Fabion’s eyes widened slightly as he looked up at the words Belladonna was writing.
As if he had discovered some surprising fact, he took a moment to catch his breath before slowly opening his mouth.
“So that’s how it was. If that’s the case… The facts I’ve gathered make even more sense.”
Fabion pointed to an old record.
Belladonna nodded and read it.
It contained detailed records of people who had gained holy power before Lady Saint Belladonna.
‘So diverse.’
Belladonna frowned and bit her lower lip as she focused on the text.
There were those who lost not their voice but their sight, those who lost their hearing, and even those who lost parts of their body.
Moreover, the price for holy power was not limited to the individual’s body; some lost children or parents.
“As diverse as the prices paid, the holy powers of the saints also manifested in various abilities.
Lady Saint Belladonna was known to be born with considerable healing power, but for others…”
Instead of explaining directly, Fabion pointed to the page he had opened.
[The limits of healing power vary. Some saints had such a weak level that they could barely erase small wounds even after pouring in holy power all day, while other saints could mend broken bones or treat serious internal injuries…]Belladonna, who had been reading along with the book’s record, stopped at a certain passage.
This is…
[And a very small number of saints possessed such powerful holy power that they could even revive people on the brink of death.]Holy power can revive the dead…?
It was confusing. Wasn’t that truly the realm of God?
“Of course, there aren’t many records left about such individuals. Given how immense their holy power was, the life force used must have been considerable, so they likely had short lives.”
Belladonna recalled how she had collapsed, coughing up blood, just a few days ago when she tried to use her newly acquired healing power.
Indeed, if it was that taxing just to erase a few wounds, how much life force would be used for holy power strong enough to revive the dead…
‘Wait a moment, could it be…’
Lost in thought, Belladonna raised her bowed face.
Fabion, meeting her eyes, nodded.
“In my opinion, what happened to you was due to Lady Saint Belladonna’s holy power ability.”
“…!”
“Lady Saint Belladonna directly revived you. Although we don’t know why you were revived in the Lady Saint’s body rather than your original one.”
So now… Are you saying the Lady Saint deliberately made me come back to life as herself after I died?
Belladonna’s eyes trembled slightly with confusion.
Why…? If so, why did the Lady Saint choose me of all people?
“By any chance, did you have a connection with Lady Saint Belladonna in your previous life?”
Shake shake.
Belladonna immediately shook her head. In her previous life, she was just the daughter of a poor farmer in an ordinary domain.
Someone who wouldn’t even be allowed to stand on the same path as the noble Lady Saint of the Papal State.
“Hmm…”
Fabion also frowned, seemingly unable to grasp the situation easily. After a moment, he spoke again.
“For now, these are all just my speculations. I’ll need to go back and investigate your previous life. Please give me some basic information.”
Belladonna hesitated for a moment before nodding. She had no choice but to trust Fabion now.
After all, he knew a lot, and he was the only one who could help her right now…
Investigating her previous life was something she had attempted or postponed repeatedly since opening her eyes in this body.
She thought it might actually be fortunate if Fabion, who was free unlike herself confined to the Papal State, could do it on her behalf.
“Also, there are things you need to do as well.”
What could that be…?
Belladonna quietly took a breath.
Fabion lowered his voice even more in the confessional room where only the two of them were present.
“From now on, I need you to wander around the Papal State and look for traces of Lady Saint Belladonna. Even the smallest thing will do. Records related to the Lady Saint would be good, and if they’re connected to you in your previous life, even better.”
“…”
“In other words, find anything that could be a reason why Lady Saint Belladonna revived you.”
At Fabion’s words, Belladonna swallowed hard.
It felt like a small beam of light was shining in a dark cave, as if hope was visible before her eyes.
If she could find out why the Lady Saint had chosen her and made her be reborn, and for what reason she had taken away her voice, it seemed she might be able to reverse everything and return to Escalion.
Belladonna nodded towards Fabion.
Seeing her resolute expression, Fabion smiled.
“Well then, that’s all I wanted to tell you today.”
She thought that the reason Fabion was going to such lengths for her was probably because he truly cared for Lady Saint Belladonna.
For him too, it must have been surprising and worrying that the Lady Saint disappeared overnight, so he probably wanted to know the reason.
“Then, I’ll be taking my leave now. Let’s gather information separately and meet again in the near future. We need to finish the investigation before you return to Griblata, so the timeframe is quite tight.”
Fabion said as he closed the book he had opened.
He seemed to believe without a doubt that Belladonna would return to Griblata after the Emperor’s birthday celebration was over.
