A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 137

Then, add flour and yeast, and knead the dough. Knead the dough for 20 minutes until it's very smooth, then let it rise for 20 minutes. It should be fine in warm weather; this isn't for making bread.

Roll the red beans into balls and set them aside. Pinch them tightly, flatten them, place the red beans inside, and use your thumb and forefinger to press down on the red beans with your other finger to seal them.

"Um……"

Seeing the red bean bun being touched so violently, it was really too difficult to remain silent.

Saint Karina wasn't used to being touched like that; she was usually the one touching others.

Are you trying to leave a mark on me?

"pretty good idea."

As she stroked the red beans on the steamed bun, her other hand slid towards the abyss.

As the saying goes, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

The caress was both light and gentle, while the movements of the other hand were equally painfully tender.

"Ha...you really are gifted in this area."

Saint Karina's body trembled slightly.

The contrast between rough exploration and gentle caresses is truly unbearable.

Where did you learn these skills?

"It's nothing, I know even more."

Tiss winked playfully and gave a slightly mischievous smile.

"I can make many different kinds of steamed buns."

As Tiss said this, she immediately began to draw inferences from it.

First up are pumpkin shell-shaped steamed buns.

Peel and slice the pumpkin, then steam it in a steamer until cooked.

Next, mash the steamed pumpkin into a puree, let it cool to lukewarm, then add the yeast and stir well.

Add enough flour to form a smooth dough, and let it rest until it doubles in size. Divide the rested dough into small, evenly sized balls, and then knead each one until smooth.

Roll the dough into an oval shape, brush the surface with oil to prevent sticking, and then fold the oiled side inwards.

Use a scraper to press out marks, then pinch the two sides together.

After the shaped shell-shaped steamed buns have risen a second time, steam them over high heat until cooked through. The two sides can be opened, making it easy to stuff fillings inside.

In fact, Tiss's movements were still clumsy and inexperienced, but Saint Karina's inner fire was indeed ignited by her.

She got so excited...

"Hey, looks like you're enjoying yourself."

"It's just a natural reaction. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Then I'll have to take good care of you, right?"

As she said this, her fingers did not rush to explore the abyss. Perhaps she was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the abyss to devour her.

"You are truly a feast for the eyes, Miss Adventurer..."

She wasn't in a hurry at all; instead, she was joking with Santa Karina.

"Now, your cheeks are red, and your skin is pink. It makes me want to devour you like I'm eating a red bean bun."

In fact, besides making sure she had one steamed bun, Tiss didn't forget to make sure the other one wasn't neglected either.

She was constantly worried about Saint Karina; first, she was worried about the news they were searching for, and later she was worried about whether Saint Karina would wake up safely. So, it's not surprising that Tiss was actually very hungry, so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back, and she wanted to eat some steamed buns to stave off her hunger.

Are you always thinking about food?

"No, I was thinking about you more. When you trembled with pleasure because of my movements, I could feel warmth and restlessness inside me..."

Ti didn't care at all that she could only eat steamed buns; despite her hunger, she went on to do this complicated work.

She immersed herself in the activity with a bright smile.

This feeling was truly impressive. Next, when Saint Karina had been served enough, she also taught Tiss how to pay the price.

When the holy sword robbed the maiden of her purity, Saint Karina knew that her toy had been expanded once again.

This was an accident; she hadn't originally intended to do this, but she didn't dislike it.

237. Founding Day

The next day, Tiss was exhausted from the night before and didn't wake up until noon. She moved slightly on the luxurious bed, very gracefully, and opened her slightly trembling eyelids, her red eyes still sleepy.

She finally let go, allowing Saint Karina to catch her breath.

Thank goodness, this noble lady is great, but she just loves to use her bedmate as a pillow when she sleeps. And she does it in a deathly entangled, octopus-like position.

Saint Karina had almost forgotten the sweetness of the air, especially after being held tightly for more than eight hours.

Saint Karina slipped out of her embrace and began to dress. These were spare clothes, not the adventurer's outfit she had worn yesterday.

Anyway, Santa Karina didn't get enough rest, but oh well, admiring Tess's beautiful figure is a reward for her, isn't it?

"Good morning."

She greeted Saint Karina with a sleepy look, her eyes still unfocused, shimmering with white light. Saint Karina thought she probably couldn't see herself clearly at all, only a blurry outline.

"It's getting late, it's noon, Tiss."

"Really? I thought it was still quite early. Are you leaving today?"

"Yes, I also have my own things to do."

As for toys, there's no need to carry them around all the time.

All good things must come to an end, and her relationship with Tess was just an accident.

The innocent girl has lost her purity, and Tiss can only wait for Saint Karina, who, as a wicked woman, never hesitates to leave.

"Hmph, you must have had a great time last night."

As soon as Curtis and Miss Tess left the mansion, she put on a sour face.

She seemed quite unhappy with Santa Karina abandoning her and only caring about her own pleasure. A closer look also revealed dark circles under Curtis's eyes, perhaps from eavesdropping and overthinking, resulting in a sleepless night.

Her Highness is an excellent magician; it wouldn't be difficult for her to eavesdrop.

"If you use your magic in the right way, your skill level will definitely improve by leaps and bounds."

Saint Karina gave an affirmative answer.

"I don't need you to worry about me."

She pouted dismissively.

“Saint Karina, I want that one.”

She pointed to a cotton candy stall.

