Chapter 2
One week later.
After unleashing her volcanic anger at her parents—the very people who had caused all of this—Eve reached a conclusion.
No matter whom she blamed, she couldn’t turn back the situation. The urgent matter now was to clean up this mess.
‘There are two things I have to do first.’
Break off her engagement with her fiancé.
And leave the Empire.
Avoiding people’s eyes and retreating to a rural village to live the rest of her life quietly—that was the best option.
‘At least until the real female lead appears.’
The title of the book she had transmigrated into was <The Saintess’s Knight>.
A typical dimension-travel romance fantasy.
The story began with a prophecy declaring that a Saintess would descend upon the Grand Temple.
The Saintess, the subject of the first prophecy in a hundred years, was the female lead—Lee Yuri.
The moment her college entrance exam ended, she was hit by a truck and transported to another world.
Appearing alongside a mystical aurora, she instantly became the heroine of the prophecy.
‘The problem starts from here.’
After staying at the Grand Temple and receiving her baptism, she awakened a mysterious ability.
The power to see other people’s mana.
In other words, the ability to distinguish who was a mage… damn it.
Because of that ability, she became the target of assassination threats—and judging by the circumstances, the mastermind behind it seemed to be Eve’s own family.
‘I never got to read the scene where the mastermind reveals themselves.’
The serialization had abruptly stopped at that point. Rumor had it the author went missing, though it was more likely they had simply quit writing.
But more than the hidden mastermind, the real issue was the female lead’s ability.
‘I must never cross paths with Lee Yuri.’
As long as she and her family kept their mouths shut, the truth that she was a mage would never be exposed. But Lee Yuri was an unpredictable variable.
“Three months left.”
In the original story, Lee Yuri was summoned in the summer when Valerian turned twenty-two. Everything had to be finished before then.
Eve immediately prepared and climbed into a carriage.
“Please take me to the Grand Temple.”
After several hours of travel, the carriage arrived at the Grand Temple, where familiar faces came into view.
Holy Knights Luke and Helliot, members of the same order as Valerian.
“Lady Estella, it’s been a while! Have you come to see the Commander?”
They were standing guard at the entrance and greeted Eve warmly.
“Yes, I came to see Valerian.”
“Haha, the Commander will be delighted. Please come in and wait a moment.”
Smiling at the heartwarming sight, the knights left to fetch him.
As they went, Eve stepped inside the Grand Temple.
The familiar white stone walls stood tall, and between them hung tapestries depicting the Sun God.
Several believers who recognized her greeted her.
“Oh my, hello, Lady Estella. Have you come to see Prince Ludwig again today?”
Among them was Lady Silvia, known as one of the most devout believers.
“Yes, that’s right, ma’am.”
“Aren’t you such a beautiful couple? The way you cherish and care for each other so admirably… You must preserve that faithful and pure heart.”
Not exactly words she wanted to hear from one of the Pope’s many mistresses, but Eve simply nodded politely.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“May the Sun’s blessing always be with you, Lady Estella.”
Just when she thought she might escape the attention, more people approached her.
Valerian’s reputation was widespread throughout the Empire, but within the Grand Temple, he was practically a superstar.
Naturally, that meant attention fell upon his fiancée as well.
‘When is Valerian coming?’
As that thought crossed her mind, a familiar golden-haired man approached from afar.
Valerian Ludwig—her fiancé and the original novel’s male lead.
He looked as though he had rushed out of training, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead.
Yet even so, his handsome face was flawless—if anything, it shone even brighter.
“Eve, sorry. Did you wait long?”
Warm breath escaped his lips as his sky-blue eyes curved gently the moment they met hers.
That radiant smile always made her heart flutter. Was this the irresistible charm of a protagonist?
Once captivated enough to confess first, she now stood before him to end their relationship.
‘Can I really say it?’
Yes. The purpose of coming today was to carry out the first step of her plan.
To break up with Valerian.
Her excuse would be simple—a change of heart.
A flimsy reason, but she couldn’t think of anything better.
‘He’ll be hurt.’
Seeing how bright and cheerful he looked made her feel guilty.
