Chapter 27

That feeling—Chris couldn’t define it.

He took Rosériel ’s hand and, as he always did, conveyed the prophecy exactly as he received it.

“Your prophecy is…”

Usually, those who hear their prophecy fall into one of two categories: They rejoice as if the world is theirs, or they despair as though the ground beneath them has crumbled.

But Rosériel …

“Thank you!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

“…?”

“Can I go now?”

That was it. Her demeanor was fresh—clean and simple. Almost shockingly so.

Chris narrowed his eyes and watched as she opened and closed the hand he had just held.

‘Strange. It’s like… she heard something she already knew.’

He would’ve suspected she had already been told the prophecy by her parents— But the nervous energy from everyone around her ruled that out.

Then, her gaze lifted and met his.

“High Priest.”

For a brief moment, her eyes had seemed cold—like ice. But just as quickly, they melted into something sweet—like sugar.

“Then I’ll leave my sister in your care, High Priest!”

“I always give my utmost when it comes to prophecies. You need not worry.”

“I’ll go fetch her now!”

The door shut. A short moment passed.

And then it opened again.

Chris lifted his gaze.

‘The treasure… that the previous High Priest once coveted.’

His eyes began to stir with curiosity, with interest—

Then they locked with hers.

In that moment, something happened.

Chris felt a shock he couldn’t describe. So strong he forgot how to breathe.

And it wasn’t from the prophecy. Nor from sensing any special power.

The moment their eyes met—

His heart lurched violently.

‘What… is this?’

Thump-thump—

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Watching the trembling legs with clear displeasure, Lyra let out a deep sigh.

In that instant, Duke Sears von Hillington, who had been focused intently, waiting for news, widened his eyes.

“What?”

“Could Your Grace please stop shaking your leg? You’ve been doing it non-stop.”

Sears furrowed his brows but ignored Lyra’s request.

 Instead, he brought up what was on his mind.

“Lyra, what do you think? You’ve always watched over that child. You may know her even better than I do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…”

Sears hesitated before asking in a low, gloomy voice:

“Hil’s prophecy… do you think she’ll see it as ominous? How do you think she’ll react? If… if she loses hope, I wouldn’t know what to say. I can’t believe I’ve become such a coward…”

<There is no predetermined fate.>

Duke Hillington had always lived with unwavering principle.

He didn’t care what other nobles whispered behind his back or what nasty rumors circulated. Such things never mattered to him.

“The Hilldea I know is strong,” Lyra said. “The real question is what the High Priest will do.”

“You think he’ll try something?”

“It’s possible he shares the same ideals as the previous High Priest. The inside of the Temple is shrouded—we know very little about Chris.”

What mattered most was how Hildea herself would take it.

“The priests always say there’s no such thing as a ‘bad prophecy.’ But then, the former High Priest kidnapped the young lady under that very excuse.”

Sears ground his teeth.

“Yes… That’s right.”

Because of that, Elizabeth had passed away—having hardly been able to even hold her children properly—worn down by pain, grief, and despair.

“If the current High Priest is the same kind of man, he’ll fill her ears with nonsense. But if he’s different, he’ll offer advice as it is.”

If it turned out to be the former, once again, Hillington and the Temple would stand at odds.

“If you were that worried, you should have said something earlier.”

At Lyra’s rebuke, Sears pressed his fingers to his forehead in frustration.

Even now, he felt pathetic. Had he been putting off this moment all along?

He should have spoken with Hildea privately—told her the truth of the prophecy beforehand—and told her, plainly, You are not a cursed child, despite what others who know nothing might whisper.

But would Hildea have believed him?

Wouldn’t she have only grown more suspicious?

“Lyra, do you think….you can get rid of that facial expression?”

Lyra, still wearing her characteristic neutral expression, furrowed her brows ever so slightly.

“Of course not. It doesn’t just wear off like that.”

“And yet… I saw you smile when you looked at Rose.”

Lyra momentarily held her breath. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Me? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken, Your Grace?”

“Yes. Occasionally. You and even Sien, too.”

She looked as if she were thinking deeply.

“Perhaps—it’s not certain—but perhaps, Lady Rose’s special ability… has a strong charm that makes people naturally feel fond of her. That might have affected us.”

“Then, what do you think about getting rid of that facial expression entirely?”

There was a moment of cold silence.

Lira looked at the duke with eyes filled with complexity, like someone suddenly faced with a very difficult question.

“What would be the point in that?”

“Why wouldn’t there be a point?”

“I’ve always cared for the young ladies with sincerity. Both Lady Hildea and Lady Rose… I believe they understand my heart.”

Sears let out a bitter chuckle.

“People always believe what they can see the most. I worry that, being too rigid, I might have unknowingly hurt them… both of them.”

Lyra’s expression stiffened.

“Don’t you think you might have done the same? If you showed that expression—only to Rose, now and then…”

“…”

“What about Hildea?”

She fiddled with her fingers for a while. Then, as if hesitating, she whispered softly,

“If I… smile naturally, do you think the young ladies will like it?”

Her voice lacked confidence.

Sears had no answer—because he, too, had lost confidence when it came to his daughters.

“For now… let’s hope Hildea comes out smiling after hearing her prophecy.”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

The man called the High Priest was a character who didn’t even appear in the original novel.

