~Chapter 06~
Floria was in a very bad mood.
She had worked all day without eating because so many believers had crowded into the confession booth. She was just about to return to her room when she heard the High Priest was calling for her.
‘Why is he calling me now, when I’m already so busy?’
She was ready to explode.
The walk to the high priest’s office felt long, and it had already gotten dark outside.
‘This is just like my past life. The customers (believers) stress me out, and so does my boss. Only the location has changed.’
And the worst part? She couldn’t even quit. Even if she selfishly decided to leave and abandon Rose, she didn’t have enough money saved to survive on her own. She bitterly regretted how recklessly she had spent money in this life as a villainess. She wanted to cry.
Thinking about money helped calm her down. Payday was coming soon, and as a low-ranking priestess, she had no choice but to obey orders.
So she stomped her feet louder than necessary as she walked—the only way she could express her frustration since no one would listen anyway.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the high priest’s office with the business smile she used in her previous life.
“You called for me, High Priest,” she said with a cheerful face.
Only her tired, drooping eyelids betrayed how exhausted she was.
But that exhaustion vanished the moment she stepped inside and saw the office for the first time.
It was like a smaller, more perfect version of the divine temple itself.
White wallpaper, white furniture, everything sparkling clean as if it had just been bought.
Not a speck of dust in sight. The room looked almost holy.
“Come in, Sister Floria. Please sit here,” he said kindly.
Floria, almost hypnotized, sat on the sofa. On the table in front of her lay a neatly folded newspaper.
“Take a look at this,” he said.
She didn’t even need to open it.
Right on the front page was a huge photo of her. She had no idea when the picture was taken.
‘When was this photo taken?!’
Floria frowned without thinking, forgetting where she was. She accidentally crumpled part of the newspaper, making some of the text unreadable.
The picture showed her smiling like a saintess, as if she could forgive the whole world.
At least her face wasn’t fully visible—just her mouth and a bit of red hair peeking out from her veil. Priestesses were supposed to cover their faces with white veils, after all.
The headlines read:
— Priestess Floria of the Temple of Elio
— Confess to her, and your wishes come true?
— More and more people calling her a saintess…
This… got published in the capital’s most popular newspaper?!
Floria smacked her forehead right in front of the High Priest.
That’s it. I’m leaving.
At this rate, she really was going to die—crushed by the flood of believers coming for her.
I don’t care anymore. I’ll do anything—just get out of here.
Forget the money. She could just go live in the countryside like she originally planned—
Pick herbs, help with farm work… anything would be better than this.
As her mind spun with escape plans, her stressed-out expression didn’t go unnoticed.
The High Priest spoke, as if reading her mind.
“You must be wondering why I’m showing this to you.”
“….”
He calmly poured her a cup of tea.
“As you know, saints are said to be born once every few thousand years with an incredible amount of divine power. It’s true that you have very little divine power, but… I still think you could be the next saintess.”
He said it so gently, like he was just chatting casually—but what he said was not a casual topic at all.
“…What?”
Floria, who had been blankly staring at the steaming teacup, finally responded. But the High Priest just looked at her seriously, as if he had already made up his mind.
“In the end, all religions are strengthened by people’s faith. Healing the body is one thing, but healing hearts like you do—that’s no different from what a saint does, wouldn’t you say?”
…Is that so?
“N-No, Your Grace. How could I possibly be a saint?”
She quickly shook her head.
She didn’t even understand what he was saying, yet somehow found herself almost nodding in agreement.
“Yes, alright then!” nearly slipped out of her mouth.
There was something about the holy atmosphere of the room and the high priest’s deep, commanding voice that made people feel hypnotized.
Floria avoided his eyes, lowering her gaze in a show of humility.
If she agreed with him, she’d end up being treated like a Saint—just like in the original story.
Sure, unlike the original Floria, everyone knew her divine power was weak. They were only calling her a saintess because she listened well to confessions… but still.
She might avoid being killed by the male lead like in the novel, but it also meant a life of nonstop overwork.
Back-to-back deaths from exhaustion—that’s what her life was heading toward.
She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration, but somehow held herself back.
Then, the High Priest took out a letter from his robe and slid it toward her.
“This is from the Duke of Fonhas. Go ahead, read it.”
The envelope had already been cleanly opened with a paper knife and bore the Duke’s seal—a black horse.
Floria swallowed hard.
Ever since the Duke had randomly called her out on a day off just to give her dessert, she hadn’t seen him again.
She thought she’d finally have a peaceful day off for once.
She never expected him to send a letter to the temple.
“….”
Nervously, Floria reached for the letter with shaking hands.
But as soon as she started reading, she realized there was no need to be tense at all.
“Floria, did you know the weather is lovely and there are flowers blooming?”
“Ah, you probably wouldn’t. You’re always stuck in the temple.”
The first line already felt like a taunt.
Was he writing this to tease her?
Frowning, Floria kept reading.
His handwriting was surprisingly neat. She had expected messy scribbles, but it was almost… elegant.
“There’s a festival nearby. I’d like you to come with me.”
“If the High Priest says no, let me know. I’ll take care of it.”
‘…Take care of it? What does that mean?!’
The letter began like a joke and ended with a threat to “deal with” the High Priest.
It was common for the temple to screen every letter that arrived, so the Duke had to know the High Priest would read it. And yet, he still sent a threat so casually?
Was he insane?
The high priest pretended not to notice and quietly sipped his tea.
The tea was hot—and the Duke’s threat was bitter.
The high priest coughed and turned his head.
“Ahem, well. How about you go and enjoy the festival with the Duke of Fonhas, then?”
“…With the Duke?”
“Yes. He’s been a great help to our temple, as you know. Oh, and take your time deciding about the Saint thing.”
“….”
Ugh. Was he ever going to stop bringing up the Saint stuff?
Floria couldn’t take it anymore.
On top of all the overwork, now she was supposed to entertain a Duke?
That’s way beyond what her salary covered!
Her hands trembled, still clutching the letter.
The anger she had kept bottled up was rising straight past her jaw and exploding in her head.
She was ready to snap.
‘You know what? Let’s just end this here.’
If she got fired, so be it.
Floria slammed the table with a loud THUD and stood up, raising her voice at her boss for the first time.
“So what, you want me to go play host to the Duke now?!”
“Oh, if you do it, I’ll give you a week’s vacation,” the High Priest replied smoothly. “And I’ll triple your salary. If you want, I’ll move you to a bigger room too.”
“……That is most generous of you, Your Grace.”
This was exactly what she wanted!
All the stress and worry that had clouded Floria’s face vanished in an instant.
