Chapter 2

"Do you like the Ksharuna mythology?"

Riselle, the silver-haired girl, stopped reading her book and looked up when she was addressed from above. A boy stood there, and it was unclear how long he had been there. It seemed he had been standing beside her while she was engrossed in her book in the garden of the library’s courtyard.

The boy with blue hair smiled. This was their first conversation at the National Library in the capital.

This was the meeting of Riselle Lar Lamdithia, the duke’s daughter, and Franz Fal Lance, the son of a count.

This meeting led to the beginning of their correspondence, which mainly revolved around history and mythology. Riselle looked forward to his letters so much that she would ask her maid every day if a letter from him had arrived. It was a heartwarming correspondence between a 10-year-old boy and girl.

It didn’t take long for their correspondence to develop into a romance.

For Riselle, the time she spent with Franz was very happy.

Riselle had always thought she would be bound to Franz. But reality can sometimes be cruel. Riselle and Franz had already been engaged, and all they had to do was wait until they came of age—until—

Riselle received the revelation of the Holy Maiden at the Ksharuna Temple. The words of the god declared that Riselle was the Holy Maiden.

From that moment on, Riselle’s life changed dramatically.

At the age of 13.

Because she was declared the Holy Maiden by the oracle, she was forced to part with Franz and was made to engage in a near-forced engagement with Prince Galsa Bar Randilium of the Randilium Kingdom. This happened because her father, Guen, was away on a campaign and not present to intervene. The kingdom wanted to keep the Holy Maiden within their grasp, which is why the engagement was forced.

"I have no desire to embrace a woman who has already been with a man—"

This was the first thing the prince said to Riselle after their engagement. As he said, the prince never visited Riselle, who lived in the palace, and she was nothing more than a decorative fiancée.

Then, despite having received the oracle, even at the age of 16, Riselle still did not possess the power of the Holy Maiden. She could not use the power of abundance, "Fruit," which a Holy Maiden should be able to use, and the stone used to identify the Holy Maiden did not react. It was decided to observe her, thinking her power might just be weak, but everyone began to doubt whether Riselle was truly the Holy Maiden.

In the midst of this, the real "Holy Maiden" appeared.

Maria Fan Rendese.

The daughter of a count, she was the child of a concubine and had a late debut in society. However, at a ball hosted by the palace, she activated the power of abundance as the Holy Maiden.

The Ksharuna Church announced that Maria Fan Rendese was the true Holy Maiden, and Riselle was branded as a fake. Riselle was mocked in the shadows as a false Holy Maiden, yet she remained in the palace without being released from her engagement.

To Riselle, Maria was a mysterious girl. She sometimes used incomprehensible words and came up with outrageous ideas. Everyone praised Maria, and even women seemed to be infatuated with her, following her as if they were in love.

It seemed to Riselle as if Maria was under some kind of enchantment, but she disciplined herself, thinking she was just jealous of Maria.

Even Prince Galsa, who had a bad temper and was difficult for anyone to handle, was gentle with Maria and pampered her as if he had changed into a different person.

It must be the power of the Holy Maiden. Maria, a beautiful girl who could enchant everyone, with her black hair, which was rare in this country.

Riselle sighed as she watched the girl, who smiled brightly surrounded by people, from inside the window. Compared to Maria, who could move freely, she felt like a bird in a cage, forbidden to go outside.

Why did the god give me the oracle of being the Holy Maiden? If there is someone so beloved by the god—why did he choose me once?

If it weren’t for the oracle—I could have lived happily with Franz—

While gazing out the window, the girl Riselle sighed, looking at the distant sky.