CH 70

The trembling hand of the enraged Count Helias held the parchment. The oath document he held in his hand shook as a result of his anger.

Riett, who opened her eyes fiercely, spoke firmly, her eyes narrowed.

“Using informal language. Please watch your words. I let it slide yesterday, but it seems difficult to tolerate your behavior any longer.”

“W-What do you mean, young one?”

In the end, Count Helias, unable to control his anger, grabbed Riett’s shoulder.

In an instant, Riett widened her eyes in surprise. It wasn’t because of his violent actions. It was because he accidentally let go of the surrender oath document of Cork Island, which he was holding in his hand.

‘This fool…!’

The surrender document flew away in the wind.

The oath document, bearing the seal of the Haren Empire, must be kept at all times in case the Haren Empire changes its stance.

“No!”

Riett pushed the Count, who had grabbed her shoulder, and hurriedly ran towards where the oath document was flying.

“Ah…!”

Count Helias, who belatedly noticed the paper flying from his hand, looked up at the sky in dismay.

The surrender document was heading toward a large pond near the palace.

‘Please, wind…!’

Help just once!

However, no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t catch up to the wind. Riett looked at the paper flying high in the sky with desperate eyes.

That’s when it happened.

Whoooosh!

The wind swept through the calm sky without a single cloud. The sand rose from the ground, and Riett closed her eyes tightly.

‘It’s over.’

Since the wind was blowing so fiercely, the paper must have flown far away…

“Huh…?”

Why is the paper falling in front of her?

The oath document, which gently landed on the ground under Riett’s feet, was undamaged despite the gust of wind.

Riett slowly picked up the paper.

‘What is this…? Is it a coincidence?’

At that moment, Count Helias ran towards her, waving his mustache. He looked exhausted.

“How did you…get this paper?”

“You fool!”

Riett grabbed his arrogant finger, and Count Helias was taken aback.

“W-What is this…? Ah, ah! Let go!”

When Riett slightly twisted his finger, Count Helias writhed in pain.

“You useless hand.”

“Ah, ah…!”

“Don’t use it to grab someone’s shoulder or point your finger. Use it to hold onto the oath document.”

With a thud, Riett released Count Helias’ finger, which she had been holding.

“How dare you do this to me, a minister…”

Count Helias tucked his injured finger into his chest and glared at Riett.

“I’m going to have to give you a tongue-lashing this time.”

“Humph……!”

The sight of the Count hurriedly sealing his lips in haste amused Riett, who had to control her rising smirk.

Riett stared at the Count silently.

“Minister.”

“…”

“I’ve been patient so far, but it would be wise for you to be cautious with your words and actions from now on. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t hold back and returns what I receive.”

The Count, with his fiery red eyes that seemed to be blazing, couldn’t utter a single retort. He instinctively knew that if he said another word, those red eyes would consume him.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Oh, by the way, as Riett was about to leave, she handed a piece of paper to the Count.

“Take care not to lose the oath document. Keep it safe.”

Can he handle that?

Riett gave him a charming smile and walked away.

* * *

When Riett returned home that day, she pondered over the mysterious events she had experienced.

‘Hmm… It feels like something like this has happened before.’

Lost in her thoughts, Riett suddenly clapped her hands together. Ah, the day she encountered a man-eating bear and stood on the brink of death! It felt exactly like this.

At first, she thought she had unknowingly used magic. However, when she tested it with the magical stone the old man had given her, she realized that she had no magical power and couldn’t use magic.

And upon further reflection, it was clear that it felt different from magic. Magic was activated by one’s power, but the supernatural phenomenon Riett experienced felt as if…

‘It was as if an invisible being was helping me.’

However, the problem was that she couldn’t grasp what that presence was.

Riett looked up at the darkened night sky and quickly surveyed her surroundings.

‘Could it be… a ghost following me?’

For a moment, she felt a shiver down her spine, but soon she shook off the fear and raised her head. If it was a benevolent ghost that appeared to help her in times of crisis, then she welcomed its presence.

Why else would there be sayings about ancestral spirits protecting households? Perhaps her distant ancestor from the original work was following her and assisting.

‘But it should definitely avoid meeting someone like Evan.’

Riett chuckled to herself, lost in her thoughts.

Then, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘Is the story unfolding exactly as in the original?’

She had acted quite differently from the original Riett, so it wouldn’t be a perfect match. However, she had always believed that the major storyline would remain unchanged.

But now, she wasn’t so sure.

‘In the original, the female protagonist was a saint, so the presence of divine power and the existence of a shrine were depicted as very important to ordinary people… But now…’

It was merely mentioned occasionally in people’s conversations. The only fortunate thing was that news had recently arrived about the appointment of a saint at the Aplen Temple.

The rumored saint was none other than Marys, the female protagonist from the original work. In a few years, she would meet Evan, and that’s when the story from the original work would truly unfold.

Thinking about it, Riett felt a strange sensation.

