ã€ŠShe Became the Wicked Sister-In-Law of the Heroineã€‹


 CH 1

    ¡°Lucia, Lucia? What do you think?¡±

    I was lost in thought at the voice calling me, and I turned my eyes to the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery in front of me.

    A woman wearing comfortable indoor clothes and sitting on the bed with a white lace blanket on her knees was talking to me.

    Even though she was wearing very loose clothes, she was a truly sensual beauty.

    Brilliant, lively blonde hair and surreal red ruby eyes. Red and thick lips, a small dot at the corner of the mouth, and attractive eyes that keep attracting attention.

    It was truly a beauty worthy of a heroine in this world.

    ¡­ No matter how beautiful she was, she was an ugly adulterous woman.

    ¡°¡­ No, Rosalyn. The baby is so adorable.¡±

    I calmed the arrogance burning inside me and handed the clot of blood I had held in my arms back to the nanny''s arms.

    My ''new sister'' Rosalyn gave birth to ''my niece'' not too long ago. It was also the cause that made me immersed in complicated thoughts.

    Abigail, the child my brother''s wife, Rosalyn, had with another man. It was the product of an affair.

    Such an existence that makes you feel like a thousand dollars just by looking at it, but you can''t just hate it.

    What sins can a newborn baby do? The parents committed the sin.

    And the thing that complicates me the most is that Abigail is such an adorable, pretty baby.

    Even though I knew that this child was caused by Rosalyn''s affair, I had no choice but to admit it.

    Aren''t normal newborns shriveled and red? Why the hell is Rosalyn''s daughter, Abigail, so white, chubby, and cute?

    Is this also a female lead buff?

    ¡°Yes? Maybe that''s why it''s so lovely¡­¡±

    When I said that the child was adorable, Rosalyn folded her eyes into crescent moons and smiled happily.

    I knew this scene. Because it was a scene that I read so many times, Rosalyn was now looking for traces of the man she loved on Abigail''s face.

    Her elaborate features resembled hers, but her eyes resembled the child''s biological father.

    The fruit of love are born between you and the man you love.

    I felt sick to my stomach as I recalled the manipulative descriptions of how happy I was to hold the child in my arms.

    No matter how much they tried to wrap it up with desperate love, the substance was nothing more than an affair.

    ¡°Lucia, what''s wrong with you? You don''t look well¡­¡±

    Rosalyn looked at me worriedly, as if it was obvious that I was trying to hold back my upset stomach. Her pretending to be nice only made me angry.

    It was a pretentious appearance that could not be imagined as a woman who shamelessly gave birth to another man''s child and deceived her family members as if it were her husband''s child.

    ¡°¡­ I feel a little sick. I''ll just get out of here.¡±

    Not confident to see Rosalyn''s happy face in this room anymore, I made up the excuse of being sick. I felt like my stomach was rumbling.

    When I made an excuse that it would be bad for the newborn and the mother if she was sick, Rosalyn didn''t catch me.

    ¡°Are you not feeling well, my lady? Shall I call the doctor?¡±

    As I rushed out of Rosalyn''s room and entered my room as if to run away, I, or rather, Lucia Chase''s maid Samantha, asked with a worried face

    ¡°Not to that extent. I''ll just take a little rest, and I''ll be fine¡­ I want to be alone for a while.¡±

    As I spoke in a weary voice, quick-witted Samantha hurried out of the room, leaving a note to call if I needed anything.

    I knew my symptoms all too well.

    This was just a manifestation of trauma. It was because I was a person who freaked out even if only the word ¡°fire¡± or ¡°affair¡± came out.

    Was the original Lucia Chase like that too? Unfortunately, I wasn''t the original Lucia, and because of that, I don''t know what she thought of the infidelity.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    I let out a sigh of regret and remorse.

    If I had known it would be like this, I would not have read novels like that.

    No, even if I read it, I shouldn''t have read it to the end.

    The last word I left before I died was, ¡°How did you write such a thing as a novel?¡± It would be better than this if I wrote it! It was the worst novel in the world.

    Why did I possess a novel like this, even if I had to possess it? In this ridiculous world of infidelity.

    Well, it wasn''t just this world that made sense. Because my life, and the end of it, didn''t make sense either.

    What should we talk about first? From how I died? Or, why did I become such a flirtatious person that had an affair?

    Okay, maybe I should start by talking about how an affair ruined my life.

    I was born in Korea in the 21st century.

    No, to be precise, I was born at the end of the 20th century.

    At that time, all I could say was ¡°eung-eung-eung-eung¡± and babbling, which I couldn''t even understand, so I could say that I was born in the 21st century. I don''t even remember.

    And my life was completely ruined by the affair.

    My father, a man with a lot of money and a good face, was a man who could not be satisfied with just one woman, and he always had two or three women besides my mother.

    It was to the point of jokingly saying that he changes women for each day of the week.

    It was a wealthy but not happy childhood. There was not a single day I could spend comfortably under my parents, who were fighting on fictitious days.

    Even though they fought like that, her mother persevered. Believing her father''s words that this is the last time, being betrayed, believing again, being betrayed again¡­ It was a repeating life.

    Then, when I was ten years old, they finally ended up getting divorced.

    It was because the son of a bitch, who did not want to be called father, demanded a divorce because he had met a ''woman of his destiny''.

    The bastard''s bloodline grew in the belly of that ''woman of his destiny''.

    It was a divorce 100% his fault.

    Alimony? We did get it. Only 30 million won. {Approximately $24,000}

    It was because he had a lot of assets, but he used a trick to return them all to another person''s name for tax evasion.

    And since then, a rich but unhappy life has become a ''poor and unhappy life''.

    It was too tight for my mother and me, who were so-called light-weight women, to live with my meager child support.

    Mom worked tirelessly. She endured all kinds of contempt and abuse, she took care of other people''s houses, dealt with the truth about her drunkenness, and served as a substitute driver while dealing with drunken people.

    She even washed dishes by soaking her hands in harsh detergent in a restaurant until the flesh on her palms peeled off.

    Still, we were poor.

    It was a daily life to boil and eat ramen alone in an empty house after school.

    People are naturally sharp when they are in need, and my mother relieved the stress she received from others by getting angry with me.

    Even knowing that, I couldn''t take it out on my mom. But after I grew up, I fought against my mother every day.

    Now¡­ I regret it.

    Because my mother, my only precious mother, died.

    It was the year I entered college. My mother, who was on her way to work at dawn, was hit by a truck and died while working all night to earn her livelihood.

    It was a drowsy driver.

    The driver was also a pitiful person. A father who has to support a wife, a newborn son, and an old mother.

    A truck driver who travels all over the country all night and lives on the salary he receives.

    ¡­ Of course, it was not an environment where you could receive a lot of settlement money.

    But I just agreed. If I don''t agree, the driver''s newborn son will live a poor and miserable life like me. I feel sorry for that.

    So I became alone.

    In a poor and tight life, my mother did not have a common insurance policy.

    The meager child support payments my father sent stopped when I became an adult, and the meager settlement could not cover the cost of my expensive college tuition or live alone in the world.

    So I took a leave of absence and worked part-time jobs like crazy.

    I had no choice but to survive. Monthly rent, living expenses¡­ I worked part-time at a caf¨¦ on weekdays, part-time job at a PC room on the weekends, and sometimes at a local convenience store at night, and took care of a decent daily wage.

    It was only then that I realized how fiercely my mother had lived. Foolishly, my realization came too late.

    It was a fantasy novel that I found on my small smartphone that served as the only way to relieve stress in a busy and difficult daily life.

    And the last novel I saw before I died was, coincidentally, <Israji is in a mess.> which is the background of this world I am in right now.

    <Israji is in a mess.>. Just hearing the title might sound like a pure love novel that explodes with emotions, but it was a novel about beautifying infidelity that was disgusting, like a beggar''s feet.

    Israji''s flower language is ''only one love''.

    Rosalyn Pirandello, the female protagonist, met the male protagonist, Albert Rudeus, in a garden where israji flowers were in full bloom. She fell in love with him at first sight, and the two promised eternal love.

    But their happiness did not last long. Albert severely injured his head and became a vegetable.

    Rosalyn waited in grief for him to wake up.

    However, as time goes by, Rosalyn''s parents are dissatisfied with their daughter waiting for a half-dead man with no sign of waking up and marrying her to Seamus Chase, the heir to a wealthy earl.

    Seamus fell in love with the beautiful Rosalyn with all his heart, even though it was an arranged marriage. He was her obedient man who gave her all for her.

    Despite Seamus'' efforts, Rosalyn cannot forget Albert and spends every day in tears.

    In fact, until this point, I saw it thinking it was a beautiful love.

    However, the story takes a turn when Albert wakes up from a coma after several years.

 CH 2

    I became the wicked sister-in-law of the female protagonist.

    2.

    Albert and Rosalyn had a fateful reunion in the garden of Israji, which contains their memories.

    What fate, bitch. That¡¯s an affair

    No matter how much true love they had, their relationship was an affair. The moment Rosalyn married Seamus, an affair.

    If you loved Albert that much, you should divorce Seamus and meet him proudly. Or don''t meet Albert.

    Considering the financial circumstances of her family, Rosaline cannot afford to divorce Seamus, and at the same time, she does not give up her relationship with Albert and continues secretly.

    And finally, the fruit of that love¡­ Abigail was born.

    Seamus had no doubt that Abigail was his blood. Because he loved and believed in Rosalyn.

    And unfortunately, Albert and Seamus had similar eye colors, so he couldn''t suspect that Abigail, who had blue eyes like his biological father, was not his bloodline.

    ¡­ I should have stopped the novel here. It''s a shame that I couldn''t stop this novel in the hope that Seamus would be happy.

    As if betraying the heart of Seamus, who had firmly believed that Abigail was his daughter from the beginning, the child became more and more like Albert as she grew up. Because of that, he began to doubt Rosalyn little by little.

    And in the end, he found the secret that Abigail is not his child.

    At this point, I screamed.

    Finally! Get a lot of alimony and get a divorce! She clapped her hands and shouted with joy.

    But Seamus hadn''t broken my expectations and divorced Rosalyn because he''d been stupid enough to love her, even Abigail, who wasn''t his own.

    Seamus tried to win Rosalyn''s heart back somehow, even as he was thoroughly broken. Although in the process, he did some bad things that got in the way between them.

    Yes. In the original work, Seamus was a villain, an existence that interfered with the love of the main characters.

    Why did I finish reading this? I should''ve gotten off here somewhere. Damn it.

    I foolishly believed that justice would prevail. Seamus also believed that one day she would realize she was wrong, and she would divorce him.

    By the end of it¡­

    Seamus ended up taking his own life.

    It was beyond belief. What a trashy ending.

    Rosalyn and Albert, who thoroughly destroyed a person''s life, lived happily and formed a family, leaving a famous line that forgave Shaymouth''s mistakes and even the ¡°cowardly choice¡± at the end.

    For a long time.

    This was the end of the novel I read. It was really a plague until the very end.

    I was so angry that I was reading a novel while working part-time at a convenience store and taking advantage of the absence of customers. That''s why I left the same words as the last one I mentioned earlier.

    ¡°Did you write something like this as a novel?! Even if I write it, it will be better than this!!¡±

    And I threw my precious smartphone, which is still 10 months away from installment.

    It was a waste, but at that time I was out of my mind to think about the remaining installments. Because I was so angry that my face turned red saying vulgar words.

    That''s the last thing I remember.

    Because that''s when I died.

    What are we talking about? In other words, I died while trying to pick up the cell phone I threw.

    While reading a novel on the terrace of a convenience store, the cell phone I threw landed on the road, and I stopped trying to pick it up without seeing a car coming from the other side¡­

    I was hit by a car and left the world.

    A mother and daughter died in the same accident. I wanted to ask if this makes sense, but unfortunately, that was my last.

    Really¡­ I had a terribly unlucky life. This time, since I was dead, I couldn''t even get the settlement money.

    I must have died like that, but when I came to my senses, I was in this world.

    In the novel, I used to curse so much.

    She possessed the body of Lucia Chase, Seamus'' sister, Rosalyn''s sister-in-law.

    It was about two months ago that I was possessed by this body. When Rosalyn was already in full bloom.

    At first, I thought it was just a ridiculous dream, that I would wake up soon and be able to return to reality, but no matter how much time passed, I couldn''t wake up from this long dream.

    I finally had to admit this incredible situation.

    If I was going to possess, I''d rather possess Seamus before he marries Rosalyn, or before Abigail¡¯s birth.

    By the time I admitted to possessing the character in the novel, Rosalyn had already given birth in good health.

    My confusion didn''t show on the outside, as I didn''t usually change my expression a lot, but it was because it took time to adapt to such an absurd situation anyway.

    Well, it wasn''t because I had regrets in my life. Her mother, who was her only family, had already passed away, and her father and their relatives did not want to acknowledge them as part of her family.

    My maternal grandfather, who died before I was born, my maternal grandmother, who died when I was four years old, and my maternal uncles and aunts, who disowned me after fighting with my mother over the meager inheritance left, are also related to me.

    Nor did she have any close friends. She had been hanging out with her friends since she was young, but she was building a wall without even realizing it, perhaps because she had no room in her heart.

    It was the same when I went to college.

    Even before her mother passed away, she was unable to participate in a single-department event because she had to work part-time and study at the same time.

    I didn''t have the money or the time to chat with my classmates at a caf¨¦.

    Naturally, I became the best outsider in the department, an outsider for short.

    I did not go to college because I was interested in studying.

    I planned to get a job right after graduating from high school, but my mother was against it. Still, she said she had to get a college diploma.

    That''s why it was the university I entered, so even if I died after taking a leave of absence, I didn''t feel much regret.

    It was a very tough life. How could I have lived without making any of these precious relationships?

    So I really didn''t have any lingering feelings about my life. There was no precious person alive. In fact¡­ I even thought I was lucky to die. That''s how tired I was.

    Why didn''t they send me to the afterlife to meet my dead mother again? Why did I come here?

    How embarrassed I was when I first came into this body. It was because I was similar in height and body type, but other things were so different.

    Her long, unrealistic pastel-toned pink hair was well-maintained, so it was soft and shiny, and her moist skin was glowing, perhaps because she was born into a noble family, ate well, and slept well. That''s what''s commonly called a water buff.

    The eyes were clear sky blue. The sparkling eyes, as if they were studded with jewels, were unfamiliar to me, who was accustomed to the black eyes of Koreans.

    Unlike my hands, which were rough and rough for their age because they suffered from part-time jobs day and night, Lucia''s hands were white and smooth. It seemed that she had never been doused with water in her life.

    It''s confusing how different they are.

    However, fortunately, even amid that hecticness, I did not say nonsense such as ¡°Where am I?¡± or ¡°Why am I here?¡±

    My face reflected in the mirror was a face I had never seen before, but strangely, as soon as I saw it, I knew that ''this face is Lucia Chase''.

    Not only that. Every time I saw unfamiliar faces, I remembered what their relationship was with Lucia and what their name was.

    And I was able to know all the basic information like common sense in this world that I needed to live as ''Lucia Chase'' as if it were already stored in my brain.

    Thanks to that, I recognize my family, and I didn''t have to be treated like a crazy person and locked up for talking nonsense.

    Even as I lived day by day adapting to the life of Lucia Chase, I had no thoughts. It was because there was no specific goal of what and how to live.

    The main characters in the many possessive stories that I have read so far quickly find their goal and move steadily toward that goal.

    However, I was not able to find any goal even though I was possessed, probably because I had lived without much in my previous life.

    No, what should I say?¡­. Rather, shouldn''t we say that I lost my goals?

    In my previous life, my goal was simply to ''survive''.

    My goal was to remain alone in the world and somehow manage to survive on my own.

    However, after entering the body of Lucia, the daughter of a wealthy count family, there was no need to worry about surviving.

    The spacious and cozy bedroom was mine, and three hot meals were served without doing anything.

    The dressing room, which was filled with colorful clothes that I did not know how to wear alone, was several times larger than the narrow studio I lived in.

    Besides, there was a lady-in-waiting who followed me all day and helped me with my work.

    It was a life that was unfamiliar to me, where I did not have to work hard today to survive tomorrow.

    Sadly, I''m not a person who has a habit of enjoying luxurious life, as they say, when you''ve had the luxury of it you don''t enjoy it.

    Even though I was a child from a fairly wealthy family until my parents divorced, I found this very awkward. I couldn''t adapt to the colorful clothes and delicacies that go on the table at every meal.

    So I had no choice but to live day by day. Come to think of it, it''s exactly the same as my life before I died. The only difference is whether it takes effort to live day-to-day.

    But today, at this very moment, I thought that I couldn''t live without a goal anymore.

    In this world, when a child is born, the door is locked for three weeks to protect the mother and the newborn, and entry to the room is prohibited except for the midwife, nanny, and a few maids.

    And today was the day when the three weeks passed and the family met the newborn life.

 CH 3

    Lucia, Abigail''s aunt by name, couldn''t avoid such an important meeting, and that''s why she held Abigail in her arms in Rosalyn''s room.

    And at that moment, I realized one thing for sure. It was a fact that I couldn''t stand to see Rosalyn and Albert living happily ever after.

    It was like that just looking at what happened today. When I saw Rosalyn''s happy smile, looking for traces of Albert on Abigail''s face, my stomach turned upside down and I couldn''t bear it.

    Lucia from the original novel, who was possessed by me, must have the same thoughts as me in this regard. It was because Lucia Chase was one of the villains, who tormented Rosalyn when her affair was revealed.

    She even tried to seduce Albert by intervening between him and Rosalyn. Then she tarnished the reputation of her family and cursed them for interfering with the lovers who loved each other.

    After Seamus committed suicide, she tried to get revenge for her brother several times, but repeatedly failed and turned into a criminal, eventually being imprisoned.

    Come to think of it, if I let things go on like this, that kind of future would soon come to me as well.

    I might be able to avoid it if I could bless the two like Lucia in the original¡­ Really, I didn''t feel like it.

    Am I crazy? To bless those who commit adultery?

    No, no matter what you think about it, it was really upsetting.

    What the hell did Lucia do wrong?

    It was a childish act to try to seduce Albert, but where in the world is there a sister-in-law who would stay silent when her brother''s wife committed an affair?

    And why is it bad that an unmarried woman seduces an unmarried man?

    It is problematic that the man has a lover, but when a woman with a husband openly goes out with another man, she says it is ''fateful love''.

    No matter how you think about it, this world itself was strange. In aristocratic societies where arranged marriages were the basis, the atmosphere of keeping husbands and wives separate, and lovers separate was prevalent.

