Julia had put it beautifully, claiming that the body of the Holy See was pure and untainted, and required no other mortal objects to defile this sacredness.
The holy robe represented his status, while the olive branch crown symbolized hope and peace, and the white lilies signified purity, solemnity, and eternal life.
With all these seemingly reasonable explanations, Lu Li had been unable to refute her.
And so, when he donned the holy robe, wore the olive crown, held the fresh flowers, and stood barefoot on the soft carpet before that woman, he instantly felt a burning gaze land upon him.
The studio was by no means small, but as the youth's figure stepped closer and the golden sunlight streamed through the window, reaching up to his waist, Julia felt as though the entire world had shrunk—shrunk to the point where her eyes had nowhere else to look.
The warm sunlight gradually washed over the youth's chest and shoulders like a rising tide, eventually submerging his soft, pale golden hair as well.
Enveloped in the sunlight, he seemed to merge with the glow; the light became him, and he became the light.
Julia's gaze was far too captivated, forcing Lu Li to let out a soft cough to wake her. Otherwise, at this rate, there was no telling when they would actually begin the painting.
“Ahem...”
As the youth's voice rang out, it was as if a start switch had been pressed, and Julia's eyes instantly regained their clarity.
Yet, breathing in the sweet fragrance filling the air, she found herself momentarily unable to distinguish whether it was the scent of the flowers or the scent of him.
Slowly adjusting her breathing, she said, “Your Holiness, please turn slightly to the side.”
Lu Li shifted his body as requested. However, apart from the olive crown on his head, the only thing covering his entire body was this holy robe, which could barely be considered not thin.
Last time, he had been able to stand before Julia completely naked without any psychological pressure. This time, even though he had the cover of the holy robe, a sense of embarrassment welled up in his heart instead.
Through the sunlight, the silhouette of the youth's body was clearly reflected in Julia's eyes.
Struggling to control her breathing, she signaled for the youth to look at her, then gently tugged at the shoulder of her own coat under his gaze.
Lu Li instantly understood her hint and could not help but curse inwardly. But then he thought, since things had already come to this, a little more wouldn't hurt.
Thus, he raised his hand to tug at his robe. However, the resulting scene was a far cry from the expected scenario.
Julia's gaze locked for a split second before she rapidly lifted her paintbrush. On the paper, the image of the youth with downcast eyes, his fingertips tightly clutching the half-revealing holy robe as he cradled the pure white flowers in his arms, instantly sprang to life.
Seeing that she had already begun to paint, even though the pose was slightly awkward and uncomfortable, Lu Li still did his best to remain absolutely still.
If a tiny issue forced Julia to start over, he would be the one losing out big time.
And so, he stood there for an unknown amount of time. By the time Julia finally stopped her paintbrush, the sunlight had already shifted its angle.
“Are we done?” Lu Li asked.
The muscles in his entire body were on the verge of stiffening. Had it not been for the power condensed from faith within him supporting his body, he probably would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Julia nodded slightly at his words. “Thank you for your hard work, Your Holiness.”
Hearing this, Lu Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“It's finally done.”
As he spoke, he discarded the small white flowers in his hand without hesitation, then plopped onto the floor, completely abandoning any sense of propriety.
However, Julia's next words were like a heavy hammer slamming into him:
“Not quite. It will take at least another two days to fully complete it.”
“Two days?!”
Lu Li collapsed to the floor, dead inside.
Like a victim of a sudden disaster from above, he could only squirm and crawl on the floor.
...
The evening sky was suffused with a blood-like red.
Upon leaving the studio, Julia was not wearing her red robes. Instead, she was draped in a new model of military overcoat, a design conceptualized by Lu Li and crafted by a master designer from the Logos Foundry.
The overcoat's base color was a deep lead gray. As she walked, she looked like dark storm clouds swept along by wild winds right before a torrential downpour.
“My Lady.”
The knights spotted the approaching figure from afar, and each of them instinctively straightened their spine.
“How is the situation being handled?”
Julia did not step into the manor. She merely cast a calm glance into its depths, her nose catching the faint scent of thick blood drifting in the air.
“Reporting, My Lady! The heretics have been completely purged!” a knight reported in a loud, clear voice.
The one replying to her was the captain of the knight squad sent by the Bureau of Heresy Inquisition to carry out the purge. Her team had clearly done a good job; otherwise, her voice would not have been so loud and confident.
“Well done!”
Julia reached out to pat her on the shoulder and encouraged, “The Holy See will always be watching over you.”
With time short and the stakes high, the laying of the railway would determine whether the Holy State could defeat Northland's army with absolute speed before the Havaron Empire had time to react.
Therefore, the plan to purge the corrupt nobles within the Holy State over these two days could not afford any mistakes; she had to oversee it personally to put her mind at ease.
The desperate death struggles of the canal nobility were forcefully suppressed by the order of knights. Seeing their ringleader crushed like a clown with a single slap, the remaining minor nobles were forced to behave themselves.
In just a single day, this bloody storm was already drawing to a close.
As for Julia, the young Cardinal known as the ‘Unmelting Ice of the Holy State,’ she gained another title as a result—the ‘Crimson Blade of the Holy State.’
Compared to the Unmelting Ice, Julia indeed preferred this latest moniker, because only a sharp blade could make the enemies of the Holy State truly feel terror and tremble.
...
“Your Holiness, it is completely finished.”
As Julia's words fell, Lu Li once again collapsed onto the soft carpet, entirely abandoning his image.
Three days! Do you have any idea how I survived these past three days?
For three consecutive days, he had to wake up early, wash up, eat, and then come to the studio to stand in a pose for an entire day.
He had no idea where on earth a busy person like Julia managed to squeeze out the time to paint him every single day. He clearly remembered that she was supposed to be busy to death.
“Do you want to take a look?” Julia asked, looking down at the youth lying on the floor.
Hearing this, Lu Li immediately rolled over and scrambled up from the floor. Of course he wanted to see it! He had put in so much effort. It was already a loss that he wasn't the absolute first to see the finished product, and now she might not even show him?
In her dreams!
“Uh...”
He walked to Julia's side and stared at the beautiful youth on the canvas, momentarily at a loss for words.
It was certainly beautiful, and the composition was highly artistic, but... why did he feel that Julia had painted him to look inexplicably sensual?
“Isn't there something a bit off here?”
“Right here.”
Lu Li extended a finger, pointing slightly toward his own eyes in the portrait, which seemed to shimmer like ripples on water.
“Is there?” Julia tilted her head, her tone earnest as she said, “But I think it looks very sacred!”
Lu Li: “...”
Sacred, my foot.
Rate on N.U.
