They are all characters I control.

Lia's protection shows that although this naive and innocent young lady is simple-minded, she also has a good conscience.

Although Claire didn't entirely want to protect her and had done all those things for her sake, in the end, the one who benefited was undoubtedly Leah herself.

Lia was well aware of this.

After all, Claire could still control her body; from beginning to end, Leah and Claire were bound together.

Of course, Leah could choose not to do that, but in that case, Claire could still forcibly control Leah's body, and the two of them, having broken off all ties, would easily turn on each other.

However, it was undoubtedly the best thing that Lia was so compliant with him.

This saved Claire the trouble of disciplining Leah.

Earl Orlando's ambiguous behavior is to be expected.

The countess was a woman disguised as a man, and initially she did not recognize Lia.

Even though she already knew that Lia was her sister's daughter, she did not approach Lia or reveal her identity until Lia attracted attention.

From this perspective, Earl Orlando was naturally much more rational.

If Leah herself is not in danger, then recognizing her is merely for comfort. Earl Orlando has clear goals regarding his family and his career.

That was to overthrow the new royal family. Only after Leah gradually stood out and attracted the attention of others did Earl Orlando step forward.

She probed at Leah, approaching her in an attempt to find out about Claire's existence.

During this period, although his familial relationship with Lia had been exposed, he continued to disguise himself as a man and maintain his identity and status as a count.

But Count Orlando witnessed firsthand what Claire had done while controlling Lydia.

His close relationship with the acting saintess Isabelle and his knowledge of the inner workings of the Church of the Goddess far outweighed the achievements of Earl Orlando's years of painstaking efforts to disguise himself as a man and infiltrate noble circles.

This shook His Majesty Darian's mind and also caused Bishop Simon to completely lose his chance for promotion.

Now that it is almost certain that the evil god emperor Claire is controlling Lia, Count Orlando naturally understands what other changes might occur to Lia in the future.

But is this change good or bad?

That depends on my attitude and Lia's attitude. Yes, that's much more important than the Nolan family.

For reasons such as family ties, Earl Orlando intends to side with Leah this time.

It was for the sake of the family that Earl Orlando separated from his sister, who eventually died in the Rost family.

This time, the older sister's daughter, Lia, is inseparable from the evil god emperor Claire. If she angers or threatens the evil god emperor for the sake of the Nolan family, the first one to suffer will be Lia.

If we side with Lia, it would be tantamount to protecting the evil god emperor Claire, thereby harming some of the Nolan family's interests.

This time, Earl Orlando was clearly on Leah's side, but as a seasoned undercover agent, she did not openly break ties with the Nolan family in front of Rosemary.

At this moment, Earl Orlando chooses to act as a mediator.

He was responsible for mediating the relationship between Leah, who wasn't very good at handling interpersonal relationships, and Rosemary, the representative of the Nolan family.

The so-called marriage alliance is indeed a good idea.

It's a pity that they haven't even seen Claire's true form, so they don't know what she looks like or have any idea.

Finally, there's Rosemary, the newly arrived girl in the Empire who is undoubtedly the most important heir of the Nolan family today.

She was under Bishop Augustine's tutelage and was his successor.

Aside from some naivety, impulsiveness, and overconfidence, Rosemary has no other flaws at the moment.

This was perfect for Claire; it was exactly where she could make use of it.

This young girl is clearly completely loyal to the Nolan family, and is probably the one with the highest status among the Nolan family members who have infiltrated other forces.

As a potential future Archbishop of the Church of Goddess, Rosemary's status even surpasses that of Earl Orlando.

Of course, as an unexpected new member of the Nolan family, Lia was able to gain the appreciation and trust of Isabelle, the acting saintess of the Goddess Church.

This is why Rosemary did not choose to kill Leah after learning that the person inside her might be Claire, the evil god emperor who had destroyed the Nolan family.

If things can be maintained well, Bishop Augustine, supported by the Nolan family, will have a better chance of becoming archbishop.

This matter still requires Lia's help, and for now, she is still willing to patiently talk to the evil god emperor Claire inside Lia's body.

It was only when Earl Orlando mentioned the marriage alliance that Rosemary truly began to seriously consider this issue.

Putting aside the feud between the Nolan family and Claire a century ago, the Nolan family really needs a close archbishop to appear right now.

That would be something the Nolan family, even at its peak a century ago, couldn't achieve, but now the Nolan family, having lost its noble title and no longer as powerful as it was a century ago, has accomplished.

Therefore, Rosemary could seriously consider whether to arrange a marriage between her family and Claire.

Therefore, Rosemary is a smart person, smart enough, and not driven by a crazy and obsessive desire for revenge.

She can stay; Claire doesn't need to rush to kill her.

However, the Nolan family remains the imperial noble family that he once personally destroyed.

A hundred years have passed, and they still haven't given up their ambition to return to the empire.

Claire distrusts the Nolan family, and has never trusted them.

A family that has survived for over a hundred years through marriage alliances and intelligence networks is best at swaying between various forces, leaning towards whichever side is stronger.

Today they can be their "ally," but tomorrow, if they have enough leverage, they can sell Claire to the archbishops.

If the other party were to expose Claire and Lia's relationship, that would be quite troublesome.

Isabelle might be a little angry, but Ophelia would probably interrogate him thoroughly.

Therefore, you need to be gentle with Rosemary, but you can't be too afraid of anything; it's necessary to put some pressure on her appropriately.

Claire thought this to herself and couldn't help but sigh.

Even if he didn't want to, he couldn't prevent his identity from being gradually exposed by others.

After all, there are plenty of smart people, especially women.

"My esteemed Emperor, what am I thinking about that makes you happy?"

The door opened, and Ophelia walked in.

Chapter 58 The Church Knight William

The door opened, and Ophelia walked in.

