Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 220 -: 219 Crypian Thorne is about to escape.

Uriel had just arrived outside the royal castle.

Warm wind brushed gently against his golden hair, causing several loose strands to sway softly through the air.

The long ribbons tied behind his blindfold fluttered alongside them, occasionally brushing against the back of his white robes as the breeze passed through the open road leading toward the palace gates.

The Saint stood quietly at the front of the group with his hands calmly folded before him.

Even without sight, his head tilted slightly toward the distant sounds ahead.

Around him, rows of Paladins stood in disciplined formation.

The steel covering their bodies reflected faint rays of sunlight, causing silver glints to appear across their armor whenever they moved.

Long capes stirred behind them while the symbols of the Holy Church engraved across their chestplates seemed to shine beneath the afternoon sun.

Ahead of them stood the enormous gates of the royal castle.

Tall stone walls stretched endlessly to both sides while countless royal banners swayed above the towers.

The gates themselves looked as imposing as ever, large enough for several carriages to pass through side by side.

Near the entrance, Commander Cassian was currently speaking with the royal guards stationed there.

The guards visibly hesitated.

Several exchanged uncertain glances while quietly speaking among themselves, their expressions growing increasingly troubled the longer the conversation continued.

Their duty was simple. No one was allowed entry into the royal castle without prior notice.

However, there existed exceptions within the empire. The Saint was one of them.

No guard in the entire continent possessed the authority to stop the Saint from entering, much less the Commander of the Paladins standing beside him.

What truly unsettled them was not the arrival itself. It was the commander’s order.

No one was to be informed. Not the servants. Not the knights. Not even the royal family.

The arrival of the Saint and the Paladins was to remain completely concealed.

The hesitation among the guards only lasted a few moments longer before they finally lowered their heads.

With a heavy groan, the enormous gates slowly began to open.

The sound of grinding metal echoed through the air as the path toward the castle interior gradually revealed itself.

Commander Cassian nodded in satisfaction before turning back toward Uriel.

The sound of armored footsteps echoed steadily across the stone pathway as he approached.

"Your Holiness," Cassian spoke respectfully while lowering his head slightly, "I have instructed the guards to conceal news of our arrival."

"Well done, Sir Cassian."

Uriel gave a small nod of approval before calmly extending one of his hands forward.

The commander immediately received it carefully, almost reverently, as though holding something precious beyond measure.

Only then did the group begin moving toward the castle.

The Paladins followed closely behind them in perfect formation, their synchronized footsteps creating low rhythmic echoes throughout the entrance corridor.

As they walked deeper into the royal grounds, Cassian remained silent for several moments before finally speaking again.

"Your Holiness..." he began cautiously, "may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead, Sir Cassian," Uriel replied gently.

Then, after a brief pause, the corner of his lips lifted faintly.

"However, please do not ask me to reveal the recording of that devil who insulted the Goddess."

Cassian immediately let out a helpless sigh. That was exactly what he had intended to ask.

Even now, he still could not fully process what had happened earlier within the church.

The Saint had always been calm.

Gentle, patient and warm toward everyone equally.

Even criminals and sinners were often met with mercy beneath his guidance.

Yet today had been completely different.

For the very first time, Cassian had witnessed genuine fury from the Saint.

Uriel’s voice had trembled with anger as he declared before the church that Crypian Thorne, the youngest son of the Thorne Family, had spoken blasphemous words against the Goddess herself.

The entire cathedral had fallen silent afterward.

As devoted followers of the Church, the Paladins naturally felt rage boil within them the moment they heard such accusations.

However, when they begged the Saint to reveal the contents of the recording...

Uriel refused, he refused to let anyone hear it.

The Saint merely gritted his teeth while trembling with restrained fury before demanding immediate execution.

Even now, goosebumps still lingered across Cassian’s skin whenever he recalled that moment.

If someone as gentle as the Saint had reacted with such intensity... Then just how horrific were those recorded words?

