TVWRL Chapter 8
“Yes?”
I was taken aback by his abrupt words.
“Shall we go back now?”
“Yes.”
I quietly followed behind him.
As we parted ways in front of my residence, the High Priest spoke.
“Adeline is receiving a lot of love. Love comes with responsibilities.”
Watching the High Priest walk away, I thought to myself.
“Why not just curse me outright? This indirect discomfort is nauseating.”
Of course, Adeline would probably have ignored it no matter what, but I was different.
Having lived as Adeline for so long, I keenly understood her feelings and found myself plunged into the depths of agony throughout the night.
Of course, I didn’t believe that responsibility extended to one-sided love.
My feelings towards the trainee priest were different from a sense of responsibility arising from love.
“Of all people, it had to be the weakest one suffering because of me.”
I was too weak towards the weak.
“Oh Goddess! Why do you test me every day!”
In the end, after a sleepless night, I got up with a grimace on my face.
“Lady Adeline, did you sleep well?”
Sarah entered the room with a cheerful greeting, but she paused for a moment when she saw me.
She looked at me with a frightened face, as if memories from the past had come flooding back.
“When Lady Adeline is unwell, her tyranny…”
With Sarah’s help, I put on a neat dress suitable for work and headed to the Aria Temple.
* * *
This temple was built solely to honor the Goddess and boasted exceptional architectural beauty.
Even though I had no interest in the Myaria Order, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of warmth and grandeur.
The temple had a total of three floors. The first floor housed the main worship hall, the second floor contained a space replicating the Goddess’s chambers and an exhibition of her relics.
There was also a third floor, but the novel only briefly mentioned it as a space where only the highest-ranking officials like the Pope, Archbishops, and High Priests could enter, so I didn’t know much about it.
It was a place solely dedicated to the Goddess and was only open during major events like the birthday celebration, drawing people’s attention and curiosity.
“But why entrust such an important place to me? Not even with Leona, just me?”
The actions of the priests who divided the work like this were infuriating, following yesterday’s events.
“Are they planning to make me suffer? Well, I also have plans.”
For now, I attended, but I planned to rest and collapse here around dinner time. That way, I thought I could return to a story similar to the original.
* * *
As I entered the temple, the first thing I saw was the statue of the Goddess standing in the center.
With her long hair flowing, she stood in a dignified manner.
As if entranced, I turned my gaze away from the statue and felt as though another statue of the Goddess was beckoning to me.
I approached the wall in a trance-like state.
There, one after another, were depictions of Aria from her childhood to becoming the Goddess.
As I recalled the explanation that these sculptures depicted the life of the Goddess Aria, tears welled up in my eyes.
I was more taken aback by the unexpected tears than anyone else.
Sitting in a corner, I struggled to calm my trembling heart.
I sat there for a long time, quietly contemplating the Goddess.
“Did the Goddess not know that the Myaria Order would fall into such corruption?”
Was it because of my mood?
The face of the Goddess looked sad to me.
At that moment, I was abruptly awakened by loud footsteps and a booming call.
“Lady Adeline!”
Turning around, I saw the novice priest who had cleaned the main worship hall for me yesterday.
“Lady Adeline, are you feeling better today?”
“Huh? What’s going on? Wasn’t I alone? Why is he suddenly appearing here again?”
I gathered my complicated thoughts and looked at the priest.
“Thanks to your concern, I’m feeling better. But why are you here, Priest? This is the place I’m responsible for…”
His lips curled into a genuine smile, which seemed vividly real.
“I’ve also been assigned here. I guess the High Priest saw you yesterday and decided to show some consideration.”
Was it really consideration? Or was it surveillance to keep an eye on me?
If it was the cunning inspiration, then he must have aimed for both.
Consideration for the priest, surveillance for me.
As I was busy calculating in my head, the priest’s voice reached me again.
“What an honor it is to be with Lady Adeline. Where else could I find such glory?”
The trainee priest wore a look of overwhelming excitement, making me feel embarrassed.
“Lady Adeline, please rest. I’ll take care of the cleaning.”
“No, but how can you clean such a large area alone… That’s not right.”
As I stubbornly refused, the priest looked at me with a determined gaze, as if he had a brilliant idea.
“If you feel sorry for me, why don’t you stay here and watch me clean? It’ll give me extra strength knowing you’re cheering me on. Then I’ll feel like I have twice the power.”
“What?”
This seemed like nonsensical talk to me. However, what was frightening here was that the other person was serious.
“Please, Lady Adeline, do it like that. Otherwise, I’ll feel too guilty.”
I didn’t quite understand, but since he kept insisting, I couldn’t help it.
I sat on a chair in the worship hall and watched the priest clean. After sitting quietly for a few hours, I grew bored and decided to strike up a conversation with him.
“Priest.”
“Yes, Lady Adeline.”
“Would it be impolite to ask for your name?”
He stopped sweeping the floor and stood up straight. His face was filled with joy.
“Oh, no! Not at all! It would be an honor if you called my name. I’m Chris.”
“That’s a nice name. Chris, nice to meet you.”
I greeted him, and he replied with a deep bow.
“I’m the one who should be honored.”
I was puzzled by how much Chris seemed to idolize me. But I had an idea of how uncomfortable he must be with his large frame. Of course, I had no intention of doing the cleaning myself. Instead, a way to help him came to mind.
“Chris.”
“Yes, Lady Adeline.”
I spread my arms wide and said, “Could you get me a stick about this size? It should fit around my wrist. And also, could you fetch a plank about the size of the Myaria Order’s hymnal?”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll do whatever it takes to get what Lady Adeline requests.”
Without even waiting for my response, Chris rushed out. He soon returned with several sticks of different lengths and sizes. I chose the one most suitable for making a broom and wrapped the plank around it.
He watched me curiously as I worked, careful not to disturb me.
With skills honed from making props on set in the past, I quickly assembled a broom. When I held up the broom triumphantly, he looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Lady Adeline, what is that?”
“It’s a broom.”
“Oh! I’ll do my best to clean with it.”
And he continued cleaning without pause. He looked as pure as a child. The more I watched him, the more he seemed like the ideal priest I had imagined. I silently prayed to the Goddess Aria to make him a good priest, free from corruption or decay.
—
Lunchtime arrived, and we sat side by side eating sandwiches. Chris’s table manners were more perfect than mine, a candidate for sainthood.
His elegant and neat eating habits made him seem like a high-ranking priest.
Was he from a noble family? Well, now that he was a priest, what did his past matter? I dismissed the thought.
“Chris, you will surely become a good priest.”
“Huh? Really? Since Lady Adeline said so, I think I can become a good priest.”
“Please become a good priest. One who serves people regardless of class or wealth.”
“If Lady Adeline becomes a saint and guides me, that would be great.”
I smiled softly and nodded.
“I’ve said it before, but I am an inadequate person. A saint must be perfect like Leona. That’s the only way the Myaria Order can progress. I prioritize my own happiness over others’ and prefer to live comfortably rather than sacrifice and serve. Chris, my goal in life is to enjoy it to the fullest, not to waste it on lofty sacrifices and service.”
“Haha.”
Chris laughed heartily.
“You are the most honest person I’ve ever met. Myaria Order needs someone like Lady Adeline.”
To an outsider, he seemed like someone superior to me.
“Lady Adeline.”
“Yes?”
“I like you.”