There was a kind old lady selling them, and some children were around the stall. The cotton candy came in three colors: blue, white, and pink, which should be the flavors of green apple, original, and strawberry, respectively.

"Row."

Santa Karina didn't argue with Curtis and simply bought him one.

She doesn't eat it herself; she's never been a fan of anything too sweet.

After paying, Curtis took the cotton candy that was handed to her and started eating it. Her bouncy figure looked very cute.

Is today a special holiday?

Although the Toran Empire has always had many shops and vendors, the number today is exceptionally large, several times that of usual.

It's still daytime, but it's already unusually lively.

Normally, there shouldn't be this many children during the day. At least there weren't any yesterday.

Children either go to school, or if their families are poor, they should help their families with chores.

Younger children were confined to their homes and forbidden from running around. The Toran Empire was currently at peace, but no matter how peaceful the times, every city would never lack human traffickers.

It is difficult for an ordinary family to bear the pain of losing their child, even if the family may have several children.

Now, many children are skipping and jumping in the streets, crossing the lawn and stepping on the paving stones, dressed in brightly colored clothes with belts around their waists. The girls have flowers in their hair, while the boys have masks on their heads. Instead of wearing the masks on their faces, they mischievously lift them off and put them on top of their heads.

Some children were accompanied by their parents, who watched them play with smiles and doting expressions.

Several couples stood in front of food stalls, feeding each other freshly prepared food. However, most couples walked hand in hand on the sun-drenched streets.

"Yes, today is the founding anniversary of the Toran Empire. If we go back to the palace today, Father will send someone to invite us to the banquet later."

"If you're attending the banquet in the evening, would you like to play a little now?"

Noble banquets were always elaborate and cumbersome, as both Saint Karina and Curtis knew all too well. None of that could compare to the entertaining and amusing events put together by commoners.

At the banquet, everything was the same. A model text was read aloud; the text was written by a specialist. Then came the musicians playing music, dancing, rallying allies, and establishing relationships of mutual benefit.

No matter how delicious the food piled up on the table is, few people will touch it.

"I want to have some fun; going back to the palace is really boring. Besides, I used to sneak out of the palace occasionally during banquets when I was a child. It's the tenth anniversary of the founding of the nation, and it would be a real shame to go back to the palace without having some fun."

The nearest play area to the two of them was a water tank with many lively fish inside.

The stall owner was peculiar, or rather, peculiar. Santa Karina's intuition told her that this blonde, blue-eyed girl had a story to tell.

Unlike other commoners, she did not wear cotton or linen clothes, and unlike nobles, she did not wear such gorgeous attire. In fact, she wore a dress that resembled armor, with the fabric being a bright and refreshing light blue and white, and the armor being a shiny silver suit.

Her hands were not exposed, fair skin, but rather covered by silver gloves and arms, cleverly concealing them.

Saint Karina wouldn't be surprised if she were carrying a sword.

Saint Karina glanced over and noticed that she wasn't carrying a sword at her waist, but a handsome sword lay on a wooden stake beside her stall. Although the sword lay obediently in its scabbard, Saint Karina had no doubt about its sharpness.

Are you a knight?

"It used to be, right? Was it really that obvious?"

The stall owner girl answered Saint Karina's somewhat presumptuous question and also raised a question that puzzled her.

"Of course, you are a little different from others."

It seems the girl didn't notice anything unusual about her attire or the carefully maintained sword placed beside her.

Surprisingly, the other party was quite slow to react.

"Actually, I'm a local, but I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures. When I was young, I traveled around a lot. I just recently came back from out of town and heard that today is the National Day, so I decided to stay here for a day. I felt it would be boring to do nothing, so I took over this stall."

The girl's smile was quite friendly; it was clear that she genuinely enjoyed interacting with all sorts of people.

"By the way, want to come and play? It's a goldfish scooping stall. Although when I bought this stall, the previous owner told me it wasn't a wise choice."

This is probably because of the girl's attire. If she really wanted to blend in, she shouldn't have worn this outfit and had a sword next to her.

This kind of outfit would scare children; no parent would want to bring their child to play at this kind of stall.

If they were adults, couples might come. But the girl is too beautiful; if they came over, their partners might even worry that she would steal their boyfriends away. That's why the other stalls are bustling with customers, while the girl's stall is deserted; nobody wants to come.

"Curtis, do you want to try? You can keep it as a pet if you catch it."

It's fine to strike up a conversation with a pretty stranger, but Santa Karina hasn't forgotten her main reason for coming out to have fun.

"pet?"

Curtis frowned.

She probably thought goldfish were too ugly. In the palace, Curtis could have many pets if she wanted, including ornamental fish; she could have any beautiful fish she wanted in her aquarium, and she didn't need these ugly creatures with bulging eyes.

"Well……"

She was lost in thought.

This action led the stall owner girl to misunderstand, thinking that Curtis was not interested and therefore did not want to play.

"If you're not interested in my stall, would you like to eat some fish? My goldfish don't have much meat even if I catch them, so why don't you go check out the taiyaki stall over there?"

She made a witty joke to ease the awkwardness.

"As a local, I recommend the taiyaki at the festival, it tastes amazing!"

"It's a dessert shaped like a fish, but it's not actually fish. It has delicious fillings inside, like chocolate or cream. You can choose your favorite and stuff it full. It tastes much better than the fish I have here."