    The desire to monopolize the spouse was also defined as an ¡°uncool emotion.¡±

    However, if married people were allowed free love, that was not the case either. This ''Terrenian Empire'' was clearly a monogamous country. Legally, marriage was sanctified and adultery was discouraged.

    However, among the nobility, although it was a nameless corporation, it seemed that the atmosphere of being tolerant of infidelity was taken for granted.

    In this ridiculous society, no matter how much I tried, I couldn''t prevent Rosalyn and Albert''s happy future.

    Seamus, Lucia, and the Chase family who interfered with their fateful love will be punished as villains.

    But¡­ I didn''t like that future.

    Seamus felt so bad. It was Rosalyn and Albert who were guilty of their crimes, so why should poor Seamus take his own life?

    While my head was busy thinking about this and that, I heard a knock on the door and the voice of Samantha, the maid.

    ¡°I''m sorry, miss¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ what''s the matter?¡±

    I made it clear that I wanted to be alone. My voice sounded very cold because my head was already complicated.

    ¡°That, that¡­ Count So is here.¡±

    Samantha responded in an apologetic voice to my sharp tone.

    ¡°Lucia, can I come in for a moment?¡±

    A friendly tone with a husky voice mixed with a slight metallic sound. It was Seamus. If it was his visit, Samantha''s power wouldn''t have been able to stop it.

    I had no choice but to sigh and greet Seamus.

    ¡°¡­ Come in, brother.¡±

    When I told him to come in, the door opened and Seamus came in. Anyone could tell that they were siblings.

    His long, thin skeleton, fluffy pink hair, and glass-clear eyes were a bit darker blue than Lucia''s sky blue, but they looked exactly the same, so it was easy to recognize that they were of one bloodline.

    With fair skin, long eyelashes, and delicate features, he had a graceful face that was uncharacteristic of a man. He was an attractive person with deep dimples whenever he smiled.

    It''s a face I''ve seen countless times since I possessed it, but every time I see it, it''s an unrealistic appearance that I can''t adapt to.

    Rosalyn couldn''t understand more each time she faced Seamus. She''s willing to cheat on him by leaving her handsome husband like this.

    Of course, that doesn''t mean looks are everything. In the first place, because of my father''s influence, I hated all men, and among them, I hated handsome men even more. A good-looking guy definitely pays for his face.

    However, even with that handsome face, Seamus was a pure and innocent man who did not take a glance and only looked at Rosalind. He meant, a special unicorn among unicorns.

    The heir to the count''s family, handsome and caring. Even if you didn''t marry out of love, how could you never look back at such a perfect husband?

    Well, although I was praising Seamus like this, it wasn''t that I had other feelings for him. Anyway, since they were blood brothers and sisters, that didn''t work out either.

    I was just cheering and loving Seamus from the reader''s point of view.

    It was painful, so to speak.

    It''s just like my mother in the past to love her spouse''s affair without being able to cut it off. I sincerely wanted him to be happy and to live well. It''s like a parent''s heart.

    No, maybe this feeling I feel for Seamus is similar to that of a brother and sister.

    I don''t know, because I don''t have any brothers growing up with me.

    So every time Seamus heard Rosalyn''s harsh words, it seemed to break my heart.

    ''Rosalyn, you loved me too. We would have been happy without him.''

    ¡®No, Seamus. I''ve never been in love with you.''

    When the conversation Rosalyn and Seamus exchanged in the original came to mind, I felt sick again.

    How can you say such cruel things to a man who only looks at you?

    That you''ve never been in love with him. Even though they had been close to each other in the same bed for all these years.

    ¡°I came to see you because I heard you were sick, but your complexion still doesn¡¯t look good. Are you okay, Lucia?¡±

    Seamus asked kindly as she stared blankly at his face, imagining that his handsome face had been crumpled by cold words that flew like daggers.

    ¡°¡­ It''s okay, brother.¡±

    Seeing Seamus'' face full of concern for his sister made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn''t that I was really sick, it was just I was faking it.

    Well, I was nauseous, and I was in a bad mood, but that was only because I saw Rosalyn''s shit right in front of me.

    And above all, the presence of someone worried about me was so awkward.

    I was alone for a very long time, because I didn''t see my busy mother very often, and I was busy fighting her even when we were face to face.

    It with such a friendly face, I, no¡­ What Seamus is worried about is not me, but his sister Lucia. When I thought that, I felt that the emotions that had risen suddenly cooled.

    Amid this sentiment, Seamus''s stare sharpened as he stared at me, his eyes searching my face as if something was bothering him.

    Then, Seamus asked me in a serious voice.

    ¡°Lucia, are you¡­ are you hiding something from this brother?¡±

    For a moment, I thought my heart was sinking to the lower abdomen. I was worried that he might have heard a thud outside.

    It''s not that I''m hiding something, but because I had too much. Firstly, the fact that I''m not Seamus sister.

    Caught? Did I get caught? In an instant, tens of thousands of worries passed through my head.

    ¡° ¡­ What do you mean, hiding?¡±

    It was fortunate that I wasn''t the type to make a fuss. There was a brief gap, but I was able to respond calmly without stuttering anyway.

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    Seamus twitched his red lips and frowned. It was as if he couldn''t organize what he was going to say in his head.

    ¡°¡­ I don''t know what to say. I think you have something on your mind¡­ It''s different from usual, but since you don''t speak the whole thing¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ me?¡±

    I was taken aback, but I pretended not to show off as much as possible.

    It must have been different. Of course, it was different. Because it''s not you.

    ¡°Yeah, these days you don''t¡­ you don''t even smile that much these days. You used to laugh that much.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I was at a loss for words because I had heard them often in my previous life.

    Yeah, I''ve always been expressionless and feisty. I was often told by my mother that I was not cute, and I was often scolded by the boss for laughing when I was working part-time.

    It was very sad. No matter how much I tried to imitate Lucia Chase, it seemed that there were parts of her innate personality that were so different that there was no way to imitate them.

    ¡°Is there something going on that I don¡¯t know about? I won''t tell our parents, so I''ll just talk a little to this brother.¡±

    Asked Seamus with a friendly smile. With a smile, the thin cheeks were deeply dented.

    It was a smile that truly put people at ease, but it could not soothe my troubled mind. It was because I was very uncomfortable with the fact that I had to deceive such a good person.

    ¡° ¡­ nothing''s wrong, brother¡±

    Under the circumstances, this is the only answer I can give.

 CH 4

    If I made a hasty move, it would be perfect for me to become a strange person.

    I had no way to prove Rosalyn''s affair, and even if I did, I would be blamed for doubting the affair in this social atmosphere.

    My head felt pounded again as I thought of the absurd atmosphere of this society where infidelity was exonerated. I pressed my middle finger to my temple and grimaced.

    ¡°Are you not feeling very well? As expected, calling a doctor¡­¡±

    Seeing me like that, Seamus opened his mouth in a worried voice.

    ¡°It''s not that bad. I''ll just take a break, and I''ll be all right.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I guess I interrupted your rest. I''ll leave you alone for today. Have a good rest.¡±

    Seamus got up from his seat with an apologetic look on his face. I felt my stomach swell with guilt again.

    ¡°Sit down. You''re not feeling well.¡±

    As I was about to get up to see him off, Seamus shook his head. I watched Seamus'' back as he left the room with mixed feelings.

    ¡°¡­ Lucia.¡±

    Then, Seamus put his hand on the doorknob and turned his head as if he had something to say. In a rather serious mood, I waited for Seamus'' next words, not even thinking about answering the call.

    ¡°I''ll wait until you''re ready. If you have something you want to say to your brother, you can always come.¡±

    With these words accompanied by a warm and cozy smile, Seamus left the room.

    I looked at the doorway, where Seamus'' image remained like an afterimage.

    Such a warm look, a smile¡­ Have I ever received such things? Seamus was a man with a knack for making something rise in their hearts.

    Does it make sense that such a good person would end up taking his own life because of a woman, because of her affair?

    I have known for a long time that the world is absurd, but the world in this novel has gone too far. Even after taking his own life unfairly, didn''t Seamus hear good things?

    Sympathy for Seamus, who was betrayed by his wife and driven to the edge of the cliff, even though Albert and Rosalyn, who declared that they would forgive Seamus for his ''cowardly choices'' and ''the wrongs he has done'', were praised for being benevolent.

    Except for Lucia.

    Didn''t Lucia disappear because Lucia lost her body to me?

    ''What''s this? It''s really nonsense.''

    I buried my face in my hands.

    It always happens like this when I, who doesn''t show my emotions well, became entangled in an affair. I can''t control my emotions, so I get angry, sad¡­

    ¡°¡­ I can''t take it anymore.¡±

    I said quietly.

    Although there is no way I can fix this society, this society is rotten to the root.

    Still, she couldn''t let Seamus be unhappy, and Rosalyn and Albert, the two bastards who had ruined his life so much, live happily ever after.

    I''ll change it somehow.

    It was the moment when I had a new life goal.

    ***

    Since the day I went to Rosaline''s room, I''ve locked myself in my room. It was to plan the operation with the determination to change the future somehow.

    To organize the information I know about this world and to think about what to do in the future.

    Firstly, there was a way to determine parent and child in this world. Even in the original story, there was an episode where it was revealed that Abigail was not Seamus'' biological daughter.

    However, to do that inspection, permission from the Temple of Terenus, the state religion of the Empire, was required.

    It was because the test required the priest''s holy power and holy water.

    And, sadly, the temple rarely gave permission unless there was clear evidence of infidelity.

    I had no evidence to prove Albert and Rosalynn''s infidelity.

    In a society where photos could not be taken or voices could not be recorded, the only evidence was exchanged letters or witnesses to the affair, and there was no way that the clever Rosalyn would leave such evidence.

    In the original work, Abigail''s paternity test was possible because Lucia manipulated the evidence.

    Lucia made a love letter by imitating Albert''s handwriting, and later it was revealed that Seamus was blamed for the unscrupulous manipulation of evidence with wholesale money.

    No one could believe it, even if she claimed that Seamus was not involved because it was what Lucia did.

    Still, perhaps because they lived together for 10 years, Rosaline believed that Seamus was not involved.

    When Rosaline said that she was not the one to do so, people praised her as a benevolent person who defended the perpetrator.

    By the way, it was incredible and stuffy.

    I really felt like I was stuck at a dead end no matter what I did. To prove Rosalyn''s affair, a paternity test is required.

    The feeling of always going round and round in the same place made me go crazy.

    At least I knew the place, method, and timing of Rosalyn and Albert''s tryst, so if the two meet, I might be able to capture the scene somehow¡­

    Even if I captured the scene, there was nothing I could do in the current social atmosphere.

    It wasn''t even that far into the future.

    If my memory wasn''t wrong, it was probably because, sooner or later, Albert, who could not resist his longing to see Rosalyn and Abigail, would invade the Chase mansion.

    But to think that, you have to watch the scene of the affair.

    It would only hasten Seamus'' death if Seamus or the other family members found out about the affair without any preparation.

    Nervously biting my nails, I was lost in thought until I was awakened by the sound of a carriage approaching in the distance.

    Looking out the window, I saw a pretty luxurious carriage coming into the mansion.

    Count Lennart and Seamus, the fathers of Lucia, have a long way to go to work, and if not, no one will visit the mansion.

    ''Could it be today?''

    I knew it wasn''t long before Albert broke into the manor and met Rosalyn, but I didn''t expect it to be today.

    I squinted my eyes and looked at the person getting off the carriage. One, escorted by a knight was an aristocratic woman wearing a dress adorned with flowers.

    Behind them were two or three women who looked like maids and a tall man holding a gift box.

    It was not at all strange for a noblewoman to have a lady-in-waiting, but that tall man was a bit suspicious.

    Isn''t it suspicious even from such a distance that he wore a wide-brimmed hat to cover his face?

    ''¡­ Albert Rudeus.''

    It must have been Albert Rudeus, Rosalind''s first love, and Abigail''s father.

    Then that woman must be Countess Duonia Rupain, who is Rosalyn''s best friend and who runs a flower garden outside the capital.

    A strong supporter who supports her friend Rosalyn''s earnest love and actively helps her affair.

    I suppressed my burning anger inside and glared at the two figures outside the window. It was as if she was about to fire lasers from her eyes.

    It was then.

    I made eye contact with Albert Rudeus, who was disguised as an attendant with his hat down.

    A moment of bewilderment flashed in his blue eyes. He shouldn''t let anyone know of his existence, but since our eyes met, it was only natural.

    But the moment our eyes met was very brief. Pretending he didn''t know, he lowered his head and pulled his hat down.

    It wouldn''t have happened if he was a real servant. He made eye contact with the owner of the mansion he visited, but couldn''t take off his hat and greet her, but I turned away as if I didn''t know.

    It was such a short time, they seemed to think I hadn''t noticed.

    Feeling terrible, I pretended not to know that he was Albert and thought for a moment about going down to the first floor and getting angry.

    However, Rosalyn''s friends, including Duonia, were the ones who sided with Rosalyn and talked about how vicious the Chase family was in the social world.

    It meant that there was nothing good about her showing them a bad side.

    So I just looked down at Albert and Duonia entering the mansion, then closed the curtains.

    It was so violently closed that Samantha, surprised by the loud noise, ran into the room to see what was going on.

    ***

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    Duonia Lupine whispered to Albert Rudeus in a very nervous voice.

    It was because Albert''s behavior was suspicious.

    No matter how heartbreaking and pitiful the situation of Rosalind and Albert was, the plan to come to the house where her husband and in-laws live openly was too reckless and dangerous.

    Of course, Duonia was not dissatisfied with helping Albert because she was passionately rooting for Rosalyn''s pure love.

    Still, today''s secret visit was best left unnoticed.

    ¡°It''s nothing.¡±

    Albert pushed down his hat and answered in a small voice that could only be heard by Duonia.

    For a moment, it seemed that I had made eye contact with someone on the second floor, but it wasn''t a big deal to be particularly concerned about.

    Anyway, the young lady wouldn''t put that much meaning into it.

    ''¡­ Is it Lucia Chase?''

    He couldn''t be sure because he hadn''t looked long enough to recognize the appearance, but his keen senses said so.

    Lucia Chase. The younger sister of Seamus Chase, an unparalleled cowardly seed in the world, took Rosalyn, who was clearly his own no matter what anyone said.

    He seemed to be gnashing his teeth with rage, but he tried to control his anger.

    This was not the time. One day, Seamus Chase and his family wanted to tear them apart and kill them, but now he had to put up with it.

 CH 5

    To meet Rosaline and his daughter Abigail, whom he had not seen since she announced that she had a child.

    It was nothing more than infiltrating an enemy''s house disguised as an attendant.

    The Count, who saw his precious granddaughter, set up a security guard so strictly that he had to be checked several times while going to the room where Rosalyn and the child were.

    Fortunately, Duonia was a close friend of Rosalyn who had already visited the mansion several times, so rather than suspecting the person herself, she inspected the contents of the gift box he was holding.

    ¡°Duonia! How long has it been? I''m so glad to see you.¡±

    As he passed through the strict boundary and moved to Rosalyn''s residence, he was greeted by a very welcoming voice.

    No, because Rosalyn didn''t even know that Albert had arrived, it was Duonia that she welcomed, not him.

    It was still incomparably beautiful to see her getting up from the soft sofa and welcoming her friend, with a more drawn-out look than he remembered

    For some reason, the neatness that stimulates the protective instinct was added, making it seem more beautiful than before.

    ¡°I want to see the baby, and I want to see Rosalyn. We also prepared a surprise gift.¡±

    ¡°I''ll see you at Abigail''s christening soon anyway, but you can''t stand it? Duonia, too.¡±

    Rosalind joked about Duonia''s impatient nature. She didn''t seem to have the slightest idea that her surprise would be Albert.

    Duonia sat down on a soft chair, and soon the nanny came into the room with the little baby wrapped in a soft blanket.

    ¡°Oh my god¡­ The baby looks just like Rosalyn. So pretty.¡±

    When Rosalyn received the baby from the nanny and held it in her arms, Duonia admired Abigail.

    It was sincerity, not word of mouth. Because she was such a cute baby she wanted to make a fuss and scream if possible.

    ¡°I¡­ Rosalyn, I want to give you a surprise gif, can you send them away for a while?¡±

    Duonia, who was preoccupied with seeing Abigail, spoke cautiously as if she had remembered her true gift.

    It was a gift in a box. There was no need to bite around because there were only hand wraps, rattles, and toys like dolls necessary for a newborn child, but for Rosalyn and Albert''s friendly time, they got rid of the eyes.

    ¡°Yes, got it.¡±

    Rosalyn looked a little curious and bit all the maids who brought her tea with the nanny. Now all that was in the drawing room was Duonia, Rosaline, and Albert.

    Albert looked around nervously and quietly lowered his hat.

    ¡°Albert?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Rosalyn.¡±

    Rosalyn''s eyes widened when she recognized Albert. The look on his face made her doubt that he was looking at something.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing here? What would you do if someone saw you? It''s too dangerous.¡±

    Rosalyn''s voice trembled. She was embarrassed, and she was afraid that someone might find out about her relationship with Albert.

    But more than that, the joy of meeting the lover of her dreams spread across her face.

    ¡°¡­ Don''t mind me. I''ll keep an eye if anyone''s coming.¡±

    When Duonia shrugged, Albert and Rosalyn said thank you and headed to Rosalyn''s bedroom.

    The two of them sat side by side on Rosalyn''s bed, silently looking at Abigail. In a moment like this, there was no need for words.

    ¡°This child¡­¡±

    Albert''s voice was watery.

    ¡°She is our daughter, Albert.¡±

    Said Rosalyn, looking at him with jewel-like, tear-filled eyes.

    ¡°¡­ so pretty, Rosalyn.¡±

    Albert said, feeling a strange tickle in his chest.

    In fact, he didn''t like children very much. He thought that someday he would marry Rosalyn and start a family with her, but he thought that bearing children was just a way to continue the generation.

    But seeing Abigail''s blue eyes like this made me feel strange. How can she resemble his own eyes like this?

    It was to the point where I felt as if I was looking into a mirror.

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty, really.¡±

    He lightly kissed Rosalyn''s forehead. To give birth to such a lovely child

    As much as Abigail was lovable, anger welled up in his heart like boiling lava.

    This child is a child so pretty, so much like himself and Rosalyn.

    Growing up with the hateful surname Chase, disguised as Seamus Chase''s bloodline.

    It wasn''t enough that the woman he loved was taken away, and now his one and only lovely daughter was also taken away.

    ¡°Is it okay if I hug her once?¡±

    ¡°Of course. She''s your daughter.¡±

    Rosalyn smiled as she placed Abigail in Albert''s arms.

