TVWRL Chapter 32
“Yes. Please do.”
I felt a sudden realization of how close I had come to a major disaster.
If the temple had discovered the true nature of that necklace during a divine power test, I would have been accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.
‘Is death the only conclusion?’
Thinking this made the situation even more chilling.
“Lady Adeline, may I hold your hand?”
Without hesitation, I extended my hand.
I was also curious about the extent of my divine power. As a great magician, Paulian should be able to gauge it.
As Paulian’s hand enveloped mine, light burst forth. He looked at me with an expression of awe and surprise.
“Lady Adeline, what exactly are you…?”
He couldn’t finish his sentence, staring at me with an admiring gaze. His expression alone provided the answer to my abilities.
“Is there still such a high purity of divine power these days?”
I knew I had divine power, but I didn’t realize its purity was so high.
Although I had studied divine power extensively, it was mostly theoretical.
“Do you know much about divine power?”
“It’s something you have to study alongside magic. The principles of its operation are similar. It’s a tremendous power given to humans.”
In that case, Paulian was more than capable of being my ally in terms of abilities.
I had to hold his hand, no matter what.
“You’re aware of my situation, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
Paulian continued to look at me with profound admiration for my divine power.
“These days, I can’t control my power with that necklace very often. That’s why I came to ask you to make something that can hide my power.”
“It seems like it won’t be an easy task.”
“It might actually be more difficult than you think.”
He looked at me with curiosity.
“I need to go to the temple next week. I’ve received a notice that they want to assess my power. There’s not much time left, so it’s quite urgent.”
It was a unilateral notice from the church, but as a commoner, I had no choice but to accept it.
“Paulian, can you help me?”
“Of course. It may be difficult and impossible for ordinary people, but for me, it’s just somewhat challenging. So don’t worry too much. I’d rather become friends with Lady Adeline than deal with the church. I wouldn’t want to lose a friend before we even became one.”
When I smiled brightly, he smiled even more broadly.
“Are we friends now?”
“Definitely, Paulian.”
“Call me Paul.”
Paulian handed me a small earring.
“For now, use this. It helps suppress power and should be useful.”
“Thank you.”
“Adeline, if you’re still having trouble managing your power, I can assist with that.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The details may differ, but the basic principles are similar.”
“If you have time, could you start helping me from tomorrow?”
“Certainly.”
“I need to make sure my situation doesn’t attract attention. It would be good for you as well.”
“No, let’s meet openly at the Magic Tower. We should announce that Lady Adeline and the Magic Tower are planning a collaboration.”
Collaborating with the Magic Tower!
It was an enormous matter. Although Paulian spoke of it nonchalantly, it was actually incredibly significant.
“If you make such an announcement now, will the church stay silent?”
“The church may trample on the imperial family, but they can’t easily meddle with the Magic Tower. The Magic Tower operates as a kind of extraterritorial jurisdiction connected with the entire continent. No country dares to interfere with the Magic Tower. Who would want to fight with magicians? So, Adeline, you don’t need to worry.”
The issue of concealing my divine power was resolved, and to top it off, he would even teach me how to manage it. I felt a sense of relief.
I was genuinely relieved that my lifespan seemed to have been extended.
With the troubling part resolved, I felt much lighter.
“Well then, see you soon, Paulian.”
“I’ll make it beautiful, so look forward to it, Adeline.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Predicting that I might be feeling down, Cordelia invited me to her home. Since I wasn’t working anyway, she insisted I come over, saying it was pointless to stay home. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness and happily headed to Cordelia’s house.
Hyacinth was also at Cordelia’s house.
The two of them embraced me and held my hand with sympathetic expressions.
“If you meet me now, the church won’t be happy… You two must really be fearless.”
When I made a joke, Cordelia’s expression turned serious.
“I’ve said it many times, nothing can stop our friendship.”
“Adeline, no one understands you better than us. It’s hard to believe that there are people who help others as much as you do. I acknowledge the goddess, but I don’t trust the church.”
Hyacinth’s contradictory statements about separating the goddess from the church made both Cordelia and me burst into laughter.
I felt a deep sense of gratitude. Although I had approached them with some ulterior motives, the main reason I chose them was their ‘goodness.’
I didn’t want to see kind people fall into hardship.
We sat at the table and enjoyed tea together.
The two of them talked extensively about the gossip circulating in high society to lift my spirits.
Of course, the conversation eventually circled back to the church, but it started with other topics.
