Even though it was midday, the dark room had no sunlight coming in.

A small voice echoed between the two women sitting face to face.

“Sob… So you’re saying that bastard husband of mine had another affair with a maid…”

The middle-aged woman wearing a hat with an ornate veil pulled out a white handkerchief from her purse.

She lifted the handkerchief to blow her nose loudly once, then looked at the woman in front of her.

“People don’t know his true nature. To the outside world, he’s a kind and respected famous scholar. No one would believe me, would they?”

“…”

“His real self is nothing but an ugly pervert obsessed with sex! Everyone is being fooled… Ah-huh! How many times has this happened now…”

The middle-aged woman with a sorrowful face could not hold back her tears.

“How am I supposed to live now… And what about my children who know nothing? Huh?”

“…”

Across from the continuously weeping woman, Belladonna sat still in her chair like a painting.

With her eyes lowered to the floor as if lost in thought, she looked deeply concerned at a glance, but also seemed like someone in a completely different world from the woman before her.

“…Holy Maiden?”

The middle-aged woman, having completely wiped away her tears, called out to Belladonna once more.

She clutched the white handkerchief tightly as she gazed at her with a pitiful look.

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, Belladonna raised her eyes to meet the woman’s gaze.

She slowly pulled up the corners of her mouth into a dazzlingly beautiful smile as she looked at the middle-aged woman.

“…”

“Ah…!”

Soon, upon seeing Belladonna’s radiant smile, a ray of light shone across the middle-aged woman’s face.

She raised both hands to cover her mouth and exclaimed like someone who had just gained enlightenment.

“…I understand! You’re saying I can do it myself, right? I, I’m not such a weak person…”

And she began to stammer out her words.

“You’re right, Holy Maiden…! Rather than living with such a trashy husband, it’s better to live alone. No, I’m not alone – I have my two children!”

“…”

“I’ll go back right now and submit the divorce papers! And I’ll shout in his face! I won’t continue to eat away at myself anymore!”

Soon, the middle-aged woman who had stopped crying stood up abruptly.

“Thank you, Holy Maiden! You always give me enlightenment.”

With a face filled with emotion, she bowed deeply to the Holy Maiden before her.

Belladonna just looked at her and smiled without saying a word.

The middle-aged woman gazed at Belladonna with moist eyes, then slowly turned and left the confessional.

“Well then, I’ll be going now, Holy Maiden! To cut ties completely with that damned man who’s disgusting to even call a husband.”

As she left the room, her face looked much more refreshed and relieved compared to when she entered.

In front of the woman who opened the thick confessional door and stepped out, people with large hats covering their faces were lined up.

They looked at the middle-aged woman leaving with a refreshed face somewhat enviously, then quickly composed their expressions and cleared their throats.

The large-built man who was next in line hurriedly opened the confessional door and entered.

Impatient, he shouted before even sitting down in the chair across from Belladonna.

“Holy Maiden…! Please listen to me! I’m so frustrated I could go crazy…!”

A moment later, another heavy secret filled the room.

‘The last Holy Maiden of Astanya who exchanged her voice for sacred power’.

‘The Smile of Astanya’.

‘The Living Portrait of Astanya’.

All of these were epithets referring to her, and expressions of devotion from believers who respected and trusted her without doubt.

However, a minority of the Empire’s citizens who did not believe in God also said this about her:

‘The Pope’s puppet’.

‘An ill-fated daughter who lost her voice and got entangled in her adoptive father’s political schemes’.

‘The nobles’ emotional trash can’.

Regardless of how she was called, Belladonna herself had no interest in it.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she didn’t care at all.

That is, until just half a year ago.

After finishing her daily routine, Belladonna returned to her room in the innermost part of the papal residence and threw herself onto the large bed.

She lay face down, burying her face in the soft pillow, and exhaled quietly.

“…”

Today too, there were heavy and messy stories.

The story of a woman whose scholar husband had an affair for the fifth time, this time with a much younger maid.

The story of a businessman who stole his friend’s idea and made a huge profit.

The story of a heartless older brother who secretly swallowed up his father’s fortune without his younger sibling knowing.

And even the story of a noble lady who unexpectedly got pregnant with her lover’s child…

The people of the Ellinerus Empire always poured out secrets and hidden truths to her that were difficult to share with others.

