Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Becoming too honest.

translated and edited by rie <3proofread by eriBefore coming to Thienda, Evie had no last name. When she was a child, she was an orphan in the slums with no parents and home, let alone a surname. One day, she was asked by an astrologer wearing a deep hood.“Evie, what kind of person do you want to be in the future?”The child stared at the astrologer’s random question and then clicked her tongue.“Mister, what are you saying to a person whose nose is bleeding?”Evie said so, and the astrologer sitting on a shabby stool scowled. Not to mention that Evie was in tatters at the time, her nose dripping with blood. At best, the handkerchief lent by the astrologer was already soaked in blood.That day, the 12-year-old Evie got caught by a back street gang and was beaten harshly due to not paying debt. So when Evie grumbled with an uncomfortable face, the astrologer made a poor excuse.“When a man dies and comes back to life, he makes a new commitment.”“I’d rather go to hell.”“Our dear Evie is also cold today…”The astrologer sadly mumbled at Evie’s cold response. She frowned and sighed deeply in return.To say the least, the only one who treated Evie like a person in this dirty back alley was the astrologer. Although he neither tells his name nor shows his face, she didn’t even know why he set up a seat here when there was nothing. But she was always indebted to the astrologer, so Evie replied, pretending she couldn’t win.“I want to be a difficult person.”“A difficult person?”“Look at me. I’ve been like this since this morning. It’s because I’m an easy person. A push-over.”Evie spoke bitterly and looked down at her wounded hands.“I have no energy, no money. This is how I am. There’s nothing ‘difficult’ about me— except for my life, that is.”She looked up, tired of the shape of her insignificant hands.“So I want to be a person that others find difficult. Say, like the people in Thienda.”Evie said so while pointing to the sky. There was a massive continent floating in the air, guarded by several islands.Thienda. It was a land where noble and high-ranking people lived.Once upon a time, the sea covered the earth. When the destruction arrived in the form of a submersion, God showed mercy and scooped up the earth with both hands. Then, he ordered four dragons that resembled the sky to guard the land that floated in the air. And the two aerial continents created by God’s protection are the Thiendavis they now live in… the astrologer once taught her that…Among them, the continent of Thienda is the land that monopolizes sunlight from high places, while the Vis continent, where Evie lives, suffers from shadows and curses from low places.“Didn’t you say that? There are nobles living up there. I’ll go up there someday, you’ll see…”With a muddy hand, Evie reached for Thienda. Her thin fingertips were shabby, but her black eyes reflected between them sparkled like stars.“I’m going to become a very difficult person over there!”...Eight years have passed since her declaration.Evie, who came up to Thienda as she planned, and was even about to take the seat of a saint, was still deeply ashamed of her poor life.“Well, Ms. Evie. What’s your dream?”“World domination.”“Aside from that, do you have any other dreams you’d like to see come true?”“Becoming a saint and taking power.”“Then, what would you want to say to the Tower Master?”“Get out of my life, you wrecker! … Ah, what should I do?”After answering without hesitation, Evie pressed her palms to her forehead due to her remarks. Perhaps if it was the usual Evie, she would have answered like this when asked about her wishes, aspirations, and acquaintances:―For the world to be full of peace.―I want to be a saint and convey hope to people.―Dear Tower Master, thank you so much for guiding me.However, an unexpected event that began last night took the world away from her. Evie, whose black and secular true intentions were revealed, had to swallow her disillusionment for a long time.“You seem to have become too honest.”Then a shrill voice was heard nearby. The man who said so was wearing a butler’s tailcoat and had reddish brown hair. His name is Diez. He is Evie’s butler, who shared life and death with her. He immediately noticed Evie’s condition last night. She also confided in him about everything this morning and is now putting their heads together in order to find clues related to the curse.“You can’t hold back or change your words, right?”“Yes, my mouth moves on its own.”“Excuse me for a moment.”Diez lifted Evie’s chin with his gloved hand. Then he looked deeply into her black eyes and said,“So it is the curse of Noche after all.”“Noche, I haven’t heard of it in a long time…”Evie smiled with a cloudy face at the butler’s affirmation.Noche. It was one of the four dragons that guarded Thiendavis. But 300 years ago, Noche committed treason and lost his life to the other dragons. He continued to fight until the very end, eventually turning the divine protection he had been given into a curse that he then spread all over the world. That was how the curse of Noche began. It was the most threatening and malicious disaster in the world, which began 300 years ago.“Using the curse requires the cooperation of the Night Clan, and contacting them is dangerous even for the nobles. Is there anyone around you who would take such risks to curse you, Evie?”“Other saint candidates, aristocrats, or the men who confessed to me and got dumped.”“There are a lot of suspects.”“That’s great, I grew up with nothing so I like it.”Diez’ eyebrows curve downward at Evie’s nonsense. How can you be so aloof when you’re under an unidentified curse? Asked Diez, who was suspicious of it.“Are you alright?”“No, I’m just pretending to be okay. Actually, I cried all night.”There was a moment of silence.“Agh!”Diez shouted and released Evie’s chin. It was because Evie, whose chin he was holding, bit his thumb. When Diez looked at her in surprise, Evie smiled gracefully and warned him after she had bitten him.“Please refrain from asking unnecessary questions.”“Why are you taking it out on me when you’re bluffing?….”Diez murmured, shaking his tingling hands, but Evie sighed, pretending not to hear it.