    ¡°Like this, you just need to support her neck and hug her. You''re good at it, Albert.¡±

    Rosalyn''s sweet voice was not heard by Albert. It''s so light It felt weak, like a candle that goes out when blown out.

    ¡°It''s too small.¡±

    ¡°It will grow up soon.¡±

    To his complaint-like words, Rosalyn answered with a smile. However, that answer only made Albert''s heart feel more dissatisfied.

    He couldn''t get a close look at this lovely baby growing up.

    He was angry at the fact that he always hid in the shadows and had to watch from afar without revealing that he was her real father.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Albert carefully laid Abigail down in the little crib next to Rosalyn''s bed. And then he expressed his anger.

    By coveting Rosalyn''s lips roughly and fiercely.

    ¡°eup, Albert!¡±

    I was angry. The other man''s body odor on Rosalyn''s bed. I thought I''d spew fire when I thought of what the son of a bitch and Rosalyn were doing in this bedroom.

    It''s not supposed to be like this.

    The thought flashed through Rosalyn''s mind for a moment. But it was only for a moment.

    The stimulation that came from the unfamiliarity of doing something that should not be done morally was too great.

    But I can''t. I have to stop now.

    ¡°Stop, stop now.¡±

    Rosalyn, who caught her last reason, pushed him away, her red, swollen lips.

    Albert exhaled vigorously and wiped his lips.

    ¡°¡­ People will think it strange if you leave too late, Albert.¡±

    Rosalyn said as she straightened her disheveled clothes. The expression on her reddened face was rather sad.

    I had to leave behind a very sweet and very short meeting. I felt like I was about to burst into tears.

    ¡°¡­ I''ll go.¡±

    Albert left the bedroom without looking back at Rosalyn.

    When he left, only the cold wind remained.

    ***

    After Albert left.

    When I went down to the restaurant for dinner, I lost my appetite when I saw Rosalyn with swollen lips.

    Crazy bastards.

    How can you do that here?

    This was Seamus Chase''s house. No matter what dirty things you do outside, you shouldn''t do that here.

    I shivered, finished my meal roughly, and went back to my room.

    Because I really wanted to find a way to punish Albert and Rosalyn.

    However, after several days of confinement in her room, she tried to think furiously, but without getting any cool answer, she had to forcefully end this confined life.

    It was because another guest came to the mansion.

    ¡°The child looked like Rosaline and was very pretty. I''m so glad she doesn''t look like you.¡±

    ¡°What''s wrong with me saying that? I''m a popular person who made a name for myself in society before I got married.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Aren''t you embarrassed to say that with your own mouth? It''s true, but¡­ I hate to admit it.¡±

    It was Seamus'' best friend, Vincent, the heir to the Count of Riviera, his wife, and his younger brother, Anton Riviera.

    From a precious daughter, he got married after 3 years of marriage to a welcome guest after a long time. Everyone was in a festive mood, but I couldn''t be part of the gap, and I felt like I was falling apart like a borrowed sack of barley.

    ¡°Lucia, it seems you are not happy with our brother, whom you haven¡¯t seen in a while. I see you are quiet the whole time. Even if I say yes, Anton is your best friend.¡±

    I was trying to keep my mouth shut because it was awkward to join the fun atmosphere, but Vincent jokingly started talking to me.

    Come to think of it, was there any mention that Anton was Lucia''s childhood friend and that they were in a special relationship, with marriage talks going back and forth?

    Later, when Lucia was accused of being a wicked woman and was punished, that marriage was broken.

    ¡°What friendship¡­ Just because she and I haven''t seen each other in a long time doesn''t mean we''re on friendly terms.¡±

    Anton spat out the words bluntly as if he couldn''t stand his older brother''s words, and I responded succinctly.

    ¡°I know. Don''t say gross things, Vincent.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, yes. That''s how Lucia is.¡±

    Vincent burst out laughing as if he was satisfied with my answer. Fortunately, my behavior did not seem unnatural.

    ¡°¡­ It''s because Lucia is not in good health these days. It''s because of that.¡±

    I had no one to blame, but Seamus defended me on my behalf. It was not wrong to say that I had been confined to my room with the excuse of being sick these days.

    ¡°Lucia, if you are tired, go in and rest. There will be Abigail''s christening in a few days, but you need to recover before that.¡±

    Seamus added, looking at me in a worried voice. It was awkward to be in a place like this, and it was a welcome sound to me, who had a complicated mind. I said goodbye and stood up.

    But Anton, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly jumped up and followed me.

 CH 6

    ¡°What?¡±

    Anton scratched his light beige hair and wrinkled his face when he sent a questionable look that meant when he hated the word ¡°best friend¡± and why he followed her.

    ¡°Does it hurt a lot?¡±

    He said, avoiding my eyes. The slight redness of the earlobe seemed to be embarrassing.

    What''s this? Is this coy? You''ve acted bluntly in front of other people.

    ¡°¡­ Whether someone else is sick or not.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to speak so coldly? Anyway, it''s a mess, even if you worry about it.¡±

    It was a very easy-to-understand personality. It''s like, no¡­ should I say it''s cute?

    By the way, unlike when they were with other people when they were alone, they didn''t have the aristocratic tone, so it seemed that Lucia and Anton were more comfortable and closer than I thought.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, sir Riviera.¡±

    Baby, I know you were close to Lucia, but she''s not here right now.

    Lucia is 21 years younger, so Anton, who is the same age, is not much younger than me.

    However, to me, who only saw the original man as a child, he looked like a true child.

    I was walking toward the room with my back to Anton after saying hello to him, and Anton kept chasing me.

    ¡°What? Why are you following me?¡±

    ¡°I''m not following you. I''m going the same way.

    You''re a real transparent type, honey. I think you liked Lucia. Tell her you''re just honestly worried about her.

    Walking alongside Anton like that, I had a strong premonition that Anton would bother me in the future.

    ***

    Then another few days passed without meaning. The day came when Abigail was just four weeks old.

    Here, at the age of four weeks, they are baptized in the temple. And the higher the class, the more splendid the baptism becomes.

    On the surface, the christening of Abigail, the only daughter of the heir to a wealthy count, was extravagant. She invited her guests before Cardo, the headquarters of the Terrenus cult, and made it grand.

    It meant that Lucia, Abigail''s aunt, could not be left out.

    ¡°Are you all right, Lucia? You''ve lost a lot of weight in a few days.¡±

    Lucia''s father, Count Lennart of Chase, asked anxiously. I answered nervously with a smile.

    ¡°It''s all right, Father.¡±

    Come to think of it, I think I lost some weight while I was thinking about it in my room.

    ¡°¡­ Can''t you lose weight by eating as much food as an ant''s eyes? Hey, are you really sick?¡±

    Anton opened his mouth curtly. Anton and Vincent, who had visited the count''s residence a few days ago, were still staying without leaving, so they were going to move to the temple together today.

    ¡°Why do you want to die?¡±

    I squinted and responded coldly. It was true that meals have not been good lately, but it''s only because I''m a Korean food lover to the bone, and I''ve been trying to eat greasy Western food for months.

    ¡°Even if I say it¡­!¡±

    Anton twisted his face at my words. The mere imagination seemed to be painful.

    In fact, Anton didn''t tend to be a little mischievous because he was the only one I could treat comfortably without pretending to be bright.

    ¡°¡­ It may be unfortunate news for you, but I am very fine.¡±

    I said this and got into the carriage with my father as an escort. Anton was heard huffing behind her as if he were angry.

    ¡°Anton can''t beat Lady Lucia for the rest of his life, ho-ho.¡±

    Vincent''s wife, Novia, smiled slightly at me like that.

    ¡°That''s what I''m saying. Lucia is no stranger.¡±

    Vincent also smiled nicely and looked at Anton, who was blushing.

    ¡°I''m letting you win! You don''t even know!¡±

    Even when I saw Anton shaking and getting angry at his brother and wife''s story, I leaned back in a soft chair, pretending not to know.

    Vincent''s family also got into the ready carriage, and the carriage clattered away.

    ¡°¡­hm.¡±

    My father, who was looking at me closely, swept his chin and was lost in thought. And after a while, he whispered to Emma, her mother sitting next to him.

    What are you talking about?

    ¡°Lucy.¡±

    My father, who was whispering with my mother for a while, talked to me.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Anton?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Anton?¡±

    Why are you asking that out of the blue?

    It may be just a question, but my father''s question seemed to give me goosebumps. It was because I knew that there was a marriage between the two in the original story.

    Anton¡­ He was very good-looking, considering he wasn''t such a heavy character. It was obvious that he would pay for his face later.

    And I think he really likes me, or Lucia, but I don''t like it because he''s not honest and brusque.

    In the first place, I wasn''t interested in dating.

    Like Lucia, I had only one goal in my life. Breaking the happiness of Rosalyn and Albert. So I didn''t want to get married.

    Well, it was fun to get angry reactions even if you tease me a little, but that was it.

    ¡°¡­ Just like a little brother.¡±

    ¡°I, younger brother¡­¡±

    My father coughed in vain when I raised the iron wall.

    I know what you two are thinking, but now that I''m in this body, your daughter''s marriage is over. I wanted to say that.

    I tried to ignore the disappointed expression on my parents'' faces and turned my head out of the window.

    The scenery of this world seen through the windows of the running wagon was very beautiful and mysterious. It was my first outing in months

    As I looked out the window, my parents'' eyes followed me. Even if I try to act differently, I can''t help but notice.

    I''m sorry that I took her body, but I''m worried about her for the sake of her happiness.

    Looking out the window with such rationality, the carriage arrived at the splendid temple.

    The temple seemed to be very rich, perhaps because everything in life was closely related to the temple, starting with the official wedding ceremony.

    When I got out of the carriage, I saw a beautiful garden first. The pope and the high-ranking officials below him reside, and most of the believers who visit this place are aristocratic, so it was seen at a glance that they also worked hard on landscaping.

    ¡°¡­ Why are you looking around like you''re new?¡±

    Anton, who got off the wagon that followed, got into a fight again.

    If he doesn''t pick a fight with me, he''ll get hives. I don''t know about Lucia, but it''s my first time here.

    I pretended not to hear it and entered the room under the guidance of the priest dressed in white, as I seemed to keep arguing because I responded.

    ¡°Hey, can''t you hear me?¡±

    Anton made an angry voice from behind, but I walked proudly, turning my long hair behind my back with the mind of where the dog was barking.

    Fortunately, the waiting room seemed to be separated from our host, Anton''s family.

    As I entered the waiting room thinking that I could rest quietly, Rosalyn was smiling happily with Abigail in her arms with her lively red cheeks.

    ¡­ I avoided the noisy Anton, and I thought there would be more trouble ahead.

    The moment I saw Rosalyn, I felt nauseous. I can''t believe you''re making such a happy face while deceiving everyone. You may feel sorry if you don''t have a very brazen personality. How can you be like a phony?

    ¡°Lucia, what do you do without sitting down?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I''ll go for a walk in the garden. I''d like to take a look around, maybe because it''s been a while. It''s a pretty garden whenever I see it.

    My mother''s question gave me a garden excuse. I didn''t want to be in one place with Rosalyn for a moment.

    ¡°Yeah. At first glance, the flowers bloomed really beautifully. Come back before the ceremony begins.¡±

    My mother answered with a friendly smile. It was a smile that resembled Seamus''s smile.

    It''s a really sweet family. Her kind smile seemed to complicate my uncomfortable stomach.

    I went out into the garden, trying to control my giddy stomach.

    I was able to be completely alone only after I separated from Samantha by saying that I wanted to be alone.

    Samantha had a worried face when she said she would go alone, but she gently withdrew when I said what could happen inside the temple, where the knights of the Temple were guarding everywhere.

    ¡°¡­ it''s pretty.¡±

    I have never enjoyed flowers and trees in my life. In the first place, I was born and raised in a place surrounded by asphalt and building forests, and I couldn''t afford to travel or see flowers.

    However, I seemed to have this longing for greenness.

    The garden was really beautiful and peaceful, where butterflies fluttered and the sound of water flowed from the colorful fountain.

    Walking through a well-managed garden with colorful flowers, all the complicated thoughts seemed to fly away.

    Being distracted by the beauty of the garden, I moved away without knowing where I was heading. To a deeper, less crowded place.

    How long did I walk? I was embarrassed when I suddenly turned around while walking aimlessly. It was because I didn''t know the way back.

    Am I lost? Where is this¡­

    Why is the temple so big? This isn''t even a maze. Wherever I went, the road seemed to be that road. I couldn''t even ask for help because there was no one passing by.

    ¡­ Oh, it''s ruined.

 CH 7

    Didn''t they tell you not to try to find the way when you''re lost, and to just stand still?

    However, since I had walked quite a distance and was wearing a floor-length dress and even heels, my feet hurt, so it was hard to wait.

    Looking around for a place to sit, I discovered a spot that could serve as a chair. It was a place that captivated my heart to the point where I forgot that I was lost. Unlike other flashy places, it was a simple but charming place.

    It was a simple wooden pavilion under a beautiful hackberry tree. For some reason, I was attracted to its simplicity. So there was a place like this in this splendid temple.

    If I sat there and waited, someone would come looking for me.

    As I approached the pavilion with such thoughts, I found something there and froze in surprise: it was the feet of a person wearing white trousers and white shoes.

    The upper body was hidden by the table, but looking at the uniform of the priests, it seemed that it was one of the priests who was lying on the bench.

    ¡­Was that a good thing?  Although I was initially surprised to find someone since I thought there was nobody there, I realized that I had now found someone who could be my guide.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    I tried to call the owner of the foot in a low voice. But whether he heard it or not, the person didn''t even move.

    ¡°¡­Excuse me, sir?¡±

    So this time, I raised my voice a little louder. But it was the same this time, too, no movement.

    Even if you were deeply asleep, a voice like this could still be heard¡­ At that moment when frustration was rising up, I thought to myself, ¡®Could it be?¡¯

    I hoped he wasn''t dead.

    Haha, hopefully¡­

    Finding a dead body while walking in the garden of the Great Temple? How likely was that?

    ¡°Excuse me, um¡­¡±

    I muffled the sound of my footsteps and moved a little closer. My heart started pounding.

    And then¡­

    The owner of the feet raised his upper body. Dirty sky-blue hair popped up on the table.

    ¡­It was a surprise. In any case, it was fortunate that the unfortunate event of finding a dead body was avoided.

    By the way, the pink hair on Lucia¡¯s side was unrealistic, but the light blue hair on this priest¡¯s side looked formidable as well.

    That was just like¡­ Yes, it was that exact color. The color of a soda-flavored chewy bar. That one.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The man sat there for a while without saying a word, not even opening his eyes, as if he hadn''t woken up.

    I opened my mouth again and called out to him. ¡°...Excuse me, sir.¡±

    It was good he woke up, but this didn''t help much. You weren¡¯t going to sleep in a sitting position, were you?

    ¡°Who¡­"

    He looked at me with one eye open in a sleepy voice, then opened his eyes round. He didn''t seem to think at all that a stranger would be standing there.

    The man turned his head and busily brushed his shoulder-length hair with his fingers. Then he said ¡°Hmmm¡± and smoothed his neck.

    After he finished waking up fully, he turned his head back to me, looked at me with a sparkling face, and smiled at me, as if he had never made a sleepy face. The corners of his softly curved eyes rose up like fox eyes.

    ¡­It was out of the blue to think like this in this situation, but why was the priest so handsome? It was the kind of face that made me think that.

    ¡°What are you doing here, young lady? Do you need my help?¡±

    The clear voice was a soft, sweet voice. He had a bewitching smile and even a voice like an oriole. It was a look that was sure to make many women cry and was worth the face value.

    ¡°¡­I''m lost. Which way do I have to go to Chapel No. 3?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you are the one who came for the baptism. Let me guide you.¡±

    The man jumped up from the bench at my words. He seemed to be thinking of taking me there himself.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±

    I refused his offer without letting my guard down. I just needed to show him the way, but why?

    I didn¡¯t like men who were overly kinder than necessary. My experience had been telling me so, as my father - or whatever - was a very kind person to women he didn''t know outside.

    ¡°I also have business there, and it is a bit complicated to explain in words. I hope you don''t feel pressured.¡±

    Despite my cold rejection, the man continued to smile the whole time. There was something playful in his gaze as he looked at me.

    I couldn''t easily believe that there was something to do in the same direction, but I was a little worried because the road was complicated. It was because I didn''t have the confidence to get out of this maze-like garden without a guide.

    ¡°Then, please.¡±

    ¡°This way. Let''s go.¡±

    While walking alongside him like that, I glanced at him from the side of my eye. It wasn''t a sharp glance. It was a look of disapproval.

    I didn''t notice it when he was sitting, but he was dressed really badly.

    The neat stand-up collar shirt, the symbol of priesthood, had all its white flesh exposed, no matter how many buttons had been undone. Again, one side of the shirt that was supposed to be worn neatly tucked into the trousers protruded out of balance.

    All over the world that I had lived in, some people dressed like that, but what this was¡­ It wasn¡¯t fashion.

    Besides, it was distracting.

    He was moving with a cheerful movement as if dancing. Humming was a bonus.

    Gosh, really. I shook my head. Would it feel like this if I took a walk with a beagle?

    I was annoyed that my feet, which had been hurting a little since earlier, started to sting in earnest, but even the beagle, which was excited at the side, was running around.

    No, it wasn¡¯t a beagle, it was a complete fox when you saw it when you smiled. In many ways, he was like an Arctic fox, jumping and hunting.

    As I patted my aching leg and followed the fox-like priest, he suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry. I have not been sensitive enough so I made the lady suffer.¡±

    He spat out incomprehensible words and sat down on one knee in front of me.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you put your foot on my hand for a second?¡±

    ¡­Feet? Coming from a different world, I knew that it was not polite to place my foot on the hand of someone I had never met before.

    I tried to hide my embarrassment and stared at him with an expressionless face, but he closed his eyes again like a fox.

    ¡°I don''t mean to do anything suspicious, I''m just trying to make your feet comfortable.¡±

    I can''t believe you''re going to make my feet feel better. I couldn''t figure out what he was going to do, but it was true that my legs and feet hurt, so I put my foot in his hand.

    A moment later, a warm streak of light rose from his hand, and the pain in my legs and feet disappeared like the pain had been a lie.

    ¡­Was this the holy power I''ve only heard about?

    Having healed both feet, he stood up with a grin. ¡°Let''s go, young lady. There''s not much time left.¡±

    Even if I didn''t flinch and frown, I might have felt a little good about him for relieving the pain.

    It was no joke to know exactly when to hit and fall and show off your talent. It was obvious that he was a player. You''ll get an estimate.