She had spent so much time together with that guy, and now that she had grown up and it was time to meet the female protagonist…

Riett lay down on her bed without delving too deep into her thoughts.

As the springs of the bed moved elastically, her red hair swayed along with it.

‘Enough thinking, maybe it’s time to sleep.’

She thought she wasn’t tense, but as soon as she arrived home, her stiff body relaxed, and her eyes slowly began to close.

Riett buried her face in the soft pillow. 

Soon, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Riett found herself standing alone in a vast meadow. The mountain breeze blew, causing the blue grass beneath her feet to sway gently.

‘Where am I?’

Was she still dreaming? It was unlikely that someone had moved her to such a place while she was asleep.

Riett looked around, but there was no clue to be found in the vast plain.

If something absurd were to pop out, it would definitely be a dream.

Whoooosh! Just as she had the terrifying thought, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the clear sky. Her red hair fluttered in all directions, and caught off guard by the strong wind, Riett instinctively closed her eyes.

When the wind subsided and she opened her eyes again…

“Nice to meet you, Riett.”

A mysterious man stood before her.

Riett instinctively sensed that the man in front of her was a transcendent being. No ordinary person could appear out of thin air in the blink of an eye.

‘He looks… somewhat ordinary.’

At first glance, the man had the appearance of an ordinary person with brown hair and brown eyes, the most common traits in the Truto Empire. If he had a name, it would probably be something like Tom, giving off a similar vibe to a Korean name like Chul-soo.

“Who are you?” 

Riett asked in a formal tone.

“I am the deity who governs this world.”

“Excuse me…?”

While she had considered him to be a transcendent being, she didn’t expect him to be a real deity.

Come to think of it, there was only one deity in this world.

“So, you are Aplen?”

Aplen was the deity that the female protagonist in the original story served.

“No, Aplen is just one of my many children.”

What does that mean? Is he just randomly talking about dreams?

“This isn’t a dream. It’s a space I created temporarily.”

Surprised by the fact that he could read her thoughts, Riett glanced around suspiciously.

While she could feel the wind brushing against her cheeks and the sensation of the grass beneath her feet, she still had no idea where she was and couldn’t fully trust the words of this man claiming to be a deity.

“Why have you appeared before me?” 

“I was curious, so I called for you.” 

The man replied with a sly smile.

“What for?”

“Do you think this world is just a story?”

Riett furrowed her brows at the unexpected question. No one had ever asked her that before.

Well, to be more accurate, no one could ask that question. The people around her were unaware that this world was a fictional setting.

“Of course. This is the world from a romance novel I read before I died.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well… The contents of the book match the events, characters, and place names here.”

Upon Riett’s response, the man seemed to be contemplating something before he turned around and started walking somewhere.

“Follow me.”

On a side note, despite his youthful face, his manner of speech and actions made him seem quite old.

The place where they arrived, following the man, was a steep and massive cliff with a waterfall roaring down with tremendous force. As the man raised his hand and gestured lightly, the waterfall instantly parted like a curtain, revealing an inner space.

‘Is he really a deity?’

Amazed by the magical situation, Riett followed the man into the interior of the cliff.

Once inside, a vast space unfolded that could make one’s jaw drop.

“This is…”

“It’s a universe with countless worlds.”

The space with sparkling objects scattered against a black background resembled the image of the universe that Riett was familiar with.

“The world you fell into is not just a world inside a book but a completely separate world.”

“What do you mean?”

Riett’s pupils trembled slightly.

Until now, Riett believed that the real world was the one she lived in her past life, and this place was a world from a novel.

“Because of you, who accidentally crossed over from another world, the flow of the world you are currently in will continue to change.”

“The flow of this world…”

“It has already changed a lot.”

At those words, Riett raised her head abruptly. The man was looking at Riett with a slight smile.

“You probably sensed it vaguely too.”

Pinpointing exactly what Riett had been thinking right before going to bed, she couldn’t help but trust the man’s words.

“Moreover, one of my sons has taken quite a liking to you.”

“A son…?”

He’s called a god, but does he also have human children?

Riett doesn’t have any close male friends. It couldn’t be Evan either.

“He’s a timid fellow, so he sometimes helps you without revealing his true form, but when the time comes, he’ll show himself to you.”

Unable to comprehend the incomprehensible story, Riett became more and more confused.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out as if the ground was shaking.

“Miss, wake up! The sun is already at its zenith.”

Natasha’s worried voice came from above the sky.

Oh, was she tired yesterday? Why can’t she wake up properly like this?

“Well, it’s time for us to part ways, Riett. Go back to reality.”

“Tom… No, God. What will happen to me from now on?”

“I cannot tell you. However, I hope you will continue to maintain that straight and strong heart of yours.”

The man waved his hand with a benevolent face. Soon, Riett disappeared without a trace from the mystical space.

As Riett disappeared, the corners of the man’s mouth, which had been raised, slowly drooped. Looking at the blue sky, the man murmured.

“There will be many hardships and trials ahead, but I believe you will handle them well.”