. Tiya thought silently, maintaining her smile: “Of course not, I just handled a lot of church affairs today and got a bit tired, so I vented to the sisters. Don’t worry about it, Brother Sia.” “I see.” Sia heaved a sigh of relief, genuinely putting the matter aside, “It's good to hear there's nothing wrong.” Noticing he didn't press further, a trace of disappointment flickered in Tiya’s eyes. Logically, steering him away from tonight’s incidents was indeed the right choice. Yet the issue is, women aren’t always rational beings. They often lean towards the emotional, the kind who ask, “Do you not love me anymore?” And Tiya was no exception. Despite her usual calm and indifferent demeanor, appearing almost emotionless, she was, after all, a woman. At this moment, she hoped Sia might be more assertive, persisting in his inquiry and fully embodying his masculine determination. Unfortunately, he seemed a bit oblivious and didn't catch on. Perhaps this was one of Brother Sia’s endearing qualities. Tiya consoled herself internally. As the silence began to settle, Sia intended to strike up a conversation. At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Tiya’s slender wrist hidden beneath her robe. Her originally fair and delicate skin now showed signs of being rubbed, appearing slightly reddened and swollen. Sia knew she had a tendency for cleanliness but never realized it was to such an extent. “Your hand…” He pointed instinctively. Hearing this, Tiya was momentarily dazed, instinctively looking down. Realizing what Sia meant, she hurriedly tucked her wrist back into her sleeve. Ever since leaving Lynn, she felt as though she had been tainted, with every area that had come into contact with him making her feel uncomfortable. Hence upon returning, she had scrubbed herself repeatedly with soap and shower gel, silently crying amidst the flowing warm water. Anyone unaware might think she had been defiled. Only after she felt she had cleansed the filth left by Lynn did she leave the bathroom. But this was something Sia mustn’t discover. Sorry, Brother Sia. A wave of guilt rushed upon her heart. She had vowed to devote her entire self to the man before her, yet another had touched her first. Sia finally sensed something amiss; his expression stern, “Tiya, are you okay? You seem different tonight.” Taking a deep breath, Tiya forced a smile: “There’s nothing wrong, Brother Sia. Nothing happened.” “And you…” “Brother Sia, I want to hold your hand.” For reasons unknown, Tiya suddenly gathered the courage to whisper, rising slightly on her toes. This time, it was Sia’s turn to be taken aback. Simultaneously, a sense of joy emerged within him. Though they had become close at heart, physical contact such as holding hands was rare. All because of that damned goddess's blessing. Her initiative to hold hands was entirely unexpected. The doubts in his mind were temporarily cast aside. Seeing Tiya’s blushing face, he offered a gentle smile and lightly held her slender, soft hand. The atmosphere became subtly romantic. Sia’s heart rate quickened as he immersed himself in the tenderness. Yet, moments later, he felt the delicate hand tremble, then withdraw from his grasp. A hint of disappointment surfaced in Sia’s heart. “Tiya, are you…” He looked up instinctively but saw her face pale and somewhat lost, tears brimming in her eyes. Then, the unexpected happened. “Brother Sia, I’m not feeling well, so... sorry.” For some reason, after leaving those words, Tiya retreated, quietly closing the door. Leaving Sia alone in the night air, bewildered. Much time passed before he, still filled with doubt, melted back into the darkness. What happened to Tiya? As Sia left the Silent Church, such puzzle-filled questions lingered in his heart. Wh—Why has my body become like this? Pale, Tiya gazed at her own hands. Acknowledging Sia's departure, the restrained tears finally flowed silently. Her strength leaving her body, she slid down the door until she sat on the floor. Why? Why did things turn out this way? Recalling the deep-seated disgust and pain she felt while holding Sia's hand, she felt utterly shattered. Before this happened, Tiya did harbor a bit of curiosity about trying something out. After all, that guy's claims seemed quite unreliable, and the curse about feeling disgust towards all females was equally dubious. So Tiya wondered if the blessing from the goddess had perhaps weakened over time. However, the aftermath of her recent attempt still lingered in her heart, refusing to fade. Her love for Sia ran deep, yet she couldn't physically accept him. Conversely, she despised Lynn to the point of wanting to kill him, yet he turned out to be the only man in her life capable of physical contact. It's the contrast that causes harm. At this moment, the deeper her feelings for Sia, the more devastating the emotional gap. It was never supposed to be like this. Tiya wiped her ever-flowing tears, shaking her head desperately. A somber atmosphere filled the air. No, this can't go on. Suddenly, Tiya realized something. Lynn was the culprit of all this mess. He approached her with ill intentions right from the beginning. Her current wavering stemmed from all his previous actions. She didn't understand the mechanics or the reason she could make physical contact with him, but it was likely some underhanded scheme. Thus, if she could uncover his deceitful methods, it might ease her inner turmoil. With this thought, her tears gradually ceased. So, everything