Chapter 30
Lady Waynes was someone whom everyone admired just for breathing. Although she was raised under the oppressive influence of her violent father Count Gunner, she could manage because of the reverence she received from everyone.
However, that was no longer the case. She had achieved the position of saintess, a dream come true, yet nothing was unfolding as she wished. She had been like a swan, only kicking beneath the water, but now her heart was shaking even above the surface.
Count Gunner handed a rolled-up piece of fine parchment to Leona.
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
The parchment contained the names of various noble families: dukes, marquesses, and also the names of Ilias and Aiden.
“I’ve selected some candidates for you to marry.”
Ambition glimmered in Leona’s eyes. Perhaps reaching a higher position would solve her problems.
“If possible, I want to rise to the highest position, just like Empress Sierra.”
“In that case, it should be Aiden. He is just a puppet of Duke Crothos.”
Leona’s finger pointed to Ilias’s name. She disliked Aiden; neither his appearance nor his personality appealed to her.
She could not forget the image of Ilias from the saintly coronation, a sight that made her heart race with excitement.
Being the best woman in the empire, she wanted to have the best man in the empire.
“He’s like a candle in the wind, uncertain of when he might die.”
“If you can prevent that wind, then the imperial family would come under his control, wouldn’t it? How long will we have to keep watching Duke Crothos? Right now, I am the saintess.”
Gunner looked at her with a somewhat satisfied expression and raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
“Now you’re talking sense. This is how my daughter should be. This is why I raised you to be strong. If you can think like this, our family can accomplish something, ha ha ha.”
His hearty laughter echoed for some time. After he left, Leona, feeling uplifted for the first time in a while, went out simply with only her handmaid. She wanted to maintain this feeling of being revered by others.
Leona headed to the shopping district and entered a jewelry store, a place that sold expensive gems frequented by the wealthy among the nobles.
“Saintess, is that you? It’s an honor to have you here in our humble establishment.”
“I’d like to see something new.”
“Right away, my lady.”
On a velvet cloth laid out on a silver tray, dazzlingly cut diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, blue topazes, amethysts, and garnets stood in a row.
Their shining and beautiful appearances resembled her own, and Leona contemplated whether to buy them all or not.
As she joyfully admired the jewels, the shop door opened, and in walked the one person she disliked the most in the world.
“Welcome, Lady Adeline! You’ve arrived just in time.”
“Really? It seems my steps were guided here.”
“Indeed, it’s miraculous. We’ve made it according to the design you sketched.”
Adeline smiled brightly as she examined a bracelet.
“It turned out much better than what I drew.”
“Lady Adeline, would it be alright if we made more of this design to sell? Of course, we’ll pay you for the design.”
“Then I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Seeing Adeline buying from the most luxurious jewelry store in the imperial capital shocked Leona.
She had always thought of her as being in a different class, a commoner, but that notion shattered before her eyes.
Feeling offended, Leona stood up from her seat.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yes, Saintess. Please take care on your way.”
She stepped outside without even casting a glance at Adeline.
Once outside, she glared at the jewelry store.
‘How can they let me leave without a word? Not even asking why I’m going!’
She felt resentful about everything, and all the blame seemed to fall on Adeline.
To offset her unpleasant mood, she went to another shop, but when she saw the sign posted at the door, her mouth dropped open.
**[The dress worn by Adeline.]**
**[Adeline’s favorite place for cream pies.]**
**[Adeline’s favorite flower.]**
**[Adeline-recommended ribbons.]**
**[Shoes that complete Adeline’s fashion.]**
**[Adeline’s sold-out bag restocked.]**
Every store was filled with Adeline! Adeline! Adeline!
Unable to hide her incredulous feelings, she looked around and noticed a lot of light purple hair.
Women had dyed their hair to match Adeline’s.
And their styles were all similar. They were all dressed and adorned just like Adeline.
“Ugh! This is absolutely ridiculous. The world must have gone mad. What’s so special about a commoner girl who used to cause trouble? I’m perfectly fine as I am, yet they’re ignoring me.”
Leona could no longer tolerate Adeline being in the spotlight.
“I will definitely smash her down. I’ll make sure people return to only speaking ill of you every day!”
Her face twisted into a malicious expression as she gritted her teeth.
* * *
The next day, Leona attended the high priest meeting.
“I have been quietly watching, but I can no longer hold back. What on earth are the priests doing? How long are you going to watch as Adeline Senner builds her fortune with false power and deceives foolish people?”
