Chapter 1

My life has been a continuous series of surprises.

I, who had died of illness, was reborn as an ordinary village girl in another world.

Or so I thought, until I found out that I possessed the power of a saint and was suddenly taken to the capital city ten years ago.

You never know what life will bring.

I've adapted to the unexpected events, but this latest surprise left me speechless.

In front of me stood a woman who looked very much like me.

She smiled and said to me,

"I am Ilias Norman."

"..."

That was the name given to me in this world.

She had just announced it.

My name as a saint.

"I am the real saint. The impostor should leave."

Let's go back a few days.

◆◆◆

"Please, Holy Maiden, heal this child. He was just born! Please, please..."

"Please calm down. Don't worry, God does not abandon the weak."

I spoke gently to the mother, who was holding her young child and weeping.

The child was suffering from a high fever and breathing rapidly.

The doctor had been unable to help, so she had come to the capital, seeking the cathedral where the saint resides, in a last-ditch effort to save her child.

She wanted to save her child from suffering.

In response to her pure wish, I offered a prayer.

"Lord, grant the light of salvation to this lost soul."

A faint light, generated by my prayer, enveloped the young child.

This was the divine blessing bestowed from heaven.

A saint can embody the miracles of God through prayer.

If I truly wish and pray, a miracle will occur.

A disease that even the doctor could not cure vanished in an instant, and the child began to breathe peacefully.

"He will no longer suffer."

"Oh... Thank you! Holy Maiden! Thank you so much!"

"I am merely conveying the power of the Lord. Your heartfelt wish for your child's safety must have reached the Lord."

"Is that so?"

As I said this, the mother looked at her recovered child.

The child woke up and smiled at her mother.

That smile was as bright and warm as an angel's.

"I'm glad. Truly..."

I felt as if I had been given a share of the beautiful love between mother and child.

It wasn't bad.

I continued to offer prayers and perform miracles for the people who came one after another.

That was my duty as a saint.

Every day, more than three hundred people visited the cathedral.

Their worries varied widely.

Some were afraid of life-threatening illnesses, like the mother earlier, while others came to consult about vague, uncertain anxieties.

In general, they all shared a common thread: they were all troubled by something.

I removed their worries through my prayers and words.

As evening approached, the last person left the cathedral.

"...Phew, finally finished."

After confirming that no one was left, I finally felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

It was a fulfilling job.

I was thanked by many people, and it felt good to be needed.

However, the expectations placed on me were overwhelming.

Moreover, I was the only saint in this country.

Everyone came to me, seeking the saint.

Every day, the number of troubled people did not decrease but continued to increase.

Life is short, and it's natural to have worries.

I could understand why people would want to rely on the power of a saint.

I could understand, but...

"Lost a key or something. I wish they would handle such trivial matters on their own..."

Many of the worries could be solved without relying on the power of a saint.

Some of the people seemed to mistake the saint for a handyman or something.

I was a human being too, with my own worries and frustrations, and I wished someone would notice.

I let out a small sigh.

Then, the door of the cathedral opened.

I turned my gaze toward the door.

"Good evening, Ilias."

"Mary..."

"You look quite exhausted. It's pitiful for someone who is supposed to be a saint."

"...No, I'm sorry."

Her name is Mary Norman.

She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Norman and, in terms of position, my older sister.

However, we are not related by blood.

She smiled slyly.

"If it's so difficult, you could quit. A country girl like you doesn't fit the role of a saint."

"..."

She was cursing me as usual.

Yes, it was always like this.

She disliked me.

The reason was simple.

I had taken the position of the saint from her.

"Excuse me."

"―! Prince Raisen, you're here."

"Yes, good evening, Ilias."

A little later, another person, a man, arrived at the cathedral.

He was Prince Raisen Sparkron.

The first prince of the Spark Kingdom, where I serve as a saint, and also my fiancé.

"Good evening, Mary. You're here too?"

"Yes. I was watching to make sure my incompetent sister was properly fulfilling her duties as a saint."

"Is that so? You're so kind."

"Not at all."

The two of them were having a pleasant conversation.

Was my fiancé, Prince Raisen, here to help me, who was being insulted?

Not at all.

The engagement was in name only, a decision made because I was a saint.

Prince Raisen himself did not acknowledge it.

"Actually, you were supposed to be chosen as the saint... How did it come to this?"

"I'm sorry, Prince Raisen..."

"It's not your fault. God must be cruel, right? Or... is Ilias's character really that bad?"

"..."

He, like Mary, did not think highly of me.

The reason was similar to hers.

The Norman family had a long tradition of producing saints.

The previous saint and the one before that were both from the Norman family.

Therefore, it was expected that the current saint would also come from the Norman bloodline.

Everyone thought so.

However, the one chosen as the saint was me, a village girl with no connection to the Norman family.

Everyone was surprised.

The people of the Norman family, the king, and I myself were all surprised.

I still don't understand why I was chosen as the saint.

But the reality is that the power of the saint resides in me.

"It's probably temporary. God will surely realize who is truly worthy of being the saint... right?"

"Prince Raisen... Yes, I hope so."

At the age of eight, I was adopted into the Norman family.

The Norman family has always produced saints.

To prevent unnecessary confusion and maintain tradition, I became a member of the Norman family.

I was an orphan in the village, raised by kind old people, and with no one to hold me back, I smoothly transitioned to living in the Norman family.

It was tough.

I was taught the manners of a noble and had to study every day.

I never liked studying, so it was so hard that I wanted to run away.

But as a child, I couldn't run away, and I learned both the behavior of a noble lady and the conduct of a saint.

Thus, ten years later, I am now a saint, fulfilling people's wishes.

As everyone hoped.

Yet, many people still do not accept me.

Especially the people of the Norman family and the royal family are stubborn, insisting that it was a mistake for a village girl, not a noble, to become a saint.

I think you can understand now that I have no place in the Norman family or in this capital.

No free time, no place to relax, and no one to help me.

All I have is the position of a saint and the endless work that comes with it.

"If you were the saint, we could have loved each other openly... It's a shame."

"I feel the same, Prince Raisen."

"..."

Seeing the two of them, who were talking badly about me and being affectionate, even with me right there, made me want to sigh deeply.

If they liked each other so much, they should just break the engagement and get engaged to Mary.

I wanted to say it, but I couldn't bring myself to do so.

I also think it's a mistake.

Why was I chosen as the saint?

It would have been fine if it wasn't me...

Lately, I've come to think more and more.

I want to be freed from the duties of a saint and live freely in this world.

Even though I know it's an impossible wish, I dream of peaceful and comfortable days.

【Message from the Author】

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The title is—

"The Cruel and Wicked Queen's True Self Was a Lazy Girl ~Cursed by a Witch to Become a Girl, My Sister Stole the Country, and I Decided to Enjoy My Second Life Instead of Seeking Revenge~"

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