TVWRL Chapter 12
The only person visiting the shop, which was gathering dust, was none other than the priest, Chris.
“Adeline-nim!”
(TL/N: In Korean, “님” (nim) is an honorific suffix used to show respect when addressing or referring to someone.)
“Priest, you’ve come again today. Is it alright for you to keep going out like this?”
Chris scratched the back of his head awkwardly and smiled.
“Of course it’s fine. You don’t need to worry, Lady Adeline.”
Since he said it was okay, I felt that saying more would just be nagging, so I changed the subject.
“Just call me Lady Adeline from now on. That’s how everyone addresses me.”
(TL/N: I know we’ve been calling her Lady Adeline from the start in the english translation. But in the Korean version, they addressed her as “Adeline-nim” which is also like Miss or Lady in English.)
“I prefer to address you as Adeline-nim. It makes me feel more connected to the Myaria Church.”
I almost snapped at Chris’s innocent remark.
‘How can you connect that when I just left there!’
But I couldn’t get angry at the cheerful priest, so I held it in.
“I am no longer part of the church. So, please, just call me Lady Adeline.”
Suddenly, Chris’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“Then will you also call me by my name?”
Call the priest by his name?
Even though I had left the church, that seemed like a bit too much.
“I may have left the church, but my respect for the goddess Aria remains the same. I couldn’t possibly call you by your name, Priest. What brings you here today?”
“I came to have my fortune told with tarot cards.”
Priest Chris came to me every day to have his tarot fortune read.
I didn’t mind, as it was much better for improving my skills than practicing alone.
After he had his fortune read, he handed me a tip.
“Priest Chris, I’ll accept it since not doing so would make it ineffective. In return, I’ll treat you to lunch today.”
I bought him a meal, despite his insistence that it wasn’t necessary.
Even though my situation wasn’t great, I didn’t want to fill my stomach with the money of a poor, low-ranking priest.
Moreover, since Chris wasn’t a character from the original story, I couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of the fortunes I read for him.
Thus, Chris was the only one who visited the fortune telling house.
We would spend our days together, getting tarot readings, eating lunch, and finally, I would hold his hand and infuse him with divine power before parting ways.
We repeated this daily routine together.
During difficult times, Priest Chris became a great comfort to me.
Isn’t that natural? He was my only customer after all.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
At first, I tried to console myself by thinking that the lack of customers was because people were unfamiliar with astrology.
I believed things would get better soon.
But as this situation continued, I began to feel anxious.
Financial issues, including rent and the upkeep of the shop, as well as the fear that everything might fail before even trying, started to suffocate me.
If things continued like this, failure was just a matter of time.
I sat alone in the shop, lost in thought.
‘Should I organize an event? Or maybe put up a sign like [Former Saintess Candidate of the Myaria Church] or something?’
After contemplating all day, the solution I came up with was to use bait.
The next day.
Anyway, I knew no one would come, but I put up a sign saying “Temporary Closed” in front of the shop and turned away with a sense of determination.
I headed to the hair salon, one of the centers of gossip in the Kinstelia Empire.
In the empire, salons were primarily frequented by nobles and were the source of social rumors.
I headed to the salon where it was easiest to strike up a conversation.
While receiving scalp massages and hair care, I observed my surroundings.
I carefully thought about who to approach, hoping to make a successful catch today.
“Ah, the one with the white hair and orange eyes is Viscountess Cordelia. She’s been suffering from her husband’s infidelity and is now in love with a poor artist she’s been sponsoring… I want to help her, but I don’t want to reveal her secrets.”
I don’t want to make others uncomfortable while trying to make a living.
The Kinsteria Empire was a wretched country deeply rooted in class discrimination and gender inequality.
However, for someone like me, who lived like a mayfly, prioritizing business over fighting against the negatives of discrimination was essential.
Of course, my business strategy was to focus on the positive, not the negative.
To spread rumors far and wide, I had to hit on something that everyone could brag about!
Even if I made accurate predictions, no one would reveal my secrets.
People with secrets would come to me discreetly, so I had to pass on those who were too proud to admit their flaws.
I scanned the surroundings again.
At that moment, my radar picked up Countess Hyacinth.
Her family owned a large trading company and was currently struggling with the issue of selecting a new business partner.
‘Madam, I will guide you to great success. Meeting me here is your fortune.’
With a towel wrapped around my head, I walked towards the side where elegant ladies were sitting together, sipping tea. It was slightly amusing to see ladies in glamorous dresses with towels on their heads, but I approached them without showing any signs of it.
As I took my seat, the ladies glanced at me curiously. It was natural for them to be curious about someone who had transitioned from being a candidate for the Saintess of the Myaria Church to a civilian.
