I Stole the Heroine's Holy Grail

“I, I’m sorry… Young lady Sorne.”

I stared blankly at the young girl who suddenly burst into tears in front of me.

Hestine. She is the main character in the novel I possessed.

And I am the villainess who persistently harassed the main character Hestine.

The owner of this body tormented Hestine so viciously that just the sight of me makes her tremble in fear. 

It was really upsetting. I wanted to change my relationship with her. I wanted to get rid of the mistakes this body had made.

I didn’t mind trying hard. I want to have a common interest with Hestine, so I change my taste in tea. I also frequently sent her expensive gifts. I even regularly sent donations to the orphanage where she grew up.

However, the results were dark contrary to my expectations.

I wanted to get close to her, but my actions just turned into thorns and scratched Hestine.

The eyes of people looking at me became sharper as the days went by.

“Hey! Hestine!”

“Hestine!”

“Damn it! Call the Doctors and priests right now!”

I couldn’t do anything as I watched Hestine rolling down the stairs from the altar.

Why? I didn’t do anything.

Ironically, the culprit who made Hestine roll down from the altar was me, as if it were natural.

I realized it then.

Ah. No matter how hard I try, in the end, I can’t escape being the villain.

I’m Adelia Sorne, the villainess forever.

As soon as the efforts I’ve made so far went down in vain, everything felt empty.

***

“Go to the convent.”

A man’s voice that didn’t even feel warm pierced her ears.

I laughed and asked in a tone that I couldn’t accept the man’s words.

“You want me to go to the convent?”

“Yes.”

“I…”

“If you don’t go to the convent, you’ll be excommunicated.”

Harsh words, I repeated the word excommunication dozens of times in my mind.

Perhaps this was already planned and could not be changed.

I quietly closed my eyes and recalled the past.

Everything began when I possessed the body of a wicked woman in the novel <Welcome to the cradle of the Saint>. 

When I first possessed this body, I immediately realized that I was the villain. 

Adelia Sorne, the evil woman who is hated by everyone.

Even her family didn’t like her very much. They treated her as if her existence itself was a mistake.

On the other hand, Hestine was loved by everyone.

The moment I saw Hestine, I noticed that she was the main character even before I heard her name.

A person who shines even when she’s just standing still. The main character, that if she shed tears, it will make your heart break and make you want to hug her.

The problem is that the reason why she shed tears was because of “me.”

Hestine was scared and intimidated just by the sight of me, shedding jewel-like tears.

Then, as if it was natural, all sorts of glares fell on me.

I was not given the opportunity to correct it. Because what I’m appealing will only sound like an excuse.

In the end, my only option is to run away.

I desperately avoided Hestine.

However, whether it was God’s trick, I and Hestine had no choice but to keep running into each other.

Whenever that happened, I had no choice but to become a villain who harassed the soft- and good-hearted heroine.

It was unfair.

Of course, I can’t undo what Adelia has done in the past, but since I took possession of Adelia’s body, I haven’t really done anything wrong.

Why do I have to shoulder Adelia’s karma…?

Then one day this incident happened. 

It was a day when a festival was held in the empire and an oracle came down after a long time.

Everyone thought that Hestine was the saint who would defeat the evil spoken of in the oracle.

There was nothing special about it, we were at the temple and Hestine was called to the altar of blessing as a prospective Saint. 

However, Hestine sprained her ankle on the way up to the altar and rolled down the stairs.

Later, it was revealed that Hestine had a problem with the shoes she wore that day.

Coincidentally, the maid who handed the shoes to Hestine was a child who worked for me.

The maid, who was pointed out as the culprit who tried to harm Hestine, said I was the main culprit in everything, and she was just threatened.

“What the…”

Of course, what she said was a black lie.

Since I beat the maid, I’ve never seen or mixed her with her.

In the end, I was brought up to the judging table as a natural procedure, and the maid became a pitiful person tormented by a villain, and was able to escape from the judgment.

I shouted my innocence earnestly.

But there was not a single person who listened to me.

A childhood friend, a nanny, an academy classmate, and fiancé.

Even my father, Marquis Sorne, did not believe me.

Since there was no evidence other than the maid’s testimony, so fortunately, direct punishment was avoided.

However, I had no choice but to be completely excluded from the social circle.

Marquis Sorne knew that what I did would cause a noble girl to be shunned from the social circles.

The Marquis Sorne had to choose. Will he cover for me, whose value has fallen, or will he throw me away?

The Marquis’ choice was the latter.

He chose to cut me off relentlessly.

Maybe it was natural.

Because Adelia was a foreign entity in the Sorne family.

The Marquis viewed those bound in the name of family as mere instruments of power.

Adelia’s brother, Sizelon, who resembles the marquis, also treated Adelia coldly.

Furthermore, he was thinking that Adelia was the cause of his mother’s death.

Naturally, Sizelon’s gaze on Adelia was inevitably colder than that of the Marquis.

For this reason, Adelia longed for her family’s affection and eventually became twisted.

The only time the family paid attention to her thinly was when she became the center of gossip.

Adelia was bound to be more ruined.

‘That’s pathetic and also stupid.’

I couldn’t sympathize with Adelia’s struggle to get her Family’s attention until she ruined herself.

As an orphan, I didn’t have anything to call a family.

However, one thing I can be sure of is that they are not a good family.

I opened my closed eyes. And I looked at the Marquis. His eyes were still extremely cold.

Convent and excommunication…

Normally, I would choose a convent. But I couldn’t, having read the original book and knew what was going on in the convent.

The convent was a place where various forced labor was required in the name of service to God.

