After Liya left the mansion on an errand, Carlisle sat back down on the sofa.

The potion on the table shimmered with an eerie green light. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Saintess Liya; he just thought there was something suspicious about the Witch’s poison.

As if it were only meant to scare him.

If the poison were potent, he should’ve collapsed by now.

Thump—

He slammed a fist onto the table, more and more certain that he’d been tricked.

He should’ve charged straight at Sherry back then, knocked her out with a punch, pulled off her ring, tied her hands and feet, and locked her in a dark room so he could vent all his anger!

His helplessness only fanned the flames of rage in his head—until a faint footstep slipped into his ears.

His eyes narrowed. A purple spell became a mirror, revealing the scene outside the door.

A group of people dressed like guards were sneaking up to the Saintess’s residence. Along with a pile of weapons, they carried handcuffs and other tools for taking prisoners.

How had they found him?

Had the Saintess tipped them off?

Besides Saintess Liya, he couldn’t think of anyone else who knew he was here.

But what happened next made him feel deeply guilty for even thinking that.

The guards didn’t have the key Liya had given him. They braced themselves against the front door, then pulled lockpicks from their pockets and worked them into the keyhole. Others surrounded Liya’s residence and tried to climb in through the windows.

Clearly, they didn’t have Liya’s permission.

He could still escape from here, but the thought of Witch Sherry’s ghostly grin left him uneasy.

Only Sherry knew whether he’d actually been poisoned.

To be safe, he chose the room Liya had called “her room.”

“Sorry. I’ll borrow this room for a bit. Once they’re gone, I’ll come right out.”

He tried several doors on the second floor before finally finding Liya’s bedroom.

The Saintess’s bedroom actually had a bit of a girlish feel to it. The air was filled with a faint fragrance, the decor was mostly white, and there were lace curtains and the obligatory full-length mirror.

Of everyone Carlisle had ever met, Liya had the best taste.

Crash—

A loud crash came from the front door, followed by a rush of footsteps on the first floor. Carlisle knew the guards had smashed through the door and forced their way into Liya’s residence.

Someone had exposed his whereabouts.

Sherry’s punchable face flashed through his mind. Relying on his instincts as one of the Knights of the Round Table, he was absolutely certain she’d reported his whereabouts to the guards.

Divination. It had to be divination. Only a Witch could use it to learn where he was without anyone noticing!

Just let him catch her. He’d whip her backside until it was red!

“Captain, there’s no one on the first floor!”

“Search the second floor!”

The guards’ voices came through the door. Carlisle glanced around Liya’s bedroom, then settled his gaze on the space between the bed and the wardrobe.

Thud, thud, thud—

The guards’ footsteps drew closer.

“Captain, this looks like Lady Liya’s bedroom.”

“Go in and look.”

“Isn’t that… a little inappropriate?”

“We’ll just take a look and leave. We need to make sure.”

They were coming in?

With no time to think, Carlisle opened the wardrobe and slipped inside.

There was no light. The inside of the wardrobe was pitch-black. A scent lingered beneath his nose—he couldn’t tell if it came from the clothes or Liya herself—and he greedily breathed it in a couple more times.

Liya’s dresses hung from the rack, brushing lightly against his cheeks with every breath. Somehow, he was starting to develop a rather perverted taste for it. The fabric felt soft and silky beneath his hands. As he shifted to find a comfortable position, he touched a piece of clothing shaped like a chest.

The wardrobe held more than Liya’s little dresses. It also held her underwear.

Awkwardly pushing them aside, he hid in the wardrobe and waited for the guards to leave.

Strangely enough, the guards really did just take a quick look and leave. Soon, their voices had disappeared from Liya’s residence.

It was a trap!

The cautious Carlisle immediately thought of those two words.

They were using the silence to make him think the guards had left. The moment he stepped out of the wardrobe, the guards hiding in the shadows would swarm him and arrest him!

Did they think they could fool Carlisle? What did those guards take him for—Sherry?

He stayed hidden in the wardrobe for a while longer, then started to wonder if those guys had really left.

Just then, footsteps sounded again in the second-floor hallway.

Who was it?

Curiosity urged him to go out and look, but thankfully, reason won out.

He wasn’t out of danger yet. He needed to wait a little longer.

The owner of the footsteps eventually reached Liya’s bedroom. She seemed to have changed into slippers; the soft scuff of her steps showed that she wasn’t on her guard at all.

He knew who it was! Liya was back!

He eased the wardrobe door open. He’d barely gotten a glimpse of the bedroom when he saw Liya take off her pure white bath towel, revealing her smooth back and rounded hips.

Without a second thought, Carlisle shut the wardrobe door.

If he went out and revealed himself now, he was done for.

After groping her and accidentally sharing a kiss, would this be another charge to add to the list—peeping at a young woman’s naked body?

He didn’t want to do that. At the very least, he didn’t want Liya to find out.

How could Liya not be disgusted by this? She was so kind and gentle, and he’d accidentally bullied her again and again. He was starting to feel bad for her.

He admitted he wasn’t exactly a good person, but bullying Liya was something he simply couldn’t do! The guilt would drown him!

So he held his breath and tried to stay as quiet as possible. Once Liya fell asleep in bed, he’d come out of the wardrobe and leave her room.

“Huh, they seem to have gotten a little bigger… But they feel really nice.”

Liya’s sweet voice, and the strange thing she said, caught Carlisle’s attention.

What was she… doing?

His mind jumped to a few rather steamy images, and his face flushed.

So even Saintess Liya secretly indulged in worldly desires…

Just like an ordinary person…

As if she’d remembered something pleasant, Liya began to hum a lovely tune.

The song was beautiful, but deadly. Carlisle realized the voice was getting closer and closer. Liya was walking toward him, one step at a time!

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!

I’m done for, I’m done for, I’m done for!!

Whoosh—

The wardrobe door suddenly flew open, and Liya’s completely naked body filled his view.

Oh, god. What drew his eyes were two tempting cherries and a deep valley.

Liya was a stunning sight. Carlisle, meanwhile, was a pitiful one. His little Carlisle still wouldn’t rise, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of desire stirring inside him.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. The mood had turned utterly tense. He needed to say something at once to ease things and prove he was innocent!

What should he say? Apologize?

An apology wouldn’t help in this situation!

Tell Liya she looked beautiful? Use a joke to break the awkwardness? Or…

Before he could decide, Liya’s expression darkened.

His nerves got the better of him. His mouth twitched, and without thinking it through, he blurted out the truth.

“They… really do feel nice.”

Smack—

Just as expected, Liya slapped him hard across the face.