Not having the thought or ability to explain the complicated circumstances, Belladonna simply closed her mouth and nodded.
Fabion put the thick book into the bag he had brought it in, rolled up his beard that reached the floor and wrapped it tightly around his neck, then stood up.
That’s a bit interesting… Noticing Belladonna’s gaze, he smiled and said,
“This way, it also provides excellent insulation. It’s beautiful when it hangs down, but quite troublesome.”
At his somewhat brazen answer, Belladonna burst into laughter.
It was almost the first genuine laugh since coming to Astania.
“Well then…”
As Fabion bowed slightly in farewell and left the confessional, the priest standing outside poked his head in again.
“Lady Saint, the next devotee is waiting right away. Shall I tell them to come in?”
This time, with a much lighter heart than before, Belladonna nodded.
[This is the timeline separator]After finishing her daily routine and returning to her room, Belladonna headed towards the bookshelf densely packed with various books instead of going straight to bed as usual.
‘Anything that could be a clue…’
She narrowed her brows and began to read the titles written on the spines of the books one by one.
Come to think of it, she realized she had never properly looked towards the bookshelf area even once while staying here.
‘It would be nice if I’m lucky enough to find the Lady Saint’s diary or records…’
At a glance, nothing like that was visible.
Of course, under the strict surveillance of the Pope and Cardinal Nicholas, such things couldn’t be openly placed here.
Belladonna pulled out a random book and flipped through its pages.
‘Most of the books here are about theology, philosophy, or liturgy.’
They were just ordinary books, very typically found on a bookshelf in the Lady Saint’s room.
It seems unlikely to find any special clues here…
Just as she was about to put the book back on the shelf, Belladonna’s gaze stopped somewhere.
In the empty space where the book had been, something shiny was hanging.
Belladonna put down the book she was holding and removed all the surrounding books.
‘What is this…?’
It was a small key.
Belladonna reached in deep and brought it out.
A worn key with a dirty, old brown string attached, much smaller than the usual key used to open closed doors, was placed on her palm.
What could this key open? If it was placed in such a location, it was almost certain that someone had hidden it from view…
Lost in thought, Belladonna turned to look at the tightly closed door of the room again.
At this hour, there was no one who would dare to raid the Lady Saint’s room in the Papal State.
‘Then…’
Belladonna turned her head to look up at the tall bookshelf.
She thought she should take out all the books here and examine behind them.
Huff… Huff…
Several hours later, Belladonna collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.
The Lady Saint had too many books! Taking out each thick book and placing it on the floor felt like an intense arm workout.
This kind of labor was completely new since becoming a saint, and she wasn’t used to it at all! Belladonna looked up at the empty bookshelf from which she had pulled out almost all the books.
‘A total of three…’
Besides the small key she had first discovered, there were two more hidden keys behind the bookshelf.
One was noticeably larger than the other two, and another was square-shaped.
They were truly three keys of different shapes.
‘I’ll have to examine what these can open later…’
…But first, I need to rest a bit!
Having used up all her strength in removing the books, Belladonna lay flat on the floor, looking up at the high ceiling.
Her chest rose and fell of its own accord with her breath reaching up to her chin. It was tiring, but she didn’t feel entirely bad.
‘I guess I need this kind of exercise occasionally? And from tomorrow, I should look around the Papal State a bit more.’
Catching her breath, Belladonna made plans in her head.
Until the birthday celebration coming up next week, she was in a position where she had to go back and forth only to the confessional while conserving her strength.
But it seemed she could use the excuse of preparing for when she needed to use her holy power to wander around here and there.
I should say that just being cooped up in the confessional only accumulates fatigue and doesn’t help at all with physical recovery!
After getting permission from the Pope, she thought she should first go around places within the Papal State where the Lady Saint would have easily frequented, and also keep an eye out for hidden storage rooms, drawers, bags, and such scattered around.
She might have hidden important clues in unexpected places.
“…”
By the way, I’m quite tired.
As the sweat cooled and her breathing calmed, sleep gradually crept up on her.
But I need to clean this all up before sleeping…
She should have immediately gotten up and put the books back in their places, but her body, suddenly heavy, wouldn’t listen at all.
Couldn’t I just sleep for now and wake up early tomorrow morning to clean up? Even as her body refused to move, her mind started quickly rationalizing.
So, if I sleep now and recover my strength, I should be able to clean up tomorrow morning…
I don’t have any particular schedule tomorrow morning anyway…
Yes, I can do it…
Belladonna’s slowly blinking eyelids finally closed completely.
She fell asleep right there on the floor, not even making it to the bed.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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