Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

[A little bit was added to the end of the previous chapter around 21 PM on the 30th. If you didn't see the author's notes in the previous chapter, you can scroll back to see the addition.]

Lin Zhiyao, a newly ordained nun, dressed in her nun's habit, quietly pushed open the side door of the church under the moonlight.

The stained glass windows of the church filtered the moonlight into a pale blue halo. She slowly stepped into the moonlight, holding a bouquet of pure white lilies in her hands.

The bouquet was wrapped in white cotton paper, but a section of the wet flower stem was still sticking out.

It looks like it was just bought from the flower shop, so it's soaked with dew.

Only the front row of the chapel was lit with candles. Lin Zhiyao placed the lilies at the feet of the statue of the Virgin Mary and knelt down to arrange the flowers.

At this moment, Lin Zhiyao saw the hem of the black sacrificial robe hanging down in front of her knees.

He was the most powerful and influential priest in the entire church.

Father Shen Jin emerged from the shadows of the confessional, dressed in a black robe with gold trim on the collar, looking solemn and dignified.

"Father."

Lin Zhiyao stood up, her nun's robe with its wide sleeves hanging down, her fingers tucked into the cuffs.

Shen Jin sat down on the bench in front of her, his fingers hooking the edge of her scarf.

Lin Zhiyao trembled all over.

Shen Jin admired the beautiful, pure white petals of the lily.

The moonlight slanted down.

The lilies, glistening with dew, appear even more delicate and charming in the light.

Shen Jin used his fingertips to part the petals. The lily in the very center was half-open, with glistening dewdrops clinging to its edges, which slid down the curve into the depths of the flower's heart.

Lin Zhiyao reached out to wipe it, but Shen Jin grabbed her wrist.

He said, "Don't rush, there's still plenty of dew hidden in the petals."

His fox-like eyes appeared even more somber under the moonlight, gazing at Lin Zhiyao with a deep and enigmatic look.

Unbeknownst to them, the fragrance of lilies spread between them, growing from crisp to rich.

Like the breath of countless flower spirits exhaling simultaneously, it was so viscous that it seemed as if you could squeeze water out of it at any moment.

"Um... Father..."

The moonlight shifted, lengthening Lin Zhiyao's shadow and casting it onto Shen Jin's shoulder.

In the shadows, she had her head down, and the edge of her nun's hat was caught on the back of his neck.

The priest remained seated on the bench, as if he were squatting in front of her.

Shen Jin picked up the outermost petal of the lily with his fingertips. The petal was supple and unfolded freely between his fingertips.

It emits a faint fragrance.

Shen Jin leaned closer, his nose touching the flower's stamen. His hot breath made the stamen sway gently, and the golden pollen clung to his lower lip. He could almost smell the delicate fragrance emanating from the stamen, like the soul of a flower, soaking in dew.

"A lily has seven stamens," Shen Jin suddenly said, using his index finger to part the central pistil. "The seventh stamen is hidden inside; you have to peel it open to see it."

As he spoke, he peeled away the intricate petals layer by layer, revealing the most delicate part inside.

The fingernail dug into the flower's heart, and the oozing fluid from the stem made the pure white petals even more translucent.

"Father...!"

Lin Zhiyao reached out and pressed down on the flower stem, her fingertips digging into his arm.

Shen Jin did not let go.

Instead, they moved even closer.

…………

……

under the moonlight.

Their shadows were elongated, making the toes of her black cloth shoes seem to touch Shen Jin's shoulder blades, as if she were stepping on his shoulder.

"very beautiful……"

Shen Jin smiled and continued to pluck the flowers until all the petals had unfolded. Then he picked up the silver holy water bottle from the bench, which was filled with holy water for purification.

Water droplets also formed on the bottle, and the willow twigs were soaked at the mouth of the bottle, their tips softened by the water.

He pulled out a willow branch, and water droplets splashed onto the lily petals. The half-open flowers trembled as they were hit, closing and then opening again.

Then, the willow branch was flung into the air towards Lin Zhiyao, and holy water fell on her forehead, shoulders, and chest, as if it were a purification ritual, causing dark gray dots to appear on her white cotton nun's habit.

When Lin Zhiyao lifted her sleeve, which was wet with holy water, the watermarks spread out in the shape of flower petals on the plain white fabric.

Moonlight streamed through the rose window, casting dappled patterns of light across the damp patches, like a painting bestowed by God.

Water droplets sliding off the lily stems fell into the candlestick, stirring up a wisp of smoke that blended into the twilight prayer filled with the aroma of frankincense.

Lin Zhiyao shifted slightly, her nun's robes appearing stained with holy water. A drop of water from her cuff dripped down her fingertips and landed on her feet in the shadows.

"Well……"

Lin Zhiyao recoiled as if she had been burned.

On the lily petals, dew mixed with holy water dripped down, forming streams on the bluestone ground that slowly seeped into the cracks of the pedestal of the Virgin Mary statue along winding paths.

Shen Jin put the willow twig back into the bottle, wiped the silver ritual vessel with a white silk cloth, and the moonlight gave the gold thread embroidery on his shoulder a soft glow. Then, he stood up and reverently took a lily.

The church bell suddenly rang; it was the sound of the wind striking the bronze bell.

It felt as if the mind was being purified, leaving one trembling. For a moment, only the gospel of the Lord echoed in one's mind, as if one had entered heaven.

The moonlight completely disappeared, and the church became dark. Lin Zhiyao placed the bouquet back at the feet of the statue of the Virgin Mary and turned to walk towards the side door.

She saw her shadow squeeze through the crack in the door, lengthen again in the moonlight, and wrap around the priest's shoulder—

Shen Jin was standing at the bottom of the steps, still holding the softened willow twig in his hand, water still dripping from the tip.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Holy water fell on the dew-covered traces left on the pure and beautiful lilies.

The bouquet of lilies that the priest took away trembled and swayed in the night breeze.

The shadow at the priest's feet intertwined with the shadow of Lin Zhiyao.

Under the moonlight, they were indistinguishable.