46. Isella Snow
The temple where the appointment ceremony took place was not usually open to the public. The priest guided us to a lavishly decorated room.
Even though we had to stay inside the temple for about a week, bathing and preparing ourselves neatly, the temple blurred all the processes we should naturally go through. The declaration with the list of rites had a black line drawn through it. It seemed like the temple was being cautious among the princes.
Are other nobles like this too?
I glanced at Beatrice, but it seemed like the proper procedure was not to his liking, judging by his expression.
It was fortunate that there weren’t many watching eyes. What if they mocked the half-prince for going through a procedure befitting a prince?
The priest moved confidently. Young priests in white robes watched curiously at the open door.
Deon was wearing a white uniform instead of his usual armor. It was a different atmosphere than when he wore black armor and a leather cloak. He didn’t seem like someone who had experienced war. Dressed in the uniform, he appeared as clean as a fresh flower.
Far from touching blood, he had never touched a single sword. If someone saw him like this, who would dare call him an assassin?
We stood in front of the altar. Under the eyes of the deity, the shining gem was embedded under the eyes of the deity, like tears.
The temple, especially the round dome, was beautiful. The wall murals on the ceiling were painted in gold, making it very colorful. The stained glass on the windows filtered the noon sunlight. The cheeks of everyone who entered the temple, including the deity, were bathed in a reddish light.
I recalled the day he first wore the uniform. At the birth celebration, he wore a tie with a similar blue gem. The tie with the light blue hue sparkled mysteriously when it received the light.
A similar colored gem was hanging around my neck now.
He gently touched the craftsmanship. As he carefully chose a small one, the sense of the necklace was not felt on top of the clothes. It was light, as if it were there and not there.
“Please tell me one by one. In the name of the spirit, the blessing of the goddess will surround you.”
During a brief moment when I was thinking about something else, the priest intoned.
Following Deon, Beatrice, Edan, and Elizabeth knelt in front of the altar one by one.
In the fluctuating wave, I also kneeled with them, lowering my knees from the headdress.
“What is it?”
I pulled Beatrice’s coat. He opened his eyes, which were clasped together, and looked at me.
“Just make a wish.”
A wish?
“How many wishes can I make?”
“How many wishes do you have? Usually, people make one or two.”
Only one or two wishes. It seems like the citizens of the empire live happily.
I thought about my wish.
I needed a wish that could encompass as much as possible. A wish that could express the essentials in a short time.
“In the name of the Spirit, I pray. Please bless all the citizens under the empire to live in peace.”
Deon spoke up. It was a modest wish.
The priest approached and dropped a few drops of water on his head.
“May your wishes come true. Let us pray together.”
“Help everyone live a safe and peaceful life within the sword.”
Edan, who was beside me, opened his mouth.
“May your wishes come true. Let us pray together.”
It seemed to proceed in this way. It was fortunate for my headdress.
“May the citizens be protected under the great emperor and fulfill their long-cherished wishes.”
“I hope the child is born healthy and safe. May peace and tranquility dwell in the County and the Duchy.”
The priest also gave a baptism to Beatrice and Elizabeth.
“Yes, may your wishes come true. Let us pray together.”
All the wishes were similar. They uttered a deep wish for peace while hoping for their own rest. It was overly conventional and monotonous.
My turn came. I felt the young priests and the priest with water standing in front of me.
I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes tightly.
“Punish those who torment me. If there is a god, no, if the god has a conscience, please take care of this poor lamb that has fallen here.”
I took a deep breath and uttered the last remaining wish.
“Only me… please make things go well for me. Only me…”
A silence followed.
The enormous temple felt empty. I opened my eyes subtly. In front of me, a bewildered priest was seen. His hand, which was about to give a baptism, was suspended in the air. The young priest was staring with his mouth wide open.
“Uh, yes… may, may your wishes come true.”
A bewildered voice was heard. The priest hesitated to say he would cheer with everyone.
People praying around me turned to look at me all at once. Especially, I felt sharp eyes with green irises, but I steadfastly looked only at the priest.
Water droplets scattered on my forehead.
Even though the creator who put me here and disappeared was gone. If there really is a god, it would be difficult to turn a blind eye to my wish.
Sweat was forming on the forehead of the old priest. Somehow, it seemed like his hair had become whiter.
Deon and Edan requested some time with the priest to receive a baptism.
We descended the stairs briskly. Behind me, I heard Beatrice’s sigh-mixed voice.