The priests exchanged troubled glances.
It was indeed a problem. People had begun to follow Adeline like a trend. This kind of idol worship was a significant issue for the church.
“Don’t we know best what kind of person Adeline is? How long will we let ourselves be swayed? Shouldn’t we formally test her powers and, if they are false, swiftly mark her as a heretic?”
She strongly persuaded the priests unlike before. Since the saintess was saying such things, the priests could not remain silent.
The time to deliver a final warning to Adeline was approaching.
* * *
The deputy minister visited me again. His atmosphere was markedly different from last time as he made one last attempt to persuade and intimidate me.
“Adeline.”
“Yes, Deputy Minister.”
“I can no longer wait. You must make a choice now.”
“What do you mean? I am already cut off from the church.”
“I thought I was cut off as well, but it’s true that we’ve been reconnected through divine power. It seems this is not a bond that can be severed. So, Adeline, make your choice. Will you return to the church and live as a servant of the goddess Myaria? Or will you continue to sever ties with the church?”
I found myself caught in a dilemma, unable to answer whether to return to the church or cut ties entirely.
“I will wait, so please give me your answer quickly.”
* * *
I tossed and turned all night, wondering if I should even consider exile. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave the empire. Other countries weren’t discussed in the books I had read. If I fled to another country, life would become utterly daunting.
Inside me, a fierce debate raged between the thought that I had to at least preserve my life and the fear that I would end up dead if I ran away without any preparation in a society with a rigid class system that included slavery.
Even if I escaped to the countryside, the church’s network would easily track me down. I couldn’t spend my entire life hiding either…
The reason for my worries was simple: there was no option for me to return to the church.
I had no intention of going back to the church just to curry favor with Leona and participate in the corruption of the priests.
If I had to serve under Leona, with our relationship being as awful as it was, I would surely want to submit my resignation with every breath I took.
I had already written enough resignation letters during my time in the church to last for my next life.
I just wanted to live freely as a freelancer, not bound to anyone or anything, while avoiding minor wrongdoings and enjoying peace of mind.
My goal in life was to do what I wanted without worrying about anyone’s opinion, to live freely, and to earn and spend a lot—not to live elegantly and nobly.
My connection with the temple… it was truly tiresome. Just when I thought I had cut ties, they would reattach, and just when I thought it was really over, it would start again. It was exhausting.
“But have all the saintess candidates remained in the church all this time?”
I knew that most saintess candidates stayed in the church to assist the saints. Staying in the church meant no worries about livelihood for life.
“What happens to their roles when the saintess changes?”
As I thought about it, I realized I had never actually seen the former saintess candidates during my time in the temple; I had only heard about them.
* * *
The answer was already set, but to show that I had given it serious thought, I went to see the deputy minister three days later.
“First of all, thank you for your kind offer. It must not have been easy for you to make such an offer to someone who has already officially left the church, so I sincerely appreciate it.”
He gazed at me intently.
“However, I am not the right person to bear the burdens of the church as I did when I left. I have indulged in luxury day by day, and I would say I am now more entangled in the secular world than before. I don’t want to do difficult or hard things; I am just an ordinary person who wants to live comfortably. I am someone who has no intention of sacrificing or serving like the priests in the church. I would rather live comfortably than morally. Even if I were to return to the temple with this mindset, I would not be of any help.”
He showed no change in his expression. I couldn’t tell if he was feeling good or bad.
“I understand your intentions well.”
“Well then, I will take my leave. Thank you, and I’m sorry, Deputy Minister.”
I bowed as politely as I could and stepped out. As I walked toward the entrance of the central temple, I heard a familiar and pleasant voice.
“Adeline!”
“Chris!”
“What brings you here? Did you have business with the church?”
“Yes, I’ve finished my business.”
We went together to a café and sat down to enjoy sweet and slightly bitter milk tea.
Since Chris was a low-ranking priest, he seemed unaware of why I had visited the temple, so I explained. Then, with hopeful eyes, he said,
“Adeline! Can’t you return to the church?”
“I’ve told you several times, but I just don’t fit in with the church.”
“The church needs a real saintess like you, Adeline.”
I was taken aback and lowered my voice.
“Chris, please don’t say that. The real saintess is Leona.”
His expression looked bittersweet.
“Ah! Chris, do all the former saintess candidates still reside in the temple? None of them have left?”
“Excuse me?”
‘Was it just a misunderstanding? I thought I saw Chris’s eyes flicker slightly. Was I mistaken?’
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