Chapter 05
‘It’s so quiet…’
Most of the high-ranking priests had been summoned elsewhere, making the temple feel unusually silent.
Today, I was assigned to clean the main temple hall. I swept the floors diligently to earn more promotion points.
Just as I was finishing up, I heard a commotion near the entrance.
‘Did someone important arrive?’
Nobles from the Empire often visited the Grand Temple without warning.
Whenever a well-known figure arrived, the priests would be called to greet them, making the temple noisy.
‘Coming here on the day of the Grand Assembly?’
It felt rude. It was probably some arrogant noble flaunting their power.
‘I should finish up quickly.’
No orders had been given yet, but I could read the situation.
If I was caught cleaning in front of a difficult noble, I’d likely get scolded.
The floor was already clean enough. The best thing for an apprentice priest like me was to finish up and disappear.
Just as I was about to put away my cleaning tools and leave, someone wearing a necklace with a blue gemstone—a sign of a mid-level priest—approached me.
“You there… Ah, I see. You’re an apprentice priest.”
“Yes. I am Apprentice Priest Sonia Theodore.”
“The Theodore family? Perfect timing. Please attend to our guest until the assembly ends.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. A noble from the Empire arrived suddenly, requesting prayers. Since the assembly is still ongoing, we need someone to entertain them, and you’re the only priest here who knows proper etiquette.”
Most apprentice priests were commoners, and the higher-ranking priests who knew court etiquette were attending the assembly.
I understood the situation.
Basically, I had to serve tea and make small talk in the reception room until the assembly was over.
If I failed to host the noble properly, it could become a diplomatic issue.
This was an important task.
If I handled it well, I might even earn extra promotion points.
To become a mid-level priest, I needed to collect enough points.
‘I need to get promoted as soon as possible.’
So I could leave the Holy Kingdom and be assigned to a small, quiet temple in the middle of nowhere.
After calculating my options, I smiled.
“I can’t ignore a lost lamb. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank goodness. You’re a lifesaver, Priest Sonia.”
The mid-level priest quickly ordered another apprentice to take my cleaning tools away.
Then, he led me toward the entrance of the temple.
A massive black carriage was parked outside, resembling a war chariot.
“Neigh!”
The large horse tied to the carriage stomped its hooves impatiently.
The entire scene looked like something out of a nightmare—like a death god’s carriage leading souls to the underworld.
But what was even more intimidating was the man standing beside it.
He had long black hair flowing down to his waist and didn’t even try to hide his dangerous aura.
“You kept me waiting? Are you joking?”
His voice was icy cold.
Even though he was a noble from the Empire, causing trouble in the Holy Kingdom was not an option.
I knew that, but his overbearing presence still made me tense up.
The mid-level priest quickly stepped forward and bowed apologetically.
“I deeply apologize, Your Grace, Duke Lyndmere. We will escort you to the reception room immediately.”
Duke Lyndmere?
Schwarz Valkyr Lyndmere.
The ruler of the North.
Leader of the assassin syndicate that controlled the underworld.
And one of the obsessive maniacs from Predators’ Domain.
‘Why did he have to show up here?’
If I had known it was Schwarz, I would have faked an illness and run away.
But it was too late. I was already standing right in front of him.
The only relief was that Schwarz was naturally distrustful and avoided forming close relationships with anyone.
He was so busy pushing people away that he had barely encountered Omegas in his life.
Since he had isolated himself, he wasn’t used to Omega pheromones.
Even when he met a wounded Lancelot—who was clearly an Omega—he hadn’t reacted much.
But the moment Schwarz realized Lancelot’s scent wasn’t just perfume but actual Omega pheromones…
He lost all self-control.
Schwarz’s sharp gaze swept over the mid-level priest.
“The reception room? I already told you why I came here.”
Annoyed, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The metal fittings on his belt clashed against the scabbard, creating a chilling sound.
The mid-level priest flinched.
I, standing behind him, also stared at Schwarz’s hand gripping the sword.
‘He really brought a weapon into the Grand Temple?’
Had he lost his mind?
Swinging a sword in the temple could start a war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Then again, he was insane.
Most of the other obsessive maniacs had at least pretended to be civilized when they first appeared in the story.
But Schwarz was different.
His hobbies? were torture.
His special skill? Was more torture.