He was only briefly mentioned as someone who recited prophecies, so I knew nothing about him.

And the moment I got a good look at his face, I was utterly shocked. Why?

‘I’ve never seen someone this pretty before.’

Even though it was clear he was an adult man, the first words that came to mind were beautiful, gorgeous.

His hair, flowing so long it almost brushed the floor, was similar in color to mine, but looked far more graceful and silky.

‘He’s prettier than most actors from my previous life.’

With flawless white skin and features more dazzling than a woman’s, he stared at me intently. The expression on his face was a far cry from the gentle smile he wore earlier.

What is this? Don’t tell me… the High Priest dislikes me too?

If so, even someone like me, used to this kind of situation, might actually feel a bit down.

“Welcome.”

He looked at me with what seemed like reluctance, but suddenly opened his mouth..

“Hildea, correct?”

Well, of course. It’s not like I’m Rosériel.

As I blinked in confusion, he continued speaking without waiting for my reply. His lips were strikingly red.

“Do you wish to hear your prophecy right away? If you don’t want to hear it now, we can postpone it, Hildea.”

Is it normal for him to ask something like that? I instinctively started to nod… then paused for a moment.

Even if I didn’t hear it here, the prophecy could leak out elsewhere or be publicly announced at the debutante ball.

It would be better to hear it here first.

I knew that. Still…

“You’re… kind.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re kind. You’re giving me a chance to run away, aren’t you? You must’ve heard the rumors about me.”

“…”

His gaze earlier seemed filled with concern, but now his eyebrows rose slightly, as if he was caught off guard.

“But I don’t want to run away.”

I approached the High Priest, sat in the chair, took a deep breath, and held out my hand.

“Please, tell me. I’ll hear it here.”

“How unexpected.”

What’s unexpected?

For some reason, Chris’ slightly lowered eyelashes trembled faintly. Then, with elegance, he continued speaking.

“There is no such thing as a bad prophecy. Because the gods love humankind.”

“….”

There is no bad prophecy. It was something no one had ever said to me before.

Of course, it was a phrase I had read in books, but this was the first time someone had actually said it out loud.

My chest warmed, and my lips softened without me realizing. I found a small bit of courage and reached my hand forward once more.

“I’ll listen. Please tell me, High Priest.”

“You can call me Chris.”

His eyes looked gentler now than they had a moment ago.

Is it because he’s not a character from the original story?

I also felt myself relaxing more than before and nodded.

“…Yes, Chris.”

“Alright then.”

Our hands entwined. His long, graceful fingers slowly slipped between mine like ivy vines curling around branches.

A brief moment passed.

It tickled a little—my hand, that is—but I worried moving might make things feel awkward.

I bit my lip and stared at him when he spoke.

“Your prophecy is: There is no predetermined fate.”

At those slowly spoken words, my mind went blank for a moment.

I had imagined even the worst possible prophecies. I had also clung to hopeful thoughts—maybe, since my ability was healing, it would be something related to that.

But that… that was something I had never even considered.

‘No fate..?’

Could it possibly mean that I’m a character who wasn’t originally part of the novel?

If so, does it mean I don’t have a destined place in this world…

“That’s not it.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but… I don’t believe it’s that.”

Looking at his very serious and beautiful face, I thought to myself—Chris, the High Priest, is truly a kind person.

The tangled thoughts that had been spiraling out in my mind came to a sudden halt, as if his gentle voice had pressed pause on them like magic.

Looking at that sincerely beautiful face, I thought: Chris, the High Priest, is really a kind person.

The complex thoughts that had been spiraling in all directions stopped—as if his gentle voice had quieted them like a lie.

I recalled the prophecies of the original characters I knew. There was definitely something curious about them.

“You will bloom brilliantly.” “Nothing shall pierce you.” “You shall stand at the highest place.”

Those kinds of prophecies made it easy to guess what kind of powerful abilities a person would be born with. Then, what about mine?

“Hildea.”

Softly, like soothing a child, Chris gently patted the back of the hand he was still holding 

But I tilted my head slightly. Huh? Just now… it felt like his hand was trembling?

“Yes, Chris.”

When I said his name, he smiled, his eyes gently curving as if to say, Well done.

Maybe I’d just imagined it. Why would his hand be shaking?

As I looked at him closely, he spoke like a patient teacher guiding a late-blooming child.

“Just think about what the words mean. The choice will always be yours alone.”

He was such a comforting person. I felt an inexplicable warmth settling into my heart.

“You’re trying to comfort me, aren’t you?”

“Com…fort? Me?”

“Yes, because you’re saying only kind things to me right now.”

Usually, when dealing with people, it felt like my facial muscles froze up. But somehow, my eyes softened and my lips weren’t tense now.

He was… truly a kind person.

“I’ll try thinking about it just as the words say.”

“…Good, Hildea. Ah—may I call you by your name too?”

I had been worried—What if it’s a cold, terrifying moment like being trapped in a frozen well? But it hadn’t been scary at all. It had been warm.

And I think that was all thanks to this priest standing before me. So I expressed my gratitude with sincerity and manners.

“If we meet again, please feel free to call me by my name.”

Though I wasn’t sure if we would meet again. Still, I meant every word.