"Your Grace, it's time to turn out the lights."
“Yes...Now, just finished.” - Genevieve responded without turning around.
The prayer room was tiny and dark. Despite her title as a saint, a servant of the Goddess, Genevieve never received an answer from the one to whom she prayed.
The goddess who bestows fate and abilities only watched.
The maid, who was patiently waiting for her, reminded her of the time again. Genevieve reluctantly collected the papers and stood up.
[The husband, a guardsman of the crown prince, was in no hurry to meet her. Although they were newlyweds and he often received dismissals, he almost always remained in the palace. Genevieve had no right to leave the church.]
If you asked her if she was bored, she would answer: [yes. But not to the point of pain. Not to the point of despair.]
[He was a good man...Genevieve just always dreamed of a family.]
[I want to have a baby as soon as possible...]
[Or maybe a saint is not entitled to leave at all?]
[If you have to leave again for purification rites, it will be impossible to get pregnant and bear a child. Genevieve herself did not know whether the blessing of the Goddess extended to her possible child... or only to her alone.]
“If you overexert yourself, your health may suffer.”
"Don't worry. I'm strong."
The goddess endowed her with many abilities, as if out of concern.
[But Genevieve knew: it was not a blessing, but a tool for exhaustion.]
[Don't feel hungry.]
[Don't need sleep.]
[Keep moving without collapsing from fatigue.]
[For some this is a miracle.]
[For Genevieve, the curse of work.]
Especially if you remember how she acquired these abilities.
Adaline's worried look flashed before her eyes. Her voice:
[Don't overload yourself...If you don't want to, say no.]
Two warm palms squeezing hers, with the participation that Genevieve so lacked.
[You don't know...]
[You can't even imagine how much I've missed you all this time.]
[How many times have I cried, feeling guilty before you...]
[During the darkest days of my life.]
[When I was falsely accused of being an impostor, as if I had declared myself a saint, although I had never done so...]
Genevieve wanted to give up everything.
[She hated Shane for bringing her here like a saint. Yes, he saved her from hell. But it seemed like he was simply replacing one hell with another.]
[Adaline then took care of her herself.]
[Seeing her fear of Shane, she took her hand, took her to beautiful places, and treated her to goodies.]
[Smile.]
[You are the main character of your life.]
And when Genevieve lost her, she submitted to Shane out of guilt.
[She was afraid too. But the desire to be useful turned out to be stronger than fear.]
[After all, she betrayed the only person who ever stood by her side.]
[No one blamed her. Not a single person reproached. But she couldn’t forgive herself.]
“It’s already feeling cool in the morning.” - said the maid.
“Winter is coming. We'll have to travel far again." - Genevieve responded.
“They say Your Grace will stay closer this year. The Pope is not well and wants you close. He says he has a lot of errands.”
“Even despite the upcoming wedding of the Duke of Blanchard...”
“I'm not just busy because of the wedding.”
“His Lordship is too demanding. Such an important task must be completed in a month. And out of everyone, it is you who have been ordered to conduct the ceremony...”
“Am I not suitable? The Duke saved me. Lady Bertrand too."
"...It's just..."
She didn’t finish, but Genevieve already understood.
[Where do these ridiculous rumors about their “romance” even come from? Even when the wedding has already been scheduled...]
[If you count “fear” and “rapid pulse” as falling in love, well then, yes, my heart skips a beat!]
[In front of Shane, she always felt like a frog in front of a snake. For some reason the rumors kept popping up again and again.]
Without answering, Genevieve simply quickened her pace.
[She quickly got married, hoping for a family. But deep inside, I hoped that my husband would help me break out of the circle in which Duke Blanchard walked.]
[But marriage alone was not enough.]
[I need a child...]
[If I become a married woman with children, maybe these absurdities will finally stop...]
And at that moment... an arrow whistled past her eyes and pierced the stone wall with a dull thud.