This was because she was the only adopted daughter of the Pope, who wielded power no less than the Emperor to the Empire’s citizens, and because her character and conduct were excellent. But a slightly more accurate reason was…

It was because of their firm belief in the Holy Maiden chosen by God.

People who received overwhelming sacred power overnight, loved abundantly by God, couldn’t do anything harmful to others, perhaps due to the influence of the God who gave them such power.

Revealing others’ secrets carelessly was also, in a broad sense, an act that harmed people, so the Holy Maiden could not tell anyone else the truths that people wanted to hide.

People wanted to tell their troubling stories to anyone, but at the same time, they didn’t want anyone to find out. And to such people, Belladonna was like an escape.

Even if the Holy Maiden didn’t specifically find answers or directly solve problems, people found comfort just by confiding their secrets to her, and some even left the confessional refreshed after finding answers on their own.

‘Is it the people of the Ellinerus Empire who are strange, or is the world originally like this? How can they live with such terrifying secrets?’

Belladonna, who had been curled up on the bed, tossed and turned for a moment before sitting up straight.

She looked around the room, carefully checking once again that no one was there.

After quietly listening to make sure there were no maids passing in the corridor, she opened her mouth with a deep sigh.

“…Ah, I really thought my ears were going to bleed.”

Just had to run into people who talk way too much today of all days.

She frowned with all her might while stretching her neck from side to side.

“Sitting still and listening to other people’s secrets is really tiring…”

When you quietly listen to people’s stories, more often than not, it’s hard to empathize.

She’s not very interested in others, so their stories are boring too…

Today too, she sat absentmindedly, half lost in other thoughts. Sometimes when it got too boring, she would quietly count the hexagonal patterns on the floor.

By then, the tedious story would end, and when she gave a slight smile out of awkwardness, people would suddenly exclaim as if enlightened and leave thanking her.

Even though she hadn’t actually done anything.

“How long do I have to keep up this charade…”

Belladonna flopped down and blinked her eyes while staring at the ceiling.

She recalled the people who cried or got angry as they told their stories in front of her.

“…”

Perhaps if she were the real Holy Maiden Belladonna, she might have cared for all of them, sincerely listened and empathized, and shared wise solutions.

If there were sick people, she could have used her sacred power to perform miracles and heal them.

That is, if she were the ‘real’ Holy Maiden Belladonna.

She closed her slowly blinking eyes completely and recalled the same time half a year ago.

“…What is this?”

When she opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling and bed.

When she slowly lowered her gaze to look at her awkwardly moving arms and legs.

And finally, when she staggered over to the mirror and saw a somewhat familiar face.

Belladonna was so shocked she forgot to even scream.

“H-Holy Maiden…?”

Eyes shining beautifully like blue jewels and silver hair gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. Features so distinct and delicate that anyone who saw them would be captivated.

The reflection in the mirror was definitely Holy Maiden Belladonna. Although she had only seen her from afar a few times, she couldn’t forget such a beautiful face.

She slowly raised both hands to touch her white, round face.

“Is this not a dream…? The skin texture is incredibly soft…”

So… I was born as the daughter of a dirt-poor farmer, suffered for about 20 years, and finally left this world pathetically from an unknown fever as a nameless woman…

“…Why did I wake up to find myself turned into the Holy Maiden!”

Belladonna’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto the wide carpet on the floor.

She absentmindedly muttered while moving her long fingers to tug at the innocent carpet.

“Moreover, I can speak…”

The Holy Maiden that Belladonna knew, that is, the real Holy Maiden, was someone who suddenly gained sacred power after suffering from an unknown illness at a very young age while growing up in a monastery.

However, in exchange for gaining sacred power, she permanently lost her voice and couldn’t utter a single word after that.

Despite her beautiful and holy appearance, wasn’t she revered as the true Holy Maiden of this era, receiving the trust and love of people with her mysterious and pitiful image of being unable to speak and her sacred power more abundant than anyone else’s?

“…Then why can I speak so clearly? Huh? Holy Maiden? What is this now?”

Belladonna muttered.

“Moreover, I don’t seem to have any sacred power… I don’t feel anything at all…”

Belladonna lowered her head to look at her empty hands.

After sitting still for a moment, her breathing began to quicken.

Unable to accept the sudden reality, she fell backwards and fainted.