Episode 2
* * *
Wiggle.
The eyeballs moved under tightly pressed eyelids.
The person who was asked to take care of the unknown body was Seline, an apprentice priest who was yawning and standing still.
“Uh? Uh huh?”
Craddangtang!
The sound of falling was loud. She was a person who was frequently punished for her frivolous behavior.
Wasn’t the reason she was put on duty today to guard the ‘Unknown Priestess body’ who was lying like corpses like this was because of her mistake of spilling water from a vase in the hallway where the Archbishop was passing through?
No, in fact, under normal circumstances, she, an apprentice priest, would not have been able to be on duty to protect the passers-by. The water in the vase is just an excuse. There was a reason she was sent back to this duty.
It was to guard the coffins for a seven days.
Because the bodies lying inside them were no longer useful.
These days, there are widespread rumors that the summoning prayer ceremony held at Shinhwangcheong for 1,000 days with all kinds of praise has failed.
Since 700 years ago, when the system called summoning of ‘divine vessel’ was established to summon ‘The purest divine vessel’ more stably and reliably, The priests have never failed to summon them.
However, even though a week had passed since the ceremony ended, there was no response from any of the prepared candidates.
As a result, public opinion was slowly gaining ground that it was because the prepared person of the path did not like the candidates for divine vessel who was to descend.
According to the rules, Seline, who is in the lowest position, cannot go anywhere near the coffins. Even sitting guard like this is possible only if you are a deacon or higher then that.
After overhearing that they were going to wait until tomorrow
and send them all back to their families, Seline learned why this had happened to her.
Guarding the coffin of the passer-by is an honorable duty for an apostle of God.
However, if the decision is made to send it back, staying up for the last night is just a hassle and a waste.
The attention of all priests and deacons was focused solely on ‘who will be the newly selected candidate?’
But she never thought that while she was sitting there, pinching her thighs to hold back from drowsiness, she would witness something amazing like this.
“Divine…, this is the great divine Vessel!”
Seline shrugged her shoulders while shouting loudly so that the entire hallway rang with her voice. Of course, her sleep was gone in an instant.
‘Tomorrow everyone will be jealous of me. I can’t believe I saw the waking of a divine being with my own eyes! I am only an apprentice!’
Thinking of bragging about how she would make others jealous
for next 10 years, she pulled hard on the rope hanging from the emergency bell, and a beeping sound was heard.
“The chosen being has awakened… ! It’s the crazy… No wait! This, this is the daughter offered by Rommel of the Summer Hedge!”
At that one word, the entire community of priests was shocked.
* * *
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
I didn’t know that I would end up in this world when I read the novel.
However, the reality was quite different from what I had read.
When she first woke up in clothes that looked like they were just cut out of fabric and had no patterns or seams, she didn’t immediately understand the situation.
If I were to blame anything something then, it would be my unconscious state, as if I was drifting in the sea clinging to a broken raft.
My arms were limp like clothes soaked in salt water, and my legs were stiff as if they were covered in moss and I couldn’t move them at all. Wouldn’t your throat be so scratchy and sore that you can’t even speak easily?
I don’t know if it was a living person on the verge of death or a body that was already dead and unable to move, but the conclusion was the same. It is difficult to even blink my eyelids a few times.
[Are you okay? Well, that’s right! I learned that I should massage her arm immediately after advent. You can’t feel your body, right? That’s how you will feel originally. It’s because the soul and body were separated, so you’ll be fine in a few days. Let me help you!]
What on earth are you saying?
A girl with amber eyes and curly brown hair suddenly appeared in my blurred vision. Then she got very excited and started talking.
She looks like a puppy, so I don’t think she will do any harm to me, so inspite of feeling wary, I calmed down a little.
No, I should say that I don’t even have the power to be alert and
surprised.
However, when I swallowed a dry saliva, my dry esophagus felt like it was going to tear, so I had no choice but to frown.
‘Are you a nurse? or not… Caregiver? She looks like she’s only about fifteen.’
Whoever it is, may I ask for water first?
But I can’t understand what’s being said, so how can I understand it?
Many thoughts were floating around in my tired mind, but nothing actually came out of my lips. Just a rough breath.
Where on earth is this place?
[The Archbishop will come in a little while! His Majesty the Crown Prince might come first. You came at the right time! But why did they choose you… Did the all mighty like your body? There were a lot of pretty bodies… . ah! However, I am definitely not saying that you are ugly! You are very beautiful. Just that crazy woman, hmm! Because it’s a body… .]
The girl chattered and said something again as if she was interested. Looking at her appearance, I wondered if she was
from some unknown country in Eastern Europe.
The pronunciation is neither English nor German nor French. It was also different from the Arabic that I had been forced to learn down under pressure to stop being stupid and to improve myself. I just couldn’t understand what was being said.
It was just that the girl’s clothes seemed to indicate that she belonged to a certain group. I was strangely calm because I was hoping that an adult would soon come and explain everything.
Or maybe it was just an evasive calmness in response to all this discomfort.
I scanned the very unfamiliar ceiling painting with a helpless gaze. There was a grand picture drawn, but it wasn’t something I was familiar with. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of thing that would be depicted in a hospital.
The scent in my nose right now was not the typical hospital disinfectant smell. Rather, it was a more mellow and soft smell, yet with a sharp aftertaste.
If I had to compare it, it was similar to the aroma that is often wafted from massage shops.
