🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
An Intruder in the Vatican
After suddenly becoming the Pope’s daughter and the beloved Saint overnight, Belladonna had two big worries.
First, should she reveal to the world that she could speak?
The answer was no. Absolutely not.
‘How do I even do this…’
Belladonna was walking in the Vatican garden, looking down at her empty hands, deep in thought.
In her old life, she once saw the real Saint heal a man who couldn’t walk. The Saint quietly put her hands on the man’s legs and closed her eyes.
‘After that, blue light came out of her hands, and the man jumped up, surprised.’
Belladonna tried to focus all her energy on her fingertips with her eyes closed.
Nothing happened, of course.
She was sure—she had no holy power at all.
‘Maybe it’s because of my soul. The real Saint lost her voice and got holy power, but I kept my voice, and my soul is different, so I have no power.’
So, she couldn’t let anyone know she could talk.
‘What if they test my holy power…?’
Just then, a voice called out from behind.
“Saint Belladonna, many followers have come to see you today.”
Belladonna quickly put her hands down and turned around. A young priest stood there, blushing.
She only nodded and smiled silently.
The priest stared at her smile in awe, then bowed and left.
Many people were waiting at the Vatican entrance.
“Why do people in this world have so many secrets?”
Belladonna stood still, wondering how she would get through another day. Should she count the patterns on the ceiling today, instead of the floor?
Suddenly, she heard a low voice.
“Is Saint Belladonna really trustworthy?”
Belladonna turned her head slowly.
Under a big tree, two high-ranking nobles were talking in secret. The tree blocked their view, so they couldn’t see Belladonna.
“Of course she’s trustworthy! She’s chosen by God. She’s called the Saint of Astanya!”
‘Oh, they’re talking about me,’ Belladonna realized.
She didn’t move, so they wouldn’t know she was there.
“But what if… what if she loses her holy power one day and gets her voice back, and tells everyone our secrets?” said the other man, worried.
Belladonna sighed quietly.
‘If they’re so worried, they should just leave the Vatican…’
The first man smiled.
“Saint Belladonna is trusted because she keeps everyone’s secrets. She can’t tell anyone. Those chosen by God can’t do harm, and they must keep the promises they made in the Vatican, even until death.”
“Well… that’s true…”
“The Saint will take our secrets to her grave. Besides…”
He looked around and lowered his voice.
“She’s not even the Pope’s real daughter, is she? Just relax.”
The other man cleared his throat awkwardly.
“We just receive God’s blessings, comfort, and wisdom from her,” the man finished.
“Blessings and comfort… wisdom…” The worried noble thought for a moment.
“All right! Put my name on the confession list. I have a lot to say!”
“You made a good decision, Baron!”
‘So that man is a baron,’ Belladonna thought, sighing.
Anyway, by listening to confessions, the Saint really did bring comfort and peace to people in the Empire. Belladonna remembered loving the Saint for that reason in her previous life.
‘So now, I can’t reveal my secret and disappoint everyone.’
Ever since the current Pope took charge, the Saint only used her holy power on rare special days, like the Emperor’s birthday or Christmas.
Luckily, there weren’t any big events soon, so she probably wouldn’t get caught.
That day, hiding behind the tree, Belladonna made up her mind to keep her secret.
The second thing she worried about:
Should she try to find the poor farmer’s daughter from her old life? But that girl was probably dead already…
“Saint, you must meet the followers today.”
“……”
“Saint, you have a meeting with the priests today.”
“……”
“Saint, you must attend the morning prayer and there’s a banquet in the afternoon.”
“……”
But…
‘Saint Belladonna is just way too busy!’
She could never find personal time.
She pulled her silver hair in frustration.
‘I can’t even ask anyone to look for the farmer’s daughter…’
She decided she would have to wait before searching for her old self.
“Saint, you have lunch with the Pope today.”
Hearing the calm voice, Belladonna stopped making faces and quickly nodded with a forced smile.
The priest, looking relieved, bowed and left.
When the priest was gone, Belladonna checked the clock.
‘About 20 minutes of free time.’
She got up slowly.
Instead of taking the main hallway, she planned to walk outside, along a big path only the Pope and Saint were allowed to use.
Whenever she had a little free time, she would walk there and think.
When the Pope wasn’t around, she could even hum a little song there.
‘The Pope must already be in the dining room…’
Belladonna walked to the west side, carefully checking if anyone was around.
Only the sound of the wind—nobody else.
‘No one should be here; it’s a restricted area!’
She relaxed and walked slowly, taking a deep breath.
“Haaaaaah…”
Compared to her old life—working in the hot sun, barely eating, and shivering with hunger—her life now was comfortable.
At least here, she had shade, good food, and a warm bed.
“If there’s a problem, it’s just that it’s a little boring,” she whispered with a smile.
She thought it was funny to be so spoiled after only half a year as the Saint.
‘It’s still better than my past life. Who cares if I can’t talk freely or my freedom is limited?’
‘Even if I have to keep everyone’s secrets, this life is much better!’
Feeling better, she started humming softly.
It was a work song the farmers used to sing together when they were tired.
“Hmm hmm… To the sky… I hope… for a good harvest…”
She got so into the song that she started singing out loud, even making a face.
“Beautiful little bird… let your wings—Aah!”
Suddenly, Belladonna screamed, startled by her own voice. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, afraid she might scream even louder.
She froze, wide-eyed.
Under the tree, a large man was lying with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
‘Who… who is that?!’
Belladonna’s heart pounded.
Who was he? How did he get here?
Did he hear her voice?
She stood still, then carefully walked toward him.
Even after her scream, the man didn’t move.
Was he sleeping? Was he dead?
He had tanned skin, a sharp nose, a strong jaw, and a huge, muscular body. He looked tough, maybe even dangerous—maybe a mercenary?
No priest or follower would dare enter this area. He must be an outsider.
Belladonna didn’t get any closer. After looking at him, she quickly turned and ran away.
He had his eyes closed. Even if he heard her voice, he’d never guess it was the Saint.
She prayed he wouldn’t wake up, and ran toward the dining room where the Pope was waiting.
Please… please…!