    If you were a priest, it would be nice if you pledged chastity to the god like a priest and lived a life of purity for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, it was common for the priests of this world to get married and start a family.

    This was because holy power tends to be inherited.

    To preserve the holy power, the Terenus Church appointed and managed those who possessed the holy power as ''sacred nobles'', a separate class from the feudal aristocracy of the fifth rank system.

    There was also a class of priests who lived chaste and poor lives, but priests were characterized by neatly dressed clothes and short-cropped hair.

    So this man''s appearance meant that he was not a priest.

    So it was clear that he was a bastard who would make many women cry in the future. Or he could have already made countless women cry.

    ¡°¡­By the way, young lady.¡±

    Humming a song as he walked along, he spoke to me again.

    ¡°I hope you will listen to me without misunderstanding. I''m not that weird, and I''m not a charlatan. I¡¯m definitely an official priest belonging to this temple. I''m not the kind of person who would say that to anyone.¡±

    What the hell are you trying to say with such a grandiose rhyme? I looked at him with cold eyes as if seeing something unpleasant, and waited for him to continue.

    ¡°I can feel God''s touch on you, and it''s very strong.¡±

    ¡°¡­I beg your pardon?¡±

    You just told me you''re not a charlatan.

    But what kind of nonsense was this? How would you know something like that? Saying things like "You have a clear spirit." The excessive nonsense stopped me from walking.

    ¡°I can feel God''s touch from the young lady. You seem to be loved by God.¡±

    ¡­This guy''s crazy. What kind of new bullshit was this?

    ¡°Are you trying to sell me something? I''m not buying it.¡±

    Like a jade plate or a germanium bracelet. Something similar to that.

    Just looking at it, it seemed like you were thinking of grabbing and robbing a noble lady in a luxurious dress, but I wasn¡¯t that kind of superstitious person.

    ¡°¡­I am not that kind of person.¡±

    The man snorted and felt wronged. But I couldn''t believe it. When have you ever seen a cheater wear a sign on his forehead that said he was a cheater?

    Seeing him use his holy power just now, it was clear that he was a formal priest of the Holy Nobility. Even so, it was not 100% reliable.

    ¡°How can I trust you? I don''t see it.¡±

 CH 8

    ¡°Oh, I see. I didn''t introduce myself,¡± the man said politely, bowing his head in a refined manner as he offered a formal greeting.

    ¡°My name is Jerome Piper, young lady.¡±

    The man who fluttered his long eyelashes and said a nice greeting looked at me with mischievous eyes; it was a look of anticipation.

    What was going on? Was his name someone I should know? It sounded familiar, but I couldn''t quite place it. Was he a celebrity or something?

    In fact, just by looking at his appearance, he seemed like he could become a celebrity.

    While he wasn''t as towering tall as Seamus or Anton, he was still a decently sized man with a well-proportioned figure, and his small, delicate face and long legs only added to his attractiveness.

    The white jade-like porcelain skin that could not be created unless one was born with it, the long lightly pigmented eyelashes, and the lively blue-purple eyes¡­

    Ahem, hmm. What was I thinking right now, facing this sly fox-like guy?

    ¡°Do you not know who I am?¡± he asked politely, lowering his head with a graceful gesture.

    ¡°Uh, no,¡± I replied. Though I could sense something in his mischievous gaze, it was not enough to identify who he was.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said. After transmigrating, I could recognize who I needed to know, so this man was someone I didn''t have to know.

    ¡°That''s strange. If you attended the christening, you would have heard my name at least once. Anyway, let''s continue our conversation¡­¡± he trailed off.

    All I wanted was to clear my head while taking a walk, but how did I end up meeting this guy? Did anyone who attended the baptism know him?

    Anyway, he didn''t seem to say that just because he was famous, but rather because he was someone related to baptism.

    ¡°God is everywhere, young lady. In this sunlight that warmly embraces us, in this wind¡­and¡­¡±

    Jerome stopped talking and raised his hands in the air.

    I didn''t know what he was trying to do, so I opened my eyes and looked at him, and a small white bird with black feathers on its tail flew in and landed on the back of his hand like a lie.

    ¡°You can feel the breath of God even in this little bird.¡±

    I couldn''t help but wonder if it made any sense for a bird to fly to someone''s hand just because they held it out, without being a princess from a fairy tale and all that.

    Although I was somewhat of an atheist, I had just experienced firsthand the power of divine grace from the priests of this world, so I thought that there must be a God somewhere.

    But what did that have to do with me?

    ¡°But the power of God is particularly strong by the young lady''s side. Really, I''ve never seen anyone as mysterious as you since I was born. I''m serious,¡± Jerome said, smiling as he lowered his arm and the bird began to chirp happily on his shoulder. It all seemed quite mystical to me, but my opinion didn''t change.

    ¡®So? What does it have to do with me?¡¯

    That was just my impression.

    You are really honest with your bullshit. The words rose to my throat, but I ignored him and sped up on my refreshed feet.

    It was because chapel building number 3, where today''s baptismal ceremony was held, began to be visible in the distance.

    ¡°That''s my destination. Thank you for bringing me here. I''ll be going now,¡± I said.

    ¡°Goodbye, young lady. We''ll see each other soon anyway,¡± Jerome replied.

    I thought he wouldn''t let me go easily because he was saying suspicious things about God''s touch, but Jerome, contrary to my expectations, smiled and said goodbye.

    However, he left behind a foreboding message:  ¡°We will meet again soon.¡±

    ¡°Jerome! How are you only coming now! Time is¡­¡±

    I heard someone calling Jerome from behind and turned to see a priest dressed in a plain brown priest''s robe running towards Jerome with a splendid ceremonial robe in his hands.

    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he must have been caught while skipping and taking naps. Because he was a really bad priest.

    I shook my head and headed for the chapel.

    ***

    I hurried my steps and entered the grand chapel in a state of urgency. Fortunately, it didn''t seem like I was completely late, as the baptism ceremony had not yet begun.

    ¡°Lucy, you''re late. Come here and sit down.¡±

    My mother, who had spotted me entering the chapel, called me with a stern face.

    Maybe because she was my mother, I ended up sitting in the front row. There was a staff with wings symbolizing God standing right in front of me, and a large bowl containing holy water was placed in front of it.

    ¡°¡­Is it because of me that it hasn''t started yet?¡± I asked, putting my worries into words.

    My father sighed and replied, ¡°It seems that the priest in charge of the ceremony is not ready yet. He¡¯s a famous priest who is currently making a name for himself, so we had a hard time inviting him. It''s unavoidable to wait a little longer.¡± It seemed all the priests in this temple were bad priests.

    How could they be late for such an important event? I was also late, so I shouldn''t say anything, but¡­

    ¡°Hey, where have you been wandering around until now?¡±

    Anton, who was sitting right behind me, poked me and whispered.

    ¡°¡­What do you care?¡±

    I knew I wouldn''t hear any good words, so why did I keep talking to him all the time?

    As Anton was about to refute me, we heard a loud sound as the door opened and the priests entered the temple.

    I looked around the priests, hoping to see the face of the great priest, who was said to be late, but when I saw his face, I lost my mind.

    Why are you out there¡­?

    It definitely looked like that guy, the high priest named Jerome.

    Then it dawned on me that I had seen the name Jerome Piper before; it was written on the invitation to the baptismal ceremony.

    ¡­He''s a famous high priest. Naturally, I had thought he would be an older man, but he''s so young?

    ¡°Look over there, Lucy. That''s the high priest, Jerome. Can you see the star-shaped brooch on his chest? He''s already wearing four brooches at such a young age. He''s truly an impressive person,¡± my mother whispered in a small voice, as if only for my ears, while covering her mouth with a fan.

    As I carefully examined Jerome''s chest as my mother had suggested, I saw that he was wearing four brooches in the shape of a pentagon, which symbolized the five principles of the Terenus religion.

    In the Terenus temple, the priests'' ranks are distinguished by the number of brooches they wear, rather than having separate names for each rank.

    Except for the arch priest who governed the pope and the diocese, having five stars was the highest rank. Even having four stars meant he held a very high position.

    When Jerome and I made eye contact as he sat in the first row, he gave me a small smile. His singing voice was romantic, as if he were saying we would meet again soon.

    It was really shocking. He had such a slouching attitude, winked as if he were a sly fox, and acted like a bad priest. Yet, he held such a high rank, and he was so famous that it was difficult to get an audience with him¡­

    Although a solemn ceremony was taking place, I was so taken aback by Jerome''s appearance that I couldn¡¯t understand anything that was happening.

    When he smiled with sparkling eyes and seemed to suck out people''s souls back, he looked completely different from how he approached the ceremony with a serious expression. He even looked a bit cold now.

    Come to think of it, when he had said he felt the touch of God on me and that I was mysterious, his words could have meant something else.

    Did he really know something?

    I also didn''t know why I came into this world into Lucia''s body. Surely, I don''t know what I don¡¯t know, right?

    No, it was just a meaningless word I threw out, but am I giving it meaning for no reason and getting hurt?

    I really didn''t like anything from one to ten. It also made me angry to make my mind so complicated like this. It seemed like I had unnecessarily become entangled with that fox-like person, causing me to worry about something I didn''t have to.

    Amidst the storm of thoughts rushing in my mind, the baptism ceremony ended.

    I quickly stood up, scared of the ceremony ending. It was because I thought I needed to properly understand the meaning of what I had said to Jerome earlier.

    But¡­

    ¡°Stand right there.¡±

    As the noisy surroundings disappeared as if the mute button had been pressed, an unfamiliar voice rang in my ears.

    It was the thin, playful voice of a young girl, but for some reason, it was an imposing voice that could be felt.

    ¡°Where are you going? There''s still something I need to talk to you about.¡±

    And with that voice, dizziness hit, as if the world was spinning. And soon after, my vision turned black, and the scenery in front of me disappeared.

    ***

    Here is¡­ Where am I?

    I was clearly in the temple''s sanctuary, but when I came to my senses, I was in a space surrounded by dazzling light, and I had no idea where I was.

    Around me, there was hazy white smoke rising, and I felt like I was in a dream rather than reality.

    ¡°Over here, over here!¡±

    As I looked around in bewilderment, I heard the voice of the girl, who sounded like a singing bird. It was the same voice that I heard before in the sanctuary, but I couldn''t identify who it belonged to.

    I took a few steps towards the direction where the voice was coming from.

 CH 9

    I had never walked on water before, but if I could, would it feel like this? Somehow, it felt like what my feet were touching wasn''t solid, but rather a liquid.

    ¡°Yes, this way. Come on.¡±

    ...I could clearly hear the voice nearby, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn''t see who it belonged to. I narrowed my eyes and looked around again.

    ¡°Can''t you see me? I said I''m here! Here!¡±

    When I couldn''t find them, an unknown voice erupted in anger.

    The sound seemed to be coming from below. As I looked down, I saw a small white bird struggling to flap its wings, just like the one I saw in the temple garden a little while ago.

    It was a cute bird with a black pattern on its back, tail, and wings.

    ¡°¡­Magpie?¡± I blurted out, dumbfounded. Was this baby bird talking right now? Really?

    Even though it was just a dream, it was still shocking. A bird smaller than the palm of my hand was talking to me. What kind of unconscious reflection was this?

    ¡°A magpie? No...I''m a white-headed oriole, a completely different species from magpies, which are referred to as red-headed orioles.¡±

    The white bird that wasn¡¯t a magpie...whatever it was, protested to me by pecking me with its beak.

    Either way, it didn''t seem like an important issue. But then, suddenly, the bird swelled up like a balloon and screamed, and in an instant, it seemed to have grown ten times larger.

    ¡°You thought it didn''t matter if it was this or that, didn''t you? You always need to give precise names to things and living beings!¡±

    I furrowed my brows and covered my ears. What a bird with a bad attitude.

    The white-headed bulbul, who had been venting his anger, returned to his small size as if he had never enlarged in the first place.

    Well, I don''t know what it was shouting in English, but it was cute anyway.

    ¡°Hey, you.¡±

    I blinked my eyes drowsily, and the white-headed oriole made an unfamiliar sound.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Hand it over. How long do I have to flap my wings? This also takes a lot of energy.¡±

    I was amazed, but I still held my palm upward. Then the oriole flew onto my palm.

    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°...A white-headed oriole?¡±

    After introducing himself earlier and asking if I knew who he was, the round-eyed bird let out a gasp as if there were no easy answers to his question.

    ¡°Hah, not such a simple answer. Of course, I am currently in the form of a white-crested oriole. Look beyond the surface, look at the essence!¡±

    But even if he talked about the essence... I had no clue what he meant, so I just blinked my eyes. Suddenly, I heard Jerome''s voice in my ear.

    ¡°You can feel the breath of the gods even in this tiny bird.¡±

    ...No way. He couldn''t be a god, could he?

    This little bird? A god?

    ¡°Right, you seem to have figured it out. I am the god of this world.¡±

    ¡°God...you said? You?¡±

    You have to take the bluff to the extent that it can be accepted. Wasn''t this going too far?

    Although it was amazing that a bird could talk, who would believe someone claiming ¡°I am the god of this world,¡± so easily?

    ¡°...You are a very skeptical kid. Truly negative. I knew it from the time you doubted Jerome.¡±

    ¡°It''s not being negative, it''s being realistic.¡±

    ¡°Ha, really! Don''t you hear a lot of people saying that you''re shameless?¡±

    The sparrow let out a disgruntled sound as if it was thrilled by my skepticism. But, let''s be realistic here. Although I didn''t know much about religion, I had never heard of a god in the form of a bird before.

    Though, in the European mythologies that any Korean knows well, there is a god that transforms into an eagle and harasses human women. But this little bird was not as majestic as an eagle. Could a sparrow be a god? Did that make any sense?

    ¡°Why is a god taking the form of such a small bird?¡±

    ¡°Does a god have to look like a human? That''s a human-centered and narrow-minded way of thinking. And I''m not a sparrow.¡±

    Come to think of it, did I mention the word ¡°sparrow¡±? Weird, isn''t it? I was sure I only thought about it.

    Since earlier, I have had this feeling like my thoughts were being read... Could it be just my imagination?

    ¡°It''s not your imagination. I can read your thoughts. So, do you believe that I am a god?¡±

    ¡°Uh... Wow.¡±

    At this point, I seemed to have to accept that this insignificant sparrow, no, this white-haired little bird, was a god.

    ¡°Are you starting to believe now? Alright, then. Let me introduce myself properly. I am the administrator of this world. To make it easier for you to understand, let''s just say I''m a god.¡±

    As the god spread its wings, a screen-like display opened behind it.

    And on that screen, a beautiful woman appeared. One pair of white wings, one pair of black wings. The woman with two pairs of wings was familiar even to my eyes.

    It was the goddess ¡°Dea,¡± depicted in the murals of the Terenunus Temple.

    ¡°The only god believed in by the Terenunus religion, Dea. That''s me. And...¡±

    As the god once again stretched out his wings, the picture on the screen changed. It was a dignified old man with a thick white beard.

    ¡°I''m also the god of the Gerges, Manus...¡±

    As I stared blankly at the image, the man disappeared in an instant from the screen, and the appearance of a giant, alien-looking monster appeared.

    ¡°I''m also the demon Ariman...¡±

    At this rate, the presentation didn''t seem like it would ever end, even if we stayed up all night. Was the intention to showcase every god from all cultural spheres in this world?

    ¡°Oh, I see. So, you''re saying that every god in this world is you. I get it, I get it.¡±

    As I shouted in frustration, the screen instantly turned to smoke and dispersed.

    ¡°You''re still far from understanding.¡±

    The bird, who had been confidently presenting on my palm, made a disdainful coo as if it didn''t like what it heard.

    Why did it look so annoying? It seemed like it was trying to act superior.

    ¡°It''s not acting superior, it''s being superior. This is not negativity, but rather reality.¡±

    ¡°Do you... really? I''m sorry. I didn''t realize you were such an important person. From now on, should I use honorifics?¡±

    ¡°What''s the point now? You''ve been using informal language until now. And you''re still doing it, aren''t you? You''re the first one to speak informally to me, so it feels fresh.¡±

    The deity perched on my palm burst into cheerful laughter like a chirping bird.

    ...It was ridiculous that I had become such a disrespectful human being who spoke informally to a deity, but it was also quite strange that the deity liked it, saying that it felt fresh and saying things like, ¡°You''re the first person to speak to me like this!¡±

    ¡°I appeared in this form in front of you because there is a deep meaning behind me having such diverse appearances. Shall we say it''s a custom-made form just for you? You don''t like humans very much, do you? That''s why I appeared in this cute and lovely form for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    I wanted to deny it, but I couldn''t. It was true that being called cute and lovely was embarrassing, but it was also true that I didn''t like humans very much. It was a fact that I couldn''t deny, since my distrust of humans was deeply rooted within me.

    And as the god said, appearing in the form of a cute animal rather than in the form of a human being also made me feel less repulsed.

    ¡°...Alright. Now that introductions are out of the way, let''s get to the point. I don''t really know who you are. I''m the one who brought you to this world. The one who brought the soul of Park So-Eun into the body of Lucia Chase, that was me.¡±

    Oh, my name. It was a name I hadn''t heard in a long time. Park So-Eun. I felt a little awkward hearing my real name for the first time in a long time, after only hearing the name Lucia.

    No, what did he just say?

    Who was the reason I was possessed in Lucia''s body?

    It was you, the culprit.

    ¡°Who do you think has been giving you information about Lucia and the people around her all this time? Me. I''ve been waiting for you to come to the temple just to talk to you like this. The temple is the place where my influence is strongest.¡±

    ¡°Why on earth...?¡±

    I stared at the god sitting in the palm of my hand with all my might. I couldn''t understand why I had transmigrated to this crazy world.

    If I had gone to the other world as it was, I would have had a meeting with my long-dead mother.

    ¡°To put it simply...from God''s perspective, you weren''t very likable...I guess that''s the reason?¡±

    After saying some vague and incomprehensible words, the god spread his wings and flew back up into the air. Then he settled on my right shoulder this time.

    ¡°Is it your hobby to speak so ambiguously? No wonder it''s so difficult to understand the Terenus Scriptures. Are you always this grumpy?¡± I muttered as the god pinched my ear with its tiny beak, obviously displeased with my words.

    Ouch. What a moody god.

    ¡°That''s why it would be better if you just said it clearly from the beginning,¡± I grumbled, rubbing my ear that had been pinched by the sharp beak. I really didn''t know why I had to chat with a god here.

    ¡°You read the novel set in this world, ''Israji is in a mess''. Tell me what you think of it. Don''t hold back.¡±

    God said this with a serious expression. Without hesitation, I immediately blurted out my thoughts on the novel that I had always pondered over.

