Surely There's One to the Princess' Taste (9 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11

Before the ceremony, Irtis received ceremonial attire from a priest.

Dressed in white formal robes, Irtis looked strikingly different from his usual self.

Seeing this, Prodia inwardly admired him.

‘Religious vestments, huh… They don’t look half bad as stage costumes.’

Why hadn’t she thought of that back in her previous life when planning programs?

She quickly shook her head.

‘No, wait. If I put religious robes on performers and sent them on stage, I’d probably just accumulate more karmic debt.’

Noticing Prodia’s serious expression, Irtis approached and asked,

“Why that look? Do you dislike it?”

“No, you look incredibly handsome.”

“For once, you’re actually being sincere.”

At those words, Prodia clicked her tongue.

“I’ve been wondering—can you read my thoughts with magic?”

“No, even I can’t do that.”

Prodia felt relieved.

Good. So Irtis was just naturally perceptive after all.

But then he added one more sentence.

“Although… there is one other method. I just never had anyone to try it on until now…?”

The way he trailed off made her uneasy.

And uneasy premonitions never turned out wrong.

Irtis’s eyes sparkled as he asked,

“Can I try it on you?”

“Ugh, whatever it is, I already don’t like it.”

Prodia frowned sternly.

Just then, Irtis’s voice echoed inside her head.

[Why not? Try it with me.]

Startled, Prodia cried out,

“W-what was that just now?!”

Watching her flustered reaction, Irtis chuckled softly.

“Don’t be so surprised. I just sent you telepathy.”

“So you read my thoughts through telepathy?”

“No, not exactly.”

As he spoke, Irtis cupped Prodia’s forehead with his palm.

A cool sensation immediately flooded into her mind.

“There. Done.”

“…What exactly did you just do?”

“I channeled a bit of my magic into you. Now you should be able to send telepathy to me too.”

“What?! How dare you do that without even asking me first!”

Wait a second…

Actually, wasn’t this an incredibly useful ability?

‘That means I can talk to Irtis without anyone else noticing…?’

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

“How exactly do I use this telepathy?”

“Just think of speaking to me in your mind. But why the sudden change in attitude? You’re making me nervous.”

Prodia immediately sent him a telepathic message.

[Irtis, want to use this to pull off a little trick?] [A trick?] [With this ability, we could cheat throughout the entire prince consort selection!] [What…?]

Irtis clicked his tongue.

“I may have lived as an outlaw, but you’re no slouch yourself. Where’s your conscience?”

“What’s wrong with using a power like this? Of course I’d take advantage of it.”

“You didn’t… make your students cheat while teaching them, did you?”

“Unfortunately, none of them could use telepathy back then.”

*Sigh.*

Irtis continued,

“Anyway, no.”

“Aww, why not?”

“Do you really have to win through such cowardly means? I have my pride too.”

Seriously, wasn’t 10 million gold worth swallowing a bit of pride?

‘Fine, forget it.’

Prodia pouted. Seeing this, Irtis tried to reassure her.

“We can use it as an emergency contact. I’m just letting you know to reach out if anything happens while I’m away.”

“But we’re at the Grand Temple—nothing unusual should happen.”

“You never know. I’ll keep checking in with you during the ceremony too.”

“Alright.”

Soon after, a knock sounded from outside.

“Contestant, it’s time to move.”

“Then I’ll be off.”

“Do your best.”

Irtis headed toward the confessional room behind the Grand Temple with the assigned priest.

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The area in front of the confessional was already bustling with other participants.

Fortunately, the formal robes came with hoods, allowing Irtis to conceal his face.

He didn’t want any participant recognizing him.

He certainly didn’t desire any commotion.

After finding his assigned group and lining up, Irtis sent a telepathic message to Prodia.

[I’ve arrived.]

As expected, the priests had no idea the two were communicating telepathically.

Prodia smiled contentedly and replied to Irtis.

[No need to tell me to be careful—I know you’ll handle it.] [It’s these guys who should be careful around me.]

Honestly.

Prodia couldn’t help but chuckle.

Just then, the assigned priest called out to the participants.

“The next group, please follow me.”

The white-robed contestants began moving after the priest.

[I’m heading out. I’ll contact you later.] [Okay.]

The telepathic link ended.

Now, what should she do while waiting for Irtis?

‘It’s not every day I get to visit the Grand Temple—might as well explore a bit.’

Leaving the waiting room, Prodia started walking slowly through the temple’s interior.

But everywhere she went, the temple remained eerily quiet.

She was starting to get bored.

She considered sending Irtis a telepathic message,

‘But the ceremony might’ve already started. Better not disturb him.’

After wandering for a while, she was about to head back to the waiting room

when suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

‘Right—this is where they enshrine the deity.’

Might as well offer a prayer…?

Of course, it wasn’t out of genuine devotion.

She just hoped it might reduce her karmic debt a little.

This wasn’t just any place—it was the Grand Temple itself.

Surely it had to have at least a tiny effect.

