Episode 86

952 gold coins.

The weight of such an amount, equivalent to 95.2 million won in Korean currency, was far too much for me to carry alone.

I hadn’t realized it before, but the coins had also lightened as they converted to talents.

“Ughhh…”

As I strained to lift a sack nearly as big as my torso, clinging to it without success, laughter rippled through the crowd.

For some reason, the Crown Prince laughed the loudest.

Finally, after the priests offered to transport it to the carriage for me, I leapt down from the platform.

“Gordon! Edwin!”

“Belze.”

Thankfully, Duke Kallios and Edwin hadn’t left yet and were waiting for me nearby.

As I hurried toward them, the Duke flashed a smirk and asked, “Have you decided to give up the prize?”

“No!”

What a terrifying thing to say!

“Grandpa is watching everything…”

Not that they’d actually cheat a Saintess candidate of her prize in the temple, but Grandpa Gordon was glued to the bottom of the platform, his eyes sharp as he watched over everything.

“Yes, I have it.”

Looking up at the Duke and Edwin, who were bathed in the warm hues of the sunset, I exclaimed, “I’m rich now!”

“Is that more pleasing than becoming a Saintess?”

The Duke raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.

Of course, becoming a Saintess was a great honor.

Defeating Diana for the first time was also rather satisfying!

But, being able to repay them, even a little, for the food and care they’d given me—

That was what made me the happiest.

I poured all those feelings into a vigorous nod.

“Yes! Hehe.”

Then, a gentle thud.

A large, warm hand rested on top of my head.

“Well done.”

It was a gruff compliment.

But that alone was enough.

“…Thank you.”

Feeling an awkward warmth spreading to my toes, I murmured in a small voice, “Thank you for helping me.”

I bowed my head to the Duke.

“If it weren’t for you and Edwin, I’d probably be a thief by now.”

Though, of course, that was unlikely.

After all, the Headmistress’s unjust ‘fine’ would eventually have been exposed.

But thanks to them—who not only trusted me but also didn’t hesitate to protect me—I managed to endure those nerve-wracking moments with surprising poise.

“That’s a funny thing to be grateful for. Such things are natural among family.”

The Duke responded to my gratitude without much fuss.

His words left a warm, ticklish feeling in my heart.

“Isn’t that right, Edwin?”

He then turned to his eldest son, standing by his side.

“Edwin, I really wanted to thank you for before…”

I was about to turn and offer my thanks to Edwin as well.

“….”

But for some reason, he was looking at me with a rather irritated expression.

I clamped my mouth shut.

Though his face appeared almost blank at first glance, a fierce glint simmered in his golden eyes.

“E-Edwin…?”

As I blankly called out to him—

Whip!

Suddenly, Edwin turned away coldly.

And then, he started walking off without a word.

“Oh…”

“He’s probably just embarrassed.”

As I stared after him in surprise, the Duke chuckled softly, dismissing it as shyness.

‘That’s… probably not it…’

I might not know about shyness, but I knew Edwin’s angry expression all too well.

In my past life, he often wore that look because of me.

‘Why is Edwin so mad? Could he still be annoyed about the kiss…?’

But, as far as I knew, Edwin wasn’t one to hold grudges for long.

No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn’t think of anything I’d done wrong.

“Belze, I’m sorry, but I must return with Edwin first.”

At that moment, the Duke spoke with an apologetic expression.

“We’ve been invited to the after-party.”

It was only natural—such gatherings of so many nobles were rare.

I nodded vigorously. “Yes! Don’t worry about me!”

“I’ve instructed them to have a carriage waiting in front of the temple. Be careful on your way back.”

“Got it! Enjoy yourselves!”

“Then, see you later.”

After parting with the Duke, I turned and headed straight toward the exit where Edwin had disappeared.

“Jonathan says there’s food at the booth, come quick!”

“Did you hear? The priests brought a ton of delicious food and gifts!”

A group of children from the orphanage chatted excitedly as they passed by.

On days like this, the orphanage kids would hold a little after-party of their own.