    ¡°In one word, chaos.¡±

 CH 10

    Was this society? Was this even logical? Not only did they glorify adultery, but they also blamed the victims and made them out to be the bad guys... Even if it was a pre-modern society, there should still be limits.

    Were the nobles in this world really so lacking in conscience?

    No, in fact, the term "chaos" would be an understatement. I couldn''t even explain the disaster without using curse words.

    "Yeah. I feel exactly the same way as you do. This world is a total...mess."

    "Even though it''s good that we share the same thoughts, what does it have to do with me coming to this world?"

    So I had sharply asked, ¡®What should I do about it?¡¯

    My head was already hurting because I couldn''t figure out what to do to protect the already kind and vulnerable Seamus.

    "I think you can change this rotten society," God said, singing like a bird.

    That sounded creepy.

    Feeling that the conversation was about to get long, I sat down on the floor. The God vigorously flapped his wings and circled around me before landing on my knee.

    "¡­If you''re a God, then why don''t you do it yourself? You''re supposed to be all-powerful," I said to the God, looking down at him with a heavy heart.

    If even a God couldn''t save a society that was beyond saving, how could I, a mere mortal, possibly fix it?

    ¡°Even a God can''t interfere with human free will. I warned them several times, but they didn''t listen. This may be my last chance to give the humans of this world a chance. If you fail, well...we''ll have to start over.¡±

    "Um, excuse me. Can you please not say such scary things just because you look insignificant? Start over?"

    Were you trying to cause a massive flood? Or a giant volcano eruption? Or drop a meteor to destroy humanity? Will there be a terrifying pandemic?

    Oh, no. It couldn''t be that all these things happening at once, could it?

    Thinking of all these terrible futures, I looked at the God with an incredulous expression, and the God returned a puzzled look.

    "You have a very expressionless face, even when imagining such a grim scenario...It was just a joke, a joke."

    Ah, I see. It was a joke. I took it too seriously.

    "That kind of terrible talk shouldn''t even be said as a joke. Is this ''God'' lacking in moral values?"

    I stared at the deity with a cold gaze. At least it was a joke. If it had been serious, the survival of all humanity in this world would have been in my hands.

    "So, why did you really bring me here? What about the real Lucia? Did she give her consent?"

    Honestly, if someone like ''God'' had given away my body to someone else, I would be extremely upset. After meeting this deity, I was more concerned about the real Lucia.

    "In the novel you read, didn''t Lucia go to prison and that was the end?"

    For some reason, God mentioned the ending of <Israji is in a mess>. I nodded my head to mean yes.

    It was true that she had committed illegal acts for the sake of revenge for her brother, but going to prison was not a happy ending.

    As for Rosalyn and Albert, who had destroyed one family, they were happy.

    "Afterward, Lucia also took her own life. In prison."

    Oh my god, what a terrible ending! Even Lucia had ended up taking her own life, on top of everything that had happened with Seamus.

    "Before she died, Lucia left this will. She said she would offer her soul to the devil if it could make Rosalyn and Albert unhappy."

    The appearance of the God talking about Lucia''s will seemed depressing for some reason. The sight of wings drooping down with its cute appearance was quite sad.

    "So, did you grant the wish in exchange for her soul? But you''re a God, not a devil."

    "Good and evil, angels and demons. What does that even mean? Even Gods have duality, my child. Just because I''m a God doesn''t mean I''m always a benevolent being."

    ...Cancel the previous statement about the appearance being cute.

    No matter how cute it looked, the God was still a God. Its cold, precise speech exuded a sense of intimidation.

    ¡­My heart hurt thinking of Lucia. How much must she have suffered to leave such a message and offer her soul? It''s unbearable that both Seamus and Lucia had to endure such pain as siblings.

    "Don''t worry like that. Just because someone looks cold on the surface doesn''t mean their inner feelings are the same... I sent her to a good place. A place where she can start anew without any memories of her past life. And I have her soul, you know?"

    "Couldn''t you have told me that sooner?"

    Anyway, he was quite a cunning God.

    It was a relief that Lucia''s soul was saved, but that didn''t mean the emotions she felt when she had taken her own life had disappeared. The pain in my heart remained the same.

    ¡°And, coincidentally, you died. You are the perfect person to fulfill Lucia''s wish and my purpose of fixing this rotten world. The strongest driving force that leads people to success is a strong desire to achieve their goals. And you have that,¡± God said as if singing.

    A strong desire to achieve goals...

    I knew what he was talking about.

    Extreme hatred towards Rosalyn and Albert, and bitter resentment towards this society that gave absolution to infidelity.

    If there was anything I had in common with Lucia, it would be that.

    But it was kind of embarrassing...

    Was I so immersed in this novel that I could be scouted by God?

    Well, I mean, I had thrown my smartphone with 10 months left on the installment plan and got hit by a car and died.

    However, even though I understood what God was saying, having a strong desire alone didn''t mean I could do everything.

    I was an ordinary human who wasn''t good at anything.

    But could I fix this rotten society that even God couldn''t fix? I didn''t have the confidence to do that.

    As if reading my thoughts, God said with a pretend tap on my shoulder with his small foot, "...You are a child with much greater potential than you think. Trust my vision."

    Although those were comforting words...

    "But I really lack confidence. Achieving even one of my goals right now is overwhelming."

    The downfall of Rosalyn and Albert, and the future where Seamus didn''t have to die. Just thinking about them was enough to make my head explode.

    "...You don''t think you can achieve your goal right now, do you? Don''t you think that changing society is the shortcut to achieving your goal?"

    But then, without warning, God struck my bone. Actually, I already knew. In the strange atmosphere of this world, no matter what I do, both Seamus and I would be bad people.

    I also knew all too well that society was the main culprit that would block any path I took.

    Okay, I admit it. God was right about everything.

    If I didn''t change my perception of adultery, I''d be the only bad guy, and Semus my brother... they''d end up killing themselves too. Everyone would be pointing fingers at them.

    Damn, it. Fine, let''s do it. What''s the harm in trying?

    However, even if I were to accept God''s proposal, I had unresolved doubts and complaints.

    Why now? I had been thinking about it steadily, but seeing the person who brought me to this body in front of me made me explode with discontent.

    "But why now?¡± I asked. ¡°If it were before Abigail was born, Seamus could have avoided some pain and it could have been over.¡±

    "...Abigail is an essential child who must be born. It''s like a fixed point in history that can''t be stopped no matter how much you turn back time."

    It''s really complicated¡­ Well, no one knew what Abigail would become when she grew up. That little newborn with rosy cheeks could become a great person who changes history.

    And her parents, Rosalyn and Albert¡­ They were the protagonists of this world. Can I just ruin them as I please?

    As if reading my thoughts, the God swelled up again to a huge watermelon-sized form in displeasure.

    "...Who says they''re the protagonists of this world? The novel you read is just a fragment of your world projected onto ours. Every living organism in the world has its own value. You can''t divide them into lead and supporting roles."

    The more we talked, and the more questions were answered, the more my head felt complicated.

    It''s difficult, so difficult. How had I gotten involved in such a grandiose affair when I was barely making it through each day?

    "It''s not that complicated. To summarize, there is no longer the soul of Lucia Chase in this world, and your body died and disappeared. So now, you are the owner of that body, and you are Lucia Chase. Of course, that doesn''t mean the past disappears. You are both yourself and Lucia at the same time."

    It was a very difficult proposition to be both myself and Lucia Chase at the same time.

    "I won''t force you. Lucia Chase, will you accept my trust?"

    Suddenly, the chirping friend spoke in a solemn tone. Although it was a high and delicate voice of a young child, it strangely gave off a sense of dignity.

    "Trust." It sounded so grand.

    "If I accept this ''trust'' thing, will I also gain some kind of power?"

    Like that person, Jerome or Jessabap, will I also be able to shoot a shining light and heal others? It might be a little useful.

 CH 11

    ¡°That''s not it...¡±

    What? Why did you have such a grand name without any special benefits? I felt a bit uneasy about it. My thoughts must have been read, as the God hastily added with a flustered tone.

    ¡°However, you can be appointed as a saint in the temple. Then, you can use the temple''s budget and even manipulate capable priests as you please. If you want, you can move secretly without revealing it to the world. There is that much flexibility.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± I called out without thinking. In fact, I wondered if it would be more annoying if I put on the grandiose title of ''saint,'' but it would be nice if I could secretly receive help from priests without disclosing it to the outside world.

    Even if I wanted to move secretly without others knowing, I knew very little about this world and the only person I could rely on is Samantha.

    Although the Count''s family was wealthy, the amount of money I could spend without my parents or older brother knowing were limited.

    ¡°Yeah. To be honest, you didn''t really have a choice. The moment I called you here, the priests must have already noticed that the oracle had been handed down.¡±

    ¡°...Excuse me?¡±

    If that was true, then I never had a choice from the beginning, did I? This God was truly an artist in training and manipulating people.

    ¡°Well then, I''ll entrust you with this, Lucia Chase. While I can''t completely eliminate those who make vows of holy marriage in my temple and then go off and do other things, I can at least make it so they can''t walk around with their heads held high.¡±

    The God flapped its small wings and perched on my forehead. Then, I felt a warm light spreading from my forehead.

    ¡°Oh, and about Jerome, he''s a good boy, so take good care of him. Don''t be too suspicious. That child will be of great help to you in carrying out your mission.¡±

    As the dazzling light made it impossible to see anything around me, the God''s singing and chirping could be heard in my ears.

    ***

    ¡°Jerome, this is...?¡±

    Solheim, a young priest of the Great Temple, opened his mouth in surprise as he looked at Lucia Chase floating in mid-air, surrounded by a bright light.

    In his eyes directed at Lucia, there was not only confusion, but also awe.

    The scene before the priests was a sight they had never seen before, at least among the living.

    Something that hadn''t happened in at least a hundred years. Something that could only be found in the historical records of the Terenus religion.

    They witnessed the moment when divine trust was being bestowed.

    ¡°We still have to wait. What kind of divine message was given and until the young lady wakes up, no one can know.¡±

    Unlike the other priests who were greatly surprised, Jerome showed little sign of surprise. Judging from how quickly he had looked around when Lucia suddenly collapsed, it seemed that he had expected something like this to happen.

    When Solheim had received Jerome''s order to close the curtains of the room, he couldn''t understand it, but after following the order in a hurry, it seemed he had feared that Lucia would emit a dazzling light and rise up into the air as she had.

    Solheim couldn''t help but be amazed.

    It was not only from witnessing the scene of the oracle that occurred a hundred years ago, but also surprise directed towards Jerome, who had moved astutely as if he had anticipated all of this.

    ¡°Yes, Jerome.¡±

    Solheim glanced briefly at Jerome''s profile as he gave orders in a playful voice.

    Based on his usual demeanor, it was hard to believe that this young elite had been promoted so rapidly at his age. He was restless, unkempt, insincere, lazy, and complacent... just listing the flaws that came to mind would take too long. Solheim had thought of him as nothing more than a delinquent who relied solely on his innate talent and regularly neglected his training.

    This evaluation was too rude to make about one''s superior, but Solheim couldn''t help but think that way because Jerome was younger than him. Although they were only a few years apart, in terms of graduation class from theological school, Solheim was Jerome''s senior.

    Even now, he couldn''t seem serious, despite witnessing a sight that would have made anyone gasp in amazement. To think he was sitting in his chair backwards, chin resting on the backrest, tapping his fingers leisurely.

    However, the process of predicting the situation and clearing the surrounding area was perfect in itself. Despite experiencing this situation for the first time in his life, Jerome followed the manual prescribed in the temple law without deviation. Moreover, while Solheim was still in shock and unable to come to his senses at the sight in front of him, Jerome had a nonchalant attitude as if he already knew everything.

    Of course, he chuckled as if he found something interesting. Still, there was something distinctly different from his usual absent-mindedness, and it felt like seeing him in a new light.

    However, as the recipient of such scathing criticism, Jerome seemed to have no interest in what Solheim might be thinking about him.

    All of his attention was focused on Lucia Chase.

    In fact, Jerome was thinking back to the first time he met Lucia in the temple garden.

    He was born with tremendous divine power, which often allowed him to see what others could not see and feel what others could not feel. To him, Lucia was a truly fascinating opponent.

    A powerful divine aura that no one else could feel. It was a trace of divinity different from the innate power that he couldn''t quite put into words.

    Looking back, he thought it might have been a sign of being chosen by a deity. However, there was also an inexplicable sense of discomfort in Lucia that no one else in this world could feel.

    The intense trace of divinity and the indescribable sense of discomfort he felt for the first time in his life were already very interesting. But compared to the pleasure he felt after talking to her, they were nothing.

    He, too, had not always lived receiving love and respect from everyone. Still, being treated as a mere peddler was a first for him.

    In any case, he was a relatively well-known priest. It was a new experience for someone to show raw suspicion in front of him.

    ¡®Are you trying to sell me something? I''m not buying it.¡¯

    Whenever he recalled that moment, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She really wasn''t an ordinary person.

    From the moment they first met, there was something about her that wasn''t quite ordinary.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but it felt like she was a woman who would cause him trouble and get herself entangled. And maybe Jerome himself was hoping for that. Perhaps he had hoped that the connection with this woman who had made him so happy since their first meeting would continue.

    And wasn¡¯t that exactly what was happening?

    A saint who appeared after 120 years. The representative of God, chosen by God. If he was a priest of the Terenus religion, he gladly and wholeheartedly had to follow the saint. So no matter what God''s intentions were for her, he was going to be connected to Lucia somehow.

    What an exciting situation this was.

    Jerome was watching Lucia with a pounding heart, like a boy about to open a huge present. And there was only one thought in his head: ¡®I hope Lucia comes back from her conversation with God as soon as possible.¡¯

    ***

    ¡°...Young Lady.¡±

    As soon as I opened my eyes, the face of the priest, who seemed to be the happiest person in the world, appeared before me with a bright smile.

    ¡°Did your meeting with Him go well?¡± Jerome asked in an excited voice.

    I was already confused about whether I was a sparrow or a red-eyed bird, whether meeting God was a dream or reality, but there was no need for him to hammer the nail in like this.

    It seemed that receiving that ''trust'' was genuine.

    I felt awkward and complexed, but why was this man so happy? It was a situation where I couldn''t even try to see him kindly.

    ¡°Well, um...¡±

    I felt like I had to say something, but I didn''t know what to say.

    Although I had experienced all kinds of battles and even transmigrated into the body of a character from a novel I was reading before I died, I had never received a ¡°trust¡± like this before.

    Feeling flustered, I couldn''t easily open my mouth, and then Jerome knelt in front of me and spoke.

    ¡°From now on, I will follow you, the saint who has been entrusted to me, until the end. You can tell me the contents of the trust or keep it hidden, and even if you don''t speak, I will devote myself to serving you with my life.¡±

    He had been excited like a boy who just got an interesting toy a moment ago, but now he had a serious expression as if that moment of excitement had never happened. Lowering his gaze slightly and kissing the back of my hand was just a bonus. His gentle and cautious movement made it seem like my hand could easily break.

    I could hear the voice of God telling me to live well because I was a good kid, but I didn''t like Jerome¡¯s actions at all. It was as if he was calculating how to act to make women¡¯s hearts flutter for him.

    But it was all in vain for me.

    I felt my mood instantly cool down. Thanks to that, it felt like my confused thoughts were calmly organized.

    ¡°What will you do? If you wish, we can spread the word that trust has been placed in you. Or, if you find it troublesome, you can keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Then please keep it a secret. It''s more comfortable to move discreetly,¡± I answered without hesitation at Jerome''s question.

    Things were getting more complicated here. It already seemed to have gotten complicated enough, yet it had worsened.

    ¡°If you wish, let''s keep it a secret for a while.¡± Jerome nodded obediently at my words.

 CH 12

    Edited by Spade

    12.

    I appreciated his obedient attitude, but I still felt somewhat uneasy.

    ...Why ''for the time being''? Was it a story that will eventually be revealed, regardless of my intentions?

    Without paying attention to my apprehensiveness, Jerome continued. ¡°Are you planning to keep it a secret from your family as well? I haven''t told your family yet.¡±

    ¡°...You did the right thing. Please keep it a secret from my family from now on.¡±

    It seemed like God''s words that Jerome would be helpful to me in my work were true. He was more perceptive than he first appeared, and he enjoyed handling work more than I thought.

    Of course, some parts didn¡¯t quite sit right with me.

    ¡°Yes, as you command. But we cannot completely hide it within the temple. According to the temple law, we must go through the official appointment process to allocate the budget in front of the Saint.¡±

    ¡°...That should be fine. Please take care of it.¡±

    Temple law, the official appointment process, budget allocation...

    I felt uneasy again hearing about secular matters that did not fit with the image of religion.

    ¡°Tonight, you have to go through various procedures and stay in the temple... Would it be okay to tell your family to rest for a day, just in case?¡±

    He said he liked handling work, and his ideas seemed quite good. I nodded my head in agreement.

    ¡°Yes, can you tell me about the contents of the trust...? Of course, it is up to the Saint whether to disclose it or not, and even if you decide to keep it a secret, I will simply follow your lead.¡±

    Jerome couldn''t hide his curiosity and asked again with shining eyes. Although he said it was okay not to disclose it, his body language was saying otherwise. He looked so curious that I wondered if he would believe me unless I said it with an expression on my face.

    I thought about closing my mouth because of his eager expression, but since there was no need to hide anything, I decided it would be better to tell him.

    ¡°...He said of creating a society that follows the doctrine of ''Do not commit adultery.'' Do you know what that means...? As a high priest, you must know, right?¡±

    Even though I could have explained it in detail, I spoke vaguely. Well, the language of the gods worshiped by this religion was also quite vague. And it would be impossible to work with someone who couldn''t even sense the atmosphere well enough to realize the prevalent atmosphere of justification for adultery in a noble society.

    ¡°...Yes. I understand what you mean. The current situation is certainly not normal.¡±

    Jerome seemed to understand what I was talking about immediately. As someone who was born and raised in a world where adultery was justified among the nobility, it would not have been easy for him to realize the contradiction of this society, especially since he was of noble birth. Yet, he understood it in an instant like this. To be honest, I was a little surprised.

    ¡°I will follow with sincerity, Saint.¡±

    At the moment when his heart softened, Jerome softly chuckled. ¡°Is there anything that doesn''t sit well with you?¡±

    ¡°...No.¡±

    There was something that didn¡¯t sit well with me. It''s you.

    If I let my guard down even a little, I might use my innate beauty to seduce people. Men who knew how to use their good looks were dangerous creatures.

    But I couldn''t honestly say that I didn''t like you.

