Chapter 1.1
The most peaceful period since the founding of the Agzent Empire.
One hundred years have passed since the temple fell and the Agzent imperial family seized complete power.
The Agzent Imperial Family cruelly persecuted the temple, and the result was its downfall. The Pope and Saintess who led the temple were all dragged to the guillotine.The same was true for those born into the ‘Divine Clan,’ whose calling was to interpret and convey the Goddess’s oracle. The imperial family annihilated anyone of the Divine Clan, regardless of age or gender.
“From this moment on, no religion will be tolerated in the Agzent Empire. All power shall belong solely to the Agzent Imperial Family!”
Emperor Ian Agzent, the 7th Emperor of Agzent, declared this before the people of the empire, and it became Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the current imperial law.
The war between the imperial family and the temple thus came to an end.
All traces of the temple were eradicated from the empire, and anyone who spoke about or showed interest in the temple was punished for treason. Even imperial family members were no exception, so no one dared to defy the imperial decree.
Thus, the temple and the divine bloodline were erased from people’s memories. Now, it was difficult to find any record of them even in the Agzent history books. However, sadly, they could not be perfectly erased.
That’s because the Agzent Empire and the temple had coexisted for a very long time.
The imperial family, tormented by this, finally found a solution. They decided to acknowledge that the divine bloodline had indeed existed. As one of the many clans that had challenged imperial authority in the past, but had been completely destroyed.
Currently, in the empire, divine power was regarded as a baseless superstition. Their abilities were mere fabrications of fanatics, and the Divine Clan, including the Pope and Saintess, were dismissed as swindlers who tried to monopolize power at the time.
No citizen doubted it. As the most prosperous era in the history of the Agzent Empire had arrived, and the citizens simply enjoyed the current prosperity, no one sought divinity.
However, it is arrogant to speak of perfection in human affairs. There are always flaws. Just as the imperial family desperately tried to erase the Divine Clan, the Divine Clan also desperately tried to survive.
“Nanny… I don’t feel good…”
“Oh heavens, Miss Rosena! Your forehead is burning hot! How long have you been like this?”
“I don’t know.”
Rosena shook her head, too weak to answer.
Just before midnight, the nanny, who had entered the young lady’s room to check if she was sleeping well, jumped in alarm.
Rosena’s entire body was like a ball of fire, so hot that her palm felt scorched.
The nanny rushed to the Baron’s brightly lit office.
“Baron! The young lady’s body is burning up! We must call a doctor immediately.”
However, Baron Leilia, Rosena’s father, was unusually calm. Instead, he simply shook his head, saying there was no need.
“No doctor needed. You may go now.”
“…But at this rate, the young lady’s life could be in danger!”
A child’s high fever was a serious matter that could threaten their life or death. The nanny turned pale and continued to speak.
“She could go deaf or blind, Baron!”
“That won’t happen, so don’t worry and go back. Tell everyone not to enter the mansion until permission is given.”
“…What?”
It was an utterly incomprehensible instruction, but Baron Leilia’s attitude was firm.
“Go back.”
The Baron ordered the nanny, who hesitated to leave due to worry, to leave.
That was the day, the divine power that had been dormant in Rosena Leilia’s body awakened.
Baron Leilia stayed by Rosena’s side for several days while she hovered between life and death.
After being ill for days and finally recovering, Rosena was perfectly fine, as if she had never been sick.
And for the first time, the child saw her father cry.
“Daddy… Rose is all better now. But why are you crying?”
“Rosena. I’m sorry, my dear…”
Baron Leilia, holding little Rosena in his arms, sobbed and repeated how sorry he was.
Feeling her shoulder getting damp, Rosena could neither move nor speak, simply rolling her blue eyes around while being held.
Then, as if the emotion had transferred, her lips trembled and she began to sob piteously.
“Hmph… Daddy, don’t cry… Waaah, Rose did something wrong.”
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, large tears streamed down her face. She thought her father was sad because she had been sick.
And from that day on, Rosena’s world changed. She had a secret that absolutely no one could ever discover.
