Having decided to cooperate with Giovanni, I observed the priest closely.
“Looking at the color of the jewel, it seems this priest has less experience in asceticism.”
“Color?”
“You can tell the priests’ experience by their necklaces. Inexperienced priests usually offer prayers in the temple. That’s why you see them often.”
“For such a thing, they receive quite the response from the people.”
“There’s a belief that being showered in the rain summoned by priests brings good fortune. That’s why there are so many people here.”
As I spoke, the priest extended his arms towards the sky, much like Aris and the veiled lady did at the palace.
People folded their hands and bowed. Some knelt down, leaning forward.
The sacred atmosphere naturally silenced me.
The priest shouted with a booming voice, “Marta, the god who generously bestows upon the citizens of the Kingdom, please look upon us with favor!”
“Please look upon us with favor.”
“Benevolent and pure Marta, the source of all water, I, Benya Burto, offer my prayer.”
“Offer my prayer.”
It sounded almost like a chant.
“Do such procedures matter?”
I replied awkwardly with a forced smile.
“Young priests often have a bit of formality.”
Why am I more embarrassed?
“Flooding and flowing water. Water that becomes a blessing as it flows!”
Finally, the resounding prayer echoed.
The priest looked up at the sky. Sunlight streamed in through the open ceiling.
Just when I thought the fresh scent would spread.
Drip.
A raindrop fell on the priest’s head. Not particularly large, but the people seemed content with it.
A light drizzle began.
“Wow!”
Tears streamed down people’s faces as they embraced the rain.
Some closed their eyes tightly, others opened their mouths to catch the rain, and still, others clasped their hands, continuously bowing in various ways.
A few even stripped off their clothes.
Watching the frenzied scene, Giovanni and I maintained a quiet silence.
It felt strange, not just because of the pressure to steal the priest’s aquamarine.
Everything was as usual in the priest’s prayer.
Undoubtedly mystical and sacred, but why did I feel a shiver?
‘Suddenly…’
“It’s like they’re under mass hypnosis.”
Ah, that’s why. My sentiments exactly matched his.
As I was about to respond, something caught my eye.
I made my way through the crowd towards the stage.
“Eigrain Lorentz?”
Ignoring Giovanni’s call, I continued walking.
Others too were heading towards the stage, seeking more luck and rain.
Unlike those focused on the rain from the sky, my eyes were fixated on the priest.
The blue water droplet glowing on his hand.
‘The same mark I saw on the veiled lady!’
The mesmerizing blue light.
It was incomprehensible how people focused more on the rain than this blue droplet, so radiant and otherworldly.
Weaker than the one I saw that day, but since I’d been thinking about it continuously.
‘So beautiful…’
Nothing else was visible. My vision was filled with the blue droplet.
I wanted it desperately.
‘It’s mine!’
I reached out. The beautiful droplet, seemingly far away, was within my grasp.
I expected it to be smooth and cold like a gem, but upon touching it, the droplet melted away.
My fingertips briefly turned blue, then returned to normal.
A refreshing and cool sensation spread. It felt strange. Tears almost came to my eyes.
A blue droplet appeared on my hand, then vanished shortly after, leaving an ordinary back of my hand.
‘Huh?’
It was like waking from a dream; my consciousness returned.
Degrururu.
My eyes rapidly darted back and forth between my hand and the priest’s.
His hand was pale. The entrancing blue droplet that had bewitched me just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Was I enchanted by a ghost?
‘No, that’s not it.’
The feeling of something cool being drawn into me was still vivid.
‘What was that just now?’
I blinked blankly, confused, momentarily forgetting my current predicament.
A shiver ran down my spine.
‘Ah?’
…What’s this ominous feeling?
Sweat formed on my brow.
When I hesitantly looked up, the priest was gazing down at me with a cold face.
“Guards!”
His voice, full of displeasure, stiffened my shoulders.
Temple guards, menacing in their approach, rushed over.
‘Since when did this temple have guards?!’
No, that wasn’t important. It dawned on me what situation I was in.
“What have you done?”
“Were you trying to harm the priest?”
“Is this woman out of her mind?”
Whispers from the crowd burned my cheeks.
‘Wait, how did I even get up here?’
I never intended to make such direct contact, although I had thought about snatching the aquamarine.
My confusion was unmistakable.
Among the many gathered here, I was the only one who had ascended the stage. Undoubtedly, it was an act of rudeness.
I straightened up, forcing a thin smile.
Like a proper countess.
“Hello, I am Eigrain Lorent…”
“Guards!”
The guards seized my arms from both sides.
“No, let me at least introduce…”
“Hurry up!”
My practiced thin smile as the countess’s daughter was useless.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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