"The Pope has given an order: the Holy Maiden must return to her homeland and is not allowed to stay in Dibiles any longer!"

The "messenger pigeon" served as the "mouthpiece," responsible for conveying the message of the blue-robed bishop;

The blue-robed bishop was the same;

Although she was the one directly talking to Cyan, this time, the main purpose was merely to relay a higher level of will.

This sudden recall order from the Pope had nothing to do with the blue-robed bishop; in fact, it was orchestrated by the purple-robed bishop behind the scenes.

Of course, Cyan was unaware of the role played by the purple-robed bishop in this matter;

She simply thought that the Pope wanted to restrain her, someone who hadn't been following the rules recently, and therefore required the blue-robed bishop to deliver the order.

Naturally, who initiated this matter was not important; what mattered was that Cyan did not want to leave.

Before receiving a forced order, Cyan's plan was to delay as much as possible, preferably until she became a nobody, slowly forgotten by the Pope's country;

And once the order came, Cyan's plan to procrastinate would remain the same.

The only difference was:

Before, Cyan had lingered indefinitely in Dibiles under the guise of a "pilgrimage";

Now, Cyan would agree to leave on the surface, but would actually use "packing up" as an excuse to stay here for a year or more until the Pope changed his mind.

And when responding to the blue-robed bishop, Cyan said:

"Understood, I will return as soon as possible. Anything else, Blue?"

"There is, it is still regarding this matter!"

After a short while, Cyan vaguely heard the sound of gurgling, seemingly from the side that was speaking, currently taking a sip of water to moisten their throat.

The "messenger pigeon" mimicked the blue-robed bishop's throat movements to prevent the transmitted voice from changing.

After finishing the water, the blue-robed bishop, using a clearer voice than before, continued:

"Holy Maiden, the Pope orders you to depart today and must arrive at our country's border within three days!"

According to this statement, Cyan thought:

If the blue-robed bishop was not joking or intentionally playing with her, then her plan to delay would be completely thwarted.

The Pope's order was too firm, restricting almost all the tricks and means Cyan could think of, leaving almost no room for maneuver.

Now, Cyan could only try to find a breakthrough from the blue-robed bishop.

Acting cute and coquettish would definitely not work; this method was absolutely not feasible.

Since a soft approach wouldn't work, Cyan had to resort to a more assertive tactic, such as threatening!

At this moment, a smile lurked at the corners of Cyan's lips, still appearing cheerful; however, within that smile, there was a hint of danger.

"Blue, besides being the 'Archbishop of the Pope's country,' I know you have another identity. Are you not afraid I might reveal that layer of your identity?"

Once this statement was made, even the usually calm blue-robed bishop's tone changed slightly, with a hint of apprehension evident in their words:

"Holy Maiden, are you joking with me?"

"Let's just say I am joking, then please, Blue, listen to my joke next."

Cyan's threat was not baseless but hit the blue-robed bishop's weak spot directly.

With this advantageous leverage in hand, Cyan tried to present her own terms for the exchange:

"Blue, can you do me a favor and pretend the pigeon didn't find me? Okay?"

"......"

"People can only live well through cooperation, or rather: only by avoiding turning from 'well' to 'bad.' I don't need to teach you this lesson a second time."

"Holy Maiden, I understand. I'll try to cover up the pigeon matter."

"Very well, then let me help you out with another favor by coming up with a suitable excuse."

With a determined expression, she reached out and grabbed the plump pigeon.

Although the pigeon's touch didn't connect with the conversational side, Bishop Blue still sensed that something was amiss and immediately questioned, "What are you doing, Holy Maiden?"

"I'm helping you think of a diversion. After this, just report: on the way to find me, the pigeon was caught by a naughty girl and turned into breakfast soup ingredients!"

"Oh, Holy Maiden!"

Now, no matter what Bishop Blue says, it won't help.

The pigeon was caught and later lost consciousness; the evidence being:

If the pigeon had not lost consciousness, this conversation would not have unilaterally ended;

And the sound of bubbling in the pot would not have filled her ears...

This pigeon appeared at just the right time.

Lucia was already troubled by the food situation, but the Pope's side sent such a gift that could alleviate the urgent need.

It was truly a heartfelt gift from afar, carrying much weight—literally!

Cooking soup took a lot of time, and Wang Xiaole thought Lucia would be back soon, expecting she would maybe make some bread or something simple;

However, when Lucia brought in a large pot of pigeon soup after an hour and a half, Wang Xiaole was truly dumbfounded;

He never expected a simple breakfast to turn into such a lavish meal;

Amidst his shock, Wang Xiaole felt grateful to Lucia deep down.

