Chapter 32

Chapter 32

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The capital’s temple was built in the place where the god Esteria sat. It was still full of the energy of the god, so the priests could only exert their full powers there.

Erdos, who understood the meaning of those words, immediately prepared to leave the castle.

In the late evening, a carriage carrying the emperor, the princess, and the high priest secretly left from the Esteria Imperial Castle.

Soon after, in the most secret place inside the temple made of white marble,  Rosiane’s body was laid on the high priest’s prayer altar.

There were also priests specializing in breaking curses that were quietly brought in through Zion.

As expected, from the moment they arrived at the temple, the strange power of the princess became a little thicker.

Ramanes became certain. She has divine power. But it is quite different from them.

‘I wonder if it’s because it’s not refined.’

He thought briefly. There was no time to delay.

“I’ll get started.”

Ramanes kneeled down and carefully grabbed Rosiane’s hand and put his forehead on the back of her hand.

Nearly ten priests also knelt down around the altar in a circle and held their two hands together. Erdos looked at Rosiane with a desperate heart.

It was dismal that this was the only way left because a cure could not be made within a week. Ramanes breathed out a short breath.

Even though he had remarkable divine power than the Pope, it would’ve been hopeless if he couldn’t even stay in the High Priesthood because he was young.

[tn– hopeless here is not like ‘no chances’ or despair, it means more like useless or inadequate (ex.) I’m hopeless at math.]

As he slowly breathed and removed something from his head, a strong light fell into the prayer room. Erdos frowned at the light that was so dazzling to the point that he couldn’t even open his eyes.

[tn– so the raws literally said “take his head off” which doesn’t make any sense at all so that was the nearest i could translate, probably took off his hood or smth]

However, the priests stared into the air with their eyes wide open. It was a blinding light, but they couldn’t close it.

Such a vivid pool of light only means one thing.

Right now, Their God has come to meet her.

* * *

My mind was hazy.

As I blinked slowly, I looked down at my feet and fluttered as if I was frightened. My body was floating above the air.

When I swiftly turned my head around, there were a lot of fluffy things like white clouds. If so, then this must be in a dream.

[tn–turn around as in look around w her head]

I carefully wandered through the air then spread out my hands and looked at it.

There were light pink stains all over her hands that wouldn’t even be noticed unless you looked closely. Is this the proof of being poisoned.

With a complicated mind, I flailed my arms and legs.

{Pfft.}

At that moment, there was a small echo in the air. What? When I looked around, all I could see was white and fluffy, there was nothing that could make a sound.

I wondered if I heard it wrong, I lied down again and flailed my arms.

{Pft.}

There was an echo again. I quickly raised my upper body and looked around then shouted.

“Who is it?”

Then, in an instant, my view completely changed. It was still the same place as before, but the difference was that I was sitting on a soft chair.

{Forgive me, child. It’s because you’re cute.}

There was someone opposite the chair I was sitting on. Looks like he was the owner of the sound.

Is it a woman, no, a man, with waist-long hair so white to the point that it looked transparent?

His facial features were vague, so I don’t know for sure but, in any case he was in the form of a human being.

“A ghost….?”

The person suddenly laughed wildly at my careful questioning. The sound of laughter echoed in the air, making my eardrums tingle.

{I see. Let’s just say you’re half right.}

A smile hung in the vaguely revealed mouth. What a strange dream.

{It’s not a dream, child.}

I didn’t say anything out loud, but I heard an answer.

I looked at him with startled eyes. If it’s not a dream then, just where is this place.

“Excuse me, what is your identity?”

At my wary eyes, the man tilted his head and stared at me. Then, his eyes, which were blurry as if they were hidden, became sparkling gems and stared at me.

Huh? Gem? Don’t tell me. Those eyes can only mean one thing.

{What you’re thinking is correct.}

“So, you….. are Esteria?”

I didn’t know what to call him, so I prolonged my words for a moment. He made a gesture once and then, a teacup appeared on the table. The scent of fragrant tea lingered at the tip of my nose.

Right, if it’s a dream I wouldn’t be able to smell it. Is it really?

{Drink.}

At the gentle invitation, I picked up the teacup in front of me. It was a tea that had a very strong taste.

He, who was savoring the tea, slowly opened his mouth.

{The humans indeed call me that.}

“If so then, really….”

{I am the first child of the god of beginning, Arke, and the god in charge of immortality.}

Gulp, the sound of my saliva falling from my throat was vivid in my ears.

“Such a person, why me….?”

[tn– she’s asking why the god is with her or if he wants sth from her, something like that.]

At my trembling voice, Esteria answered while propping his chin.

{‘We’ have been looking for you for a long time.}

We?

“What do you mean?”

Perhaps because I, who was on Earth, all of a sudden came into Rosiane’s body, so they were looking for me to send me back?

It was the most likely hypothesis, but Esteria shook his head.

