CH 47

The start of the prayer meeting was delayed a little more because of the commotion that occurred.

All the people of the Angellus family left the spring, so the priets said they had no choice but to wait for them. It was said the head of the household must attend the prayer meeting or something.

As a result, it seemed that the start of the prayer meeting was delayed because of me, but in fact, Dorothea Angellus was the cause.

‘Why did you bother someone who was staying still?’

I’m clearly trying my best not to be noticed.

Even so, I had a headache because of the incessant talk of ‘a savior’, and it was very annoying to work through a quarrel.

The duchess, who always had an interested expression on her face, approached me with a smile and said, “I thought it was strange because the skin disease was all healed, but I didn’t expect them to cast illusion magic on the earrings. How did you know?”

“I didn’t know either. It just happened because I was trying to rip something off.”

Ahaha. Haha.

I would be embarrassed if she questioned me further, so I just smiled and shrugged it off.

Fortunately for me, even though I noticed that the duchess had something to ask, she let it go.

“Okay. I was lucky. I had a lot of fun watching it, thanks to you.”

“I did too. Duchess Angellus must also have illusion magic tools, right?”

Themis nodded. “It was likely she had it on the ring you asked for. It was spectacle to see her turn white.”

Perdia’s duchess smiled brightly, as if she was happy just thinking about that time. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed it.

When we were waiting tirelessly for Duke Angellus to return, I felt an intense stare, as if it was poking me.

I inadvertently turned my head towards him, narrowing my eyes.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

An excessively explicit look was cast at me by the representative of the Duke of Severes, who had obviously never met me.

I knew it was rude to look at him like that, but I think there was a reason why he was staring like that.

Jansi, who was unmatched when it came to having connections on the dark side, must have that guy’s information. 

When I gently pulled the hem of Jansi’s clothes, Jansi looked down at me with a bright smile.

“What’s wrong, Lili?”

“Brother. Do you know who that person is? I think I’m seeing him for the first time….”

I thought I saw Jansi’s expression harden for a moment when he saw the place I glanced sideways at, but surely it was an illusion, right?

“The representative of the Severes family?”

“Yes.”

“Felix Hicklemeyer. He attended as the deputy for Duke Severes, and is his nephew. It’s only natural that you are seeing him for the first time since he is the head of Count Hicklemeyer’s family and is mostly living in the manor.” 

“Aha, I see.”

“Why? Are you interested?” Jansi asked with a kind smile as always.

In– Interest?!

Having understood what that meant, I replied with disgust.

“Ugh, no?!”

If he is the nephew of the Duke of Severes, he’d be a cousin to me, so interest….!

“Too bad, because I think he’s interested in you.”

For some reason, Jansi’s smile seemed to be a little deeper than before.

“That can’t be.”

It was gross because of a fact that can’t be revealed, but it couldn’t be.

The other person won’t know that I’m a cousin.

…. Wait for a sec.

‘No. Could he know?’

Little information was known about Duke Severes.

A person who received orthodox succession education from an early age and became a duke before turning 20.

I had heard that he was above all, a righteous man with platinum hair and clear eyes.

It was about 20 years ago that the Duke of Severes disappeared.

Rumors circulated that he was in a coma, but there was never an explanation from the family.

Maybe. Before the Duke of Severes fell into a coma, he might have told people around him about my mother.

‘Although it’s possible she didn’t realize she was pregnant.’

Perhaps she could be recognized as the daughter of Duke Severes.

I’d have to approach this matter a little more carefully. Because it wasn’t something that could be done carelessly.

He turned his gaze again, and this time their eyes met squarely. But, far from being embarrassed, the man even laughed as if he was interested.

At that leisurely attitude, I repeated the man’s name in my mind.

‘Felix Hicklemayer.’

As I was searching my head to see if the name had ever appeared in the original work, Carlot sneaked up to me and quietly asked.

“What’s wrong, sister? Don’t you like him? Do you want me to help you?”

“Just stay still, Carlot.”

Carlot was a lot like Raeyan – they always wanted to get rid of anything.

“Tell me if you need me.”

“Okay.” I sighed. “If necessary.”

Perhaps the moment when I need your help will never come.

As I was paying attention to the meaningful gaze of a man named Felix, Duke Angellus appeared back at the spring before I knew it.

Since the time had already been delayed, the High Priest immediately entered the spring.

It was the hour of twilight, when the setting sun was cast like a sunshade.

The surface of the pure white temple building, and the calm water of the spring were dyed in a colorful light pink color.

It was a dream-like scene, with unknown grass flowers blooming everywhere swaying in the wind.

‘It’s pretty. More so because I can think of it as a place I will never come back to.’

The reason I fell into the temple this time was because of an incomprehensible force, so I wouldn’t be able to enter for the next meeting.

News articles will be pouring in just because I, not a direct descendant, attended the meeting….

‘Ugh, just thinking about it bothers me.’

The world kept interfering with my small-citizen desire to live quietly and become independent only by earning money.

While I was immersed in my thoughts, the prayer meeting went smoothly.

After the rocky beginning, there was nothing special about it. The high priest read the Bible, and the priests surrounding him prayed with their hands together.

Light shimmered on the surface of the spring affected by divine power, creating a scene so beautiful that people looking on were visibly amazed.

“At last, the seven sins of the earth are sealed, and peace is cast over the whole world, which is the arrangement of God.”

The reading of the Bible, which even a 3-year-old child knew, was over.

Supposedly, the meeting went well. All this time, I thought they were doing something incredible at these exclusive meetings because people wouldn’t tell you about it even if you were curious.

Was it because there was nothing special to say? Maybe that was the case after all.

I was holding back from wanting to yawn in boredom when the High Priest suddenly raised one hand.