Cassian slowly pushed the thoughts away.

There was no reason to ask further.

If the Saint believed the contents were too vile to even be spoken aloud, then he would respect that decision no matter how curious he felt.

Meanwhile, beside him, Uriel quietly hummed inwardly. ’Everything is proceeding exactly according to plan.’ He thought.

Soon they would enter the castle, gather everyone together, and reveal the recording before the royal family and nobles alike.

After that, all he needed to do was corner the First Prince by associating him with Crypian.

Questions regarding succession would naturally arise afterward.

The nobles would begin doubting whether someone connected to a heretic deserved the imperial throne at all.

And once enough pressure built...Cecilia could gradually be pushed forward as the next successor.

Uriel honestly did not even possess complete evidence against the first prince, but that hardly mattered.

Politics within the empire had never relied entirely upon truth. Perception alone was often enough.

Everything was perfect.

As that thought crossed his mind....A voice suddenly echoed directly inside his head.

[I experienced déjà vu!!]

Uriel’s footsteps stopped instantly.

The voice echoing inside his mind belonged unmistakably to Cecilia.

And the words she had spoken were enough to make the atmosphere around him change completely.

[I experienced déjà vu!!]

The wind continued blowing softly through the castle grounds, causing the loose strands of his golden hair to sway beneath the sunlight.

Yet Uriel himself no longer moved.

"Your Holiness?"

From beside him, Commander Cassian immediately turned over in confusion after noticing the sudden halt. His brows furrowed slightly as concern appeared across his face.

"Is something the ma..."

Before he could finish speaking, Uriel calmly raised one hand.

The gesture alone immediately silenced everything.

Cassian stopped speaking mid-sentence while the surrounding Paladins instinctively froze in place without hesitation. Armor ceased clinking. Footsteps vanished. Even the atmosphere itself seemed to quieten beneath the Saint’s command.

Absolute silence descended over the castle pathway. Meanwhile, beneath the blindfold covering his eyes, Uriel’s thoughts rapidly moved.

Déjà vu...

His main body had spoken about this phenomenon before.

No.....not merely spoken.

It had specifically warned him about it.

Uriel had even been instructed to inform everyone close to him that if they ever experienced such a sensation, they were to notify him immediately regardless of the situation.

At the time, Cecilia naturally found the warning strange.

Even Uriel himself had not fully explained the reason behind it.

But now....his expression slowly turned colder.

Because déjà vu was one of the fastest ways to determine whether Crypian had regressed.

Of course, the phenomenon itself was not absolute proof.

It still required confirmation through his Mind’s Eye alongside the Divination Board before certainty could be reached.

However, déjà vu functioned as an alarm.

It was like a warning that reality itself had most likely begun shifting once more.

Which meant....Crypian had probably regressed already.

Uriel remained silent as countless thoughts rapidly connected within his mind.

If Crypian truly regressed, then there was only one possible explanation. Something had cornered him completely in the future.

No escape, no survival, no remaining path forward....Only death. That was why the regression occurred in the first place.

Uriel’s expression itself barely changed from earlier. The Saint still appeared calm and composed outwardly.

However, a faint smirk slowly formed across his lips.....as contempt appeared in his face.

"So that’s how it is..." he murmured softly beneath his breath.

"Sir Cassian."

The moment his voice rang out, Commander Cassian immediately dropped onto one knee.

"Yes, Your Holiness!"

Even without understanding the situation, the sharpness within Uriel’s tone alone was enough for him to realize an order was coming.

Then the Saint gave his command. "Lead the Paladins."

Uriel’s voice remained gentle. Yet for some reason, it caused the surrounding atmosphere to grow unbearably heavy.

"Block off the entire castle."

Cassian’s eyes widened slightly.

Uriel slowly turned his head toward the direction of the royal castle ahead of them.

A smile still lingered faintly across his face.

"Crypian Thorne is about to escape."