    ¡°And your family has been worried since earlier... What should we do? Should I bring them over?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    At Jerome''s words, I bit my lip slightly. I had forgotten about my family.

    They would be worried since I suddenly collapsed in the chapel. But the presence of someone worried about me was so unfamiliar.

    Anyway, if it''s according to God''s will... Lucia was no longer in this world, and I had to take her place.

    ¡°No, no. From now on, I am Lucia.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy to accept, but I should make an effort. As Lucia.

    ¡°Yes, please do that for me.¡±

    As I asked Jerome to bring my family, he sent me a meaningful look and gave me a slight smile.

    It could just be a meaningless laugh, but after dismissing Jerome''s words about feeling God''s touch as heartfelt nonsense and then suddenly being struck by lightning, I felt that there was some hidden meaning in that laugh.

    ...It''s like he knew everything that was in my heart. It made me feel uneasy.

    After Jerome left the room, my worried family members rushed in. They seemed to have been so distressed that their faces were pale.

    ¡°Lucia...!¡±

    My mother immediately ran towards me and hugged me tightly on the bed. Then she checked my complexion here and there. ¡°Are you okay? Are you feeling any pain? Are you feeling dizzy?¡±

    ...I''m really fine.

    Without giving an answer that everything was okay, I bit my lip at Emma''s questioning. It reminded me of my real mother. My mother was not as kind as Emma and me, but her love and concern for her daughter would not have been different.

    ¡°What''s the problem, Priest Jerome? It''s not a serious illness, is it?¡± Father also asked with a worried voice after my mother.

    ¡°I''m okay, father. It''s just that my energy is low. I''ll be fine if I eat and rest well,¡± I replied hastily, making excuses for my past few days of illness and even collapsing in front of everyone. I felt guilty for causing trouble to them.

    ¡°Is what Lucia said true?¡±

    Seamus, or rather, my older brother, asked in a concerned voice. As I had lived my whole life as an illegitimate child, the title of ¡°older brother¡± was still unfamiliar to me, but I had to get used to it. He was my older brother, someone I had to protect.

    ¡°Yes. The young lady is right. There is nothing wrong with her body, but...¡±

    But...?

    Why did ¡°but¡± pop up there? What else was he trying to say? I anxiously waited for Jerome to speak, feeling uneasy about what he might say. As a human who acted nonsensically, I was even more anxious.

    ¡°Just in case, we''ll dispatch a priest to the Count¡¯s estate from the temple. Unfortunately, there was an incident where a precious lady fainted inside the temple, so I don''t want any more unfortunate incidents to happen when you return home.¡±

    Contrary to my worries, Jerome said something reassuring.

    It was a truly brilliant plan. If he was going to work with me, he needed at least one priest by my side, and it was a natural way to attach someone to help me without arousing suspicion from my family. Furthermore, it was a flawless scheme that could alleviate my family''s worries and achieve an all-around effect.

    ¡°If you do that, we''d be grateful.¡±

    Sure enough, my father looked relieved.

    ...I''m sorry to say this, but you were really easy to deceive.

    ¡°Well then, why don''t you go back and rest easy today? It would be better for the young lady to stay at the temple overnight, just in case.¡±

    Jerome smiled at my father and mother and gave me a small wink. ¡®Did I do well?¡¯ he seemed to be saying.

    ¡°Um...¡±

    My parents looked at me with worried eyes. They seemed concerned about leaving me alone.

    ¡°I''m not a child. I''ll be fine. Please go back.¡±

    ¡°We''ll take care of her with all our heart. You don''t have to worry.¡±

    With Jerome and I both persuading my parents passionately, they nodded hesitantly, though their worried expressions remained.

    ¡®Phew, it''s over now.¡¯

    It was when I let out a sigh.

    Seamus opened his mouth.

    ¡°...I''ll stay too. I can''t let my younger sister stay out alone, no matter what.¡±

    ...Why?

    My brother looked suspiciously at me and Jerome.

    ¡°Well, that''s true.¡±

    And at his words, my father, who seemed to have made up his mind to go back, was suddenly pricking up his ears.

    Seeing my father nodding his head, saying he''d feel relieved if Seamus stayed behind, I felt like my clothes were about to burst.

    Oh, geez! Why are you guys being so unhelpful?

    ¡°It''s not like it''s any other place, it''s the Great Temple. What dangerous things could happen, Father?¡±

    This was the Great Temple, guarded by the Temple Knights themselves. There was no safer place in the Terrenian Empire than here, not even the Imperial Palace.

    From the beginning, it was the Pope''s duty to crown the Emperor.

    ¡°I''m fine, so please all of you go back.¡±

    Since it was something that would benefit me.

    As I did my best to persuade him, my father nodded in agreement, saying that my words were reasonable. ¡°Lucia also has a point.¡±

    ...How can my father, who is so easily persuaded, lead the imperial court? Was our family okay?

    While I was having these useless thoughts, Seamus asked in a sharp tone, devoid of his usual warmth. ¡°What reason do you have to send us away like this, Lucia? There seems to be a reason why we must not leave.¡±

    Although he was directing the question at me, his gaze was fixed on where Jerome was standing. Under his piercing gaze, Jerome was sweating profusely, unable to answer.

    What''s going on...? Was this the same Seamus I knew?

    As the original story progressed, he became increasingly ill and developed suspicions and obsessions about Rosalyn, but still, Seamus remained as warm as ever, unmatched by anyone else in the world.

    Being cautious wasn''t a bad thing, but it wasn''t very comforting to be the target of it.

    Father, I wish you would stop giving me those suspicious looks.

    It was amazing how someone so vigilant could not suspect Rosalyn.

 CH 13

    Edited by Spade

    13.

    I looked silently at Seamus. Suddenly, he turned his head towards me and looked at me with warm eyes. It was as if his cold gaze toward Jerome had been a lie.

    But his expression was firm. He seemed to be waiting for my answer.

    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, I''m not a child, father. Sometimes people need their own time alone.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lucia.¡±

    Seamus looked at me with a wounded expression at my words.

    Why were you looking at me with such a sad expression? It''s unsettling.

    Of course, unlike me, who had a personal and independent nature, the previous Luc¨ªa had the typical personality of the loved youngest child, so I understood why this change in me felt bitter to him.

    Still, everything I was doing now was for Seamus, to prevent the future where he dies. He didn¡¯t even know that.

    ¡°...The temple is nice. The landscaping is well done, and it''s quiet. I feel refreshed. It''s just for a day, father.¡±

    I smiled widely to persuade Seamus. My facial muscles, which I usually didn''t use, trembled at the corners of my mouth.

    Perhaps my smile had an effect because Seamus''s face loosened up a bit. Yet, he still seemed hesitant.

    ¡°Yes, Seamus. Lucia is an adult now, so it''s okay for a day.¡±

    My mother, who was watching her children bickering without saying a word, spoke up for me.

    ¡°And since Lucia seems to be okay now, you should go back to your wife and daughter. They must be worried,¡± Emma added, and only then did I remember the existence of Abigail and Rosalyn that I had forgotten.

    I wondered how Rosalyn was doing.

    In a way, the baptism would have been the biggest event of her life that she wouldn''t have twice. Although Abigail was the protagonist of the event, what did a newborn baby know? Honestly, the parents were the protagonists of the event.

    At the end of the event, when I collapsed, didn''t the perfect event go wrong? If you looked at it, it wasn¡¯t my fault, but God''s fault.

    Anyway, it would have been a very meaningful event for Rosalyn, and I felt really good that I had ruined it. Was I such a bad person, finding pleasure in someone else''s misfortune?

    But what could I do about it?

    ¡°Well, I guess so. But¡­¡± My brother glanced at me.

    I couldn''t understand why the unparalleled empath Seamus Chase was acting this way. He needed to go and comfort his wife, who was upset about the ruined baptism due to his sister.

    ¡°I''m sorry, father. I ruined Abigail''s baptism. How sad Rosalyn must be...¡±

    That was a message implying that he should go home and console his wife. But Seamus waved it off, saying that he didn''t need to worry about that kind of thing.

    ¡°You didn''t do it on purpose, and you''re not someone to blame in this inevitable situation, so you don''t have to worry about it.¡±

    ...He sure was thick-headed. I shook my head at Seamus''s blind faith. They had been married for so many years, but he still didn''t understand Rosalyn. Not only Seamus, but also our parents were nodding their heads as if his words were correct.

    They all didn''t know who Rosalyn really was. How much pretense did she have to put up with?

    I boasted that I had read a novel from Rosaline''s point of view and thus understood her a little better. Since she was the female protagonist, the novel did not describe her character in a negative light.

    However, if I were to describe Rosaline''s character as I understood it... even if she didn''t openly resent me, she must have had a heart full of resentment.

    She was someone full of self-pity. She was sure to wonder why she, who already suffered from being separated from her beloved, had to endure another trial and why God was so cruel only to her.

    No one would believe me if I said these things now.

    ¡°...But since you want to be alone, I''ll leave you for today.¡±

    As I was pondering what else I could say to persuade him, Seamus spoke the words I had been hoping to hear.

    ¡°What about Samantha? Don''t you need an attendant?¡± my mother asked with a smile that looked just like Seamus''s, but I shook my head.

    ¡°It''s okay. She probably needs a day off sometimes, and it''s not like it''s a big deal for one day.¡±  Samantha was quick-witted and efficient, but the fewer people who knew about this, the better it was for keeping the secret.

    ¡°Well then, I''ll be on my way. Take care of Lucia for me.¡±

    After Seamus said his farewell with a look of displeasure towards Jerome, he left the room with our parents, and I let out a sigh of relief.

    Finally, I was free.

    ¡°What a lovely family. It looks great, young lady.¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you.¡±

    Why did he make such a big deal out of a simple compliment? It felt like he had an ulterior motive.

    ¡°I''m sorry for saying that I would dispatch a priest to the Count''s house without consulting the young lady. I should have said something before I spoke, but it came to me suddenly.¡±

    Jerome apologized to me with an apologetic expression.

    In fact, there was no need to apologize. It was a satisfying and sudden plan that made me a little surprised, but I understood why God had said that Jerome would be of great help to me.

    But, well, it would be better to consult with me from now on, so I just shrugged my shoulders in response.

    ¡°Then, I will report to my superiors and return afterwards. You can rest comfortably in this room until then. Would you like me to show you another room if this one is too small and uncomfortable?¡±

    I shook my head at Jerome''s thoughtful suggestion.

    This room, decorated like a hospital room, was certainly smaller and had a harder bed than the rooms in the mansion, but it was luxurious enough for me, who had also lived in a windowless studio apartment.

    ¡°It''s okay.¡±

    ¡°Then, please make yourself comfortable. I''ll leave one of the priests here, so if you need any help, feel free to ask.¡±

    As I watched Jerome leave the room, I became lost in thought.

    My first impression of him was that he was very scatterbrained, light-hearted, and careless. But at that time, I thought maybe he was better than I had expected, and he could do things well¡­

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Thud. Jerome hit his head on the door as he opened it.

    ...Why did he always have to reset his image by doing something like this just when he started to look good for doing his job well? How could a person be so clumsy? He seemed to be pretty good at coming up with decent ideas in a short amount of time, so it didn¡¯t seem like he had a bad head.

    But then again, some people are smart but still clumsy. Maybe being smart or not had nothing to do with it.

    Anyway, that must have hurt a lot.

    Jerome looked at me, chuckled, and rubbed his forehead before leaving the room.

    Ugh. Seriously.

    It was as I was shaking my head that a young-looking woman walked into the room. Was she in her early twenties?

    With her orange-brown hair shimmering and her green eyes twinkling, she greeted me in a bright voice that matched her lively image. "Hello, Saint! My name is Caroline Hupert, and from today on, I''ll be by your side as your guardian!¡±

    Why was she...blinking her eyes more than necessary like that?

    I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from her, but the excitement and passion that sprouted from Caroline''s eyes like lasers felt very burdensome.

    She was supposed to protect me. If it was just for a moment until Jerome returns, there was no reason to say something like that.

    ¡®Could this be the new priestess who was dispatched to the Count''s residence that was mentioned earlier?¡¯

    Although it seemed a bit overzealous, it was definitely easier for me to deal with women than men. It was a pretty appropriate choice. Jerome, even though he looked like that, still had some sense.

    ¡°I will do my best, Saint! Whatever it takes!¡± Caroline shouted with fists clenched and full of passion.

    Did she really need to be that passionate?

    Although she had a slightly different personality than Jerome, I couldn''t help but think that the priests in this temple were all beagles.

    I cautiously opened my mouth, feeling my head pounding. ¡°Uh, yes. I will definitely rely on you, priestess. By the way, wasn''t it supposed to be a secret that I received the trust?¡±

    It was a word she brought up to sort out her titles. Caroline kept calling me ''Saint'', which would soon give me away. Of course, it was okay now that we were alone, but her voice was so loud. Before long, it seemed like the whole world would know that I had received the trust.

    ¡°Oops! I, I made a mistake...! Please forgive me, Saint, no, young lady!¡± Caroline apologized, unsure of what to do. If I added another word, she looked like she would have kneeled down and begged.

    ¡°What forgiveness... It''s okay. It''s something you can handle if you''re careful from now on.¡±

    When I calmed her down with a slightly tired voice, Caroline looked at me with teary eyes. ¡°How merciful you are, Saint, no, young lady...¡±

    Merciful? Embarrassed by the sudden praise attack, I turned my gaze to the window for no reason. The scenery outside was worth seeing. But the curtains were all closed, so I couldn''t see outside at all.

    Feeling a bit frustrated, I tried to get out of bed with the intention of pulling back the curtains and opening the window, but Caroline freaked out and stopped me.

 CH 14

    ¡°What do you need, young lady? I''ll take care of it. Please rest comfortably.¡±

    ¡°Well, that''s...could you open the window a bit? It''s a little stuffy with the curtains all closed.¡±

    I could do it myself, but I didn''t really have any real reason to lie in bed like I was seriously ill. I felt a little embarrassed.

    At my request, Caroline ran happily to the window and said, ¡°Oh, the curtains were closed on orders from Priest Jerome when you received the trust. It was to block the light emanating from the Young Lady''s body.¡±

    ¡°...Light coming from my body?¡±

    It was a truly surprising story.

    I had no idea what had happened to me while I was talking to some god, whether I had turned into a white-haired old lady or something else.

    ¡°Yes! It was the most mysterious and beautiful sight I''ve ever seen in my life. Oops, I''m only twenty years old, though.¡±

    Maybe Caroline sensed my thoughts, as she giggled and scratched the back of her head.

    ¡°You''re only twenty?¡± No wonder she looked so young.

    Caroline put her hands on her chest and answered with a sparkling smile. ¡°Yes! I just got appointed as an official priestess after finishing my training, and my first duty is serving you, young lady. It''s such an honor to witness the unveiling of the sacred trust for the first time in 122 years since Duchess Saint Catherine...¡±

    Caroline was expressing her excitement without any filters, as if she was living a dream.

    Passionate people were nice. Hardworking people were nice too.

    But couldn''t she open the window for me?

    When would she realize that she went to the window to open it herself? Hoping for that moment, I watched her for a while with my arms crossed. How much time had passed?

    Finally, Caroline realized her mistake and opened the window with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I''m sorry, Young lady. I was too excited and...¡±

    Just as I was about to tell her it was okay, a bird that I had seen many times before flew in through the open window and cut me off.

    ¡°Oh, what is this bird?¡±

    Caroline looked flustered as she tried to shoo the bird out the window, but it ignored her and flew to my side, landing on my shoulder.

    ¡®God...?¡¯

    With its small, round body, black patterns on its wings and tail, and black, round eyes, this bird was definitely a Korean bush warbler or a Eurasian wren.

    I couldn''t be sure it was God, especially since I had seen it earlier in the garden when I had gotten lost, but the situation did create reasonable doubt.

    I wasn¡¯t a princess character from an anime company, nor was I a nature-friendly character like Jerome... It wasn¡¯t the kind of style that animals followed.

    The white bird chirped a clear song and landed on my finger, but to me, who was doubting whether it was God, it was simply disgusting.

    ¡°It seems to follow you very well, young lady,¡± Caroline said, looking at me again as if scrutinizing me.

    She showed it clearly, revealing all of her thoughts. The writing on her face read, ''Even animals follow her so well...! She''s definitely a Saint! So cool!!'' I couldn''t pretend I didn''t see it.

    Sigh. I tried to wave my hand vigorously to chase the bird away. However, the bird avoided my touch and quickly flew back to my side.

    How long had I been struggling with the bird like that? I heard a knock on the door.

    As Caroline hurriedly approached the door and opened it, Jerome stood in front of her.

    ¡°Young lady, I think you should come with me. Are you okay now?¡±

    ¡°What''s going on?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like he was trying to pull a prank or anything.

    In response to my question, Jerome shrugged and replied, ¡°It''s nothing, just the ''official appointment process'' we talked about earlier.¡±

    Oh, right. I remembered now, we had talked about that. It wasn''t that long ago, yet I had forgotten all about it as I had been captivated by the suddenly appearing bird.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± After all, there was nothing else to do besides fooling around with this white bird.

    I nodded my head. Jerome smiled, narrowing his eyes like a thread. ¡°Shall we go then?¡±

    As we were about to leave the room, Caroline asked in a hesitant voice, ¡°Um, what about the bird, young lady?¡±

    ¡°...If you leave the window open, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll fly out on its own.¡± Although the bird''s eyes looked sad as it sat and stared at me from the headboard of the bed, my words were firm.

    Even if we left it in the room, it would either follow me or just wait for me in the same spot. That wasn¡¯t just a bird, it was a God. 100%.

    Without even knowing where I was going, I began to follow Jerome.

    However, some of the priests I met on the way gave me strange looks. They had faces as if they had just met a celebrity. Although not all priests looked at me that way, when I met the fifth person who stared at me, I couldn''t help but suspect that perhaps rumors had already spread that I had received divine trust.

    Just when I was glaring at Jerome, wondering if he was spreading rumors, he seemed to have read my thoughts and sighed. ¡°I didn''t spread the rumors, young lady.¡±

    Maybe he had read my face or something. When I unconsciously touched my cheek and asked, Jerome answered. ¡°Priests with divine power can recognize Saints by default. Oh, of course, it''s a law to seek permission first unless the Saint declares that they have received divine trust. So, don''t worry about the rumors spreading.¡±

    Wow, that''s amazing. How did they recognize saints?

    When I looked at Caroline with a questioning gaze, as if asking if Jerome''s words were true, she nodded. I felt sorry for doubting her, especially since Caroline also agreed. The voice of the God who had criticized me for being suspicious and negative came to mind, making me feel twice as bad.