“Daddy… are you okay now?”
“Yes, Daddy’s okay now.”
“…No. Why are you lying to Rose? You’re still sad.”
Rosena shook her head, her face a crumpled mess. Her small hands, clutching Baron Leilia’s collar, tightened.
The child’s words could have been easily dismissed, but Baron Leilia realized Rosena’s ability from that remark.
“Rosena, can you see that Daddy is lying?”
“Yes. Rose can see everything. Is it strange…?”
Rosena, nestled in Baron Leilia’s arms, asked with an uneasy expression.
“No, not at all.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
However, for her safety, there was a story Rosena needed to know.
That day, Baron Leilia told Rosena a very long story about the awakening of divine power and about her birth secret.
“Our ‘Divine Clan,‘ when we awaken divine power, can use the power of the gods throughout our lives, but we usually lose a part of ourselves in return, something opposite of that power .”
“Wow. Then that’s super cool!”
“No. Divine power makes us dangerous, so we must always be careful.”
Baron Leilia sternly warned her repeatedly.
“You must never tell anyone, or let anyone find out, Rosena. You must keep it a secret that you have divine power.”
“Okay, I understand!”
“Humans, even if they pretend not to, tend to ostracize you if they know you’re different from them.”
“Yes!”
Naturally, little Rosena, who didn’t understand her situation at all, simply smiled and replied brightly.
The weight of their conversation was far too heavy for a six-year-old to comprehend or accept.
“Haaah…”
This is driving me crazy. How do I make her understand this?
Baron Leilia felt a wall in parenting for the first time. It wasn’t just a wall but an iron fortress.
Her innocent eyes kept nodding, saying she understood, which was cute but also frustrating at the same time. Clearly, her face showed no sign of understanding.
Baron Leilia suddenly felt great respect for his own father. He now realized how much his father had accomplished.
In reality, Rosena was already itching to spill the beans.
When a child of this age has a secret, they feel their hearts pound with the desire to show it off.
Reading her true feelings, Baron Leilia chuckled with a sigh and poked Rosena’s cheek.
“Do you really understand, Rosena?”
“Uh-huh, actually, I don’t know! What Daddy was saying is too hard for Rose!”
Rosena confessed honestly.
‘It’s a good thing she can’t lie.’
Rosena lost her ability to ‘lie’ as a price for her ‘divine sight’.
The awakening of divine power was like putting the power of a god into a human vessel. The god gave Rosena the ability to see the truth, but took away the ‘ability to concoct lies’ that any human could do.
Rosena, gradually losing focus on the conversation, pouted.
“Rose is bored. I want to go outside and play.”
Her already plump cheeks puffed up even more with dissatisfaction.
Baron Leilia felt an urge to knead those cheeks vigorously for a moment, but he sternly shook his head.
“You can play later. From now on, you have to practice with Daddy, Rosena. You need to learn how to turn a blind eye to others’ lies and how to become adept at hiding yourself.”
“Why?”
“For your safety.”
This world does not welcome us.
Baron Leilia swallowed that cruel truth. He wished Rosena would never know, but eventually, she would have to.
And those were things Rosena would have to bear all by herself.
“If Rosena’s secret is exposed, something very scary will happen. So please, promise me.”
“Mhm.”
Rosena nodded.
“Rose always keeps her promises with Daddy.”
If you don’t understand, just memorize it.
Rosena smiled brightly, recalling when she first learned etiquette.
In her six years of life, Rosena, who had only greeted people with a wave, suddenly had a tutor appear and tell her that from now on, she had to curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress slightly and bending her knees.
And Rosena didn’t understand why she had to do that, but she followed anyway.
It was very difficult for a child to understand the complex circumstances of adults.
However, for Rosena, who could clearly see when someone was lying, pretending not to know was not easy.
Having suddenly gained a new ability, she was confused. Everything seemed transparent to Rosena’s eyes, and without the ability to lie, the child had become almost too honest.
Ultimately, unable to adapt to her ability, Rosena made a mistake.
