TSHLWTL Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Abigail Frongs, the (unofficial) heir to the highly reputable Puncus Trading Company within the empire, was currently excited.

She sat next to Catherine, trying her best to suppress the grin that kept creeping up on her lips.

‘Finally…! I finally met her!’

The truth was that Abigail had been waiting for this day. She had wanted to meet Catherine for so long.

At some point, Catherine stopped attending parties and tea gatherings.

Though Catherine never noticed, Abigail had always made sure to “coincidentally” run into her whenever she went out.

‘…Abigail? What are you doing here?’

‘Haha, what a coincidence. I had business here too.’

But lately, since Catherine had barely gone out, Abigail had no excuse to meet her.

She had even sent letters, but as expected, they never reached Catherine.

Judging from Catherine’s reaction today, she had no idea those letters even existed.

Abigail was sure—Catherine’s mother, Lady Rachel, must have intercepted and discarded them all.

Even though the Frongs family held the title of baron, they had originally started from a small shop and rapidly gained wealth.

To Lady Rachel, a noble to her core, the Frongs family was nothing more than upstart merchants.

She looked down on them and made it clear that they were not on the same level.

She especially disliked Abigail lingering around Catherine.

“You shouldn’t associate with bourgeois girls like her. What does money matter? Their roots are still commoners. They are not suitable for you, Catherine.”

“But Abigail… She’s a good person, Mother.”

“Don’t argue. You’ll listen to your mother, won’t you, Catherine?”

As these memories came to mind, Abigail sneaked a glance at Catherine’s face.

If she had to describe her first impression of Catherine, she was simply breathtakingly beautiful.

So much so that it left one speechless.

Her waist-length curls shimmered like liquid platinum, as if someone had stolen the sun’s light and melted it into her hair.

Her skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, with a soft pink blush on her cheeks, like a shy strawberry.

Her pure blue eyes resembled the clear winter sky, sparkling like glass beads as if they captured tiny fragments of light.

Despite her youthful, cherubic face, her slightly upturned eyes gave her a refined yet endearing look—like a proud yet adorable kitten.

And there she sat, as elegant and aloof as ever, looking just like a little aristocratic kitten.

Abigail found it almost ridiculous how overwhelmingly charming she was.

Because the truth was—that Abigail Frongs was Catherine Valentine’s No.1 (secret) fan.

“Catherine, your dress looks amazing today!”

The light blue dress Catherine wore matched her sparkling platinum hair perfectly, making her look like a little fairy.

“Huh? T-Thank you. You look pretty too. It suits you well.”

Caught off guard by the sudden compliment, Catherine blushed slightly before quickly masking her embarrassment with a calm tone.

Abigail adored that about her—Catherine was terrible at hiding her emotions.

She had a natural charm that captivated people.

Even now, many around them were sneaking glances at her, mesmerized.

Of course, Catherine, as oblivious as ever, either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care.

“Ugh, what is it this time? Did she cause trouble again? Why are you staring at the princess like that?”

Abigail deliberately brought up Eleanor. As frustrating as it was, Catherine always reacted to that name.

“W-What?! I wasn’t staring! I was just… observing.”

As expected, Catherine denied it immediately.

“Liar! She probably put on her fake, sweet act again in front of you, didn’t she?! Why are you so quiet today? Normally, you’d be right in the middle of all that!”

“I told you, it’s nothing! I’m just a little tired today. It has nothing to do with Eleanor—uh, I mean, my sister!”

“Ugh! Stop calling her ‘sister’ like you two are close!”

‘Why does this feel like a conversation between exes? Like, am I her jealous ex-boyfriend or something…?’

Seeing Abigail’s jealous glare, Catherine rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

‘Seriously, what’s with this girl? She’s impossible to figure out.’

“Catherine, are you even listening to me?”

“Mm-hmm, keep going.”

Abigail had so much to say, and Catherine was only half-listening as she rambled on.

Then, suddenly, someone approached them.

For a moment, Catherine hoped it was Alex, the person she had been waiting for.

But when she looked up, it was an unfamiliar woman.

Her first thought was, ‘She’s dazzling.’

From head to toe, she was completely white—so pale it was almost unreal.

Yet, her eyes were a striking shade of gold, making her look anything but ordinary.

For some reason, Catherine thought, ‘She would make a perfect saint.’

‘She has the whole holy maiden aesthetic going on… wait, is she Ariana?! The villain?!’

Catherine had a bad feeling.

“Oh my, you must be Lady Frongs.”

“Ah, you must be Saintess Ariana. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Abigail immediately recognized her and stood up, politely greeting her.

‘What?! Ariana?!’

So Catherine’s guess was right—this was that Ariana.

Since she had never seen her in person before, she didn’t recognize her at first.

Quickly, she got up and greeted her as well.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saintess.”

Ariana smiled gently.

“Oh, please, just call me Ariana. We’re the same age, after all. And I’m not a saint yet—just a candidate.”

“Haha, what are you saying? You’re the brightest future saint of the empire!”

As Abigail and Ariana exchanged pleasantries, Catherine recalled the original novel’s plot.

Ariana, the Saintess Candidate.

She was a devout believer living in the Theos Temple and the strongest saintess candidate in the empire.

There were many rumors about her, but the most famous one was that the Pope had personally traveled to a small unknown village to bring her back after discovering her incredible divine power.

With her extraordinary abilities, kind nature, and unwavering faith, people naturally adored her, believing she was destined to be the empire’s future saint.

But in reality, that wouldn’t happen.

Because soon, another, even stronger saintess candidate would appear.

The true protagonist of this world—Eleanor.

At the age of 20, Eleanor would awaken her divine power, and that’s when everything would change.

Ariana, once seen as the chosen saintess, would become Eleanor’s ultimate rival and one of the main villains of the story.

She was the classic hidden mastermind type.

In the original story, Ariana befriended Catherine and manipulated her into targeting Eleanor, making Catherine take all the blame while she pulled the strings from behind the scenes.

Just then, Ariana looked between Catherine and Abigail with a warm smile.

“You two seem very close.”

“Haha, do we? Well, we are quite, very, extremely close!”

Abigail grinned proudly.

Ariana’s golden eyes shimmered as she let out a small sigh.

“I’ve lived in the temple my whole life, so I’ve never had close friends my age… Seeing you two makes me envious.”

Her eyes became glossy as if she were on the verge of tears.

Her golden eyes, tinted with sorrow, made her look pitiful, almost guilt-inducing to anyone watching.

“Ah, well, in that case—”

Catherine was about to invite her to join them when—

“There are plenty of girls your age at the temple, aren’t there?”

Abigail cut in with a sweet smile.