Chapter 13
‘Even if this is a fantasy world, there’s no way fairies exist.’
Looking closer, the man was kneeling in front of the goddess’s statue, praying.
That meant he had been here before me.
The moment I realized that, my mind froze. But I quickly stood up, put on my shoes, and fixed my dress.
As if nothing had happened.
Then I politely pretended to be a proper lady.
“I didn’t realize someone was here. Please continue.”
“No. I cannot take up the space meant for prayer to Lady Hesna alone.”
‘I wasn’t exactly praying… actually, I was.’
Since I had been praying too, it was understandable that he misunderstood.
Still, I wasn’t religious. In fact, I disliked gods and religion.
It felt right for me to step aside.
Besides, if someone was crying while praying in front of the goddess statue, they probably carried a heavy story.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve already finished praying. I don’t know why you’re crying, but I hope things get better for you.”
“Then please, at least tell me your name, my lady!”
“…My lady?”
That overly polite title gave me goosebumps.
The man wiped his tears and looked at me with clear eyes.
“I am Gideon, head of the House of Calvahes.”
‘…Gideon Calvahes?’
I searched my memory.
Then I remembered.
Perion had one longtime friend in the novel—his name was Gideon.
Realizing this man was a character from the story made me interested.
He was only a supporting character, yet he was this handsome.
‘Are all dukes handsome?’
Then I remembered Duke Bordi.
‘…Maybe not all of them.’
Still, Gideon crying and praying in the temple…
Suddenly, something came to mind, and I asked him directly.
“Your Grace, you recently lost someone important, didn’t you?”
“How… did you know that?”
Gideon didn’t appear in the early part of the novel.
He appeared in the middle—after losing his younger sister in a carriage accident.
Overwhelmed with grief, he abandoned his duties and disappeared.
Perion later dragged him back because he needed him to suppress a rebellion.
On the battlefield, Gideon displayed strength equal to Perion’s. But near the end of the fight, his trauma resurfaced, and he left the battlefield.
After that, the imperial army lost momentum, and Perion was ultimately defeated.
He was an important figure.
But technically, it wasn’t his time to appear yet.
So right now, Gideon must be spending his days drowning in tears.
Thinking that way made my chest ache.
Without revealing that I was a seer, I answered carefully.
“I just happen to see and hear many things.”
Gideon tilted his head slightly but nodded.
He probably thought I was simply a well-connected noble lady.
As I prepared to leave, I noticed his appearance.
His eyes were swollen and raw from days of crying. Dark circles hung beneath them.
I wondered if I was meddling—but seeing someone grieving for family stirred something inside me.
‘It reminds me of the past.’
I stepped closer and gestured for him to lean in.
After a moment’s hesitation, he did.
“I told you I see and hear many things, right? It’s just… not in the way you might think.”
Gideon looked confused but nodded quietly.
“Your sister says she went to a good place. She says you know better than anyone how kindly she lived. So don’t worry, and please take care of your own life.”
“Ah…”
The novel never described how his sister lived.
But seeing how much he grieved—and how even Perion tolerated his absence—it was clear he loved her deeply.
Even a kind person wouldn’t love a bad sibling this much.
And in the novel, Gideon was portrayed as extremely good-hearted. His sister was unlikely to have grown up badly.
And often—
The kindest people are the ones who leave too early.
Tears filled Gideon’s eyes again.
Then I told him the words I had once desperately wanted to hear as a child.
“She says it was never your fault. Not even a little.”
As I said that, my own chest tightened.
But if I cried here, I would look strange. So I forced a bright smile.
Gideon lowered his head and tears streamed down his face.
Words poured out of him.
“I kept thinking it was all my fault. If I hadn’t suggested the trip… If I had recommended a different region… I kept blaming myself. I couldn’t stop regretting it.”
I handed him my handkerchief as he cried quietly.
‘Benji insisted that a proper outing must include a handkerchief. Good thing I listened.’
I stayed beside him until his sobbing slowed.
Watching him cry reminded me of my past life.
It started when I was four.
My younger brother, Suhwan, was born—and my father died.
That was when my mother began to fall into religion.
She was easily influenced. She believed in every religion—Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, even Hinduism.
But back then, it was fine.
No matter what she believed, she still loved us.
At first, it was fine.
Then when I turned seven and Suhwan was four, she fell into a cult.
After that day, she completely changed.
She broke our savings because she said we had to offer money to the ancestral spirit.
Another day, she said a fortune teller told her our house was cursed and sold our belongings to pay for rituals.
As she became busier with religion, Suhwan and I were left home alone more and more often.
We cooked for each other.
We cleaned the house, which had fewer and fewer pieces of furniture.
“Unni, when is Mom coming back?”
“…Mom says she received an important calling from God and needs to earn money. So we have to eat well and sleep well by ourselves, okay?”
“I can do it!”
Thankfully, even at a young age, Suhwan listened to me well.
We relied on each other to survive.
I didn’t understand why believing in God required so much money—but she was our mother, so I believed her.
Even as our lives grew poorer, I thought maybe it was okay if she was happy.
But she didn’t grow calmer through faith.
She became more anxious, more restless.
After I turned seven, I never saw her smile peacefully again.
Then, the day before I turned eight, she wore a rare, peaceful expression and told us we would eat out.
Suhwan was excited and quickly got dressed. I was thrilled too—it had been so long.
“I’m going to eat a hundred bowls today!”
“Alright, eat as much as you want. You too, Miyeon.”
At the family restaurant, we ate until we were bursting.
We even had ice cream and brownies—things she usually refused.
She smiled, watching us eat happily.
So I thought—
Maybe the god she believed in had finally blessed us.
After dinner, in the car ride home, Suhwan and I fell asleep, too full to stay awake.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed, my body torn and bruised.
I was the only one who survived that car.