{We’ve been looking for you longer than that.}

The way he speaks in a roundabout way is so frustrating. I like concise and definite answers, but I just don’t know what it is he wants to say that he called me in this place and talk as if he’s joking.

{Though eventually, your dead body threw up your soul again.}

When I tilted my head because I couldn’t understand his words, Esteria looked down at me quietly and opened his mouth.

{Yes, I should apologize to you first.}

“Apologize…?”

As expected, it was a mistake being brought—

[tn— being brought into Esteria or Rosiane’s body]

{Because I accidentally sent you there.}

At that moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“There…?”

{I’m talking about Earth.}

Thump. My heart ached and was thrown into an abyss.

If I didn’t hear it wrong right now, it sounds like this being, sent me to Earth by mistake.

{You were the child we had been waiting for. But your vitality was weak. We decided to keep your soul for a while until it strengthens.}

I held my breath and listened to what Esteria had to say.

{But we lost it in the middle.}

“Lost it……?”

{Yes. It was a big mistake.}

He said that it was the child they had been looking forward to, I had a thought that their handling was as good as dog sh*t. How could you lose that?

[tn– as in how they handled her soul]

More than that, there is something that bothers me a bit. I raised my hand and said.

“Wait. Other than that, isn’t this a world in a novel?”

This is definitely the world of the [Prince!] series that Ji-woo threw away. I still have vivid memories of reading that book, but if it’s as Esteria says, contradictions will be formed.

{Sometimes there are people who can see different worlds. That person saw the future without you, Rosiane, and wrote it down.}

People who can see different worlds? Somehow, I felt like I was losing my energy. I felt dizzy because of the complicated thoughts getting entangled.

“You’re saying….”

I was Rosiane from the beginning? I didn’t take her body away??

{That’s right, you have been Rosiane from the start.}

My hands trembled and I dropped the tea cup I was holding. The teacup floated before touching the floor and was placed on the table again.

Everything seemed slow, as if everything had stopped. What I was feeling was a sense of relief that was enough to softly melt my body away, and a vaguely rising anger.

“Then, so then what about my life on Earth?”

{Just in time, the soul was engraved on the body of a dead child.}

The god lightly said the cruel words that the life I believed to be real was fake, and that the life I lived for her and believed was fake was actually real.

[tn— lived for her* she meant the “real” Rosiane bc she thought Rosiane was someone else at first]

It felt like I was losing my footing and falling into an abyss.

Then, was my misfortune not mine from the beginning.

{Yes. It was a misfortune that you didn’t have to go through, if it wasn’t for our mistake.}

A misfortune that I didn’t have to go through? That miserable life, can it only be expressed by that much?

My 25 years of life, my deceased parents, my grandmother who tormented me.

{Humans are born with numerous bonds from birth. But it is only bound to people in the same world. It’s natural that you, who had no connection there, was rejected.}

“It’s…..natural?”

Being teased for growing up without parents, being verbally abused and assaulted by my grandmother, and being distanced from my friends can be dismissed with just the word ‘natural’….?

The fists that I had unknowingly clenched complained of the pain due to the nails digging in.

{Yes. That is the providence of the world.}

At those words, my mind went cold as if I had been hit with cold water. The pit of my stomach teemed with quiet anger.

Then what have I been living for.

“That’s a very convenient story. Pushing my life to the end of an abyss, and it was just because of a mistake, just because of providence?”

The cold voice was filled with anger. After ruining my life that could have been happy in the first place.

{That’s right.}

I was stunned, I couldn’t help but feign a smile. Unexpected information confused my head.

No, wait. I had no bonds?

“Wait, wait a minute, if that’s true then what about Ji-woo? I was friends with that child.”

{Ah. That child is indeed a little unique. You see, that child also has no bonds there.}

What….? I looked at Esteria with a perplexed gaze. The clear shining eyes reflected my distorted face as it was.

{I’ll gladly receive your resentment. Because losing you was our sin.}

“Ha, what are you going to do with the cheap resentment you receive?”

Even if I grab him by the collar and shake him and yell at him to return my everything and my life, nothing will change.

[tn— return* here could mean something like: return everything to the way it should be]

Of course, if I hit him about once on the cheek, I think I’ll feel a tiny bit better.

Esteria, who blankly looked at me who was trembling with anger, uttered meaningful words.

{If you want, I will help you fully live as Rosiane.}

“….How will you help me?”

When I asked, he said in a nonchalant tone, no, should I say it’s a tone pretending to be merciful.

{I can erase all your memories on Earth.}

I couldn’t help but snort. Just because it was a painful life, just because it was a life I wanted to escape from, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t my life.

{Why? You can just throw it all away. They’re memories that shouldn’t have existed anyway.}

Esteria, who read my thoughts, calmly said. It was very shameless to say, “You can just throw everything away”.

Saying that I could alter my life on Earth as if resetting a game character, was as cruel as saying that I had to go back to Earth again.