“I will verify the seal.”

At the same time, Prince Adenmir and the heads of the four families walked in front of the altar where the high priest was.

‘What?’

It was a different scene than before, so I watched it with great interest.

“Please give me your seal.”

At the words of the high priest, the heads of each family brought out….

‘The sealing stone of a Sin!’

They all held a sealing stone.

As they placed the sealing stone on top of the altar, it seemed that preparations were complete.

The altar, which seemed to have no special qualities at a glance, actually had a strange pattern engraved on it, and when the High Priestess breathed divine power into it, the shining pattern appeared as if a picture was being drawn.

“I will confirm that the bond of the seal continues in the name of God Ishtar.”

It was at that moment.

The five sealing stones on the altar floated in the air and began to resonate.

“Ugh…”

At the same time, the stone to seal the Greed resting in my bosom heated up like a fire and trembled.

I wrapped the sealing stone around the outside with my clothes and took a step backwards. Greed, who had been quiet all along, responded, perhaps because it felt something unusual.

[What is that? Unpleasant!]

The moment I heard the Greed’s cry, the high priest’s fierce gaze turned to me.

“……!”

I was startled and hid behind Jansi, who was next to me.

“Lily. what’s the matter?”

“No, just….”

“Are you worried? Would you like to hold my hand?”

There was no need to hold my hand, but before I could refuse, Jansi’s gloved hand had already wrapped around mine.

After staring at me more intently for a moment, the high priest turned his gaze back to the altar.

Phew. I let out a sigh of relief and muttered in a nagging tone to Greed.

‘Greed. When you say something, the high priest looks at me. Just be quiet. Unless you want to be sealed in the temple.’

Perhaps my words of warning were effective, because since hearing them, Greed remained silent. 

I looked towards the altar again.

Now I could see why the events of the meeting were kept strictly confidential.

Right now, the stories of sins and the sealing stones were spreading like myths, but when it came to reality, it would be difficult to handle the impact.

In particular, if this series of processes that verify every year that the sins are sealed in the Sealing Stone leaked out, someone aiming for the Sealing Stone might appear.

‘There is actually already someone. The master of the West Magic Tower.’

Why was Isis, the lord of a mage tower, aiming for a sealing stone?

While I was immersed in thoughts, the prayer meeting ended before I knew it.

Unfortunately, the high priest approached me afterwards. 

The high priest smiled kindly and asked me, “How was the prayer meeting, Savior?”

“Please call me Elodie, high priest. The prayer meeting, um….. It was interesting.”

“Haha. You cannot call the name of someone chosen by God carelessly.”

“Haha. If God really did let me into the temple, it must have been by mistake.”

“Everything God does has a purpose.”

Is that so? If everything God did had a will, I wouldn’t have been reincarnated in this book.

If this life, where I have to struggle to survive, is God’s will, then God really wasn’t fair.

“May the breath of Ishtar always be with you.”

When I didn’t answer anything, the high priest bid farewell to me with a smile and left.

***

Even though the prayer meeting was over, I was told that we could only leave the temple tomorrow morning.

They said that until we’ve had a breakfast blessed by the god Ishtar, they can’t break the barrier.

I entered the room I was assigned to, pretending to be tired, locked the door and took out the sealing stone.

“You can come out now.”

Then, a black fox with glossy fur landed in front of me.

“Do you not have to eat? Aren’t you hungry?”

I asked because I thought it hadn’t eaten all this time, but Greed looked up at me laughing as if it was funny.

[I’m full just by eating your emotions.]

“Are you saying I’m a greedy human being?”

[Very true.]

I was angry, but I couldn’t say anything.

‘Money is the best.’

Greed will never have to go hungry. 

“Hah…”

Fatigue came all at once, perhaps because I had been through so much.

As soon as I quickly washed up and changed into the dressing gown the duchess had lent me earlier, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Lady, it’s me.”

“Your Highness?”

I quickly put Greed into the sealing stone. When I opened the door, the first prince stood in front of me. After taking a step back, the first prince came inside.

“I would like to talk to you for a moment,” Adenmir began.

“I have nothing to say to Your Highness.”

Then the first prince smirked as if he knew it would be like that.

“You must have nothing to ask me.”

“Do you have something to ask me, Your Highness?”

“A lot of things.”

What’s the matter? How much could he have to ask, as someone who didn’t even care about me.

Every event we had attended, he only treated me as a formal partner and didn’t keep me by his side.

When I didn’t answer, Adenmir looked down at me.

The first prince’s green eyes reflected in the light looked darker than usual. 

Adenmir asked, “How did you get into the temple?”

“Are you really curious about that?” I shot back.

I didn’t think so. He would have already been briefed by the priests about my appearance at the temple, anyway.

“For some reason, you’re quick-witted, princess.”

“So what do you have to say?”

If you show up here out of nowhere tonight and want to say something…. By any chance, could it be a breakup?!

It seemed that I was looking at the first prince with sparkling eyes without even realizing it. He burst into laughter as if it were absurd.

“Do you really want to break off the marriage with me, Lady?”

What, was it a real breakup?

I answered vigorously without the slightest hesitation. 

“Yes!” 

Perhaps I answered too quickly; the first prince put on a slightly dazed expression and narrowed his brows.

“….Do you hate me that much?”

“Your Highness?”

I opened my eyes wide at the words I had never heard before.

“Is that not it?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“……”

“I just don’t like it.”

The engagement that I, who knew nothing and was immature, insisted on to make it happen.

“On the contrary, you told me that you didn’t like me. Wasn’t that so?”

“……”

“So, it’s good for us to break up our marriage.”

This applies to both of us.

From the beginning, we were just not meant to be.