CHAPTER 97………………………………………………
Seven years ago, near the end of my birthday party,
I revealed my thoughts in front of my family.
“I want to become a priest of the Holy Kingdom.”
Young Lancelot didn’t understand what I meant and stayed quiet, while my parents were shocked.
They tried to persuade me day and night, explaining how miserable and painful the life of a priest could be.
“My decision is unchanged. I will become a priest.”
“Sonia, please… change your mind.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I have a reason I must become a priest.”
“…Fine. Do as you wish. You must have some reason for making this decision.”
A little later, my mother gave up neatly, but my father was different.
A priest is no different from an official of the Holy Kingdom.
Although it grants power, it also requires giving up countless things.
Especially for me, the daughter of a noble family with influence.
He couldn’t understand why I, someone who could get anything I wanted without effort, would choose to become a priest.
“Why does our family lack something that would make you want to become a priest of the Holy Kingdom?”
“It’s not that our family lacks anything. I want to gain strength on my own.”
“Do you know how hard a priest’s life is? You must follow strict rules for your entire life. Being deprived of freedom is painful and exhausting.”
My father tried to stop me out of concern for his child, wanting to prevent me from taking the thorny path instead of the easier one.
Knowing his thoughts made it hurt even more.
“Sonia, I can support anything you want. You don’t need to become a priest.”
“….”
“I will help you with whatever you want to do.”
That made me waver for a moment.
In this era, nobles with daughters often thought marriage was the ultimate goal, especially for women.
So they focused more on finding a suitable match than on what their child wanted to do.
But my father declared he would support me in whatever I wanted, not just in finding a marriage match.
I was grateful for that, but I ultimately didn’t change my decision.
To be precise, nothing but the path of a priest could save everyone, so I couldn’t change it.
“I understand your feelings, Father. Still, it would be nice for the family to have at least one priest…”
Would it have been easier if I had become a priest out of faith?
Truthfully, I had no real religious devotion. I wanted to become a priest solely to protect my family.
Later, Lancelot would be targeted by obsessed nobles, and in that process, my parents would die.
I wanted to become a priest to protect my beloved family.
But in my father’s eyes, unaware of this, I must have seemed stubborn and foolish.
Eventually, he became angry.
“If you insist on going to the Holy Kingdom, I will no longer consider you my daughter!”
And so, I became a priest.
Even though my mother reluctantly allowed it, we frequently exchanged letters, and she visited during my probationary period.
Seeing me doing well, she gradually felt reassured.
But my father didn’t even visit, nor did he reply to my letters.
Not even when my mother came with Lancelot.
“You’re busy with work, aren’t you?”
She said that, so I didn’t think much of it.
But seeing my father’s reaction earlier, it seemed he still hadn’t forgiven me.
‘No wonder I couldn’t meet him for so long.’
Even when I attended the Imperial Ball as part of the Holy Kingdom delegation, I met my mother, but not my father.
I had assumed he was just busy, but now I realized he probably disliked me so much that he didn’t even want to spare the time.
I smiled bitterly.
“Father disliked that I became a priest. He even said he wouldn’t consider me his daughter if I became one.”
“….”
“Even though he tried so hard to stop me, I still came to the Holy Kingdom.”
By resisting my father and becoming a priest, the outcome changed from the original story.
Unlike the original, my father wasn’t executed by Shane; he was alive and giving orders to the knights.
Thinking about that made me feel proud that my efforts weren’t in vain, but at the same time…
‘A little…’
I felt a hollow emptiness.
“Sonia.”
He called my name, studying my expression.
I shrugged lightly to show I was fine, but seeing my father still treating me coldly made me uneasy.
I shook my head gently.
I hadn’t planned to talk like this—it felt like I was unfairly criticizing my father.
Fearing Cassius might grow to hate my father, I quickly added:
“Father was worried about me. Being a priest is a hard life.”
“….”
“He wanted me to enjoy a comfortable and happy life as a noble daughter.”
Cassius, listening quietly, held my hand.
“I will make her happier than anyone. She will know she is happier than if she had stayed in the Empire as a noble daughter.”