“I’m so upset, how could I be caught in such a curse…”“The basic principle of cursing is the realization of weakness. That means your weakness is the revelation of your true nature and your pretense.”“….Thank you very much for your kind explanation.”Evie softly laughed at the butler’s acrimonious reply. However, Diez added nonchalantly, as if he had no malicious intent.“To be under such a curse two months before the saint selection, the person who commissioned this curse seems to want to prevent you from becoming a saint.”“I’m sure of it.”Evie nodded helplessly at the butler’s guess. As Diez said, the next saint will be decided in two months. Therefore, the female candidates had to be careful and take care of themselves until then.But the previous day, as a result of the curse’s abrupt emergence, Evie caused a scene in front of the great nobility and ruined the banquet. Nothing could be said even if she was disqualified as a saint. As Evie touched her forehead again, recalling yesterday, Diez asked implicitly.“But why did you do that to Count Laurel?”“I didn’t do anything, and that damn bastard touched me first… No, Evie. Don’t be like this.”Evie grumbled unconsciously and quickly shook her head. Damn bastard, what a word to come out of the beautiful mouth of a saint candidate. Evie slapped a palm in her mouth and explained in a neat voice again.“…It was an accident. But if I have to determine what’s right and wrong, I think it’s Count Laurel who’s to blame.”Evie said so and looked far away. Then with a dim face, she remembered the events from yesterday....Yesterday, a wonderful minuet filled the banquet hall. The marble-cut space was brilliant, and the constantly replenishing drinks and food aroused the admiration of gourmets. In the lavish ballroom, lovely saint candidate Evie Ariathe was hauling a watery dress to greet people. Evie smiling with her eyes shining was very cute. However, it was only a well-made facade, and in fact, it was full of insidious calculations.‘There won’t be such a big banquet like this for a while. Let’s do our best today.’Evie, who is about to be chosen as a saint, was busy managing her reputation that day as well. The saint, a symbol of hope, was an honor bestowed to one of the best women who purifies water in the Tower of Managna. Thiendavis quickly runs out of water because the bottom of the continent is empty. Hence, the Tower of Managna periodically purifies seawater to prevent drought. At this time, it was the women who were blessed by God who purifies the water, and Evie was the most powerful among them. Therefore, everyone agrees that the next saint will be  Evie Ariathe, though the result has yet to be confirmed.‘In any case, the final decision will be made by the great nobles and saints of the previous generations.’No matter how talented you are, you cannot become a saint if the previous saints and the great nobility oppose it. Skills are ultimately just prerequisites for taking the test, and it is reputation and connections that determine a saint. Evie knew the ecology of Thienda very well, so she was walking around to win the favor of the nobles today.However, the exclamation from somewhere caught Evie’s ankle, which was moving smoothly.“Oh, my God, is that Count Laurel?”The banquet hall, which had been amicable with the fuss, was stirred up. The aristocrats who were having a noble conversation or savoring gourmet looked at one place in unison. So Evie followed them around and there she found a man surrounded by people.Then, without realizing it, she stopped breathing.He carried his brilliant blonde hair like a halo. His superior height and shoulders emanate incomparable elegance, and his beautiful face catches the eye even from afar. He was a man with an overwhelming presence as if he had ripped off a scene of the torch.‘That person is Count Laurel…’Evie repeated the man’s name without hiding her admiration. It was her first time seeing him in person, but Evie already knew quite a lot about him.Zion Laurel. The half-brother of Grand Duke Laurel and Commander-in-Chief in charge of the stability of Vis.It was the duty of Grand Duke Laurel to rule over Thiendavis, and the duty to protect the subcontinent Vis was given to the second son of the Laurel Family. Therefore, as a seventeen-year-old, Grand Duke Laurel’s brother, Zion Laurel, was given the title Count and went down to the continent as Commander-in-Chief to watch over Vis.He then carried out his duties perfectly and never returned to Thienda again. Even during important seasons and regular vacations, he stayed in Vis. And no matter how much his brother, Grand Duke Laurel, called him, it was all the same.But today, seven years later, the Count broke the long silence and returned to Thienda. What kind of wind blew, I wonder.Today’s meeting was a welcoming party organized by Grand Duke Laurel to welcome the Count.‘I heard you were great, but you really do have it all.’Evie looked at the Count and nodded unconsciously.The world is full of absurdities, as expected. He was born as a great noble, has excellent ability, and a handsome face. Evie thought so and looked at the rapidly changing atmosphere of the banquet hall. Earlier, this was a social hall where nobles showed off their friendship, but now everyone was obsessed with the Count.Prominent nobles twisted around and tried to talk to the Count, while relatively low-ranking nobles could not even approach him and only rolled their feet. And at the center of it, Count Zion Laurel was coldly distancing himself from the people without even realizing that he was the main character of the banquet.‘He doesn’t seem to be very sociable.’Evie, who thought that this was his flaw, realized that it isn’t and swallowed a laugh. It isn’t a flaw but a privilege.Anyway, with the advent of that tycoon, Evie had no choice but to take a break from her work. Even if you approach the nobles now, they’ll get irritated, and if you dare to approach the Count, you will be criticized by the nobles who flocked over him first. So Evie decided to slip away, but the situation surprisingly dragged her in the opposite direction.That was when the Count’s gaze fell on Evie without any warning. The count, who found Evie among the people, looked at her as it was.No, he was glaring.As if he had been looking for her, wanting to eat her alive.