Hyacinth said with a hint of annoyance:
“If this is the case, maybe you should have gotten married right after leaving the temple.”
“Why are you suddenly talking about marriage?”
“Well, think about it. Even the saint can only marry after her term ends, and there’s no one married within the church. Doesn’t that mean everyone is married to the goddess?”
“Is that so? Are there such requirements? If she’s married, would they not be so fixated on Adeline?”
Both of them were neutral nobles, so they did not trust the Myaria Church and, by nature, strongly disliked what the church did. Therefore, they didn’t know much about Myaria Church doctrines.
But I had read the church’s code of conduct and suddenly remembered that there was a marriage prohibition clause.
‘Why didn’t I think of this earlier?’
As long as I could prove that the power wasn’t corrupt and was just a very weak divine power, I could survive.
And if I married, perhaps I could escape the church’s obsession and scrutiny?
It seemed like there was hope. After finishing tea time, I hurried back home.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Just to be sure, I checked the code of conduct again and found that not only the saint but also the priestesses who served her were bound by the marriage prohibition clause. They were expected to devote themselves entirely to the goddess.
“This is it!”
I began to look for a suitable man to marry.
I made a list of all the unmarried men I knew, regardless of their status—noble or commoner.
Of course, marriages between nobles and commoners were extremely rare. While there were some cases of love transcending social classes, they were so few that it was almost negligible.
Even though I was popular and well-regarded as a national saint, it seemed unlikely that nobles who valued honor would marry someone like me.
“Nobles are out!”
In the Kinsteria Empire, most people marry by their late teens to early twenties, making it difficult to find unmarried peers my age.
So, among commoners of my age, those who seem slightly better off are already married.
Moreover, the biggest problem is that commoners don’t have the power to protect me.
I needed a powerful husband. However, a powerful man had no reason to marry someone like me, a mere commoner.
No matter how much I thought about it, I kept returning to the same point.
Thus, finding a husband became a dilemma.
In that case, I needed to find a powerful man who needed me.
“Wouldn’t a contractual marriage work instead of a real one? Finding someone who needs each other.”
The issues were who to marry and whether anyone in the conservative empire would accept a contractual marriage. These remained as seemingly minor, yet critical questions.
To enter a contractual marriage, the other party also needed to find me necessary.
I meticulously listed all the powerful people I knew, reviewing their current situations and future prospects to see if there were any possibilities for a contract.
After an agonizingly sleepless night, dozens of names were crossed out, leaving only one.
“Ilias Driophea.”
The first prince of the Kinsteria Empire.
Although it was merely a facade, I desperately needed the name of the imperial family.
And for Ilias, having Adeline, who was popular among the empire’s citizens, who had a good image among the nobles, and who stood in opposition to the church, might not be a bad card.
Or at least, that was my thought.
I decided that I needed to meet Ilias.
Of course, I was concerned about ruining the original story, but if Ilias wasn’t the main male character, wouldn’t it be okay?
My self-justification that the protagonist couple would have a happier ending sooner if they faced hardships and adversity persuaded me.
Anyway, I headed to the tavern where Ilias frequently visited to avoid the Empress Sierra’s gaze.
It was an upscale tavern where nobles gathered for gambling, requiring masks for anonymity and strict privacy measures.
Dressed in a luxurious gown with a robe over it, I took a public carriage and cautiously disembarked near the tavern.
After handing the robe to Sarah, I put on my mask and made my way to the tavern.
I didn’t know the exact time of his arrival, so I was there for the third day in a row.
I noticed three men entering with an unusual demeanor. They were dressed as nobles, but they clearly weren’t.
I had a bad feeling.
I remembered reading a passage describing someone with a deep scar on the right jaw.
‘Ah! Those are assassins sent by Empress Sierra. The one with the robe in the back is a black mage. They are starting to move again.’
Sierra wanted to eliminate Ilias before Aiden’s upcoming birthday.
Even if Ilias were to die immediately, hardly anyone would mourn. That’s what happens with a prince who has been sidelined and has no presence.
‘I hope he doesn’t come today.’
As I thought this and was about to leave, someone with shining golden eyes walked in.
Though wearing a mask, the radiance and charisma emanating from him could not be concealed by mere fabric.
‘Oh no. Of all days, he arrives today. How unfortunate. Or perhaps they were already aware of the schedule. Most people in the prince’s palace are likely loyal to Empress Sierra.’
