CHAPTER 48……………………………………………

Cassius didn’t apologize for his rudeness—on the contrary, he began pressing Jade instead. Jade was flustered, but he answered calmly.

“He merely lost consciousness. Won’t he wake up soon?”

“I’ve learned very well how the Empire’s emperor treats priests, who are servants of the gods. I will remember this incident clearly.”

All priests of the Holy State were treated as honored guests. Was even that not enough?

“The Empire has shown its sincerity.”

“That’s only what Your Majesty thinks.”

He truly was an arrogant and insolent man. Though the two were equals, one still had to know when to bend for the sake of their goals. Cassius didn’t react to ordinary bribes, but he did respond to holy sites. He seemed interested in matters related to the Magnus faith.

There weren’t any more hidden relics or sanctuaries left. Among the imperial family, someone with deep faith…

“Ah—there’s Sertina.”

Jade had a good idea.

“I will acknowledge our fault. It’s hardly compensation, but I would like to send Sertina to the Holy State.”

“The princess?”

It wasn’t uncommon for royal or noble families to send children who wouldn’t become heirs to the Holy State. Sertina’s talent for running a trading company was admirable, but her leg limited her prospects. Rather than being used in a political marriage, living as a priest and doing what she wanted might make her happier as a princess.

“And besides, Sertina seemed to have feelings.”

How many times had Sertina, who attended the banquet, stolen glances at Cassius? With the way she kept sneaking looks, it was obvious she harbored affection.

And who knew? The position of Holy Empress was currently vacant. In a world where omegas were extinct, wouldn’t a beta like Sertina have a chance?

Cassius’s lips twisted.

“It’s outside my interest. Do as you please.”

No matter what was offered, his anger wouldn’t subside. As if there was no need to hear more, Cassius returned to his bedroom.

Growing anxious, Jade added an extra, extravagantly decorated palace—something he hadn’t wanted to give—trying desperately to win Cassius back.

I died after being tortured by Schwarz.

When I woke up, I was once again in Schwarz’s arms. It felt like I had fallen into hell, condemned to repeat the same horrific ordeal over and over. I was terrified of Schwarz, the one who killed me, so I screamed.

Then an apparition of Cassius appeared and saved me.

For a brief moment, the pain vanished—but then the delayed agony of my heart being pierced surged over me, and I lost consciousness.

“It hurts…!”

The sensation of Schwarz’s blade piercing my heart still seemed to linger. Struggling to breathe, I flailed my arms and legs and grabbed onto something. At the same time, I felt a gentle weight pressing on me and a human touch.

Someone brushed my hair aside and searched for the nape of my neck. Then came a sharp sting.

“…Ah.”

The sting lasted only an instant. After that fleeting moment passed, warmth spread through me. A heat reminiscent of another person’s body temperature warmed my body, which had gone cold from fear.

I felt at ease.

I found the courage to open my eyes.

Blinking awake, I stared at an unfamiliar ceiling—an ornate one I had never seen before.

So I died and came back to life again.

“Ah… where is this place now?”

Had I possessed another character from a book I’d read?

Most of the books I read while living as Sonia were erotic novels—mostly bleak, miserable ones.

“From now on, I’ll only read sweet, cute stories.”

So I won’t have to worry no matter which character I end up as.

“Haa… who am I this time?”

The lives of the most unfortunate characters I’d read about flashed through my mind.

“Anything’s better than being Lancelot’s sister.”

That had been brutal—adapting to life as a priest, and making plans to avoid all those madmen.

I clasped my hands together and prayed. It seemed I’d developed the habit after living so long as a priest. With my eyes tightly shut, I prayed to the god Magnus.

“Lord God, this is really too much. What kind of meaning is there behind this?”

Why kill me and bring me back so many times?

Maybe my prayer wouldn’t reach Him since this was another world, but I felt so wronged I had to complain anyway.

“Sonia.”

This time too, did I have the name Sonia—

Wait. I snapped my eyes open.

For a moment, I thought a blond angel had descended before me. But looking closer, there were no wings—just Cassius, dressed casually in a comfortable shirt, handsome enough to be mistaken for an angel, sitting there.

“…Your Holiness?”

“Yes.”

“Um… why?”

Why am I alive?

