Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Celeste's POV

The crowd at the blessing ceremony surged like a tide. I stood on the high platform, my gaze mechanically sweeping over the kneeling faithful as I struggled to maintain the solemnity expected of a goddess.

Suddenly, my eyes locked onto a young man with a buzz cut in the front row.

That profile... that posture...

Jax?!

I nearly lost my composure. This guy had been drinking rum and eating fried fish with me last night, his hair a complete mess, and today he'd shaved it all off to come "worship"? The trembling old woman beside him must be his grandmother.

I bit down hard on the inside of my lip, desperately fighting the urge to laugh.

That buzz cut paired with his deliberately pious expression was utterly absurd—like a feral cat suddenly trying to bark like a dog, and doing so with complete conviction.

"Maintain your dignity." Quillan's low warning came from the side, his tone laced with threat.

I immediately schooled my features and began reciting the blessing according to protocol. But my voice still betrayed a slight tremor—the trace of suppressed laughter.

The ceremony progressed to the distribution of gifts. When Jax knelt before me, he raised his hands high, mouth reciting the standard prayer, but his eyes stared straight at me without any attempt at concealment.

I bent down to hand him bread.

"I have urgent news!" he said in a barely audible whisper, his lips hardly moving.

My heart clenched, and I responded in the same hushed tone: "Don't stare at me like that, we'll be discovered—"

"Someone wants to hurt you!"

"What?!" I nearly cried out.

The believers around us were all praying; no one noticed our exchange.

But I was so focused on Jax's words that my movements became completely erratic—I gave him two pieces of bread instead of the standard one.

"The goddess especially favors that young man!"

"He must have received divine blessing!"

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

Jax's grandmother was moved to tears, gripping her grandson's arm tightly as if he'd truly received a miracle.

I could feel Quillan's sharp gaze fall upon me.

The rest of the distribution was a disaster.

My mind was completely occupied with Jax's warning—"someone wants to hurt you"—and I couldn't concentrate at all. Coins dropped to the ground, bread went to the wrong people, portions were repeatedly miscounted.

Quillan's expression grew increasingly dark from the side of the platform, and he gave me several low-voiced warnings.

Just then, a child suddenly broke free from his mother's grasp and rushed toward the platform, wanting more food. The guards moved to drive him away, but Jax was faster.

"Little one, don't trouble the goddess." He scooped up the child with a smile and gently returned him to his mother's arms, his movements as natural as if he'd done it a thousand times.

In that moment, everyone's attention in the plaza shifted to him, including Quillan's.

Watching all this, a warmth I couldn't quite name rose in my chest.

He's nothing like the act he puts on... he's actually a kind person.

The ceremony neared its end. I began the final blessing recitation, the faithful responding in unison, the scene solemn and dignified. But my anxiety only grew—time is running out, and he hasn't finished telling me everything.

Just as I was about to despair, a child ran cheerfully toward the platform, holding a wooden plaque high above his head and presenting it to me.

I accepted the plaque, maintaining a benevolent smile on the surface and nodding to the child.

But when I turned the plaque over and glimpsed the writing on the back, my pupils contracted sharply.

"Beware a woman with a scar on her neck. Meet at the old place tonight. —Your friend J"

My fingers unconsciously tightened around the plaque, knuckles whitening from the pressure.

A woman with a scar on her neck... who could that be? Why would she want to hurt me?

I raised my head, searching through the crowd until my gaze finally settled on Jax at the edge of the gathering.

In that instant, our eyes held unspoken understanding and barely concealed worry.

"Goddess, the ceremony has concluded." Quillan approached, his voice carrying unmistakable command. "It's time to return to the tower and rest."

I nodded, quietly tucking the plaque into my sleeve, then turned to leave.

But in that moment of turning, I couldn't help glancing back at Jax one last time.

He nodded to me, then turned and disappeared into the dispersing crowd.