Chapter 8
Gabi is currently feeling how fit she is.
“Shall we rest a little?”
“Yes, please.”
After dinner, Gabi is learning the choreography of the dance for tomorrow’s rain ritual.
It wasn’t difficult for her, and it wasn’t a taxing dance that she had to do for a long time, but what’s difficult for her is the fact that dancing wasn’t ingrained in her body.
Actually at first, she thought it was ridiculous to pray for rain, and she didn’t like having to dance in front of a lot of people, so she politely refused Simon.
“You don’t like it either?”
But his face weakened her again.
She hadn’t noticed it before since there are no good-looking boys at the school except from Ha Doyoon, but she really is weak to handsome guys!
She even thought that Simon could immediately turn non-religious people into followers with that kind of face.
“That’s it. Can you do it?”
“It’s not difficult to memorize.”
She already memorized the choreography and her squirming body got a little better, but Gabi, thinking that she would dance in front of people, was not happy about it.
“Most people don’t know the dance, so it’s okay to make a mistake.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to practice more or take a break?”
“I will practice alone. Simon, go and get some rest.”
Before they knew it, it’s already past midnight. They’ve been practicing since they finished dinner, so it’s already time for Simon to take a rest.
She told him that she will just practice a little more before going to bed, so Simon agreed and left the room.
After he left, Gabi, who was alone, waved her hand, remembering the sequence of the dance steps.
According to Simon, the rain ritual is being held because the rain has been so rare recently.
And since the saintess’ seat is usually vacant, the Archbishops would hold a prayer and dance for the rain instead.
But as soon as she appeared, they are making her take that role!
【 Shall I give you a quest like ‘Finish the Rain Ritual Safely’? To make you motivated. 】
“Oh, that’s good…”
The moment she was about to agree with Sissi, Gabi, who was thinking that it would be nice to get compensated for it, suddenly though something.
What if she doesn’t dance as she was told? What if she ruined the rain ritual?
No matter how much they thought of her as a saintess, Gabi is just a normal human being. Although she’s a bit far from being called ‘normal’, she can’t make it rain just by holding a rain ritual. And because she can’t make it rain, then that would mean that she’s not deserving to be a saintess.
She’s actually planning to avoid the rain ritual and hide, then she will brush it off with the cliché ‘something happened’.
But if she proudly attended the rain ritual then doesn’t follow and behave as she pleases in front of many people, then the church can just hopelessly watch her. If she acts like that in front of many people, then everyone would deem her as someone with no qualification to be a saint. If that’s the case, won’t the church think the same way?
In fact, she thought that it might not be effective, but Gabi still hoped so.
It would be easier for Gabi to just run away, but she thought of leaving Simon wearing a bitter face.
“No, nevermind. Just give me another quest.”
At Gabi’s words, Sissi only answered ‘kay and didn’t say anything more.
She wondered why she’s still practicing when she’s not going to dance properly tomorrow anyway, so she changed into her pajamas and went to bed.
* * *
The next morning, Gabi struggled to get up as the church’s maids woke her up early in the morning.
Gabi watched their frantic movements while still half-asleep.
She barely came to her senses and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a dress and accessories that were more colorful than the ones yesterday.
Gabi, who was wearing a heavy coronet, thought that if she hadn’t followed Simon in the first place, she wouldn’t have worn a dress like this or dance in front of people in shame.
She shook her head vigorously and made up her mind.
Even if she regretted what had already happened, she vowed that it would be too late, because she already intended that she would splendidly spoil today’s rain festival.
Having finished her preparations, Gabi followed the maids out of her room.
She passed through the first-floor corridor towards the temple built for offerings at the back of the church.
“Gabi.”
Hearing her name called, she turned her head to see Arnold striding from afar.
“We greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
When the maids who were guiding her saw Arnold, they bowed their heads and uttered their greetings, so Gabi followed along and also bowed her head.
When Arnold glanced at the maids standing next to her, they looked at each other and tactfully left.
“Who was the person who said she won’t do anything related to being a saintess? This rain ritual, do you even know what kind of ritual this is?”
He said in an angry tone.
“I’m really trying my best not to.”
She was full of thoughts of ruining the rain ritual in her own way, so Gabi felt unfair.
“That clothing says otherwise.”
Arnold scanned Gabi’s white dress from the coronet on her head to the tips of her toes.
“By the way, what are you doing here?”
Come to think of it, it’s strange that Arnold is inside the church. He seemed to hate this place very much when she ran into him in front of the church the other day.
“I don’t want to come, but this is a prayer for the rain ritual held by the church. This is also an important thing for the country so I have to come.”
“I see, and don’t worry about me being the saintess. Today, I will definitely be deprived of my so-called sainthood.”
Gabi already believed that she will be stripped off her title so she spoke confidently to Arnold.
