“Saint, here’s today’s meal.”
Rosie’s voice was heard.
Belladonna, lying in bed, remained curled up with only her hair peeking out from under the blanket.
She didn’t have the energy to respond to her voice.
“……I’ll leave it on the nightstand.”
Rosie entered the room, glanced at the quiet bed, and slowly placed the tray she brought onto the nightstand.
As she was about to leave the room, Rosie turned her head once more to look at her, who showed no reaction.
It’s already been several days since she’s eaten properly…..
“Saint, please eat at least a little today. At this rate, your body will truly waste away.”
“……”
Belladonna, curled up under the blanket, still gave no answer.
Rosie hesitated before speaking.
“Should I speak directly to the Pope? To say that the Saint is truly not in condition to go to the confessional today……”
Only then did Belladonna stir under the blanket.
She extended her slender wrist out from under the covers and waved it side to side. It was a gesture meaning she was fine.
“But……”
As Belladonna pulled her hand back under the blanket, Rosie could say no more about it.
“Then please at least eat enough. Many followers are worried, saying the Saint seems to be withering away.”
Rosie looked down at Belladonna, who still didn’t show her face, then turned and left the room.
Left alone in the room, Belladonna, who had been curled up under the blanket, revealed herself.
She turned her head towards the nightstand to look at the meal Rosie had brought, then turned away again.
She still didn’t have much appetite.
‘I’m dizzy…..’
She stood up from her seat, holding her spinning head as soon as she raised her upper body.
Standing in front of the mirror, she carefully examined her face, neck, arms, hands, and feet that were exposed outside her clothes.
Confirming that there were no noticeable wounds, Belladonna sighed and sat back down in place.
“……”
It was violence that had been repeated periodically for weeks now.
After the birthday event, whenever she upset the Pope or did something that displeased him, she was invariably subjected to violence.
Each time, she had almost healed the external wounds with her own healing power, but she couldn’t properly regain her senses for days.
Not only had she already overexerted herself by infusing healing power into the followers during the event, but she had also poured sacred power into herself who was injured, using up a lot of life force.
‘In the end, will I never be able to escape Astanya?’
Afraid of this fact, Belladonna began to be uncooperative with the Pope.
She no longer focused on the followers in the confessional, and during the Pope’s sermon times, she would be distracted or think of other things.
Even when she met priests while walking within the papal office, she didn’t smile.
She thought if she did this, she would become unnecessary and be sent back to Griblata, but…..
These actions only served to provoke Pope Prononce’s anger.
But even while being beaten by the Pope, Belladonna did not return to how she was before.
Because she knew all too well what would happen if she went back to how things were.
She simply endured the beatings silently, returned to her room to use sacred power to heal her painful wounds, and persevered through another day playing the role of Saint.
‘Perhaps because I’ve used so much sacred power, my healing ability isn’t what it used to be.’
Belladonna sat on the floor and lifted her skirt to look at her thighs. On the white skin above, there were red and thick wounds that she hadn’t yet healed, scattered messily.
Using sacred power almost every day made her feel like her body was deteriorating even more, so she had long left wounds that were hidden by clothes untreated like this.
Being hit in the same places that had already been struck was painful, but it couldn’t compare to the pain in her heart.
‘I should start looking around the papal office again soon…..’
Belladonna recalled the two keys she still hadn’t unlocked.
She felt miserable that she couldn’t even follow in the Saint’s footsteps here while unable to return to Griblata, because her body was in pain.
‘Escalion…..’
Even after the birthday celebration ended, it had already been over two months since she couldn’t return to Griblata.
Would he think I didn’t keep my promise? Would he think I lied again? Maybe….. he barely thinks of me now?
She disliked all of those possibilities.
Belladonna sat quietly biting her lower lip, then soon got up.
As she stood up, putting her feet on the floor, the wounds hidden under her clothes all screamed out in stinging pain at once, but there was no help for it.
She staggered over to the tray on the nightstand that Rosie had left.
‘I must eat. I need to eat to regain strength and do something.’
She thought that whether it was finding traces of the Saint or finding a way to return to Griblata, physical strength came first.
Belladonna forcibly picked up the utensils and shoved the soggy food into her mouth.
[This is the timeline separator]“So in the end, I promised to hand over all my assets to that woman.”
“……”
Belladonna pretended to focus on the noble man in front of her while subtly shifting her gaze.
“But it was all a promise made while drunk!”
She wasn’t interested in how much the man before her ranted.