I pretended not to be interested and quietly sipped my tea in a corner.
However, I kept making eye contact with Countess Hyacinth, and I would occasionally move my lips as if I had something to say.
Since they were already curious about me, Countess Hyacinth smiled when I kept making eye contact with her and moving my lips.
“Lady Adeline?”
I slowly met her gaze.
Even though I was a commoner, people often addressed me as “Lady” out of respect for my status as a former saintess candidate.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
‘Finally, she asked.’
But instead of approaching her right away, I decided to build suspense.
I opened my mouth with a hesitant expression, then closed it again several times.
“Lady, it’s okay. Please, speak freely.”
Not just Countess Hyacinth, but all the ladies’ gazes were fixed on me, creating an unspoken pressure.
‘Adeline, just say it. Why did you leave the temple?’
Ignoring their curiosity, I looked at Countess Hyacinth and said firmly.
“A noble is waiting for you in the west.”
At my words, the ladies around me looked puzzled, as if taken aback.
But Countess Hyacinth looked at me as if she understood immediately.
“Lady Adeline, what do you mean by that?”
“It means exactly what I said. May I hold your hand?”
As I held Countess Hyacinth’s hand, I transmitted a subtle divine energy.
Her expression softened noticeably after receiving the divine power.
“As expected. If you go east, there will be misfortunes, but if you go west, good fortune awaits.”
I stood up without saying more.
“Lady Adeline!”
She hurriedly stood up and followed me.
“Just a moment. Why the west?”
With a smile on my lips, I replied, “If you want to know more, come to the Astrologer’s House.”
And then I left abruptly.
As soon as I stepped out of the salon, I heard Countess Hyacinth’s voice.
“Get my hair done right away!”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
It didn’t take even thirty minutes for Countess Hyacinth to find me.
She opened her mouth, barely able to catch her breath.
“Lady Adeline, are you sure about the person in the west?”
I caressed the crystal orb to create a dramatic atmosphere.
The orb sparkle wherever my fingers touched, and each time, Countess Hyacinth looked at me with awe in her eyes.
‘I only infused a bit of divine power.’
I removed my hand from the orb and looked directly into Countess Hyacinth’s eyes, speaking firmly.
“I’m certain. If you take the path I suggested, wealth awaits, but if you go the other way, misfortune will follow.”
After asking a few more questions, she stood up with a satisfied expression.
“How can I show my gratitude?”
I pointed to a safe with a slot for money, like a piggy bank.
“There’s no set amount. Just give what you feel is appropriate.”
The Kinsteria Empire used silver coins, gold coins, and copper coins. A gold coin, worth a hundred silver coins, was a significant sum that commoners could hardly touch. Typically, a commoner’s monthly living expenses were about thirty silver coins.
Without hesitation, Countess Hyacinth took out and dropped in three gold coins. With that amount, I wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining the shop for a while, and I couldn’t help but gape in surprise.
“Thank you, Lady Adeline.”
Countess Hyacinth bowed to me, a commoner, and left.
In a country where it’s not easy for nobles to greet commoners, it seemed I had truly made an impression on her.
In fact, in the novel, her family faces a crisis severe enough to lead to their downfall when they choose a partner from the eastern trading nation.
This is because a war is about to break out in the eastern trading nation.
Although they are able to avoid destruction with the help of Count Wayne, they are later forced to do dirty work for the temple faction.
In the end, the kind-hearted Count Hyacinth is unable to bear the guilt and chooses to take his own life.
When I read “The Perfect Saint’s Conditions,” I felt sorry for the good characters who were taken advantage of by the bad ones, and I wanted to give benefits to the kind characters.
Of course, it wasn’t purely out of good will.
I also wanted to bring someone who would keep their word and not betray me to my side.
Moreover, since the war was imminent, I could show quick results.
Anyway, people who saw Countess Hyacinth rushing from the hair salon would inevitably come looking for me. As expected, that day, three ladies came to find me with gold coins in hand.
If things continued like this, I thought I could earn a lot of money sooner than expected.
‘After a few years of tough work, I’ll go to a quiet countryside and live leisurely.’
The next day, Madam Cordelia secretly visited and sat in front of me.
She seemed to hesitate, remaining silent for a while.
I maintained a calm expression and said, “I am on your side.”
With slightly widened eyes, Madam Cordelia looked at me.
Poor Cordelia had been raised as a virtuous wife under a patriarchal system. So she felt more and more guilty as she fell in love with the artist.
Her husband was a despicable man who spent their first night of marriage with another woman.
Yet, she was the only one expected to fulfill her marital duties? I thought that was unjust.
In the end, in this tragic love story, she would end up dying by her husband’s knife while trying to protect her lover’s life.
I wanted to give her a chance at a new life.
