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Chapter 3
I pulled out a sheet of stationery from the drawer and quickly began to scribble a note.
“Keep any congratulatory gifts or letters that arrive. And make sure Father receives this one.”
Wendy just stood there, staring at me with a blank look, as though her mind had short-circuited from the flood of instructions.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry.”
“A-ah, yes, milady!”
“And when you return, help me get ready. I’ll be going out for a while.”
“G-going out? But aren’t you attending the imperial banquet tonight? Shouldn’t we start with a rosewater bath?”
“That’s unnecessary. I’m beautiful enough without it. Just fetch me a dress… something plain, different from the usual.”
I turned my gaze toward the distant horizon—toward the place where a grand, white-domed temple stood.
“Bring me something that looks… devout.”
Leandros Aganilwig.
To speak of my connection with him, one would have to go back to our academy days.
He was gentle and kind, while I—branded a villainess—clashed with him at every turn, to the point where people began to call us rivals.
After one particularly fierce quarrel, we cut ties completely. Leandros abandoned his claim to the throne after graduation, disappearing from society, while I kept far away from the temple.
Or so it seemed.
The House of Apherdite, my family, stood as the pillar of the noble faction and openly supported the First Prince, Anaten Aganilwig. Naturally, they considered Leandros a thorn in their side.
Even though he renounced succession, he was still the Second Prince—beloved by the people, admired as a paragon. And in time, when he received his divine mandate, his prestige only grew.
For my family, the path was clear: make Anaten emperor, and seat me as empress. That meant one thing.
“Leandros had to die.”
And I wanted the same.
But no matter how many assassination attempts were made, he always survived. As though protected by the love of the gods, he slipped past death again and again.
Of course, considering the endless loops of death and rebirth, he must have died eventually.
“If I had known his death was the trigger for my curse… I would have stopped it long ago.”
In every cycle, I struggled desperately to live.
I distanced myself from the temple, avoided chance encounters with relics, and even tried to sabotage the saint so she couldn’t find them. At times, I sought out the relics myself, hoping to destroy them before fate could reach me.
But no matter what I did, the relics never came into my hands.
In the end, I failed to escape death. I even perished by my own family’s hand. I thought all of it meaningless, but perhaps… the relics were never the true cause.
I despised uncertainty.
If the path I had taken so far was the wrong one, then I needed to find the right answer.
And the answer lay within the temple.
The carriage halted before the gates of that sacred place.
As I stepped down, the sight I had avoided for so long filled my vision.
Between pillars of white marble stood carvings of angels, beautifully ornate. The polished floor gleamed so brightly I could see my own reflection. Passing beneath the domed roof of the entrance, I was greeted by the faint fragrance of blossoms drifting from the gardens within.
The chandeliers above cast a gentle, golden light, making the space feel almost warm, almost holy.
People said that entering the temple was like stepping into the embrace of the divine.
“To me, it looks like nothing more than an old, crumbling building.”
I must have stared too long, because Wendy beamed beside me.
“You must be overwhelmed, milady. It’s been so long since you last visited.”
Indeed. Not since the witch trial. And even then, all I saw were the cold prison floors and the judgment hall.
The memory soured my mood further.
“And what brings you here today, my lady?” Wendy asked cautiously, well aware of how I despised the temple.
“To meet God.”
“P-pardon? That’s not someone you can just meet on a whim.”
“If He has a conscience, He’ll see me.”
“…Excuse me?”
Her bafflement didn’t sway me.
“It’s my birthday. Isn’t today the perfect day for a miracle?”
Before she could protest further, I cut her off.
“I’ll only be praying. You go handle the donation.”
“You’ll… actually be praying, my lady?”
Her disbelief was so tiresome I didn’t even answer. I walked straight past her into the prayer hall.
After all, she had reason to be shocked—I had never once set foot here of my own volition.
And why?
Because I loathed the temple.
In this empire, anyone of noble blood was born with at least a trace of holy power.
But not me.
Despite being the daughter of the Duke of Apherdite and a former viscount’s daughter, I was born with none at all.
Behind my back, whispers followed me everywhere.
“She’s cursed.”
“Is she really the duke’s child?”
“Could she be… a bastard?”
All because I lacked holy power.
I convinced myself I didn’t care. After all, I had no intention of becoming a servant of the temple, so what use would holy power be?
My family never stopped me either. The noble faction thrived the further it distanced itself from the temple, so they even encouraged my disdain.
“And yet, they still sent assassins after me… still planted blades at my side. Why?”
The thought made my head throb with betrayal.
But I pushed it aside. There were more important things now.
I entered the prayer hall.
It was a public space—men, women, old, young—anyone could be seen kneeling in silent devotion.
I took the very last seat.
Yes, I had boldly declared I would meet God, but Wendy had been right: the Almighty never meddled in mortal affairs. This was impossible.
And yet… I wasn’t entirely without hope.
“If you pray earnestly, God will answer. One day, Grace, He will answer you too.”
The saint had once confessed this to me before.
I wasn’t a saint, nor did I possess her faith. Still—
‘If You’re listening… tell me. How do I break this curse? Is it true that saving Leandros is the key?’
A reckless confidence filled me.
‘If You don’t answer me, then I’ll live however I please. Whether Leandros lives or dies, I won’t care. I’ll let myself go mad, reliving this cursed death and rebirth forever. If that’s what You want, then keep ignoring me.’
Because if I gave up now, I really would lose my mind.
And then—
[Impudent child.]
A blinding white engulfed me. For a moment, it felt as though the world had vanished, leaving me utterly alone. And within that silence, a voice resounded in my mind.
‘So… even threats move You. Does this mean You do want Leandros alive?’
[To clutch a relic in your heart and yet speak so brazenly… none but you would dare.]
I ignored the scolding tone and seized upon the hidden meaning.
‘A relic… inside me? Does that mean the relic’s been within me all along?’
And then it struck me.
‘That’s why I never found it in any cycle. The only time I obtained it was in my very first death. Since then… it’s been with me.’
The realization hit like a thunderclap.
But the divine voice gave me no time to linger.
[In light of your persistence, I shall grant you three questions.]
Mercy, at last. I wasted no time.
“How do I end this cycle of rebirth?”
[Save Leandros Aganilwig.]
The confirmation left me sighing softly.
“And why is that?”
[Because your life is bound to his by the relic you carry within you. Every answer you seek can be traced to that bond.]
“…Of course.”
I raked my hair back with one sharp motion, lips curling.
‘So that’s it. I live again and again because of Leandros. Because the relic inside me keeps me tethered. I—of all people, a faithless wretch—am the one chosen for this. How ironic.’
It sickened me, yet I couldn’t deny it. I was the only one who could do this.
[And now… your final question?]