Her long silver hair gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and her deep purple eyes held a hint of weariness from just finishing a meeting.

Seeing Claire lying in bed with her eyes open, her eyebrows rose slightly.

"Is he thinking of running away? Or is he thinking of going to Isabelle? Or is he planning something?"

"I'll wait for you." Claire turned off the system screen and sat up.

Ophelia walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, drank it in one gulp, then leaned against the edge of the table, crossed her arms, and looked down at him. "Waiting for me? What is it?"

"Where have you been?"

"Meeting." Her tone was indifferent, and she looked at Claire with interest: "The Holy Council, regarding the candidates for the new archbishop."

Claire raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity as she asked, "What's your name?"

"Heh?" Ophelia looked at Claire with a hint of teasing in her eyes.

"Why are you so concerned? Or do you already know that the candidate for the new archbishop is going to your imperial diocese?"

Looking at the administrator of the Inquisition before her, Claire shrugged and did not answer.

Making excuses is obviously useless; this saintly woman acting as a chaplain knows everything.

“Isabel contacted you secretly, didn’t she? I know everything.” Ophelia looked smugly at Claire, who was in the form of a little boy, and sat down next to him.

She placed her foot directly on Claire's body and turned to look in Isabelle's direction.

Although Isabelle's gaze or magic cannot be seen, she is definitely sensing Claire's changes through the 'Sealed Mark' on Claire's body.

Ophelia didn't care, because Claire was with her.

The evil god emperor has now been put in the custody of a different person. The evil god emperor, who has been guarded and protected by the prayer agents for hundreds of years, is now in the hands of her, the agent of the precepts.

This feeling is undeniably exhilarating.

"You two talked for a long time. What advice did she give you? Or rather, what advice did you give her?"

"Why do you ask that?" Claire looked at the Discipline Acting Saintess who was brazenly touching his cheek.

"Because Isabelle's reaction today was strange. She didn't oppose the archbishop candidate as strongly as she had before. Instead, she quietly indicated that she could consider it."

Ophelia narrowed her eyes, looking at Claire beside her.

Isabelle wasn't the type to be good at strategizing; she was always straightforward. But now she's learned to use her brain.

Because Isabelle did not object to the new archbishop candidate, the other two archbishops stood up to oppose him, which prolonged the 'Holy Council' meeting.

As the acting saintess, she naturally sided with Isabelle in the 'Holy Council'.

The archbishops' power and influence had indeed reached the point where they could separate themselves from the 'Holy City,' or rather, it had been like this for a hundred years.

If it weren't for the appearance of Claire, the emperor of the empire, the archbishops would probably already be fighting amongst themselves.

Coveting Claire's imperial territory or other benefits, the archbishops wanted to seize the empire first, and thus launched a war of conquest.

As a result, an archbishop died. Although the empire conquered the country, the vacant archbishop position and Claire's gain of immortality after killing an archbishop kept the archbishops in line for nearly a century.

They understood that a complete break with the 'Holy City' would only plunge them into crisis.

Everyone desires immortality. Without the protection of the 'Holy City' or the 'Holy Maiden', the archbishops lack confidence in their own safety. After all, Claire, the evil god emperor, is not dead, but merely sealed away.

But now, more than a century has passed, and the positions of the archbishops have changed.

This has led them to gradually forget their fear of Claire back then, and now they are eager to push for a new archbishop, as if history is repeating itself.

"You taught Isabelle to do that, didn't you? How interesting! You managed to persuade that stubborn guy."

"She even knows how to incite the archbishops to fight among themselves; that's not like her at all."

"So, as the Emperor of the Empire, Claire, what are you thinking? You'd be happy to prevent the emergence of a new archbishop, wouldn't you? That way, no one would set foot in your Empire, and you'd still be thinking about returning to the Empire?"

Claire slapped away the hand that was pinching her cheek. "Can you let me go back?"

Ophelia smiled and said, "That depends on your performance. If you do well, I might consider it."

"forget it."

This is the same old story again; Claire won't believe her.

However, Claire was not used to the feeling of being treated like a pet when Ophelia leaned in to examine his face closely.

So he still spoke up, saying, "I have serious doubts about this new candidate for archbishop. His appearance is too coincidental and timely, and he seems to have considerable power."

Ophelia stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

"That's right, it seems you and I do get along better."

The expression on the priestess's face turned cold in an instant.

She gazed at the silent night sky of the 'Holy City' outside the window, her eyes devoid of any smile.

"As the most powerful force on this continent, the Church of the Goddess has attracted countless individuals trying to squeeze in."

"Although the candidates for archbishop this time seem clean, as soon as one Bishop Simon was eliminated, a more suitable candidate immediately emerged?"

"Hmph, you really underestimate me. Do you think I, the acting saintess of discipline, am a fool? I also know who the family behind this bishop is."

This is the Discipline Agent Saintess. Whether it's her suspicious nature or the intelligence network she controls within the Inquisition, she is far more powerful than the Prayer Agent Saintess who controls the 'Holy City'.

When Bishop Augustine first appeared, Claire only learned that the candidate for archbishop was supported by the Nolan family through Rosemary and Earl Orlando, members of the Nolan family.

Ophelia already knew about the relationship between Bishop Augustine and the Nolan family.

It has to be said, this is indeed a bit terrifying.

Claire pondered.

Ophelia shifted her position, lying on her side on the bed, one hand supporting her head, her long silver hair cascading onto the pillow. "What do you think about Augustine's matter?"

"What do you mean, how do you see it?"

“The Holy Council has decided to send him to the Imperial Diocese. That’s your territory.” Ophelia’s voice was soft, but every word was clear. “Aren’t you worried?”

Looking at Claire, Ophelia's gaze was neither interrogative nor probing.