Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 167: Brother Xia, Nothing Happened

As a unique religion where all clergy members are female, the Silent Church rarely allowed men to enter its inner sanctum, aside from the exceedingly rare male believers.

After all, according to myth, the Moon Goddess was an extreme lover of beauty and appreciated elegance.

Aside from the beautiful women of various races, only elves could become her followers without hindrance.

By normal standards, Xia would never have qualified to step inside the church—especially not during the nighttime curfew.

But he was never one to follow the rules.

After a series of twists and turns, Xia bypassed the church’s heavy security and obstacles, knocking out several nuns before finally making his way to the door of Tiya’s room.

As the Silent Saintess, Tiya held a high status within the church, residing alone at the top floor of the Moonlight Monastery.

This wasn’t Xia’s first time sneaking up to see her, so it had become something he was rather used to.

Earlier, while glancing up from downstairs, he had noticed the light in her room was still on, dispelling any last traces of doubt in his heart.

Clearly, with her quiet personality, she would never go to a rowdy event like a noble banquet.

Thus, Xia decided to keep what he saw earlier to himself, refraining from bringing it up.

After all, to question her would imply he doubted her, and Xia didn’t want to risk any cracks forming in their relationship.

With that thought, he gently knocked on her door.

Moments later, a slightly low voice came from within the room.

“Sister, didn’t I say I wanted to be alone for a while?”

Xia froze for a few seconds.

Judging by her tone, it seemed Tiya was upset about something.

He frowned slightly. “It’s me, Tiya. I had nothing else to do and thought I’d drop by to see you.”

“Ah!”

Upon hearing the voice outside the door, Tiya let out a startled cry.

If one listened closely, there was even a trace of guilt and panic in her voice.

Xia stood silently at the door, hearing the sounds of hurried movements from within the room.

Moments later, the door opened.

Tiya was now dressed in a pale white nightgown, covering her elegant figure. Only her slender, delicate legs and soft, bare feet were visible as they rested against the ground.

Because they were standing so close, Xia could even faintly sense the moisture and fragrance emanating from her body.

Under the indoor light, he could see her brown hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back, slightly damp as if she had just bathed.

Even without makeup, she looked exceptionally pure and beautiful.

“Brother Xia...”

Despite the terrible emotions swirling within her, Tiya didn’t want him to know anything about what had happened tonight.

When she saw Xia, a sense of reassurance swept over her. At the same time, she tucked away the weariness and frustration from her face, revealing a faint smile.

But Xia still noticed the unrest in her heart, as if something was bothering her.

“Did someone bully you?”

Xia frowned, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Who bullied who? At this point, Tiya wasn’t even sure anymore.

She thought silently to herself but kept her gentle smile. “Of course not. I just dealt with a lot of church affairs today and got a bit tired, so I vented to the nuns. It’s nothing you need to worry about, Brother Xia.”

“I see.” Xia sighed in relief, letting the matter drop entirely. “That’s good to hear.”

When he didn’t press further, a faint sense of disappointment flickered in Tiya’s eyes.

Logically, it was better for him to let the topic go, avoiding questions about tonight’s events.

But the problem was that women aren’t always logical creatures.

Their choices often leaned toward emotion—the type to ask, “Do you not love me anymore?”

And Tiya was no exception.

No matter how cold and detached she usually appeared, no matter how much she resembled an emotionless doll, she was still a woman at heart.

At this moment, she very much wanted Xia to be more assertive, to push for answers, to embody his typical domineering attitude.

Unfortunately, he seemed oblivious to this, failing to notice what she wanted.

Perhaps that was one of Brother Xia’s adorable traits, she consoled herself.

As the atmosphere grew awkwardly silent, Xia decided to find a topic to break the ice.

Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of Tiya’s slender wrist peeking out from beneath her robes.

Her usually fair and delicate skin now appeared red and swollen, as if it had been scrubbed excessively.

Xia knew she had a cleanliness obsession, but he never realized it was this severe.

“Your hand...”

He instinctively pointed at it.

Hearing this, Tiya froze for a few seconds before glancing down reflexively.

When she realized what Xia was referring to, she hurriedly tucked her wrist back into her sleeve in a panic.

Ever since she had left Lynn’s presence, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being tainted.

Every part of her body that had come into contact with him made her feel a deep sense of discomfort.