‘He’s too foolishly kind to ever say anything harsh to me.’
Still, after shedding a few tears, he would surely forget her and live happily ever after with Lee Yuri.
As she remained silent, Valerian scratched his head, thinking she was sulking.
“Actually, on my way here, I saw Archbishop Ariel fall down the stairs.”
Eve gasped.
“What? The Archbishop fell?”
Archbishop Ariel was a familiar name. She oversaw the order Valerian belonged to.
In truth, the spiritual pillar of the Grand Temple was not the incompetent Pope, but Archbishop Ariel.
And she had a deeper connection to Eve—Ariel had been childhood friends with her mother.
The temple stairs were steep. The news worried her.
“She’s not badly hurt, is she?”
“No, just a sprained ankle. She’s fine.”
He must have helped her to the infirmary, which explained his delay.
“That’s a relief. I should go visit her.”
When Countess Estella had fallen ill, Archbishop Ariel personally traveled all the way to their estate to care for her.
Though they were childhood friends, that kind of effort wasn’t easy.
To Eve, Ariel was like an aunt.
To Valerian, who had lost his mother early, she was like a mother.
Despite the awkward timing, visiting her was only proper.
Inside the infirmary, Ariel smiled warmly upon seeing Eve.
“Oh my, Eve! Have you been well?”
Though faint wrinkles lined her eyes, her face was as gentle as ever.
“Archbishop, are you feeling alright?”
“Of course. I’m still in my prime. I’ll recover in a day or two.”
“Not in just a day or two.”
At the priest’s scolding, Ariel shot him a playful glare.
“Is Veronica doing well?”
“She’s very healthy.”
“Good. She mustn’t fall ill so soon. Tell Veronica to be careful on the stairs as well.”
Even their tone was identical.
“Did you come to see Valerian?”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a lovely couple. Stay together for a long, long time. Bonds are precious.”
“…Yes.”
How could her words be so similar to her mother’s?
‘But Mother shouldn’t have done that.’
How could she, knowing Eve’s true identity, still tell her to stay with Valerian?
Resentment stirred.
Still, only Eve had inherited the talent for magic in her family.
Moon-powered magic could only be wielded by women—and she was the first girl born in three hundred years.
Her family had even begun preparing for rebellion for her sake.
If her identity were revealed, her greatest enemy would be the Sun-powered Ella, the Ludwigs.
And that enemy stood right beside her.
‘That’s why they let me become engaged to Valerian.’
To use him.
To gather information from him.
A reckless strategy.
‘You want me to stab the strongest being in this world in the back just to save myself?’
It was like burning down the house to kill a bug.
After bidding Ariel farewell, she stepped outside.
Valerian smiled at her.
“Eve, did you come to see me?”
His warm blue eyes were filled with expectation and joy.
She hesitated.
‘I came to say goodbye.’
But she couldn’t say it.
“I was just thinking I wanted to see you today. It’s like you read my mind.”
“You said you think of me every day. Now it’s only sometimes?”
She spoke sharply, masking her discomfort.
Valerian’s face turned red.
“That’s not it. I think of you every day, but…”
Even his ears flushed.
Normally, she would tease him mercilessly.
Now, it only made her heart ache more.
‘How do I say it?’
He loved her purely and wholeheartedly.
How could she claim she’d simply changed her heart?
‘I thought I could end this easily.’
For a fleeting moment, she wished Lee Yuri would appear quickly and be the one to end things instead.
‘But if Lee Yuri appears, I’m finished.’
If her identity as a mage were exposed, it would be over.
Better to be stoned to death by the public than executed by Valerian.
“Eve… by any chance…”
He hesitated.
“You didn’t miss me?”
“….”
Seeing disappointment flicker in his eyes, she answered reflexively.
“I did.”
Relief spread across his face.
“Eve, congratulations on becoming an adult.”
In that moment, she decided:
‘I’ll find another excuse.’
Something that would hurt him less.
‘How can I end things cleanly with Valerian?’
As the carriage returned to the Estella estate, Eve thought intensely.
Before she realized it, the direction of the Estella family carriage had changed.