“….”
“Seeing Sonia like that, he will surely ease his heart.”
He knelt before God and swore.
I relaxed my tense expression and smiled softly.
“Yes. Father will surely be reassured.”
He smiled broadly.
“So, what does Count Theodor like?”
“Hm?”
“He’s the one Sonia will be tied to in the future, so I should show my best side—and get permission.”
Was he talking about marriage permission?
“Does it really matter?”
In the Empire, parental permission was required for marriage.
Though I was from the Empire, as a priest, I was effectively part of the Holy Kingdom.
Priests aren’t bound by Imperial law.
Marriage in the Holy Kingdom was simply done if the couple wished it.
‘Technically, a priest would have to return her salary and leave the priesthood, but…’
Receiving the status of a saint might bypass that.
Besides, who would stop a saint from marrying?
“I feel uncomfortable proceeding without Count Theodor’s permission. Sonia values her family. I don’t want to create distance because of me.”
“….”
“Also, it’s not like either Sonia or I will never meet the Count.”
“Hm… yes.”
So far, I had avoided running into my father.
But meeting Lancelot and my mother would inevitably lead to encounters with him.
“If we’re going to meet anyway, it’s better to meet with smiles, isn’t it?”
“Of course, I want that…”
But would my father’s feelings change so easily?
“Don’t feel guilty. Sonia became a priest to protect her family.”
“….”
“Her heart will surely reach him someday.”
Indeed, once I felt safe, having diverged completely from the original story, I wanted to seek my father’s forgiveness.
I didn’t want to live like strangers for the rest of my life.
Cassius’ words seemed to melt away my anxiety.
I smiled naturally, not forced.
“Your Highness, you really seem like a priest.”
“That sounds like you haven’t considered me a priest. Then how do you see me?”
Cassius had not only a handsome face and great body, but a strange allure.
If he hadn’t been wearing priest robes, I might have had impure thoughts.
‘I can’t exactly say that.’
I quickly changed the topic.
“No, I mean you’re very good at counseling. I understand why you were popular as a counselor during your probation.”
Everyone who confided in him said their burdens felt lighter.
Thanks to Cassius, my heart also felt lighter.
Fearing he might probe further, I hurriedly changed the subject.
“By the way, my father is quite particular.”
“Then let’s prepare a gift that will satisfy him.”
It had been a while since I spoke to my father.
But Lancelot and my mother occasionally mentioned him in letters, so I had up-to-date information.
Recently, he had been obsessed with wine.
‘Even when I lived at the mansion, he liked drinking.’
He especially enjoyed wines that paired well with meat dishes.
“My father is a gourmet. Among them, he loves wines that go with meat dishes. Ordinary wines don’t suit him. He even visits vineyards to inspect ingredients and make reservations.”
“It would be perfect to give him a high-quality vineyard as a gift.”
“….”
“They also run a winery, and even nobles of the Holy Kingdom can barely taste it without a reservation. I’ve tasted it myself—it’s excellent wine.”
“Ah… so you plan to give him the vineyard’s wine?”
If Cassius owned the vineyard, he could get a bottle without reservations!
“No. I will give him the vineyard.”
I thought I misheard, so I asked again—but he really meant it.
I was genuinely shocked, mouth agape.
He laughed at my reaction, then pressed under my chin to close my mouth.
“I told you, I am a rich man.”
I already knew from the ball that he had prepared matching clothes and jewelry for the priests.
‘He really is beyond my imagination.’
“Besides, showing my true intentions like this will convince Count Theodor.”
In fact, our family had both wealth and power.
Ordinary gifts wouldn’t impress him, so he wanted something extraordinary.
‘Giving the vineyard will surprise Father.’
Even with all his wealth, giving the winery might genuinely shock him.
Thinking of my father’s startled reaction made me feel happy.
It was an extravagant gift, but with Cassius, perhaps Father would trust him with me.
“Has that eased your mind a little?”
Talking with him made me feel at ease.
I held his arm tightly and teased:
“Yes. More than enough.”