She had rushed back, repeatedly scrubbing and washing herself with soap and body wash, silently crying under the flow of hot water.

Anyone unaware of the situation might have assumed she had been violated.

It was only when she felt she had finally rid herself of the “filth” Lynn left behind that she left the bathroom.

But this was something Xia absolutely couldn’t find out about.

Sorry, Brother Xia.

A surge of guilt overwhelmed her heart.

She had vowed to dedicate her body and soul entirely to the man before her, yet she had already been touched by another.

Finally sensing that something was off, Xia’s expression turned serious. “Tiya, are you okay? Why do you seem so strange tonight?”

Tiya took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “I’m fine, Brother Xia. Nothing happened.”

“But you...”

“Brother Xia, can we... hold hands?”

For some reason, Tiya suddenly mustered the courage to softly ask, her voice faint as she lifted her head slightly.

Now it was Xia’s turn to be caught off guard.

At the same time, a trace of joy filled his heart.

Although the emotional bond between him and Tiya was already incredibly close, physical contact between them was rare. Even holding hands was something they had done only a handful of times.

It was all because of that damn goddess’s blessing.

Now, with Tiya taking the initiative to ask to hold hands, it completely took him by surprise.

Even the doubts lingering in his mind were momentarily cast aside.

Seeing her slightly flushed face, Xia gave her a gentle smile before softly taking her slender, delicate hand in his.

The atmosphere turned subtly ambiguous.

Xia’s heart began to beat faster, captivated by the moment of tenderness.

But in the next instant, he suddenly felt her cold hand tremble slightly before she pulled it out of his grasp.

A wave of disappointment swept through Xia’s heart.

“Tiya, you’re still...”

He instinctively looked up, only to see her pale, dazed expression, with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

What happened next left him stunned.

“Brother Xia, I’m not feeling well, so... I’m sorry.”

For some reason, after leaving that line, Tiya lowered her head and retreated into her room, softly closing the door behind her.

She left Xia standing alone in the hallway, baffled and disoriented.

After a long while, he finally slipped back into the night, his heart filled with unanswered questions.

What’s Happening to Tiya?

Even as Xia left the Silent Church, his heart remained filled with confusion.

"I... What’s wrong with my body?"

Tiya stared blankly at her hands, her face devoid of color.

Once she vaguely sensed that Xia had left, the tears that had been welling in her eyes could no longer be contained and silently streamed down her cheeks.

At this moment, it felt as though all the strength in her body had been drained. Her back slid down against the door as she sank to her knees.

"Why? Why is this happening?"

Recalling the disgust and pain that had surged deep within her when she held Xia’s hand earlier, Tiya felt utterly broken.

Before this, she had indeed harbored some curiosity—a faint hope of testing things.

After all, Lynn’s explanation was dubious at best. That nonsense about a curse that caused him to feel disgust toward all women sounded ridiculous.

Tiya had wondered if the blessing she received from the goddess had slightly faded over time.

But the aftermath of the attempt she made with Xia earlier was still clinging to her, haunting her heart.

She loved Xia with all her being, but her body simply could not accept him.

And Lynn—whom she loathed enough to want to kill—had become the only man in her life with whom she could physically interact without discomfort.

It was an unbearable comparison.

The deeper her feelings for Xia, the more the contrast made her collapse under the weight of her emotions.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Tiya repeatedly wiped away the tears that kept flowing, shaking her head desperately.

The atmosphere became heavy with despair.

No, this can’t go on.

Suddenly, Tiya came to a realization.

This was all Lynn’s fault.

From the very beginning, he had approached her with ulterior motives.

The reason she was feeling so shaken now was entirely due to his actions.

She didn’t know the underlying principle or why she could touch him without discomfort, but it must be due to some underhanded trick.

So, all she had to do was figure out his deceitful method, and the pain in her heart would ease considerably.

At this thought, her tears began to subside.

And so, everything circled back to her original plan.

If she could use some means to control Lynn’s consciousness before he spoke, she could avoid further complications.

With that thought, Tiya hurriedly stood up and walked to her desk.

The forbidden text she had been studying earlier was still unfinished, and she decided to finish reading it overnight.

However, just as she was about to sit down, her bare foot stepped on something coarse.

Looking down, she noticed a palm-sized sheet of rune paper.

Tiya bent down to pick it up, examining its patterns under the light.

It was a green magical rune, resembling a vertical pupil that seemed to pierce into the soul.