He had been slicing people up long before he ever met Lancelot.
And in the original story, he was the one who killed me.
‘Of all people… why him?’
In the novel, the original Sonia had fallen in love with Schwarz.
But he found her annoying and killed her without hesitation.
Right in front of her younger brother.
Schwarz continued gripping his sword, glancing between me and the mid-level priest.
Was he calculating where to stab us?
Which spot would make us suffer the longest before dying?
Chills ran down my spine.
Luckily, this time, I wasn’t in love with him.
If anything, I despised him.
His voice grew even darker.
“You’re making me wait again?”
I remembered exactly what Schwarz had done in the novel when he recognized Omega pheromones.
At first, when he met Lancelot a few times, he smelled a strange floral scent.
But he didn’t realize it was an Omega’s pheromones.
Not until he spent three days in a row near Lancelot at a small ball.
The moment he understood what the scent truly was, he lost all restraint.
“Come with me. Refuse, and I’ll cut off your ankles.”
He skipped all pleasantries and simply dragged Lancelot back to his den.
If Schwarz figured out that I smelled like an Omega, I’d end up just like my brother.
Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed yet.
‘It’s too soon.’
He wasn’t familiar with pheromones, so it had taken him three full days to recognize them before.
But if I just stood here doing nothing, Schwarz might kill the mid-level priest out of irritation.
And then, he’d turn his blade on me next.
I was terrified of him.
But he wasn’t reacting to Omega pheromones yet.
There was no reason to sit still and die.
So I stepped forward, cutting off the mid-level priest.
Then, I gracefully lifted the hem of my robe and bowed.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Lyndmere. I am Apprentice Priest Sonia Theodore.”
I introduced myself quickly, hoping to stop him from drawing his sword.
Schwarz didn’t pull out his blade.
Instead, he slowly scanned me from head to toe.
“Theodore? I didn’t know the Count had a daughter.”
“I left the Empire when I was very young to serve Magnus, the god of the Holy Kingdom…”
Before I could finish, Schwarz reached out.
He grabbed the pendant hanging from my neck and yanked it.
The force pulled me forward, nearly choking me as the chain tightened around my throat.
Schwarz held the necklace firmly, staring directly into my face.
“I see. The Countess was known as a great beauty.”
As soon as Schwarz let go, I could finally breathe again.
My mind, which had frozen due to his sudden action, started working again.
My neck stung where the necklace had dug into my skin.
‘…I thought I was going to die.’
The feeling of being choked, like I was being hanged, was terrifying.
“Lift your head.”
Carefully, I raised my head. His sharp gaze pierced through me.
Maybe it was because I had read about people dying at Schwarz’s hands, but his stare felt like a blade.
My hands, neatly folded together, trembled slightly. The pain in my neck worsened.
‘So… scary.’
What did the original Sonia see in this terrifying man? Why did she try so hard to earn his love?
If I could, I’d stay as far away from him as possible.
“A mere trainee priestess, no matter if she is a noble lady?”
His voice, now laced with anger, dropped even lower.
“Is this the Holy Kingdom’s way of saying that a filthy-blooded bastard like me doesn’t deserve a proper priest?”
I think I understood why he was so upset.
Schwarz Valkier Lindmere, the Grand Duke. He was the illegitimate son of the emperor and the Duchess of Lyndmere.
The emperor acknowledged him as his child. And because his mother’s noble bloodline was undeniable, Schwarz held a legitimate claim to the throne.
In the empire, Magnus was the state religion. To be recognized as an imperial citizen, one had to be baptized by the church.
However, the Holy Kingdom did not acknowledge illegitimate children.
Schwarz had once requested a baptism, but the church ignored him.
When he personally visited the Holy Kingdom, he was treated coldly due to his status as a bastard—until he lost his temper.
The captain of the holy knights had to intervene to prevent casualties.
‘But I can’t call the captain now…!’
All the high priests were attending the grand meeting, and most of the kingdom’s forces were stationed there.
The lower-ranked knights guarding the temple wouldn’t stand a chance against Schwarz.
If he drew his sword in anger, I would die before help could arrive.
I had to calm him down somehow.
‘What should I say…?’
Cautiously, I observed Schwarz’s expression.
I wasn’t brave enough to meet his fierce gaze, so my eyes drifted to his cheek instead.
And that’s when I noticed a scar.