Belladonna had been staring at the old drawer inside the confessional that had been bothering her for some reason.
How long has that been there?
“So, is, is there no way to cancel this contract?”
As I recall, there were only a few books, old candles, and handkerchiefs of unknown use inside. But is that really all?
“Huh? Saint?”
“……”
“Saint!”
At the man’s voice that rose impatiently, Belladonna finally pulled up the corners of her mouth.
Oh right, this person was speaking!
“……You mean there’s no way? You’re saying I paid a high price for forbidden love, is that what you mean?”
Nod nod! Belladonna nodded at the answer the man came to on his own.
“I understand, I suppose this too is a punishment I must endure……”
The man who finished speaking stood up with a gloomy face.
As soon as he greeted Belladonna and left the confessional, a priest waiting outside poked his head in.
“Saint, may I bring in the next follower?”
Hmm, not yet! Belladonna waved her palm to indicate she needed to wait.
At her response, the priest nodded and went back outside. It was a brief rest period given.
Belladonna jumped up from where she was sitting and crouched down in front of the old drawer. This seems particularly suspicious and strange today?
She opened the drawer and carefully examined the inside. There’s no way there would be such a useless drawer inside the confessional for no reason……?
‘……Ha!’
Belladonna let out a hollow laugh as she tilted her head and discovered something inside.
Opening the drawer and looking inside, she could see a small door hidden in the back.
Really? All this time I’ve been searching in vain places when it was right in front of me?
Belladonna sat with her shoulders slumped for a moment, then rummaged in her pocket and inserted the larger of the two keys she had brought into the keyhole of the doorknob.
The key fit perfectly as if it had found its match, turning to the right with a crisp sound.
‘Goodness…..’
With an extremely deflated and empty feeling, Belladonna sighed deeply, hanging her head.
Foolish me….. I should have searched the confessional first before anywhere else!
She kept her head lowered for a while, simultaneously feeling the rush of joy and emptiness, then slowly raised her head to peer inside the opened door.
What’s this?
Inside the darkness was a small vial.
She took it out and looked down at the potion bottle about the size of her finger, then opened the cork stopper tightly sealing the mouth. The lid opened with a soft ‘pop’ sound.
‘Surely it’s not poison?’
Belladonna couldn’t easily look inside or smell it, keeping it at a distance and regarding it warily.
I should ask Fabion to investigate this next time I see him!
After finishing that thought, she tightly closed the cork stopper again and carefully tucked the vial away in her pocket.
She had been too exhausted mentally and physically to make any progress, but she felt relieved to have made at least some small gain.
“Saint, is it alright now?”
As soon as she sat back down, the priest opened the door again and poked his head in.
Belladonna nodded and adjusted her clothes.
For the first time in a very long while, she felt a sense of vitality returning.
[This is the timeline separator]After meeting with all the followers scheduled for today and leaving the confessional, she saw the female priests of the papal office hurriedly running off somewhere.
The papal office seems unusually bustling today?
Belladonna watched their retreating figures, then diligently made her way in her own direction.
She wanted to quickly return to her room to rest, and also to closely examine the vial she had just found.
Above all, she had the strongest desire not to run into the Pope by lingering around aimlessly.
“Saint!!”
Just then, a voice calling for her was heard from somewhere.
Belladonna felt her heart sink as she opened her eyes wide.
Could it be the Pope looking for me again?
Soon, Rosie appeared before her, gasping for breath, and pointed in the direction the female priests had been running as she exclaimed.
“He’s here!”
What? Who? The Pope?
“He, he, he just arrived, Saint! He’s looking for you!”
So you mean the Pope?
Belladonna looked at Rosie with her face turning deathly pale.
Why on earth is that old man…..! I didn’t do anything particularly to upset him today? Is he now going to summon and beat me at random?
“Hurry! Go quickly!”
I don’t want to!
Belladonna frowned and stepped back.
It would be even worse if the Pope happened to discover the vial hidden in her pocket.
Even if she were to be beaten, she should at least hide the vial in her room first…..
Thud.
Just then, as she kept stepping backwards, something hard like a wall touched her back.
And she saw Rosie, who had been looking at her, suddenly look up in surprise. Why? What, what is it……?
Unable to easily turn around due to an inexplicable tension, at that moment, a very familiar voice descended from above her head.
“It’s been a while.”
The moment she heard the low baritone, Belladonna reflexively turned her body.
The sharp golden eyes she had missed so much were right in front of her.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