Adelia’s body, a fragile noble lady, will not be able to hold out.

“I can’t go to convent; I will choose excommunication.”

“Is that your choice?”

“However, I have a favor to ask of you. When my mother passed away, I heard that she left my share of property.”

“…Yeah. I know it well.”

“It is also my mother’s keepsake, so I will take it. Would you show me that kind of mercy?”

The marquis opened his mouth after a short silence.

“…good. But from now on, the name Sorne must not come out of your mouth.”

The marquis did not give a piece of heart to his daughter until the end.

No matter how much they hated me, we were a family that had been together for a long time, but he was happy with his daughter’s choice to leave the family.

You must be happy to cut out the painful flesh. I stood up with a bitter smile.

“Sure. You will never have anything to do with me again.”

From Adelia Sorne, I just became an ordinary woman named Adelia. 

***

Having become an ordinary Adelia, I immediately left the mansion and came down to the quiet countryside, Rohen.

It was an area with a population of less than 100 people.

I bought a large mansion located in a forest far from the village.

Perhaps because it was such a deserted place, I bought it at a very low price.

“It’s relaxing.”

It was the first time I felt relaxed after possessing Adelia’s body.

She should’ve left the family. What made her so hung up on being a noble…

The faceless mother of Adelia who passed away at the time of her birth, left her daughter a considerable amount of money. As if she had foreseen that she would turn away from her family.

I had enough money left in my hand to the point where I couldn’t even buy a mansion.

‘I can live an exciting life.’

Of course, it may not be as luxurious as when I was a Sorne, but as long as I don’t indulge in excessive luxury, it was enough money to live as an unemployed person for the rest of my life.

Whaaaaa~

A cool breeze brushed past my collar. I took a deep breath and enjoyed nature.

I could see why rich presidents retire and live in countryside.

“Lady!”

A young voice from afar called me gladly. I smiled and turned my head.

The girl with her hair tied in pigtails was running with a happy face.

A shiny ribbon stood out from the girl’s hair. It was the ribbon I used when I was little.

“I told you not to run. What if you get hurt?” 

“Even if I look like this, I’m 13 years old!”

What does falling have to do with age? I smiled helplessly and stroked the girl’s head who came close to me.

“You seem to be laughing a lot these days!”

“… Really?”

Although, I myself felt that I had Been laughing after getting away from Hestine, it was unfamiliar to me to hear it through other people’s mouths.

“By the way, you don’t have to call me lady.”

“But… My mom told me to be careful.”

At the words of the innocent girl, my hand that had been stroking her hair stopped.

She suddenly appeared in the village and bought a mansion that had been neglected for a long time, and now she lives alone.

Furthermore, she doesn’t work and all she does all day is play and eat.

It was only natural for the villagers to think of me as a noblewoman.

Actually, it is not wrong to say since I lived the life of a great noble until recently.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“I am not a noblewoman.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just a rich unemployed person?”

The girl’s face was filled with laughter. Her cheekbones came up plump.

When I saw that I really wanted to pinch both of her cheeks.

But then if I do that, she will jump up saying that her cheeks will be plumper.

I moved my stopped hand again and stroked Emily’s head violently.

“Ah! It’s all messed up!”

“Is that so?”

“Lady, you’re really…”

Since I settled in a quiet countryside, the girl who came to me from time to time became my little pleasure.

Although she was still young, the child had a good sense. She also knew how to look cute.

“So, what did you bring today?”

“Today is strawberry! I just picked it from the field because it was ripe!”

“Secretly again?”

At that moment, the child hardened like ice.

This. It looks like the fruit was from the village head’s field again.

I sighed and shook my head.

I was happy and grateful for you thinking of me. But you shouldn’t get used to this from an early age.

“I’m sure I told you not to steal” I said with a harsh voice

 “B, but…”

“It’s okay if you just come empty-handed. You’re always welcome.”

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing Emily apologizing in a sullen voice made me feel bad.

“It’s not something to apologize to me. But Emily, let’s not steal next time. If you get caught, you will only get in trouble.”

“Yes…”

Emily regained vitality as if when she had shrunk.

I led Emily into the mansion room.

“It looks like a castle from a fairy tale book!”

“Really?”

I wanted to say that a real castle is so beautiful and magnificent that it is incomparable to this.

But I didn’t dare to say it.

I didn’t want to interfere with Emily’s appreciation. 

It would be troublesome if Emily said that she would become a maid of a noble family with anticipation of a wonderful castle and mansion.

Because the job of a maid was not as beautiful as the dream of common girls.

“Let’s just eat strawberries.”

“Yes! I’ll go wash it!”

Emily went into the kitchen alone and washed the strawberries even though I didn’t order it.

I smiled and patted Emily’s head.

Emily gave up now and left her head still in my hands. Of course, her bumpy, protruding lips remained the same.

But what can I do if my hands keep going?

***

“I should get going.”

As we chatted while eating strawberries, the sun was setting slowly.

I asked Emily to get home safely and went up to my bedroom.

“Tomorrow, I will buy some melon seeds.”

I have a new hobby since I settled here. It is to cultivate small crops.

Of course, there’s no scarcity in food, but I was proud to raise it and eat it myself, and it was more fun than I thought.

I never imagined that I would have such a hobby.

Even in this unfamiliar place, I got used to it.

To the extent that I, who doesn’t give my heart to something easily, fell in love with it.

‘I need to find a worker to clean the house too.’

It is going to be a busy day tomorrow.

I closed my eyes with excitement.

Until then, I thought I could spend the rest of my life enjoying a peaceful garden life.

I never expected something would happen when I wake up.