"Is this... something that fell out of the book?"

For some reason, it looked familiar.

Curious, Tiya flipped through the thick tome, searching carefully.

It didn’t take long for her to find a matching symbol on one of the pages.

“The Mind Cult? A relic of the Mysterious Empire? And… hypnosis?”

As lines of text came into view, Tiya’s small lips parted slightly in astonishment.

Moments later, her emerald green eyes began to sparkle as if reignited with hope.

According to the forbidden text, the rune paper was inscribed with a hypnotic matrix.

All she needed to do was press it onto a specific part of her body to imprint the Eye of the Mind mark onto her skin.

Afterward, activating it with extraordinary power and revealing the mark to a target would allow her to perform hypnosis.

This was precisely what Tiya needed most at the moment.

However... where should she place it?

Suppressing her excitement, Tiya pondered the question.

After a moment of deliberation, she found her answer.

Under the light, Tiya carefully pressed the yellowed rune paper against the palm of her right hand.

For convenience and concealment, the palm was undoubtedly the best choice.

With a slight raise of her hand, she could complete the hypnotic process.

Thinking this, Tiya prepared to activate her extraordinary power, intending to imbue the rune paper’s energy and transfer the Eye of the Mind mark onto her palm.

But as expected, the unexpected still happened.

Perhaps her hand was too sore from scrubbing during her earlier bath, or maybe her body was simply too exhausted.

As soon as the rune paper began to emit a green glow, her hand slipped.

In the next instant, Tiya watched helplessly as the glowing paper gently floated down... landing on the inside of her upper thigh.

She reached for it immediately, but it was already too late.

A scorching sensation spread through her skin, imprinting the mark firmly onto her flesh, as though it had been seared in place.

Because the rune paper was so ancient, it crumbled into ash after exhausting its energy, disappearing into the air.

All that remained was the faint Eye of the Mind mark stubbornly etched near her upper thigh.

It was uncomfortably close to... a certain indescribable location.

Staring at the mark, Tiya froze.

In the next second, she frantically reached out, rubbing the area in an attempt to erase the mark.

But it was futile.

Once imprinted, the mark could only be removed after its usage limit was exceeded.

But... but how could she hypnotize someone with the mark in such an awkward place?!

Was she supposed to lift her skirt every time she wanted to hypnotize Lynn?!

Tiya felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

She was being defeated by her own stupidity.

Meanwhile, on the Third Floor...

Lynn smelled blood.

Pausing in his tracks, he frowned at the strong, nauseating scent wafting from the depths of the corridor.

Without hesitation, he headed toward the source, curious to see what had happened.

After all, with the princess still in the residence, Lynn felt an unusual sense of security.

But what exactly was going on?

His mind was filled with questions as he moved forward.

Suddenly, he felt something sticky beneath his foot.

Blood.

In an instant, Lynn made the judgment.

Not because he was particularly familiar with blood, but simply due to the obvious facts.

Stopping in his tracks, Lynn covered his mouth and nose as he stared ahead.

Before him, where an antique display should have been, lay a gruesome scene.

A dismembered human body.

Yes, a "piece" of a human.

The limbs and head had been severed, arranged nearby like an offering.

Someone had been killed.

On this seemingly ordinary night, in this seemingly normal residence,

As the first witness to the crime scene, Lynn strained to examine the area under the moonlight.

The blood on the floor formed chaotic, childlike lines, sketching a grotesque, angry face.

It only took an instant for Lynn to recognize it.

The Wrathful King Crustane!

It was identical to the cursed mark that had been left in his mind.

Feeling a mix of absurdity and terror, Lynn’s brows furrowed deeply.

Under the moonlight, he also noticed that the severed head on the ground was wearing a mask—

A full-face crow mask.

The same mask Lynn had earlier swapped with someone to conceal his identity.

Was this a coincidence?

Or was the killer’s real target him?

For a moment, Lynn felt both puzzled and apprehensive.

But before he could think further, a piercing scream erupted behind him.

“AHHHHHH!!!”

Turning, Lynn saw one of the mansion’s maids collapse to the ground, her face pale with terror.

When her eyes fell on the bloodstains on Lynn’s chest, it seemed she misunderstood something.

With a scream, she scrambled to her feet and fled in panic, crying out at the top of her lungs.

“Murder! MURDER!”

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