circled back to her original plan. If she could find a way to control his consciousness before he spoke, there wouldn’t be further complications. With this in mind, Tiya hurriedly stood up and quickly moved to her desk. The forbidden texts she had been researching weren't yet finished. She decided to read through them overnight. However, just as she was about to sit down, Tiya’s bare foot felt something rough beneath it. Looking down, she saw it was a palm-sized rune paper. Tiya bent down to pick it up and examined the pattern in the light. It was a green magical rune, resembling a vertical eye, able to pierce into souls. Did it fall out from the book? Why did it seem so familiar? Clinging to a bit of confusion, Tiya quickly flipped the thick book open, searching for something specific. Soon, a similar mark appeared on one of the pages. “The Order of the Mind? A relic of the Arcane Empire? And…” “Hypnosis?” As rows of text came into view, Tiya's lips parted slightly in surprise. Moments later, she slowly lifted her head, green eyes sparkling with a newfound glimmer of hope. According to the forbidden text, the rune paper bore a matrix capable of hypnotizing others. By affixing it to a part of the body, the Eye of the Mind mark would imprint on the skin. Following this, by channeling supernatural power to activate it and revealing the Eye of the Mind to the target, hypnosis could be achieved. This was precisely what Tiya needed most at the moment. But where should she place it? Suppressing some excitement, Tiya began pondering over this question. Moments later, she had her answer. In the light, Tiya gently attached the yellowed rune paper to the palm of her right hand. Considering concealment and convenience, the palm seemed like the best option. A mere lift of the hand could complete the hypnosis. With this thought, Tiya prepared to activate the rune paper’s power with her supernatural force, to imprint the Eye of the Mind onto her palm. However, as is often the case, the unexpected happened. Perhaps due to the prolonged washing earlier, which left her hand muscles sore, or possibly her exhausted mind and body. Either way, as soon as the rune paper emitted green light, her hand slipped. Then Tiya watched helplessly as the glowing paper floated gently down to her inner thigh. She reached to pick it up, but it was too late. In an instant, a searing sensation transmitted through the skin to the flesh of her thigh, adhering as tightly as a brand. Due to the passage of time, the rune paper emptied its last bit of power, turning to ashes and vanishing into the air. All that remained was a dull Eye of the Mind mark, stubbornly situated at the base of her thigh. Any closer and it would have been in a rather unspeakable, intimate area. Staring at this sight, Tiya froze. The next second, panicking, she rubbed the area vigorously, attempting to erase the mark. However, it was in vain. Once marked, the only way to remove it was by exceeding the usage limit. But… how could she perform hypnosis if the mark was in such an embarrassing location?! She couldn’t possibly lift her skirt each time she met him just to show the mark?! At this moment, Tiya felt utterly helpless and foolish. Did I really just fool myself like this? The scent of blood? Lynn, walking past the third floor, noticed something unusual. The smell coming from the depths of the hallway made him frown. Without much hesitation, Lynn paused and began to head towards the end of the corridor, intent on finding out what was happening. The princess was presently within the mansion, granting Lynn a strong sense of security. Just what had transpired? A sense of confusion filled his heart. As he walked, he suddenly felt his foot step into something sticky. Blood. In an instant, Lynn’s judgment was clear. It wasn’t because he was particularly familiar with blood, but rather a factual deduction. Lynn came to a slow halt. In the dim moonlight, he observed what lay ahead, his pupils constricting, and he instinctively covered his mouth and nose. On what should have been a display platform for antiques, lay what appeared to be a human figure. Indeed, a single 'piece'. Deemed a piece because its limbs and head had been severed, piled up nearby like offerings. Someone had died. On this seemingly ordinary night, within this seemingly normal mansion. Being the first witness at the crime scene, Lynn barely discerned what lay on the ground in the moonlight. Lines drawn with coagulated blood were rough and grotesque, like a child’s chaotic doodles, forming a hideous and wrathful monstrous face. In an instant, Lynn recognized the face’s source. The Lord of Malice, Kushusten! It matched the cursed imprint left in his mental world perfectly! Amidst the absurdity and horror, Lynn’s brow furrowed deeply. In the moonlight, he also noticed the severed head appeared to be wearing a mask. A crow-faced full mask. The very one he had used earlier to conceal his identity, traded from someone else. A coincidence? Or was the murderer’s target actually me? Stunned, Lynn briefly pondered. Moments later, a piercing scream abruptly sounded from behind him. “Ah!!!” Turning, Lynn saw a maid of the mansion collapse in terror, her face ashen, overwhelmed by the horrifying scene. Upon seeing the blood stains on Lynn’s chest, she seemed to misconstrue something, panic-stricken as she scrambled away. At the same time, her frantic screams filled the mansion. “Murder! Murder!” Please vote for me!