As I tried to say it, tears began to fall. I was glad to be alive, but I also felt wronged, angry, and deeply sad all at once. My emotions tangled together, and before I could think properly, I burst into tears.

“Hic…!”

I clamped both hands over my mouth. I was afraid that if I made a sound, Schwarz—hiding in the darkness under the bed or inside the wardrobe—would attack me again.

“Sonia.”

“……”

“It’s all right, Sonia.”

After calling my name several times, Cassius pulled me into his arms. Somehow, it felt like if I let go of him, I’d fall back into that nightmare where Schwarz appeared again. Afraid of losing him, I tightly clutched Cassius’s broad back.

Even so, the fear still lingering inside me kept me from speaking. He gently patted my back.

“It’s all right. Cry as much as you like.”

“……”

“I’ll stay by your side.”

His voice seeped into my frozen heart, sharing its warmth. As my tension melted away, I was finally able to cry freely. Wanting to forget the fear and terror I’d endured alone for days, I clutched Cassius’s priestly robes tightly and let the tears fall.

After crying for a long time, the knot in my heart loosened, and like waking from a dream, I gradually returned to reality.

“Sir Jurgen saw an illusion too.”

He’d seen an illusion of marrying someone and had kissed a stone. From that, it seemed likely that what I’d seen was also an illusion—being captured by Schwarz.

Come to think of it, Schwarz appearing in the labyrinth in the first place had been strange.

Once I realized that this moment was real, embarrassment slowly crept in. After all, crying my eyes out in front of Cassius—and still being held in his arms—were real.

“I should pull away…”

Seeing his priestly robes soaked with my tears made my face burn with shame. Not knowing what to do, I buried my face in his chest and froze stiff. Cassius, who had been patting my back, spoke.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“…Yes.”

Seizing the opportunity, I pulled my face away slightly. Still embarrassed, I rubbed my eyes and nose with my sleeve. But the stains on Cassius’s robes remained.

I was so mortified I wanted to bury my face under the blankets.

“I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“For ruining your robes, Your Holiness.”

Now that I was looking from a distance, the damp patch on his chest stood out even more. I wanted to dry it somehow, but couldn’t, and the heat rose all the way to my ears.

Smiling, he made a small gesture.

“Since it seems to bother you, I should get rid of it.”

With a light motion, as if conducting music, clean water swept over his clothes once, then vanished without leaving a single drop. His robes looked freshly laundered and fluffy.

With the embarrassing marks gone, I finally felt like I could breathe again.

Then he spoke.

“Rather, I should be the one apologizing. I should have arrived sooner.”

I waved both hands desperately.

“No! I’m already grateful that you came for me.”

With a gentle smile, he explained why Jurgen and I had seen hallucinations. The underground wall Jurgen had broken contained pollen from flowers that induced hallucinations. As they crushed it into powder and moved forward, Jurgen and I were exposed to it.

The mysterious voice we’d heard in the sanctuary had been warning us about the hallucinations.

Apparently, even though we’d covered our noses and mouths, it had been too late.

After hearing the explanation, one question remained.

Then was the Schwarz I saw also an illusion?

His appearance underground had been strange from the start, so it seemed like a hallucination. But there was confusion in my memories that made it hard to dismiss as fake.

“Um, and the Grand Duke of Ryndmere and I—”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Cassius gently placed his hand on my forehead.

“You still have a slight fever.”

Now that he mentioned it, I did feel a little dizzy.

“This much will recover quickly with holy power.”

I’d probably be fine after sleeping one night.

He shook his head.

“For a while, refrain from using holy power. You’re quite depleted.”

At his words, I checked the holy power left in my body. While seeing Schwarz’s illusion, I’d used my power recklessly to lessen the pain. It seemed I’d exhausted myself because of that.

At times like this, it was best to rest and do nothing, just as he said.

“What did you see underground?”

“I saw a frightening illusion.”

“Forget everything the pollen showed you.”

His hand moved from my forehead to my cheek. His hand was much warmer than my slightly heated skin, and I could feel Cassius’s body temperature clearly.

It felt familiar.

I tilted my head slightly into his touch, wanting to feel it a bit more.

He said,

“The fact that you’re talking with me right now is reality.”

Not the cold stone floor beneath Schwarz’s mansion—but this present moment, filled with Cassius’s warmth, was undeniably real.