    ¡°But realistically, we just met each other today. How can we believe in each other so easily?¡±

    In truth, I knew I was putting up too many barriers with people. It was just that I had lived my whole life like this, and it wasn''t easy to change.

    ¡°Um, then do the priests who don''t stare at us...have no power?¡±

    Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I asked while coughing. There was no one there to criticize me, but I felt like I was doing it alone.

    ¡°Having power is rare among priests. Since this is a major temple, there are quite a few with power. Usually, only one or two priests in a temple have power, and even that isn''t very strong.¡±

    Caroline shyly smiled and answered that she, like me, only had the power to heal small wounds. She glanced at Jerome with admiration in her eyes.

    ...I see.

    As I looked at Jerome with a slightly different perspective due to Caroline''s serious gaze, I began to think that perhaps he held such a high position at a young age because of his exceptional ability.

    He seemed even more impressive now...

    That''s when it happened.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Jerome stumbled as if he had hit a rock. Why was he so distracted that he couldn''t even pay attention to where he was going?

    ¡®...He''s doing it on purpose.¡¯

    If I even entertained the thought that ¡®it might not be as bad as I think¡­¡¯, that''s when he stumbled.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    As the destination seemed farther than I thought, I asked cautiously. Jerome quickly straightened his disheveled clothes and answered gracefully. ¡°Uh... to the Sado Palace.¡±

    Ah, so we¡¯re going to the Sado Palace.

    ...Oh, wait.

    The Sado Palace? The one I know?

    The Sado Palace (Ê¹Í½Œm) that I know of is the Pope''s residence, the only one.

    As if quickly telling me not to worry, Jerome looked at my trembling eyes and shrugged calmly. ¡°The Holy Father is looking for you, Your Grace. There isn''t much time left. The building in front of us is the Sado Palace.¡±

    Jerome casually dropped the bomb.

    I distinctly remembered him saying ''It''s nothing'' when we had left the room. Was this really nothing? Huh? How was this not a big deal?

    My pupils shook uncontrollably as I gazed at the grand building filled with knights.

    The Pope. Meeting the Pope out of nowhere!

    The <Isaraji is in a mess> I had read before I died didn''t have a detailed description of the world, but according to the information God had given me, the Terrenian Empire was not a unified country despite its name. It was more like a confederation of several kingdoms belonging to the same religious authority.

    Of course, there was an Emperor who ruled the empire, but the Pope was above him in terms of life and death power. One person held the power of life and death over the Emperor, who ruled the empire.

    But meeting such a Pope like this, and all of a sudden.

    ¡°Don''t be nervous, Your Grace. The Holy Father is a good person.¡±

    Jerome looked at my shaking self and smiled, reassuring me.

    I glared at Jerome with an unimpressed gaze and took a step forward. Whether the Pope was a good person or a bad person, the fact remained that he hadn''t told me this important information in advance.

    But it couldn''t be avoided.

    I calmed my mind by recalling the image of a friendly old man with white hair and wrinkles on his face.

    That was the image that mostly came to mind when I thought of a Pope.

    But when I actually faced the Pope, I couldn''t help but be surprised.

    It was because the person who greeted me with a bright smile was nothing like the image I had imagined.

 CH 15

    ¡®...A woman?¡¯

    I thought he would be an elderly grandfather. No, even if he wasn''t a grandfather, I naturally assumed he was a man!

    The Pope was a younger woman than I had expected.

    Of course, she was only ¡°younger than expected,¡± and not very young. She appeared to be at least in her early 60s. Her neatly cut short hair was mixed with some gray strands.

    Come to think of it, since the deity that the Terenus religion believed in was also in the form of a woman, it could be possible. However, it was still a very surprising thing. The Pope being a woman was something unimaginable.

    ¡°Welcome, the daughter of Count Lucia Chase.¡±

    The Pope greeted me with a trustworthy and cautious voice.

    I felt my face warming for some reason.

    Because of my prejudice that the Pope was a man, I felt ashamed, but honestly, the Pope was so impressive.

    ¡°Ah, I see... I understand.¡±

    The Pope looked at my face and nodded, putting her hand under my chin.

    I wondered what she meant by that, but I soon realized what she meant, remembering what Jerome had said earlier. She must have recognized me as one who had received divine trust. As a priest with spiritual power, she could recognize the chosen saints of God.

    ¡°May I call you Lucia?¡± the Pope asked kindly with a smile. I nodded my head, saying ¡°Yes,¡± while looking at the pretty wrinkles around her eyes. She was much older than me, but it would make me feel good if she called me ¡®Lucia¡¯ in her kind voice.

    ¡°If it''s not impolite, could you come closer and put your palm on top of this?¡±

    At the Pope''s words, I approached her, trembling, and looked at what she was pointing to.

    As I absent-mindedly raised my hand to the circular object, I hesitated.

    The winged staff of the Terenus faith, and a golden bead decorated with dazzling jewels. Even just rolling it over in my hands made it seem like an ominous object.

    ¡°Is this... Isn¡¯t this a scepter?¡± The scepter symbolized the Pope''s authority.

    At my question, she nodded her head. ¡°That''s right. The Pope''s scepter.¡±

    Wow. Was this really happening?

    Could I really touch this amazing thing?

    As I hesitated, she laughed and urged me to place my palm on it again, saying it was all part of the process and that it wouldn''t harm me.

    ¡°...It won''t harm me?¡±

    It seemed like a joke to ease my tension, but it only made me more nervous. Nonetheless, I mustered up the courage and pressed my palm against the scepter, swallowing dryly.

    And at that moment.

    Somewhere, a gentle breeze blew in, and a dazzling light flowed from around my palm.

    ¡°...!¡±

    What''s this? What''s happening?¡± I asked, surprised, looking at her while waiting for the Pope to speak.

    ¡°That''s right. The one chosen by God,¡± the Pope said with a gentle smile.

    So, this was a process to confirm that I had truly been entrusted with the task.

    Taking my hand off the scepter, I wiped the sweat from my hand onto my dress.

    ¡°I had no doubts because I understood His will when I saw Lucia. However, the position of the Saint is so important that the confirmation process was necessary. I''m sorry,¡± said the Pope, laughing as if she was sorry for doubting me.

    But I didn''t feel bad at all. Just as I had doubts about them when we first met, they, too, were meeting me for the first time. I thought the verification was a necessary procedure.

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± I was about to say I was fine when she spoke again.

    ¡°Although you are not an ordained priest, you will have the power directly under me. You will have the same status as the Prefect, who can command all the lay officials.¡±

    The Pope smiled as she spoke.

    ¡®Yes, that''s right,¡¯ I nodded my head, surprised and unable to believe what she had just said.

    Wow, the position of a Saint was really high.

    When God said that ¡°You can call the priests your lackeys,¡± I just thought that he might give me a few priests. But I felt more overwhelmed than I expected, since I gained more power than I had thought.

    ¡°There were even attempts to forge the trust... It''s agreed that could lead to gaining overwhelming support from the temple.¡±

    The Pope finished her words with a tongue click, as if she wasn''t afraid of God.

    ¡°Shall we begin the ceremony? Originally, we would have gathered all the high-ranking officials and held a grand ceremony, but I heard that you want it done simply, so shall we do a brief one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡±

    I followed the Pope''s guidance and knelt in front of her. When she asked me to fold my hands and close my eyes, the air around me suddenly felt warm. It was a feeling similar to the one I had experienced when Jerome healed my foot with his power in the garden earlier. Although I couldn''t be sure with my eyes closed, it felt like the Pope was blessing me with her power, just like Jerome had done to Abigail during her baptism earlier that day.

    How much time had passed like that?

    She recited a prayer in a low voice and said that all the procedures were now finished.

    ¡°Is it over now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Oh, wait a minute. There''s one last thing to give you.¡±

    In response to my question, the Pope sent someone to bring a jewelry box, and she handed me a necklace from inside the box.

    Compared to the dazzling jewelry box, the necklace inside was quite simple. It was a simple necklace with a thin silver chain and a thick silver ring hanging from it. At first glance, it didn''t seem like anything special, but in this situation, there was no way the accessory that the Pope would give to a saint would be simple.

    I took the ring with a cautious touch.

    Inside the ring, the words ¡°God''s Blessing¡± were engraved in the language of this world, and on the surface, the pentagon emblem of the Terenus religion was finely crafted with a very small gemstone.

    ¡°It''s a Saint''s necklace. If you show this necklace, any priest will follow Lucia''s orders.¡±

    I knew it. It was not an ordinary ring as I expected. So this necklace... to put it metaphorically, it was like a badge of a secret agent.

    ¡°Jerome, come here and put the necklace on Lucia''s neck.¡±

    The Pope called Jerome in a gentle voice, and I was startled by her words and hurriedly spoke up. ¡°Oh, no...I can put it on myself.¡±

    Of course, it was uncomfortable to do it alone because of my long hair, but I thought it would be better to grumble to myself than to have it done by someone who couldn''t be trusted, which was the nature of men.

    Even I thought these thoughts were a bit extreme. But fundamentally, as a species, men were not to be trusted.

    However, my refusal was not accepted.

    ¡°No, Jerome has to do it. It''s part of the tradition.¡±

    The Pope spoke firmly.

    So the tradition was that the pendant of the Saint had to be put on by the priest who would be closest to the Saint. If that was the case, I had no choice but to follow her.

    As Jerome approached me, I couldn''t stop the negative thoughts that kept coming up, even as he pushed my hair to one side to make it easier to put on the pendant. Even though I tried not to think about it, thoughts of the necklace being a common trick among playboys kept coming up. Putting on the necklace and bragging about it, saying, ¡°It''s not fitting well,¡± sticking too closely and getting sticky, or touching the neck unpleasantly.

    Even though I thought that would never happen in such a public setting, the smell of alcohol from the drunken old men who tried to wrap their hands around my waist when I worked part-time kept coming to mind, making me feel uncomfortable.

    But despite my delusions¡ª

    ¡°That''s it, young lady.¡±

    Jerome put on the necklace so gracefully. He didn''t waste time or get too close to me unnecessarily. It was only natural, but for me, who had imagined all sorts of things, there was nothing but a sense of emptiness.

    ¡®...Oh, how embarrassing¡¯

    As embarrassment overwhelmed me, I gathered my hair and lowered my head for no reason. My face felt like it was warming up. Jerome had no idea, but I felt like I had drunk a cup of cold water alone.

    When I glanced up at Jerome, he was looking at me with the same peaceful smile as usual, as if he didn''t know what was going on inside me.

    ***

    ¡°Rosalyn, Rosalyn?¡±

    A sweet male voice shook Roselyn awake.

    She had been dozing uncomfortably in the carriage but opened her eyes at the sound of the voice.

    ¡®Albert...?¡¯ she thought, mistaking the owner of the voice for her one true love, Albert, when she met his blue eyes.

    But as she fully woke up, she realized that it was not Albert, but rather Seamus.

    ¡°...Seamus,¡± she said.

    Her husband, Seamus, was nothing like her lover Albert. While Albert had black hair that was as shiny as a crow¡¯s feathers, blue eyes, and masculine features, Seamus was thin and delicate like a woman, with pink hair that resembled the flowers blooming in spring. The only thing they had in common were their blue eyes.

    Even if she had just woken up from a nap, how could she have mistaken Seamus for Albert?

    ¡°We''ve arrived at the mansion. You must be tired, Rosalyn,¡± Seamus said kindly, but she hated his smile. It seemed to mock her sadness.

 CH 16

    It had only been a month since she had given birth to her precious daughter, Abigail. Her body had not fully recovered yet, but she was on her way to the cathedral for Abigail''s one and only baptism, a significant event in her daughter''s life.

    ¡®¡­I''m upset.¡¯

    Rosalyn tightly bit her lips to prevent tears from falling.

    It was supposed to be a perfect day. A day when her beloved baby, Abigail, born from the love between her and the man she would love forever, would receive God''s blessings. But why did Lucia, Rosalyn¡¯s younger sister from the Chase family, collapse and leave a stain on this day of all days?

    The people who should have blessed Abigail''s happy future gathered together and only whispered about the incident involving Lucia''s collapse. The attention that should rightfully be focused on Abigail was stolen by Lucia. It was a truly upsetting situation.

    In retrospect, Rosalyn¡¯s life had always been like this; it was as if fate played dice with her. When she was happily spending time with her one true love, Albert, an unthinkable accident occurred, almost taking him away from her.

    And after enduring difficult times and miraculously waking up from that nightmare, she tried to find happiness again by reuniting with Albert, only to have her extended family push her back into this hellish existence, saying,  ¡®Divorce is absolutely out of the question.¡¯

    Hell.

    Yes, this place was hell for her.

    Seamus was a good person, but he wasn''t a perfect husband for her.

    It was evident even from today''s events.

    Seamus was startled by Lucia''s collapse and left Rosalyn alone, leaving her feeling upset as all the attention was taken away from her. People might think it was natural, but it wasn''t for Rosalyn.

    If Seamus truly loved her like he always claimed, she should have been his top priority, not Lucia.

    It was the same when he returned.

    He apologized for not being there to support her during her sister''s distress, but he never apologized for the incident that ruined the baptism. Of course, Lucia''s collapse was an unavoidable circumstance, so it was difficult to be angry. However, that didn''t mean Rosalyn wasn''t upset.

    She wished he would at least pretend to understand her frustration and join her in criticizing Lucia, who carelessly collapsed.

    ¡®If it were Albert, he wouldn''t have acted like this.¡¯

    Albert, Rosalyn''s one and only love.

    He would never have left her feeling lonely.

    Instead of rushing to his sister, he would have stayed by Rosalyn''s side, comforting her and making sure she wasn''t alone. He would have assured her that he would take care of his sister.

    That was the difference between Albert and Seamus.

    Albert was the kind of person who would disguise himself as a servant and risk danger just to meet Rosalyn.

    ¡®Albert, I miss you so much. I feel like I''ll go crazy if I don''t see you.¡¯

    It hadn''t even been a week since she saw Albert, but that one week felt like several years.

    As Rosalyn held Seamus''s hand and stepped off the carriage, she swallowed back her tears.

    ***

    Outside the window, darkness had fallen, and it was pitch black.

    For me, it had been an incredibly long day, and it was finally coming to an end.

    "How about staying at the Sado Palace tonight and resting, Lucia?" the Pope asked with a kind voice.

    Sado Palace, which had the most splendid and comfortable rooms even compared to this Grand Temple, was a very generous offer, but it felt a bit burdensome.

    I wanted to hide the fact that I had been entrusted with something.

    If rumors spread that I had stayed at the Sado Palace for a night, it could be troublesome. After all, externally, I was supposed to spend a day at the temple, overseeing things after collapsing at the baptism ceremony. If I were to stay a night not just anywhere, but in the Pope''s palace, even someone oblivious would sense that something was being concealed.

    When I conveyed this meaning, the Pope simply nodded.

    ¡°I didn''t consider that. Caroline, please prepare a room for Lucia. It should be prepared without any deficiencies.¡±

    I was worried that she might feel bad about me rejecting her kind offer, but fortunately, she showed no signs of being upset.

    Caroline seemed to be an easily impressed person. With a face touched by the fact that the Pope remembered her name, she left to prepare the room.

    I was also a little surprised by the fact that someone in such a high position as the Pope knew the name of Caroline, who had just been officially appointed as a priest.

    ¡°Would you like to be this old woman''s companion while we wait for Caroline to return, drinking a cup of tea?¡± the Pope asked in a subdued voice.

    Although we hadn''t known each other for long, I liked this aspect of her.

    Honestly, the position of the Pope was like that. Even though it was a position where I couldn''t refuse if she simply commanded, ¡°Have tea with me,¡± the fact that she would ask for my consent with a questioning expression¡­

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Even someone like me who didn¡¯t easily open up to people nodded in agreement.

    And a little while later, three cups of tea were prepared on the table in front of the Pope and me.

    ¡°¡­Is Jerome supposed to join us too?¡±

    Why did he always manage to be there no matter where I went?

    I was already in a state where I had indulged in various delusions while walking ahead alone, so facing him was an awkward situation.

    However, contrary to my expectations, Jerome quietly listened to the conversation between the Pope and I and drank tea.

    Of course, he fumbled with the cup, almost spilling it, or made a clattering sound when he put the cup down. He was a bit scattered, but even that didn''t bother us since we weren''t having a conversation. At times, I even suspected that he deliberately timed accidents like that. It felt like he was doing it on purpose.

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes! Of course.¡±

    While watching Jerome clumsily wipe the tea he spilled on the table with a handkerchief, the Pope asked me, ¡°Why are you hiding the fact that you received the trust? It would be easier to announce it publicly and say, ''God warned against committing adultery.¡±¡¯

    I couldn''t easily open my mouth to answer her question. It was an unexpected question.

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°You can take your time to answer.¡±

    Seeing me in a difficult position, the Pope once again furrowed her brow, creating beautiful wrinkles around her eyes.

    Yes, why?

    I pondered deeply.

    For some reason, I thought it should be kept hidden.

    If I went around pretending to be a Saint and said, ¡°God told me to stop cheating!¡±, would it have been easier to break Rosalyn and Albert''s happiness?

    However, I was skeptical of that thought.

    ¡®Will it really be that easy?¡¯

    No. My thought was, ¡®It''s unlikely.¡¯

    Although I had organized my thoughts, I hesitated to speak. I thought that my answer could be considered very rude by the leader of the temple.

    ¡°Just speak comfortably. Forget that I''m the Pope. Just think of it as having a conversation with an ordinary grandmother.¡±

    As if she knew the reason for my hesitation, the Pope chuckled and took a sip of tea.

    It was easier said than done. It wasn¡¯t easy to think of the Pope as an ordinary grandmother.

    But, gaining courage from her words, I opened my mouth.

    ¡°Well, if I reveal that I''m a Saint and convey God''s will, do you think people will suddenly realize their mistakes and say, ''Oh, I shouldn''t commit adultery''? I don''t think so.¡±

    At my firm words, the Pope wore a bitter smile and brought the teacup to her lips again. She seemed parched.

    ¡°Even now, the fifth doctrine of the temple clearly states, ''Do not commit adultery,'' but hardly anyone follows it. So¡­ I thought I had to change people without revealing God''s will¡­ with my own power.¡±

    I gathered courage and spoke up, but the more I talked, the more I lost confidence, and my voice grew smaller. Was it an arrogant thought? I was scared of being presumptuous.

    But that''s what God had said. He warned repeatedly that humans didn''t understand. That''s why He entrusted it to me.

    I still wasn''t sure if I could handle such a big task, but that was my thought.

    With my own power.

    Not with the power of God, but with the power of humans.

    ¡°¡­I see. You''re right.¡±

    The Pope nodded.