A scent that puts your mind at ease.
‘Let’s calmly trace my memories. firstly… I don’t remember being in an accident.’
The last thing I remember is shouting. It was a cry full of frustration.
“It’s all because of you! Get out of here, it’s annoying!”
It was my younger sister who was crying and pushing me out, wondering why she was so sad.
As a child who had never been able to do anything in her life the way and live the way she wanted, when she couldn’t travel due to a global pandemic, her tantrums got worse with each passing day.
‘What happened next?’
It seems that I was so tired that I automatically left the house and walked aimlessly.
And then?
“… … .”
My eyes started feeling cold from being open for so long, so I blinked a few times and my mind became a little clearer. But I still couldn’t remember clearly.
Except that it seemed like something flashed.
‘First I have to ask where this place is.’
I also wanted to know why I couldn’t even wake up in this state.
No, actually, what I wanted to ask the most was this.
‘Is this a hospital that provides euthanasia?’
My mother, who was famous as a world-class pianist, was an unloving person to me.
Because she always pursued perfection, she couldn’t admit that what came from her body was so stupid and untalented.
Fortunately, her younger sister, who was born the same year, was born with all the talents her mother wanted, but the gaze she received from her mother was cold.
As each year passed and I thought that surviving was becoming more and more difficult, I might have even begged for
euthanasia.
She was pushed to the edge to the point where she thought of nonsense assumptions and possibilities.
In any case, she also lived in Switzerland to help her wealthy, talented mother and younger sister.
Euthanasia was not against her unloving mother.
However, even if I wanted to ask, my mouth would not open, and the girl who was massaging her arm continued to say only what she wanted to say.
[You look very guilty.]
It was then.
A languid yet leisurely voice fell into the room, obliterating the sound of multiple footsteps echoing on the floor.
[Have you come to your senses?]
The moment I heard it, I felt a tingle in my stomach and my legs were twisted, and dry saliva reflexively went down my esophagus.
I’ve seen a lot of people say they have good voices, but there’s
nothing like this.
It is also wonderful and superior.
[Why did they choose someone from summer hedge? Thanks to that, I have a headache.]
It was a young man.
From what I could infer, it seemed like he was probably a high-ranking person.
This was because the nameless girl suddenly bent down with her cheeks turning red.
Suddenly I got a shiver. It was natural to worry that something bad might happen.
Although she was able to move her fingertips, she still couldn’t strength her lower back to sit up, so she just slightly raised her anxious gaze as she lay down and tried to look at the man.
“… … !”
And the next moment.
She stopped breathing. Even though I didn’t see his face directly.
Beautiful platinum-blonde hair, as if made of pure gold, fluttered into my view. Contrasting tanned skin color and golden eyelashes… … .
I don’t know if it looked like royal attire, but it actually fit him perfectly. A white uniform with gold epaulettes and a red belt.
It was an overwhelming feeling that even if that man said he was a king right now, she would have to admit that he was.
[However, there is nothing to worry about. Since it is mine, I will increase the value of everything you have.]
One side of the bed went down heavily. Before she could figure out who the man was in detail, she flinched in contemplation at the sight of his large hand reaching out to her.
She was afraid of someone bigger and bigger figure than her was approaching her. The learning engraved on her body over many years was something that could not be helped.
What’s more, isn’t it a situation where you’re lying there unable to move? It would be even stranger not to be afraid.
[She is not pleasant to avoid her.]
However, it was unexpected that the hand that seemed to stop and retreat in response to her movement suddenly grabbed her chin and pulled it back.
The strong grip, as if trying to crush her jaw, awakened her to the reality that she had been ignoring as if it were a switch.
A man I don’t know. An unknown place. I can’t understand why I’m doing this. And one last thing.
‘What was my name?’
Jiyiing.
At that time, a crushing headache tore through my mind. Even though she wanted to move away, the man still didn’t want to let her go.
At the same time, somewhere the scent became stronger.
It was similar to the scent wafting throughout the room, but it was even heavier and made my breathing difficult.
It felt as if gravity was pulling her down, pushing her down.
Such a humiliating feeling, as if everything in the world had to succumb to the scent was exhaled by this man.
She likes sandalwood, vanilla and mud. I felt a scent that seemed to come from the ground where thousands of white bones were buried. It was the smell of conquest, it was a laurel wreath, and at the same time… … .
[Put a word before Rommel. The poisonous weed that took its root in the summer garden have finally bloomed. They sold her for the highest price, so inform them that their daughter did a great job.]
[But… His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Would you really say that… ? To the Duke Rommel… .]
[Tell it without any deviation. Otherwise, I will twist your neck.]
She trembled at the low, stern voice that seemed to scratch her eardrums.
The sharp nose and straight eyebrows that seemed to express temperament were menacing. It didn’t look insidious or evil, but it was so fierce that it seemed as if it could crush people. And most of all, those eyes.
The eyes of a beast that looks like it could tear a person into pieces and devour them. The sparkling golden eyes of his pupils gripped her mind so tightly that she could not move.
You must not go against his will.
It was instinct that told me that. Usually people with eyes like that are dangerous. A life of living without hesitation flowed from him.
It was similar to the type of people who desire to dominate, control, and exploit.
The kind she hates the most.
A supremacist born with everything.
“… … .”
What cleared her mind of accumulating prejudices against the person she met for the first time was the transparent bottle of water the man held up with his other hand.
[Do you want to drink?]