‘If it reduces my debt by even a single point, I could just sit here praying until Irtis returns.’

Completely devoid of faith, she hurried toward the prayer room.

[This is the timeline separator]

Creeeak—

Prodia pushed open the old prayer room door and stepped inside.

The interior was deathly silent.

Most priests had left their posts to manage the participants.

‘Perfect. Quiet is just what I wanted.’

She slowly walked deeper into the prayer room.

Dust particles floated in the beams of light filtering through the ceiling.

Clack.

Her heels echoed alone throughout the entire hall.

As Prodia scanned the prayer room, her gaze settled straight ahead.

Behind the altar stood a statue of the deity, catching her eye.

According to religious law, the Supreme Deity’s likeness couldn’t be freely sculpted—only the Grand Temple was permitted to display such an image.

‘When visiting a new place, you’ve got to check out the main attraction.’

Her eyes naturally drifted toward the deity’s face.

But somehow… it looked familiar.

‘Huh? Where have I seen that face before?’

It was on the tip of her tongue, yet just out of reach—like her mind was filled with hazy fog.

She definitely knew it. Absolutely…

And finally, she remembered who the face belonged to.

‘…I’ve got it.’

How could she have forgotten that face?

Prodia’s mouth fell open.

‘That’s the handsome deity I met when I died!’

Stunned, Prodia froze in place.

What was going on?

Snapping out of it, she rushed forward—this was no time to worry about propriety.

She stood before the massive statue of the Supreme Deity.

It was unmistakable. That was the deity.

The one who’d tried to shove her into editorial hell.

Yet showed mercy by reincarnating her however he pleased and burdening her with some mysterious quest!

She let out a hollow laugh.

“You… what even are you?”

Prodia stared straight at the deity’s form.

So absurd was the situation that she muttered without realizing,

“Were you secretly watching me all along?”

You’re not even the god of my original world.

How dare you drag me to this backwater… no, this other world?

Who do you think you are, reincarnating me however you please? Why make me suffer like this—why?!

Just then,

a small voice suddenly came from behind the altar.

“I-I wasn’t spying…!”

Prodia’s eyes widened.

Had the deity just answered her?

No, that couldn’t be.

This voice was completely different from the deity’s she’d heard back then.

Which meant…

Prodia called out in a cold voice toward the altar’s rear.

“Who’s there? Stop hiding and come out.”

Soon after, someone slowly crawled out from behind the altar.

It was a man with fair skin and golden hair.

Judging by his white priestly robes, he was likely a priest of this temple.

Crouched low and fidgeting nervously, he stammered,

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to spy, it’s just…”

Seeing him bow his head deeply, utterly flustered, Prodia’s guard lowered.

I thought the deity had answered me—I nearly jumped out of my skin.

‘Did he hide because I startled him by suddenly entering?’

Since it seemed like a mutual misunderstanding, she should apologize quickly…

Just then, the priest—who’d kept his eyes on the floor—slowly lifted his head.

“D-Devotee… are you very angry…?”

At that moment, Prodia felt her heart drop into her stomach.

She couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.

It was his face—his young priest’s face—that did it.

‘C-Center material—!’

A real-life center had appeared!

Sorry, Supreme Deity. Sorry, Irtis. Truly sorry.

But this guy—this guy is the real center material!

Because the priest’s appearance was angelically beautiful.

‘No, isn’t he literally an angel?’

Golden hair, golden eyes—and that skin! How could it be so flawless? Not a single feature out of place—eyes, nose, lips, everything perfect.

Why are you so handsome? You pass!

Just then, tears began welling up in the priest’s eyes.

He must’ve thought she was angry since she hadn’t replied.

‘Wait, what did he say to me earlier again?’

Actually, who cared about that right now? The fact that his crying face was still beautiful—that mattered!

After all, men whose tears are beautiful rule the world… no, they rule their fans.

‘If I raise this guy right, I could totally train some fans.’

Her radar was screaming at her—this was the one! Open it now!

Without another moment’s hesitation, she mentally shouted,

‘Status window.’

Pop—!

[Name: Papier(?).

Occupation: Senior Priest(?).

Dream: None.

Stats: Divine Power (SSS), Healing (SSS)… Charisma (Usage Restricted).]

Prodia quickly scanned his profile.

His name was Papier—so he really was a priest.

He looked young, yet already a senior priest—he must be quite talented.

Then her eyes locked onto one particular stat.

‘Huh? Wait… Charisma?’

She didn’t have time to dwell on stats—she needed to check the next page for reducible karmic debt.

But that ‘Charisma’ kept nagging at her.

‘Why would a priest serving the deity even need Charisma…?’

And what did “Usage Restricted” mean?

They say your mind changes between entering and leaving the restroom—and thanks to having Irtis as her safety net, she felt a bit more relaxed.

So curiosity got the better of her, and she mentally called out,

‘Check Charisma.’

Instantly, a detailed description window appeared.

Ding~!

[Charisma (Usage Restricted)

Captivates the hearts of audiences on stage.]