    The Temple of Terenus had lost its power. They possessed wealth and authority, manipulating emperors at will and exerting influence over every aspect of life, from birth to death, in this empire.

    But moral authority had long been lost.

    That was my judgment.

    ¡°I think I know why He chose Lucia.¡±

    The Pope, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly looked at me with an affectionate gaze and spoke.

    Feeling embarrassed for no reason at the sudden praise, I turned my gaze out the window.

    The view of the garden of the Grand Temple from the Pope''s office was still beautiful, even at night.

    ***

    The morning dawned.

    As I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar room, I looked around with sleepy eyes.

    Recalling the unbelievably long day I had yesterday, I realized that the grandeur of the temple room was as extravagant as my own room in the Count''s manor as if confirming that everything that had happened to me yesterday was real.

    After tea time with the Pope last night, I came to this room to get some rest. Since it had been very late at night, discussing what I should do and how to achieve my¡ªand God''s¡ªgoals were postponed for later.

    For now, I decided to sleep and think about it when I woke up. No matter how much of a Saint I was entrusted to be, I was still a human with a human body. I needed to sleep while working.

    Just as I was stretching and yawning to loosen my groggy body upon waking up from sleep¡ª

    Tap, tap. I heard the sound of someone knocking on the window.

 CH 17

    ¡®What is this?¡¯

    Now, as if the day had just dawned, the world was adorned with the hazy colors of the morning.

    At this early hour, what could possibly be knocking on the window?

    Realizing that I was on the second floor of the building, I looked out the window with a tense face.

    And then¡­

    ¡®It''s that bird from yesterday, right?¡¯

    A small bird was pecking at the window with its beak, flapping its wings vigorously. It seemed as if it was gesturing for me to open the door quickly.

    Wearing a cardigan over the thin pajamas prepared by the temple, I cautiously walked to the window and opened it.

    A refreshing morning breeze swept in through the open window. The air was filled with a sweet morning scent.

    However, without the chance to fully enjoy the air, I had to let out a small scream.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts! It hurts!¡±

    As if accusing me of not letting it in, the bird started pecking at my ear with its beak.

    ¡°This filthy little God!¡± I shouted in anger and waved my hand. Although I didn''t have any intention of catching the bird, the bird''s small wing got entangled in my hand.

    Not being particularly agile, I was slightly startled, but I glared at the bird with a confident gaze. ¡°Why are you making such a fuss? If you have a complaint, use human language. You can speak, can''t you?¡±

    However, the bird just tilted its head and looked at me without opening its mouth.

    ¡°What''s wrong? Why aren''t you saying anything? Did you forget how to use the human language?¡±

    ¡°¡­Chirp?¡±

    Despite my continuous questions, the bird remained silent. I released the bird''s wing that I was holding with a perplexed mind. The bird flew around me in a circle and landed on my arm.

    What was this? Was it not God, but just a bird? No, even if it was just a bird, why was it following me like this? It''s suspicious.

    ¡°Say something. I won''t be fooled.¡±

    I was questioning the bird again when I heard the voice of the girl, which was both like a girl''s voice and an imposing God''s voice.

    ¡°¡­Truly an amusing sight, a realistic child.¡±

    Look at that. I thought this bird was God!

    ¡­But it didn''t seem like the voice was coming from the bird.

    What should I call it? Should I say it was coming from within me? Or should I say it was coming from the sky? Or should I say it was coming from a distant place, far away? Anyway, the voice that was coming from the bird didn''t seem right, so I agilely looked around.

    ¡°No matter how much you search, I''m not there, so just give up.¡±

    ¡°¡­What, what? You¡¯re not here? Then where are you?¡±

    Since I didn''t know where the other person was, I wasn''t sure where to look while talking. I roughly pointed at the white-feathered bird perched on my finger, looking at the empty space.

    ¡°Let''s just say that child is like a messenger I sent. It has various skills, but for now, it''s just an ordinary bird. It understands human language and is a clever friend, so it can be useful in many ways.¡±

    I understood that it was an ordinary bird, but why the ¡°for now¡±? I gave the suspicious bird a skeptical look. ¡°What exactly is this small bird for?¡±

    It didn¡¯t have sharp claws to protect me during disasters, and it wasn¡¯t large enough to ride on.

    ¡°Well, that''s something you should think about. Well then, I''ll be going.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait a minute? I haven''t finished talking yet. I have a lot of questions to ask!¡±

    Again, again. It only said what it wanted! This selfish human, no, selfish god!

    Even with my desperate cry, I could no longer hear the voice of the god.

    And then, it happened.

    ¡°¡­Young lady? Are you having a conversation with someone so early in the morning?¡±

    Somewhere, an unwelcoming male voice was heard. It was Jerome''s voice. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jerome standing under the window.

    When did he start standing there? And why now of all times!

    Outwardly, I couldn''t reveal any hint, but inwardly, I let out a silent scream. Why has this kind of awkward situation kept happening since yesterday? Why?

    Of course, yesterday was a situation where I was banging drums, playing cymbals, and making strange noises all in my head, but this time it was different.

    I witnessed the strange sight of myself yelling and making whale sounds in the air all by myself.

    I wanted to tear my hair out and hide under the window sill, but I casually asked in a nonchalant voice, ¡°What are you doing here at this early hour? Don''t tell me, as a temple Priest, you were trying to peek into the room where a lady stays?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem like the type to wake up early and enjoy a morning walk diligently.

    ¡°¡­You''re too much. I wouldn''t do something so ridiculous, would I?¡± Jerome snorted and pouted in response to my prickly remark.

    ¡°Then what were you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I''m usually the type who sleeps in, but today I strangely opened my eyes wide. I had a premonition that something good would happen if I walked this path. Maybe I wanted to meet the young lady.¡±

    Jerome chuckled and threw out a meaningless comment.

    He knew that I was staying in this room, yet he shamelessly acted as if our meeting was all a product of coincidence.

    ¡°But seriously, with whom were you having a conversation? Could it be that you were talking to that bird?¡±

    I thought he wouldn''t ask any further after I deliberately changed the subject, but Jerome asked again.

    Since it was true that I had attempted to have a conversation with the bird, it wasn''t an entirely wrong assumption.

    ¡®Wait. Can''t I just tell the truth?¡¯

    I was officially appointed as a Saint. I could simply say that I had a conversation with God.

    I couldn''t understand why I was so flustered and embarrassed when I first saw Jerome.

    ¡°Well, well. I was merely responding to the words spoken by God.¡±

    But even saying, ¡°I was having a conversation with God,¡± felt somewhat embarrassed, and I could feel my face getting hot. It wasn''t a lie, so why was it so embarrassing?

    ¡°I see. So that''s what happened.¡± Jerome nodded.

    Why did I feel so embarrassed when he easily accepted it? What was I so embarrassed about?

    Anyway, just when I thought it was all settled, it happened when I was about to heave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°So, the one who shouted, ''Hey, wait a minute? I haven''t finished talking yet. I have a lot of questions to ask!'' was referring to that person. Our Saint can be quite fiery. Calling God informally.¡± Jerome mocked me, mimicking my tone of voice quite accurately.

    ¡°¡­You heard?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I unintentionally overheard that much.¡±

    Oh, where was a mouse hole when you needed one?

    I took a deep breath to maintain my composure.

    ¡°From where did you hear it?¡±

    ¡°¡­I only heard that phrase, so don''t get too upset about it.¡±

    Jerome slightly bent his knees and politely greeted me as if apologizing, but his apology didn''t help because I wasn''t annoyed but rather embarrassed.

    ¡°Well then, I''ll take my leave. Since the young lady is awake, I''ll send Caroline soon. When you''re ready, she''ll come to see you, and you can have the conversation you couldn''t have yesterday.¡±

    Jerome left after leaving his farewell. As I closed the window, I let out a deep sigh. It was truly sad that I had to meet Jerome again without any time to calm my embarrassing feelings.

    ¡°Chirp! Chirp!¡±

    As I let out a sigh so deep that it felt like the building''s floor would collapse, the bird chirped as if trying to comfort me.

    ¡°¡­Now that I know it''s not God, it''s quite cute.¡±

    Actually, even when I suspected it was God, I thought it was cute in appearance. But I pushed aside those thoughts and looked at the bird perched on my finger.

    A messenger, huh? What could I possibly ask this small bird to do?

    Lost in thought about how to utilize the bird, I remembered the fact that I had used pigeons in the past to exchange letters.

    ¡°Hmm¡­Can you bring me something like a letter?¡±

    ¡°Chirp!¡±

    In response to my question, the bird nodded as if appealing that it could do it.

    In reality, I had to consider that the main duty of animals like this was simply to exist and be cute. However, I couldn''t waste the resource, or rather, assistance, that God had sent me.

    ¡°¡­Ah, you''re unnecessarily cute.¡±

    I reached out and gently stroked the bird''s head with my finger. At that moment, when the tiny eyes, no larger than a bean, closed and felt my touch, it became even cuter.

    On top of gaining the power of the unknown, now I even had a pet bird.

    While I was diligently patting the bird''s head, I heard a knock. It was Caroline, arriving.

    ¡°Oh my, this bird¡­Isn''t this the same bird as yesterday?¡±

    She greeted me with an energetic morning greeting and was surprised when she saw the bird perched on my finger.

    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡±

    ¡°Why did it come all the way here?¡±

    Since the distance from the church building to the guest room where I was staying was quite far, Caroline had an expression of disbelief.

    ¡°Well, um¡­¡±

    How should I explain this? I was in a dilemma. After all, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary bird.

    ¡°It''s a bird that God sent to help me¡­Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh my. I''ve never had the honor of meeting such a remarkable bird!¡±

    Caroline looked at the bird, smaller than the palm of her hand, with an admiring gaze.

    A remarkable bird, huh?

    When you think about it, this bird may be extraordinary as a divine companion, but using honorifics seemed a bit excessive.

    ¡°Well then, what is the name, or rather, the title, of this esteemed bird?¡± Caroline asked me.

    A name?

    Come to think of it, I should give it a name. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to just call it ''bird'' indefinitely.

    I looked at the bird, thinking about a suitable name.

 CH 18

    The bird, extending its feather-filled chest, stood proudly with a haughty expression towards Caroline, who called it "Birdie," and cooed.

    It was a highly amusing scene, but I, who was suddenly tasked with naming a pet bird, watched the scene with a serious expression.

    I had never named anything in my life before. I had never raised an animal or had the habit of naming dolls. I didn''t even have close friends to give nicknames or pet names to.

    And now, I was suddenly given the task of naming a bird.

    "...Chirpy?"

    It was really simple, but that was the first name that came to mind.

    If someone asked me to name a dog, I would name it "Woof Woof," and if it was a cat, I would name it "Meow Meow." It was on that level.

    "But...it doesn''t chirp."

    Rather than "Chirpy," it made more of a "Squeak" or "Peep" sound, but it didn''t quite fit to name it "Squeaky" either.

    I looked at the bird''s white, round head and got lost in thought. Somehow, it had a visual that looked like it had button eyes with its tightly closed white eyes.

    Eyes... It was simple, but it seemed better than "Chirpy."

    "Um...it doesn''t have a name yet. How about Snow?"

    Feeling embarrassed by my first attempt at naming, I appealed that it was a name I came up with on the spot and asked for Caroline''s opinion.

    "Snow...! Snow-sama! It''s a really cool name, Your Holiness!"

    Ah. I forgot that Caroline was the type of person who wouldn''t spare compliments regardless of the name I chose.

    Not only Caroline, but Snow, the new owner of the bird''s name, also had a very satisfied expression.

    ¡­By the way, the title "Your Holiness" felt too unfamiliar.

    "Um, I wanted to talk about something since yesterday. We''re about the same age, so how about just calling me by my name? Not ¡®Your Holiness.¡¯"

    "Wha... How dare I...address Her Holiness like that...!"

    Caroline''s reaction was exactly what I expected. That excessive reaction was burdensome...

    I let out a sigh. "I find it more comfortable to call you by your name, Reverend. If you address me by my name, I will also feel at ease calling you by your name."

    My suggestion made Caroline''s pupils tremble. It was an expression of embarrassment when I called her by her name, but it also seemed to arouse a sense of curiosity.

    "T-Then... Miss Luci...a-!"

    Caroline blushed and called out the name.

    That "Miss" didn¡¯t seem to come off.

    "Yes, Caroline."

    Regardless, it was a title that I found more appealing than ¡®Your Highness¡¯ or ¡®Holiness,¡¯ so I called Caroline by her name in a soft voice, causing her already flushed face to become even more red.

    "Before Mr. Jerome arrives, I''ll quickly change your clothes, Miss Lucia. Ah, and we need to prepare a cage for Mr. Snow too...!" Caroline said with sparkling eyes.

    I hoped it was just an ordinary birdcage. Considering the scale of the temple, it wouldn''t be strange for the cage to be adorned with gold and jewels.

    Caroline helped me change into my everyday clothes from my nightwear; it was the outfit that the Marquess had sent over this morning.

    Come to think of it, Caroline, being a priestess herself, was used to receiving respect rather than giving it, as she came from a noble background, yet there was not a hint of dissatisfaction in Caroline''s expression as she assisted me without any military formalities.

    During the process of changing clothes, a house for Snow was also prepared. Fortunately, contrary to my worries, the cage was spacious and elegant, but it didn''t shimmer with gold and jewels.

    Snow seemed to like its new home as it eagerly explored every nook and cranny inside.

    "May I go in, Your Holiness?"

    And as we finished preparing, Jerome arrived as he had promised.

    "Caroline told me about it. I already didn''t think it was an ordinary bird, but to think it was such a precious bird sent by you."

    Jerome smiled warmly as he spoke.

    If it were someone else, they might have thought, ¡®Now he''s pretending to know everything for no reason.¡¯ But Jerome was different.

    He clearly remembered the words he had said yesterday, that he could sense the breath of the divine in this bird.

    "Well, shall we have a conversation now? What are your plans, Your Holiness? Though, it''s not something you have to decide right away."

    Sitting across from me, Jerome crossed his legs gracefully and placed his hands on my knees.

    Jerome had said that it was fine if I didn''t do anything, but I had no intention of just sitting still.

    As soon as possible. While Abigail was still young, before a bond would form between Seamus and Abigail. If not, when the truth was revealed later, the pain Seamus would feel would be too great.

    "I was deeply impressed by the words you said to the Pope. That you will change society not with the power of the divine, but with the power of humans."

    Jerome spoke in a rather serious tone. However, his serious attitude was mismatched with the fact that one side of his shirt was untucked today as well.

    In my heart, I wanted to tell him to dress properly, but I purposely averted my gaze to the other side to not give it any attention.

    "Well, yes. I have something in mind...for now."

    It was the result of thinking hard as I lay in bed yesterday. Thanks to that, I couldn''t fall asleep until quite late.

    Both Jerome and Caroline looked at me as if they were willing to listen to what I had to say. I had organized my thoughts to some extent, but with both of them waiting for me to speak at the same time, I couldn''t help but feel nervous.

    "So, the reason the noble society is lenient towards infidelity is because they consider expressing dissatisfaction with their spouse''s exclusivity and infidelity as unbecoming of nobility."

    It wasn''t the only reason, of course, but it was the biggest reason that made Seamus the target of criticism as a villain.

    The atmosphere needed to change.

    "That''s right!"

    Caroline nodded vigorously, as if impressed by my insight, and was even diligently taking notes on what I was saying.

    On the other hand, Jerome had a somewhat drowsy look in his eyes for some reason.

    Was he really listening to me?

    "Ahem, hmm!"

    When I coughed unnecessarily, Jerome focused on me again with a curious gaze.

    "Oh, I''m sorry. I woke up earlier than usual..." While saying that, he covered his mouth and even yawned.

    Distracted, lazy, and unreliable. He was exactly as he seemed at first.

    "Since I''m listening attentively, please continue."

    Jerome pretended to remove an imaginary speck from his eye and urged me on with a mischievous smile. I doubted his sincerity, but I only glared at Jerome and opened my mouth again.

    I thought I had everything sorted out in my head, but when I tried to put it into words, it felt vague and nonsensical.

    "So, what I mean is...let''s change the atmosphere from the top down."

    To me, who was born and raised in a society without a caste system, it felt like a rebellion. But this society was a classist society from its very core. The difference between commoners and nobles was like night and day. Even among nobles, the higher the position, the stronger the influence. It was that kind of society.

    If a high-ranking figure, who couldn''t utter words like "unbecoming" or "vulgar," were to express dissatisfaction with their spouse, perhaps even a slight change in the atmosphere could occur.

    That''s what I thought.

    "...Because of the public opinion that even tolerates infidelity in spouses, there must be at least one high-ranking noble who harbors dissatisfaction."

    Persuade that person to file for divorce and obtain alimony from the unfaithful spouse.

    That''s where we should start, that''s what I suggested.

    "Ohh! As expected, Your Highness, you''re amazing!"

    ¡®How could you think of such a thing...!¡¯ Caroline cheered me on with such an exaggerated expression. But I expected Caroline to react like this.

    I was more curious about Jerome''s reaction. Although he seemed a bit juvenile for a priest, he seemed intelligent.

    "...It''s a good idea."

    Jerome stroked his chin as he replied. He looked at me with a gaze that seemed unexpected. That made me feel uneasy again.

    Did I seem stupid? Can''t believe I came up with such a thought? Of course, I may not have a brilliant mind, but at the very least, I am a human who knows how to think.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    It made me feel bad.

    When I asked pointedly, Jerome smiled, his eyes narrowing.

    "Ah, I''m sorry. It''s just a little unexpected."

    No. Could it be that he was thinking, ¡®You''re smarter than I thought.¡¯ Although it was rude to think that just by thinking, I would keep such thoughts to myself!

    I thought that as I was about to show a brave face.

    "...I didn''t know you would be so enthusiastic about the work."

    However, what Jerome said was slightly different from what I had in mind.

    In fact, if it were my original personality, I wouldn''t have worked so hard. I would have lived my life as it came, whether it was a trust or whatever.

    But this was a matter involving my only brother, Seamus... His life depended on it.

    I would be living as Lucia Chase for the rest of my life, so for the sake of my future, I had to work hard.

    "So, do you have any complaints?" I asked sharply.

    Jerome was not the only priest. He wasn''t bad at catching on and doing his job well, but if he didn''t like this, he could ask to be replaced with a different priest.

    "No, how could I?" Jerome waved his hands, denying it. "Working so diligently as the Saintess, how could I dare to complain? I''m just following you with my life at stake."

    Jerome put one hand over his heart and bowed politely. His long eyelashes, which gently swept down, were like curtains above his slightly narrowed eyes.