“Since my life is already destined to end in a year, I guess it’s alright to do as I please.”
Hestia quickly averted her gaze and pretended to be unaware of Anetha’s prophecy, spooning soup into her mouth.
The meal ended in a quiet atmosphere.
Just before the dessert was served and the empty dishes were cleared, Anetha stood up, naturally drawing everyone’s attention.
With an overly cheerful face and voice, she clasped her hands tightly and began to speak.
“Thank you all for gathering today to celebrate me!”
As expected, Anetha began her speech.
“But today, I have something more urgent to share with you all….”
Her voice trailed off deliberately.
Seizing the moment, Hestia calmly breathed and then spoke up.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted from Anetha to Hestia.
It was a considerable burden, but she didn’t show it and began to speak.
“I have something to say as well. Since everyone is gathered here… I’d like to take this opportunity.”
She quickly swallowed her nervousness and continued.
“It’s not as important as Saint Anetha’s words, but may I speak before you?”
“Yes? Ah! Yes, of course!”
Anetha smiled and nodded, seemingly generous enough to allow Hestia to speak first.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
After politely thanking Anetha, Hestia stood up.
She calmed her trembling heart and went straight to the point.
“I wish to resign from my duties as a saint.”
The announcement visibly shocked the archbishops, priests, and even Anetha.
“…What?”
“No, what do you mean by that!”
The hall erupted in commotion.
Unfazed, Hestia continued firmly.
“Saint Anetha has been active in external affairs for a long time, so my absence won’t be greatly felt.”
“But, Saint…”
“My decision is final. I wish to resign and rest due to my poor health.”
The reaction from the priests was not favorable.
Despite their various persuasions, Hestia stood her ground.
“Please understand, I am not being stubborn without reason. There are circumstances that forced me to make this decision.”
“Circumstances?”
Hestia deliberately bit her lower lip, then smoothly lied.
“Last night, I heard the voice of God.”
“You mean… you received a prophecy?”
“Yes, I did.”
The priests began to murmur, the atmosphere drastically changing.
Sensing something off, Anetha, looking slightly anxious, raised her hand to interrupt.
“Everyone! Actually, last night I also…!”
Unfortunately, her words were cut off by an archbishop.
“Sorry, Saint Anetha. Given the situation, we should first listen to what Saint Hestia has to say.”
Unaccustomed to such treatment, confusion crossed Anetha’s face.
Hestia remained calm throughout.
Knowing she didn’t need to rush, she slowly parted her red lips.
“The prophecy was simple.”
Everyone held their breath, waiting for her next words.
Hestia deliberately paused, then slowly turned her head to look directly at Anetha.
“El Rapha God said that I only have one year left to live.”
At that moment, a heavy silence fell over the room.
Even Anetha looked pale and bewildered as she stared at Hestia.
“Yes, you wouldn’t have expected me to speak of this first.”
Hestia quietly observed Anetha’s reaction.
‘Anetha, what will you do now?’
Of course, it was an internal question that Anetha couldn’t hear.
Anetha clenched her teeth and quickly retrieved the paper she had handed to the priest beside her earlier.
Since Hestia had already dropped the bombshell, it was clear that Anetha found it difficult to announce her ‘real prophecy’ at this point, as no one was focusing on her anymore.
‘The attention would be different since it’s the same content.’
The impact of Hestia calmly announcing her own tragedy versus Anetha doing it was significantly different.
Anetha, missing a good opportunity, chewed her lip in frustration and hid the paper under the table, trying to turn her gaze back to Hestia.
Before their eyes could meet, Hestia quickly looked away, secretly sighing with relief.
‘At least I’ve prevented Anetha from announcing it herself.’
She was now certain of something she had suspected in her past life: Anetha had deliberately chosen this day, with key figures present, to reveal the prophecy.
‘If Anetha really cared about me, she could have warned me first.’
But as she searched her memory, there was no such consultation. So, on that day, Hestia was left only with confusion, shock, shame, and sorrow.
‘It’s no different from wishing me difficulty.’
Hestia’s fist tightened with resolve.
“Soon my divine power will be taken away, and my strength will weaken. Thus, I plan to step down from my duties as a saint in due course.”
Meanwhile, the other archbishops and high-ranking priests, including Boswa, were still in a state of confusion, raising their voices.
“How could El Rapha issue such a prophecy?”
“This is unimaginable!”
“Saint, was there nothing else said?”
They looked at Hestia with desperation, as if seeking answers.
Seeing those who had pushed her aside in favor of Anetha now in a fluster, Hestia found the situation somewhat amusing.
“Saint, please give us an answer.”
Hestia shook her head gently, her silver hair fluttering then settling back into place flawlessly.
“I know no more than this. Everything happens according to His will.”
Her calm voice elicited deep sighs from the priests.
Previously, she would have been flustered by even their slightest reaction, but since her return from death, she no longer paid heed to their opinions.
“As you all serve God, so do I. Therefore, despite my personal regrets, I believe His will must come first.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“We’re just shocked.”
The priests, led by the archbishop, reluctantly nodded, murmuring softly.
From their perspective, it was regrettable for Hestia to leave the sphere of influence of the temple. Regardless of how well they had treated her, just having royal Hestia stay at the temple as a saint maintained a close relationship with the Elsworld royal family.
Compared to the previous era, the support of the kingdom’s citizens for the Elsword Royal Family is not less than their support for the temple. Consequently, Hestia’s popularity among the people was surprisingly strong.
Although the appearance of a new saint, Anetha, had somewhat divided their allegiance, there was still a significant number of undecided supporters.
Despite Anetha’s miraculous abilities, it was Hestia who was considered more noble and pure.
But what if Hestia, who had been the bridge between the temple and the world, steps down from her saintly duties?
Even if not immediately, this could gradually undermine the faith in the temple and strain all relationships.
Moreover, the temple might have to relinquish some of its privileges granted by the royal concession.
The archbishops were troubled and swallowed their groans.
‘It’s regrettable to let go of the card that is Saint Hestia. Our loss would be too great.’
Boswa clicked his tongue inwardly.
Hestia had been a symbolic figure bridging the royal family and the temple.
However, as King Yorgos only inquired about her wellbeing superficially without providing real care or attention, the archbishops had also subtly neglected her.
Furthermore, since she hadn’t received any other prophecies for over a decade, even the regular clergy had inevitably focused less on her compared to Anetha, leading to some regret now for their past negligence.
Meanwhile, Hestia calmly continued.
“I believe everyone is aware of how diligently I have served over the past ten years. Therefore, I want to spend this last year focusing solely on myself. I trust everyone will understand this wish.”
After finishing her statement, Hestia looked straight ahead, signaling her refusal to answer any further questions.
Anetha watched her with an expression of incomprehension.
Internally, Hestia was steadying her trembling heart.
‘I’ve bought some time with this.’
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