“Young Lady remains the same even after coming up to the capital. Even your prayers are selfish.”
“No, did you hear everything? What if you say that outside? The priests say that everything that happens inside should be kept confidential. Even if you confess to murder, it should be kept confidential. Didn’t you hear the last words the priest added?”
He snapped at my words.
“How can I not hear it? It was clear and well heard. Didn’t I tell you to listen? Punishing those who torment, huh?”
“It seems like your conscience is pricking. If you hadn’t done anything wrong to me, you would have been fine.”
Beatrice snorted.
“You are bold, Young Lady. That priest has been in the capital for 30 years, and I bet he has never heard such a wish before. It’s a relief he didn’t collapse from shock, considering his old age.”
He shouldn’t have become a priest if his heart was that weak.
I shook my head. Naive fool. You really don’t know this world well.
“Beatrice… Even if you don’t know, everyone probably thinks the same as me. It’s a public place, so I didn’t say it out loud. When you pray, look closely at people’s mouths. They are probably all praying for themselves to be well. Even if they have other wishes, it’s probably just for their families to be well.”
“No! Don’t treat me like Young Lady and don’t drag down the worshippers!”
He gritted his teeth. His lips, which kept snarling incessantly, were so annoying that I wanted to pinch them.
“And it’s not a bad thing. If everyone prays for themselves to be well, in the end, everyone will be well! It’s not like a random game where wishes come true by turning a roulette. If all wishes are fulfilled, everyone will be well, right?”
Tsk. He chuckled.
“You speak well. People like Young Lady are rare, both in the capital and the north. Why didn’t I recognize her at first? When I got off the carriage, I thought she was a fragile and pitiful woman. Indeed, you realize that people should not be judged by their first meeting when you see Young Lady. I need to reflect on my short-sightedness.”
“Then, what wish should I have made?”
He responded as if he had been waiting for my words.
“There are many ordinary wishes, aren’t there? Like the ironic Countess Uroinia, who was born as a third daughter and executed for her misconduct. She probably prayed for the well-being of the empire’s citizens in the temple.”
Beatrice muttered as we descended the stairs.
“Did they say that? Did you see it yourself?”
“She lived a century ago. How could I have seen her?”
“How do you know, then?”
“She probably did. Even if I didn’t see it, I know. Various cruel fairy tales for children exaggerated her misdeeds to provide moral lessons, but there was no such content. If such events had occurred in the temple, they would have been written down.”
I chuckled at his words.
Peace for the citizens of the empire? World peace?
It’s useless. I’m going to die right now.
Above all, I didn’t love this world. I didn’t have the heart to wish for peace in this endlessly cruel world, even if I spoke eloquent words.
Beatrice made a mocking sound.
Although it was embarrassing to fight in front of the temple, as expected, there were only young priests passing by, and there were no worshippers around. Perhaps because of that, Beatrice continued to grumble more vigorously.
Elizabeth was the only one suffering between us. She tried to stop us but hesitated, taking a step back while watching us.
That’s when it happened.
A woman jumped out between the thick pillars of the temple.
“Sister!”
I thought there was no one around. We were startled by the sudden voice and stopped our conversation.
The woman’s steps were light. She effortlessly embraced Elizabeth. She had a similar build to mine.
“How did you come? They said you’re the flower of this festival!”
Elizabeth separated from the woman, whom she seemed to know, and spoke familiarly.
“Is your body okay? Are there any injuries?”
She checked Elizabeth’s body carefully.
“I’m fine. The child is safe too.”
“What’s wrong with the child now? Is Sister okay? Sister is the priority. I don’t care what happens to the child inside your belly. Sister just needs to be safe.”
She embraced Elizabeth again. Her lively voice was adorable.
“Then, let’s go back right now. Just a final greeting. It’s not polite.”
“What’s the use of politeness? I missed you so much, Sister.”
She patted Elizabeth’s chest with her cheek.
Every time she moved her head, her side profile was gradually revealed.
Smooth, glossy, light red hair, unlike my tangled hair. Even the wind-mussed hair looked pretty. When I opened my eyes, I saw dark eyes with a mix of deep purple. The large pupils, moistened with tears, sparkled beautifully.
The only person who could call Elizabeth’s sister and urge her to return home.
That person…
The woman turned her head.
‘Isella Snow.’
The heroine of this world.
I felt a sensation as if time had stopped.
Suma Irmã da Elizabeth kkkk