They’d feast on a variety of outside food that the temple generously provided, and the gifted children would show off their talents. They’d laugh, chat, and play until the night grew late.

Since Diana was the main star every year, she would stay out late tonight as well, instead of returning early to the Marquis’s estate.

Of course, I’d never once been a part of that.

Not that it bothered me—it was nothing out of the ordinary.

I’d always drifted around, never truly belonging anywhere, like some outsider.

But then—

“Um… Belze!”

“If you’ve got time, would you like to join us for the party today?”

“I-I’m Luna! We’re in the same Lion group, remember?”

Suddenly, a few small figures stood in front of me, blocking my way.

They were the same girls who had been glued to Diana earlier, chattering about how she would “obviously win first place.”

I looked at these peers, their eyes sparkling as they stared at me.

‘If I smile sweetly like Diana and say yes…’

Then, just like in my past life, I’d finally have what I’d always wanted—

Friends, admiration, basking in their envy.

Surely, I could have it all now.

After all, I was the Saintess.

But with this chance so close, oddly enough, I didn’t want it.

‘This was what I had always dreamed of…’

“Hehe.”

I lifted the corners of my mouth into a bright smile.

Seeing my expression, their eyes sparkled with even greater anticipation.

“…Nope.”

But I mercilessly poured cold water on their hopes.

“Why would I? Go party with Diana.”

“Oh, uh…”

“Look, here comes your ‘queen’ now! The one you all said would win!”

I pointed over their shoulders.

Then, leaving them stammering in surprise, I turned on my heel and walked away.

‘Jeez. Do they think just because I don’t have friends, I don’t have any pride either?’

It was petty.

But I didn’t regret it.

Having died and come back, I realized something.

The things I had once envied and longed for—

They were so easy, so trivial.

‘Goodbye. I’ll never miss you, and I hope we never meet again, you miserable orphanage.’

Though this year’s unusual circumstances had earned me the title of Saintess,

I had no desire to obstruct Diana’s spotlight going forward.

One taste of outshining her was enough to shake off my past grievances.

I still had no intention of altering the story’s course.

‘…Though, it seems a bit too late for that.’

Thinking of the male lead candidates who had become unintentionally entangled with me, I felt a sudden weight in my chest.

‘No, no! Think positively. They met Diana today, so it’s not a problem!’

In the original story, Diana also met all the male leads around this time.

Ismail, of course, only meets her later after being adopted by the Pope…

‘But hey, an early meeting isn’t a bad thing, right?’

Maybe it had been cut from the original, but they could have met during an after-party like this one.

‘Yes! I haven’t derailed the story completely.’

I clung to that optimistic thought.

And just as I was about to slip through the temple’s back gate—

Tap-tap-tap!

“Belze!”

A quick set of footsteps, and someone called my name urgently.

“Hah, hah… Belze.”

When I turned around, there stood Diana, her face pale as she gasped for breath.

“…Diana?”

She swallowed, trying to catch her breath, and spoke.

“Congratulations… on becoming the Saintess.”

Her gaze lingered on the Saintess trophy I held. For a moment, a hint of envy flickered in her violet eyes.

‘Of course. She might seem a little annoying, but at the end of the day, she’s just a girl…’

I understood the feelings she might be harboring right now.

If it weren’t for me, that title would have been hers, and I felt a slight pang of guilt…

Smiling with effort, I offered her some kind words in return.

“…Thanks. You did an amazing job too!”

With the 50 talents she’d earned being confiscated, Diana’s total stood at 870 talents.

Since she earned 10 talents per healing, that meant she had healed almost 87 people throughout the day.

Even if half of them were just faking, it was still an impressive feat.

Honestly, I didn’t have the confidence to rely on healing alone, which is why I’d developed items to sell.

‘She truly is the main character, after all…’

I couldn’t help but admire just how remarkable Diana’s abilities were.

“To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed,” she said with a cute wrinkle of her nose.

“Maybe I should have aimed to earn more talents too.”

“…”

“Belze, I heard you sold an item for 50 talents?”