After mourning the pigeon turned black meat dish for thirty seconds, the breakfast could officially begin.

Regardless of how the meal tasted, it was all Lucia's thoughtful gesture;

Whenever he thought of this, Wang Xiaole suddenly felt the courage to pick up his chopsticks.

Lucia and Mewo White could not refuse, as even if they were unwilling, they had to eat the soup;

And in this regard, Wang Xiaole, who volunteered to sacrifice, was their best supervisor.

As Wang Xiaole put the pigeon meat into his mouth, he was greeted with a familiar heavy taste, as expected.

Although the flavor was nothing new, after a few bites, Wang Xiaole subtly sensed that something was amiss.

Both Lucia and Mewo White failed to notice the slight sense of discord he felt at that moment.

With their calm reactions as reference, theoretically:

Even if Wang Xiaole afterwards concluded he was "overthinking" to convince his overly sensitive self, it was still not an unusual response.

However, he wouldn't budge! Wang Xiaole was a person with a strong sense of self-awareness, not easily swayed by others or even himself, often sticking to his own opinions.

Therefore, he would later say to the young woman sitting across from him, "Cai, come out with me for a moment. I have some cooking tips to share with you."

"Alright."

One extended the invitation, the other followed along;

Before long, the two figures disappeared from the room and emerged in the courtyard connected to the room.

"I have witnessed Master Xiaole's cooking skills before, indeed tastier than what I can make. Do you have any secrets to share?" Cai rested her hand on her face, appearing quite cheerful.

However, Wang Xiaole still detected a slight stiffness in her body movements beneath that cheerful facade.

Noticing that detail, Wang Xiaole became even more convinced of his judgment. So, as he turned to face Cai, he used an unusual tone to ask her, "Do you have something on your mind?"

"On my mind? For no reason, why are you asking me this, Master Xiaole?" At this moment, the one who was questioned remained calm.

"Cai, we have been living together for quite some time. Do you really think I'm clueless? Or that I am unable to see through your heart?" With a wall behind Cai and Wang Xiaole advancing straight towards her, if the term "wall slam" is applicable between a genuine girl and a successfully transitioned boy, then what Wang Xiaole was about to do to Cai in the next moment could definitely be considered a true "wall slam"!

Praise the quality of the palace's architecture. Otherwise, if it were in a place full of tofu-like buildings, just as Wang Xiaole performed the "wall slam," Cai would have cracked the wall, leading to an embarrassing scene beyond belief.

"Come on, tell me what's on your mind!" After backing Cai into a corner, Wang Xiaole's mouth and hands were kept busy; among them, his right hand was now firmly pressed against the wall's surface, while his left hand slightly lifted, using his fingers to play with the loose strands of Cai's hair along the edge of her face.

The reason Wang Xiaole did this was not to flirt with Cai or make her fall for him; it was simply because he was not accustomed to suddenly being serious. This small gesture of playing with hair was his way to slightly disguise the embarrassment deep inside.

This scene between the two almost resembled a confession, and it was just at this moment that the figure hiding near the window above witnessed it all.

Let's play a process of elimination: In the room, there were five people present, with Isabella lying in bed due to sleepiness, and two others leaving midway. Finally, Mewo White, busy sipping pigeon soup, didn't have spare time to lean by the window and eavesdrop down into the courtyard below. So, the question arises: the buxom young woman now clinging to the window edge, who is she?

Probably, just the two key words "buxom woman" easily hinted at her true identity... Lucia had no ill intentions, only planning to improve her own cooking skills, which is why she was crouched by the window preparing to learn surreptitiously.

Initially, Lucia had no thoughts of anything else;

Later, she overheard those conversations, which could only be described as purely coincidental. Pressed by the inquiries of the person in front of her, Cai had to briefly recount her experiences in the kitchen within a very short time limit.

Wang Xiaole's understanding was passable, and he quickly discovered the contradictions in the young girl's thoughts:

"Cai, you don't want to return to the Holy See, do you?"

He received an instant response from her.

"I don't want to go back."

"But you also feel like you can't not go back, am I right?"

"You're right! If I don't go back, I will lose the qualification to stay in the Holy See."

"This is so strange, Cai. It seems like what you value is not your 'Holy Maiden' status, but then why do you still not want to leave the Holy See?"

"Well... it's because of a promise I made."

"A promise?"

"To be honest with you: I knew the former Pope, and my 'Holy Maiden' status was bestowed upon me by her."