~ Chapter : 3 ~
No one dared to stop her.
The price for failing to protect Litia, for not keeping proper watch, was sheer shock.
After that, Litia was too scared to even think about leaving her room first. It was absolutely impossible.
Even after she barely managed to pull herself together, she couldn’t just go out as she pleased.
Every time she had tried to step out before, she had been met with endless phrases like: “The Duke has issued an order,” “The Duke says you should rest more,” “The Duke told you not to go out.”
And so she realized: here, the word of Duke Gies Roman Mont—the head of the Mont family—is law. She couldn’t step outside without her father’s order, not for a week, not for a month. Even to go out briefly, she had to obey him without defiance. She didn’t like it, but that was the situation for now.
Hesitant, Litia finally grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, facing her father, Duke Mont.
“Litia. Were you awake?”
“O… you came?”
A tall, middle-aged man appeared, with the same piercing blue eyes and neatly combed silver hair. Looking closely at his face, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Litia and her brother, Ellar. Just a touch more ruthless and sharp-looking.
“May I come in?”
“Ah… yes! Please come in.”
Litia stepped back slightly to let Duke Mont enter. Fortunately, he sat across the table from her, but no bridge could shorten the oceanic distance between their hearts.
“It’s a relief to see your face looking better over these past few days.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Duke Mont was silent for a long moment. Then, struggling, he spoke:
“There’s nothing of yours to worry me about. It’s all my fault for being incapable and failing to understand the weight on your heart. It’s all my fault. I’m truly sorry.”
He bowed his head deeply at the end of his words. For someone who hadn’t shown his face for a week and blocked her from going out, his face was filled with worry.
As expected, his shoulders trembled slightly, and a drop of water fell from his bowed face. The droplet that hit the table could only be tears.
Litia panicked and scooted back a little. This wasn’t the kind of character she had read about in the book. She couldn’t bring herself to say “father,” but she had to do something.
“…Don’t cry. It’s all my fault, Father.”
“No. I didn’t notice your heart slowly breaking. I was careless.”
“I didn’t want to cause trouble. I won’t do it again, I promise.”
Luckily, it seemed to work; after a while, Duke Mont’s tears stopped.
“Promise me, Litia. Promise me you’ll never do such reckless things again. And that you’ll never hide anything again.”
To comfort him, Litia nodded slightly.
“Yes, I will. I’ll do as you say. So please don’t cry. I’ll try to remember everything soon.”
“Don’t force yourself.”
Duke Mont stopped her.
Litia’s eyes widened as she watched him grimace in apparent pain.
“I don’t want you to suffer. Don’t force yourself to remember and torment yourself. Do whatever is easiest for you.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll do as you say.”
“Good. Thank you. From now on, tell me everything. That’s why I came to talk. Now, rest.”
Duke Mont left, and Litia clutched the doorknob just as the door closed, leaving a tiny gap to press herself close.
Something felt off.
“Don’t take your eyes off Litia for a moment. Rumors outside haven’t settled yet, so watch carefully.”
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
“Make sure she doesn’t do anything strange. Don’t let her leave.”
The footsteps faded.
‘As expected.’
It had all been an act.
The novel clearly described him as someone who valued honor above family and hated suffering a loss more than anything. Litia almost fell for his earlier act.
His trembling and tears weren’t out of concern for his child, Litia, but because of the potential of “Tennia,” the girl destined to become the daughter of God. He had acted urgently to prevent a future problem.
This world was like that.
From the beginning, the setting made it clear: in Atheon, those with supernatural abilities wield power, and the world was divided between those with light powers and those with dark powers.
Those with light abilities were called Teos, blessed by the God of Light, Athes. Light power was divine power, and those who wielded it were nobility. Ordinary people without such power were called Teoris, including commoners and slaves.
From birth, life was essentially a predetermined social class.
Among the Teos, one stood out: Tennia.
Tennia was the highest title for those blessed by the godly light, reserved for a divine daughter. In short, a saint.
Those chosen as Tennia could wield powers far beyond their original abilities. The one spoken of as the next Tennia was none other than Litia herself.
Only three Tennia could exist at a time. Every ten years, a divine oracle chose a new Tennia; one of the current three would lose her divine power and step down, replaced by the new Tennia. Who would be chosen was uncertain—some could hold the title for life, others for just ten years.
Nobles coveted the Tennia position not only for the power but also for the freedom it brought. Being a Tennia changed one’s affiliation to the temple, but they could choose where to reside and even marry, though most Tennia chose not to marry, considering themselves too pure. Only a handful had married.
On the opposite side, there were beings called Orb, considered enemies, demons, lawless, or impure. These were rare individuals with dark abilities. They often served a single leader and were rumored to be descendants of ancient demons or contracted with devils, sometimes taking monstrous human forms. Their territories formed their own states. Contact with Teos was extremely limited, and encountering them was nearly impossible.
The protagonist, Litia, possessed an exceptionally strong light power and was set to become Tennia. She was destined for the highest honor but had taken an extreme choice, which allowed the original story’s true heroine, Kamiya, to emerge.
Thus, Litia Eulunie Bellus Mont should have died that day at the lake.
The new heroine, Kamiya, resembled Litia but was born a commoner. Her life had been difficult: abandoned by her Teos father, raised by a Teoris mother, and only later realizing her own light powers. After Litia’s death, Kamiya would rise as the true protagonist, beginning the story’s main plot, pursuing romance with the crown prince, and leading to a happy ending.
‘…If I didn’t want that to happen, I should have done something about it. Why would he just leave?’
Litia felt a deep sense of injustice. Even her father, in the midst of all this, was fretting over his honor. Everything was different, yet she felt as pitiful as she had during her own short life.
Even though she was merely a character in a novel.
The problem was that she only knew the rough outlines of this world. She would have to figure out the rest herself. To do that, she needed the freedom to leave this room. She wasn’t in a prison or a hospital room; she couldn’t stay under surveillance forever.
