“Ansen!!”
Startled by the sudden loud shout, Ansen jerked upright.
In doing so, he banged his head on the bookshelf in front of him and collapsed back down with a groan, “Ugh…”
“I’m here!”
Holding his forehead, Ansen looked up to see Selenea smiling brightly in front of him.
She tilted her head.
“What’s with that face, like you’re really unhappy to see me?”
“…Not at all. I’m just so thrilled to see you.”
Thrilled, my foot. It was a lie.
She had already been coming and going from the library like it was her own house for three days straight.
And Ansen found it incredibly annoying.
Not only that, but two days ago, she even brought along two other girls he’d never seen before.
‘Isn’t the cake from my family’s shop amazing?’
‘Yeah, it’s really delicious. I wonder why I never thought of trying it before?’
‘Shut up, Martina. We’re here for training, not eating.’
‘Rozetin, don’t kill Martina’s mood. We just gave her something nice to eat, why are you already annoyed again?’
‘W-what?! When was I?! I just…!’
‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just eat.’
For over three hours, they’d continued their chatter—whether they were gossiping or arguing was unclear.
By the time the empty cake plates were piling up at the door, Ansen couldn’t take it anymore and asked:
‘Why are you doing this here and not in the dining hall?’
The answer came back shamelessly:
‘Because this is the most comfortable place for me! Sorry!’
So… what?
Ansen could still vividly recall Selenea’s devilish grin as she laughed.
He shook his head in disbelief.
And yet… there she was again today, right in front of his eyes.
Judging by her pajamas, she must have come straight after waking up. She even seemed to be in a remarkably good mood. Scary.
Hopping over scattered books, she bounded toward Ansen.
“When are you going to use the vacation I got for you?”
“I’m thinking tomorrow. Planning to finally get some proper sleep.”
“You’re going to spend your rare vacation sleeping?”
“Easy for you to say, since you’re never sleep-deprived, Your Ladyship.”
Selenea shrugged. “Yeah, fine. Whatever you want.”
Then, as if remembering something important, she stretched out her hand toward Ansen.
“You finished what I asked for, right?”
Ansen sighed deeply as he looked at her meaningful smile. Reluctantly, he handed something over.
It was a small vial, about five centimeters long, filled with a transparent liquid.
Selenea’s face lit up.
“Amazing! How did you finish it so fast?”
“It’s not that hard to make something I’ve already done once.”
Selenea gave his shoulder a playful pat. “You’re so reliable, aren’t you?”
Ansen staggered at the unexpected loss of balance.
Barely managing to steady himself, he glared at her sulkily.
Then he extended his own hand toward her.
“You owe me payment.”
“Of course! What do you take me for?”
Selenea pulled out two gold coins from a small cloth pouch and placed them in Ansen’s palm with a grin.
As the coins clinked together, a faint smile finally appeared on Ansen’s face.
“Much as I hate to admit it, you’re actually pretty generous.”
“Stop acting like you’re poor, Ansen. I heard you get paid quite well.”
“Well… money’s something you can never have too much of.”
Selenea nodded as if she agreed. Watching her, Ansen asked:
“By the way… why did you suddenly ask me to make that potion?”
“I need it for something.”
“But you’re not even an Awakened… what would you need this for?”
Selenea just lifted the corner of her mouth without answering.
Catching that sly expression, Ansen instinctively shrank back, his face turning pale.
“…You do realize you’re completely different from my first impression of you, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“At first, you just seemed like some naive noble lady… but now…”
He shook his head.
Selenea glared at him in irritation but then muttered curtly:
“Yeah, sorry I’m not as noble-like as you expected. Happy now?”
Ansen silently turned his head away.
Meanwhile, Selenea rolled the vial in her hand, inspecting the liquid inside.
Without hesitation, she turned toward the door, moving with the lightness of someone who’d finished all her business.
Waving her hand at Ansen, she called out cheerfully:
“Well, I’m off! See you soon!”
Ansen deliberately stayed silent, waiting until she fully left the library.
Only after the door closed completely did he whisper very quietly to himself:
“…I really wish she’d just stop coming.”
In the mansion’s drawing room.
I stared at the man in front of me with great interest.
‘His name was Mayer, right?’
He looked much younger than I had expected.
Bright, intelligent eyes under brown hair, with a soft, friendly impression overall.
‘His face definitely screams “religious person.”’
With a sunny smile, Mayer bowed deeply to me.
As he did, the mysterious pendant around his neck swayed.
“May the glory of Prater dwell with you, My Lady.”
