IFLDMHF | Chapter 122

Episode 122

Suddenly, I recalled how Damien had occasionally conveyed the goddess’s will through divine revelations in the novel.

However, I never imagined he could foresee the future like this.

As I remained silent, astonished and unable to utter a word, Damian narrowed his eyes and asked again.

“Do you not need my help?”

Regaining my senses, I quickly shook my head.

“No, I do. I have an urgent request for you, High Priest. Will you grant it?”

Surely, he wouldn’t come all this way just to refuse and toy with me.

However, Damien’s indifferent and displeased attitude made me cautious as I asked.

Fortunately, Damien nodded and answered.

“Of course.”

Ah, good.

Just as I sighed in relief, thinking that Euclid would soon recover, Damian, with an expression that showed clear reluctance, added,

“The goddess commanded me to assist you.”

…Huh?

I blinked slowly.

I needed to replay what I had just heard because I wasn’t sure I understood it correctly.

Before I could fully process it, Damien continued.

“The goddess, Hesseirin, said that your goal aligns with what she seeks to accomplish.”

“…!”

“And so, I will aid you in accordance with her will.”

Even as he declared his intent to help me, Damien’s expression and tone were steeped in arrogance.

As if he were reluctantly bestowing his grace upon someone who had desperately begged for his assistance.

‘Why is he so hostile towards me?’

I had felt it during the wedding, but facing him one-on-one like this made it even clearer.

Damien harbored some kind of animosity toward me.

‘Honestly, the way he looks at me, one would think I threatened his parents or lover.’

I briefly considered the possibility that something had happened between Evgenia and Damien that wasn’t covered in the original novel.

However, Evgenia’s past was closer to virtue than vice.

She had ventured into impoverished areas, offering financial aid while seeking out talented individuals, using them to establish a merchant guild and a mercenary group.

It was hard to imagine that someone like her would have formed a particular enmity with Damien, who had no ties to the imperial family.

The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, but that wasn’t the most important thing right now.

‘My goal aligns with what the goddess seeks?’

My ultimate goal was to pave a golden path for Evgenia and ensure his happiness.

So, did that mean the goddess also wished for Euclid’s happiness?

‘Could it be that the goddess is a Euclid fan, too?’

I mean, just look at Damien—the High Priest himself seems completely captivated by our Euclid…

“Do you not believe me?”

Damien furrowed his brows and asked.

No, I totally believe it.

I was just thinking that the goddess clearly has good taste.

Of course, I didn’t need to be that honest, so I was about to simply affirm my belief when—

“You must have felt it yourself at times. The goddess has been protecting and blessing you.”

At that moment, memories of the countless small, seemingly coincidental strokes of luck I had experienced since my transmigration flashed through my mind.

Hadn’t I thought about it before?

That it felt as though some divine force was supporting my decisions and choices.

‘I never expected it to be true.’

If that was the case, then maybe even the moment I slapped the crown prince had been an act of fortune orchestrated by the goddess.

The thought gave me a strange feeling.

More than anything, the confirmation that my transmigration was part of the goddess’s will erased the lingering anxiety I had unknowingly harbored.

Seeing my reaction, Damien looked as if he had expected this response.

“Then speak. What would you have me do?”

I smiled at his words.

So what if his face was stiff and unwelcoming?

No matter how much he disliked me, the devoted High Priest had to obey the goddess’s will and assist me unconditionally.

Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself, but Damien was a figure who held influence not only over the emperor but also over the nobility and commoners alike.

He was the perfect person to sway public sentiment.

I had high expectations that he would play a significant role when the time came for my independence.

But for now, there was something else I needed from him.

“What I ask of you, High Priest, is…”

With a somewhat earnest expression, I began to speak.

‘Is this really happening?’

As he made his way to Duke Rudion’s bedroom following Evgenia’s request, Damien wore a conflicted expression.

The answer he had expected was entirely different.

In the past, Evgenia had gone to great lengths to emphasize that she wasn’t the Duchess of Rudion to him.

So why was this happening now?

Even when he deliberately referred to her as “Madam” instead of “Young Lady,” Evgenia showed no sign of being offended.

Not only that.

When he had asked what she wanted him to do, Evgenia had replied—

— The Duke had an accident and suffered some injuries. Please heal him.

Her response was something Damien had not anticipated at all.

And she had said it with a boldness as if she were merely asking him to return something that rightfully belonged to her.

Of course, since Damien had already declared that he would help with anything, he had no choice but to comply.

Now, as he stood before Duke Rudion, his confusion only deepened.

“My wife, you’re here.”

The Duke greeted Evgenia with a warm smile.

However, even that expression wasn’t as bright as the shy smile Evgenia returned as she replied, “Yes, I’m here.”

Until now, Evgenia had always carried an air of intimidation—her sharp eyes and indifferent expression made her seem unapproachable, even terrifying, more than just beautiful.

But at this moment, no one would find her intimidating.

Even Damien, who knew of her ambitions and formidable plans, could only see a noblewoman who purely adored and worried for her husband.

“Marianne and Dior visited earlier. They waited for you for a while before leaving.”

“Did they?”

“Yes. I thought you might be shaken by everything that happened, but since you weren’t injured, I decided not to urge them to stay.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I should go see them later.”

Watching the affectionate exchange between the duke and duchess made Damien’s mind whirl.

‘These two will be divorcing soon…’

Growing restless, Damien finally spoke up.

“Madam.”

“My Wife…”

N/ The word “부인” mean : Madam/Wife/lady … Literally the same word has different meanings so there was some confusion.

Their voices overlapped.

The other person who had spoken at the same time as Damien was none other than Duke Rudion.

Realizing Damien’s presence only then, the Duke seemed momentarily startled.

And for a fleeting moment, Damien caught a sharp glint in the Duke’s eyes—a predatory gaze, like a beast warning an intruder to stay away.

Though the Duke’s expression quickly returned to its usual gentleness, Damien couldn’t shake the eerie sensation at the back of his neck and shut his mouth.

Evgenia, blinking between the two men, clapped her hands.

“Oh! Right. I came with the High Priest. He will heal you, so you don’t need to worry anymore.”

Damien, who had always commanded attention with his natural authority and presence, now found himself feeling like an unnecessary extra.

“Did my wife personally bring him here?”

Even the Duke seemed surprised.

Damien, somewhat speechless, looked between them.

But the Duke only gazed at Evgenia, touched and impressed.

Evgenia shook her head modestly.

“No, I was about to go fetch him myself, but he came to the manor first.”

“…I see. High Priest, I sincerely thank you for coming to the North. Your visit will bring great joy to the people.”

Though he received a belated polite greeting from the Duke, Damien still felt annoyed.

Evgenia, standing beside him, was giving him a look that said, ‘Hurry up and get on with the healing.’

At this point, he felt compelled to confirm—

“Madam, are you sure this is what you wan—”

“One moment, High Priest.”

Evgenia frowned slightly and raised a hand.

“That title… could you change it?”

“…Excuse me?”

She smirked mischievously.

“My husband calls me ‘Wife/Madam’ as well, so when you do the same, it gets confusing. I’d prefer you call me ‘Duchess of Rudion.’”