“I’m quite worried now, so get yourself out of this church as soon as possible. I will arrange a place for you to stay.”
At Arnold’s words, Gabi was puzzled.
Why does he care so much about her when she only helped him clear a dungeon once?
“Why do you care so much? We’ve only met once.”
“I am the Crown Prince, I have to take care of my people. I’m only trying to get you out of this hell because I feel obligated and responsible.”
They insist that she is the saintess and make her do unreasonable tasks, but it is somewhat incomprehensible to describe the church that provided her a place and generous meals as hell. It didn’t seem like a bad place to Gabi, though. Except for the fact that they are forcibly insisting that she’s a saintess.
“Gabi-nim, we should go now.”
While she was talking to Arnold, the maids who had been away for a while approached and reminded her.
Arnold, who told her to keep his words in mind, was forced to leave.
She followed the maids with hurried steps, and arrived at the back of the central building.
As they approached the temple, she heard several people’s voices. When she peeked out her face from the waiting area and looked inside the temple, an innumerable crowd had gathered.
Seeing the sight in front of her eyes, Gabi tightly closed her eyes as she recalled the day when she was forced to go on stage at a piano competition when she was young and fell embarassingly.
Her pounding heart made her want to run away, but she made up her mind once again.
Kwon Gabi is a woman who does what she has to do!
“Gabi-nim, if you are ready, you can now go to the altar.”
Said by the maid who was fixing her dress.
At her words, Gabi nodded her head and walked slowly in the crowd to the altar.
She wasn’t publicly announced as the saintess yet, but the people whispered as they watched Gabi.
Looking at Simon and Erica standing side by side on the right side of the altar, the two smiled at Gabi.
‘How did the situation get this far?’
Gabi let out a sigh as she lamented her situation, then she stood with her back on the crowd… and she just stood there while thinking what kind of dance she’s going to do to ruin this rain ritual.
After hearing the sound of the trumpet announcing the start of the rain ritual, Simon, who was standing on the right side of the altar, approached Gabi, unfolded the parchment he was holding, and read the context.
It seemed to be about asking the Goddess to have her mercy and bless them with rain.
While Simon was reading, the priests assisting in the rain ritual lit a brazier behind the altar.
“Gabi-nim, you can burn this.”
Simon, who had finished reading, handed the parchment to Gabi, who was standing there blankly.
While thinking about what kind of dance she was going to do, Gabi belatedly noticed the parchment that Simon had handed her, and in a hurry, she dropped the parchment accidentally.
Ignoring the voices of those who grumbled about her actions, Gabi picked up the parchment she had fallen and threw it like a basketball into the fire.
Judging from the expressions of the other priests, including Simon and Erica, who saw this action, it seemed that her deprivation of sainthood has begun.
‘Whoops, it’s going smoothly.’
Simon gave Gabi, who’s secretly laughing inside, a look saying that it was her turn to dance, then went back to his place.
Gabi rolled her eyes before raising her hand to do her dance.
The first movement of the rain dance was to raise her arms and gently shake them.
Gabi started moving from side to side with one of her hands in front of her mouth and the other on her hip.
If I had to name this dance, I’d say… chicken dance?
The people watching the rain ritual began to whisper at her dance moves. Even if they don’t know the choreography well, they can definitely tell that it’s wrong.
The same was true to the other priests and Erica. Simon’s expression, who taught her how to dance, was the most spectacle.
Ignoring the reactions of these people, Gabi took the momentum and raised her arms, squared them, and waved them like a native dance.
At this moment, she covered her face with a steel plate, she felt that this is embarrassing but this is for her future!
“Yeah! Put your hands up!”
Gabi, who grew more confident the more she danced, lifted her left arm and began to jump.
The temple where the rain ritual was being held was so quiet that one could definitely say that it was “awkwardly silent”.
Except for Gabi of course, who is excited and jumped around by herself.
Expecting to be kicked out of the temple like this, Gabi rocked her body in a trance and danced aggressively.
【 Gabi is really fun hahaha 】
【 Okay, consider this as a reward for making me happy 】
She danced passionately, shaking her head from side to side, only to be stopped when Sissi spoke to her.
【 System : Sissi made the dry sky rain. 】
The window popped up made her wonder if it was really Sissi who said this or if he’s just speaking as if pretending to be a real system.
A few seconds after that, a drop of water landed on Gabi’s nose as she gasped for breath.
As she wiped the water on her nose, she looked up at the sky, and the raindrops fell one by one.
“What is this…”
As the stream of water poured, Gabi looked up blankly at the sky.
“She really is the saintess…
“She must be Gaia’s representative!”
“Saintess!”
The people caught in the rain began to spit out words one by one and then began to cheer.
Unlike these people who are happy, Gabi just stared blankly at the sky.
【 Did I do well? (O_<)ㅋ 】
Should I say, poor Gabi….?