Chapter 7
Lost in the deep forest on a scorching summer day, I stumble upon a distant wisp of white smoke.
“Oh, could there be a village over there?”
Half hopeful, half fearful, driven solely by the determination to survive, I rush towards it, only to encounter a mysterious race.
Platinum blonde hair that seems to capture the light of the moon, skin of a deep green unseen in the empire, and dazzling golden eyes that hint at a tale untold.
Mysterious, yet equally beautiful. I find myself captivated by this unfamiliar race…
“Aria, are you okay?”
Julieta’s voice brings me back to reality. Her appearance had been so shocking.
“Wow… that was really dangerous… Wait, does Julieta look pretty even with green foundation…?”
Could there be a special effect to that foundation?
Well, maybe it imbues a magical aura, making one appear like a mystical race…
I cautiously squeeze some green foundation onto my palm, applying it to my face.
“Let’s see…”
I raise the hand mirror to check my reflection.
In the mirror, there’s just an ordinary Frankenstein-looking me.
Yeah, that’s right. There’s no way such foundation has any special magic.
Julieta’s beauty isn’t sealed by makeup.
I laugh ruefully, adjusting my plan.
Let’s just stick to my usual method of working hard and obsessing over her.
The temple of Robenia, located in the capital of the Fertian Empire.
It’s inhabited by Robenian priests who possess divine power.
Divine power, bestowed by the Robenian deity, is primarily used for healing purposes. Priests with strong divine power can cure even the gravest illnesses within a day.
“Of course, they also rake in hefty donations for it…”
The temple of Robenia siphoned off considerable amounts of donations under the guise of healing.
Thus, the visitors to the temple were mostly high-ranking nobles. While the temple was open to all, commoners couldn’t afford the donations.
“Wow… it’s always so extravagantly luxurious here…”
I marvel at the pure white temple.
Of course, while not excessively conscious of people’s gaze, there were expensive items visible everywhere.
Moreover, I heard that beneath the temple, in the underground warehouse, there were treasures of gold and silver that one could never use in a lifetime.
‘No, what kind of temple is this?’
It must be a setup to bestow wealth and power upon the protagonist 3, but this was really too much.
I clicked my tongue and glanced around, searching for protagonist 3.
‘The two-faced lunatic, Gabriel Higgins….’
That was the name of protagonist 3. He was still just an ordinary priest, but shortly after the original story began, he would be appointed as the high priest.
As expected of a protagonist candidate, he had a fast track to promotion. Normally, one wouldn’t be appointed as a high priest so quickly.
And Gabriel, abusing the power of the high priest, obsessively pursues Julieta.
Especially in the latter part of the original story, he even tries to confine Julieta in the secret chamber of the temple, which only the high priest can access.
‘So, before he becomes the high priest, I have to reform Gabriel in advance.’
The high priest generally holds power similar to that of the nobility in the empire. So it would be safer to take care of everything while he’s still an ordinary priest.
Actually, in the third iteration, when I was dumber than now, I quite liked Gabriel Higgins.
Unlike other obsessive male leads who were arrogant and shameless, he was surprisingly rational and reasonable.
“Gabriel, I have something to tell you.”
In the guise of praying to the god of Robenia, I often visited Gabriel. And every time, I preached to him “How to transform from a clingy guy to a classy guy.”
“…So, first, as long as you don’t forcibly bring someone or confine them, you’re halfway there. Even if such thoughts arise, never try to execute them.”
I persuaded Gabriel with a gentle voice, as if pacifying a child.
Then, with a pale face, Gabriel asked me,
“…What? W-What are you talking about now…?”
“Wanting to see the face of someone you like every day is understandable. But even so, doing things like forcibly bringing them or confining them…”
“W-Wait a minute, Lady Ariadne! Isn’t that a serious crime?”
…Huh? What’s going on?
Surprisingly, Gabriel said something reasonable.
“Restraining the freedom and rights of others is strongly prohibited even in the scriptures. If you commit such a heinous act, you won’t receive the grace of Robenia.”