His voice was so gentle it felt like it could break through a thousand-year barrier. I nodded lightly.
Prater.
That was the name of the most prosperous religion in this world.
Most citizens of the Empire, including the nobility, worshiped the god of Prater. Even Empress Grace, known as the most powerful Empress in history, was a devoted follower.
A very devout one.
I personally knew of several relief programs she ran in Prater’s name.
Even more remarkable was that most of the funding for those projects came straight from the Empress’s own pocket.
‘How devout must she be to fund that much out of her own money?’
I nodded to myself in secret.
‘And that’s why the number of followers keeps skyrocketing.’
After all, if the wise and benevolent Empress served this god, it was only natural that her people would too.
I quietly observed Mayer.
For good reason—I’d practically ransacked the entire library for books on religion in preparation for today.
And I learned several things.
That Prater temples and churches existed nearly everywhere across the Empire, and that the Church’s political power was steadily growing.
And Mayer, who was personally in charge of my “education,” was…
A priest at the Grand Temple—the largest and most powerful among all Prater temples.
Which explained how he was qualified to teach me.
After all, I was the only daughter and heir of Duke Tigris, one of the Empire’s Four Dukes.
So I had the authority to personally summon someone of Mayer’s rank to my estate.
‘In other words, I’m currently receiving private tutoring that’s basically priceless.’
When our eyes met, Mayer responded with a calm smile.
“Have you been well, My Lady?”
There wasn’t even a hint of suspicion in his face—just a pure, sincere smile.
‘He looks innocent enough, but… I’m sure there’s something fishy about him.’
I smiled back, keeping my guard up.
I had every reason to suspect him.
‘…That suspicious conversation at the mansion. Talking about strengthening my education and whatnot.’
Having overheard that conversation, I couldn’t let it go lightly. I could already sense it instinctively.
Something not mentioned in the novel—something I had no knowledge of—was happening in this mansion.
To figure that out, I had to first understand what Mayer’s so-called “education” actually involved.
Just then, Mayer approached the small table and sat down.
I tilted my head.
No matter how high-ranking a priest he was, here in this house, he was just a part-time tutor hired by my father.
At least here, between the two of us, I was the boss, and he was the employee.
Even during our conversations, he always used honorifics with me.
‘And yet he just sits down first without waiting for me?’
Something felt off, but I quietly took the seat opposite him anyway.
Mayer spoke first.
“The temple’s been busy lately, so I apologize for the delayed visit.”
I leisurely picked up the teacup in front of me and replied:
“Was it more important than my education?”
Mayer’s eyes widened slightly, and he gave me an awkward, apologetic smile.
“Please don’t say such sad things. Teaching you is the greatest honor of my life.”
‘Oh? Playing that card, are you?’
I smiled back at him.
“Glad to hear it.”
It was a silent but intense psychological battle.
Both Mayer and I exchanged smiles, never revealing our true thoughts.
But the pause didn’t last long—Mayer clasped his hands together and spoke calmly.
“Actually, there have been some positive discussions with the Imperial Palace lately.”
“Oh? About what?”
“They’re discussing elevating Prater to the status of the Empire’s official state religion.”
I already knew this thanks to skimming two months’ worth of gossip magazines, but I feigned surprise and clapped my hands.
“Wow, that’s great news. Looks like you’ll have even more work to do.”
He smiled brightly, clearly pleased.
“Embarrassing as it is, yes. As a priest, there’s no greater joy than helping more people find salvation under the guidance of God.”
Watching his gentle smile, I found myself hesitating inwardly.
‘…Maybe he really is just a priest.’
Facing those kind, sincere eyes, the suspicions I’d been building started to melt away.
I coughed awkwardly and stirred my teacup with a spoon. Mayer grinned.
“Well then, let’s put small talk aside and begin today’s lesson.”
With that, he slid a book and a piece of parchment toward me from the table.
Glancing at the thick cover, I read the title—and froze.
“41 Ways to Overcome Wounds – Family Edition”
I stared at the cover in utter disbelief.
‘…What the hell is this?’
A book that seemed more suited for a psychological counseling center… and it was a family edition?
In a sweet voice, Mayer said:
“Let’s start from page 75 today. As usual, please read it aloud.”
I stole a quick glance at him before reluctantly opening the leather-bound cover to page 75.
On the faded old paper, densely packed black text awaited me.
“…Sometimes, there’s no need to forgive the person who hurt you. And that’s when… what you need is… revenge.”
Reven… What? Revenge??