“…”
“Lady Ariadne, I swear as a faithful servant of Robenia, I will never commit such atrocious deeds!”
Gabriel’s gaze as he stared at me was quite firm.
“Oh, this is somewhat unexpected…”
Before the original story began, I had expected Gabriel, like other obsessive male leads, to be insane from the start.
But the Gabriel from before the original story started was much more normal and rational than I had anticipated.
“If I handle this well, there might be hope for Gabriel to become a classy guy.”
Somehow, I saw hope that Gabriel could become a classy guy.
“So, whenever I had time, I made an effort to follow him around and try to lead him onto the right path.’’
‘Gabriel, what should I do if the person I love doesn’t love me back?’
Approaching Gabriel, who was praying with a devout posture, I whispered softly.
‘Ah, Lady Ariadne…’
Gabriel opened his eyes as if he knew me well.
For some reason, he seemed surprised every time he looked at me during the early part of our third encounter, but later on, he didn’t seem to be. He gently lifted the white cloth covering his face and looked at me with serious eyes.
‘My lady, emotions are not inherently equal. Just because I give love to someone does not mean I will receive an equal amount of love in return.’
Afterward, Gabriel preached to me about love for a full three hours. It was idealistic and theoretical, yet somehow his words warmed my heart.
‘Wow… he’d do well on XTube…’
Perhaps it was because he was a priest, but his words were like pure water. There was a strange power that kept me listening, even though there was nothing new.
His sermon was long, but to summarize, it was simple:
‘Love but do not expect reciprocation.’
It was something everyone knows but is hard to accept.
And eventually, Gabriel couldn’t do it either and ended up hurting Julieta with an irreparable wound.
I asked Gabriel with a skeptical look.
‘What about you, Gabriel?’
‘…Yes?’
‘Can you not expect reciprocation from the person you love?’
‘Ah…’
Gabriel’s eyes widened for a moment.
He looked at me without saying a word, then a bitter smile formed on his lips.
‘Indeed, I should. As a faithful servant of Lord Robenia, I should not have special affection for anyone other than Him…’
‘…’
‘If I have already developed affection, then I can only support that person from afar.’
As Gabriel spoke, he somehow seemed a little pitiful.
‘What? Could it be that he has feelings for someone too?’
‘’But that couldn’t be. In the original work, Gabriel had no interest in any woman other than Julieta.”
And Julieta and Gabriel hadn’t met yet. It was Julieta’s debutante ball then.
“Gabriel, please don’t lose your kind heart like you have now. Even if you fall in love, please treat them with the same kindness as now.”
I advised Gabriel, thinking of Juliet. That was my last advice to him.
After observing Gabriel closely for a few months, he seemed more normal than I had thought. It was hard to understand how such a person could become a crazed stalker.
So, I decided to end his rehabilitation there. In fact, there was nothing much to rehabilitate in someone who was already fine.
If Gabriel showed any signs of obsession towards Juliet later on, I could deal with it then.
With that thought in mind, I smiled at Gabriel.
Gabriel looked at me intently and replied in a gentle voice, “Yes. I will engrave Lady Julieta’s words in my heart for a lifetime.”
Then he shyly smiled. It was a very pure and innocent smile, unlike what you would see from other obsessed suitors.
“Yeah. I can trust this version of Gabriel.”
Feeling relieved, I didn’t bother looking for Gabriel anymore. Looking back now, it was a very foolish decision.
The kind and innocent Gabriel completely changed from the day of Julieta’s debutante ball when the original story began. He started obsessively pursuing Juliet without any morals, as if he had become a different person.
“This damn…!”
In the end, I, the clueless one, resorted to abusing my power and went to meet Gabriel. And as I tried to remind him of our previous conversations…
“Hmm. It’s you. You’re that bastard’s…”
Gabriel muttered incomprehensible words and suddenly grabbed my chin.
Then, with searching eyes, he began to scrutinize my face.
