The Villainess Lives Twice
chapter-107

Chapter 107

Proofreader: somnium

1. Saintess

When Artizea opened her eyes, there was an old monk beside her.

He was on his knees quietly towards the scripture. Whether he is praying or just sitting and waiting, she could not tell for sure.

Artizea raised her body and sat down in a polite position on the prayer table. She wasn’t in a decent physical condition, and she didn’t have enough mental capacity to do so.

“Brother Colton.”

With her deeply submerged voice she called the monk.

Brother Colton looked at Artizea. She could not read anything from the silent black eyes.

“How are you doing? I didn’t think it would be polite to disturb people abruptly, so I didn’t.”

“How long have I been like this?”

“It’s not long. It’s not been 5 minutes since I came in.”

“I see.”

Artizea was surprised because she felt as if she had fallen asleep for several hours. She felt like she had spent 10 years in this prayer room.

“How was the oracle?”

“Oracle? What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you must have received it.”

Said Brother Colton.

Artizea bit her lower lip.

Is that an oracle? It’s got to be.

Even if she had no experience, she could tell even if she had never heard of it before.

It was clear that the meaning of something that had been stuck in one’s mind was either from God or the Devil.

And this is a temple.

Artizea didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t figure out what had happened to her.

Everything was shocking enough to change things. But nothing has changed.

Artizea was still Artizea herself, and she did not have a sudden change of consciousness.

She was nervous because she didn’t know what had happened to her. It was mostly because she didn’t know what Brother Colton knew.

“What makes you think I’m supposed to have received an oracle?”

“It’s in front of God. You don’t have to talk like you’re doubting it or trying to dig it up”

Said Brother Colton.

“Saintess.”

Artizea was dizzy and closed her eyes once and then opened it.

“I’m not a saintess. Don’t call me that.”

“You have received an oracle, and you are a saintess.”

“I told you not to call me that way.”

Brother Colton looked at her.

Artizea turned her head because it was difficult to face him with her dizzy eyes.

Usually she doesn’t show her expressions and behavior this way. However, she was so disturbed in her heart now that she couldn’t hide herself.

“Artizea Rosan, it was about three months ago that I felt that I had to bring you here. Even though I am not a subject of an oracle, sometimes I feel the will of God like this.”

“…..”

“I wasn’t able to invite you because you were in the north, but I thought that God’s will would have worked after hearing the word that you came to visit me when we had no acquaintance, like you did today.”

Brother Colton called her name.

Artizea said again.

“I don’t believe in God. I came to see Brother Colton because of financial affairs.”

“If an oracle is only given to a faithful person, there are dozens of people in this temple alone who are more suitable to receive the oracle than you are. The oracle is not given in return for the faith in believing, or for doing what you do because it is right.”

Said Brother Colton.

“An oracle is given to someone who can change history.”

“…..Do you know what kind of oracle I’ve heard?”

“I don’t know who you are, what you will do in the future, what the oracle will change, and you don’t have to let me know if you don’t want to.”

“….”

“I just know that it was God’s way of looking ahead and anticipating everything.”

Artizea squeezed her cold fingertip with the other hand.

“Do you believe that God must do the right thing?”

“The servant just follows what the master does.”

Brother Colton said with a stone-hard face.

And as if he thought he was too harsh, he tried to loosen his face.

Brother Colton wasn’t not used to kind words. However, he felt the need to lead the young lady who was confused.

“You may not know the meaning of the oracle right now. You may think you shouldn’t follow it.”

“….”

“That’s all right. If God wanted someone to follow like a sheep, God would have chosen a representative from among many priests.”

“You mean even if I don’t want it, I’ll behave according to God’s will?”

“God sees both before and after eternity. How can we understand all of God’s will with the short life and narrow mind of man?”

Brother Colton said, politely bowing his head.

“But you and I are all in God’s arrangement. Just as this encounter is. Someday you will understand what is in place for you. So just take it easy and accept it now.”

Artizea couldn’t accept that remark.

Her way back was full of silence.

Lysia was worried for Artizea. Even after she met Marchioness Camellia, she looked tired, but she didn’t feel like standing in the air.

But she looked very sensitive now.

‘Is the conversation with Brother Colton so difficult?’

Maybe she could’ve just asked to come back later. It wouldn’t have helped much, though.

Rather than going to get the snack, wouldn’t it have been better to stick with Artizea instead?

Even when they went back to the mansion. Artizea dragged the hem of her skirt into the mansion without giving a word to the Chief Maid.

She often sees Artizea’s tired or consciously sharp look, but it’s the first time Artizea exposed her stress outright, so everyone felt restless.

“Your Grace, you’re home?”

Hayley came out to meet her in the lobby.

Artizea caught a glimpse of Hayley. Hayley was still the way she had dressed to go to Marchioness Camellia’s salon. It seemed that she had just returned.

“Hayley.”

She felt like she didn’t want to talk about anything. Her head was so full that she couldn’t think of anything now.

Even after receiving the report from Hayley, she couldn’t do anything right now. Delaying a day or two didn’t mean that there would be a bigger problem.

But Hayley couldn’t be ignored that way. Artizea said, trying to put off her complicated thoughts.

“……. what happened?”

“Marchioness Camellia was absent. I received Barque wine from Grand Duke Roygar, and I got a few more bottles. The Grand Duchess was very pleased with the gift.”

Hayley couldn’t hide her expression and slightly frowned her face. Artizea said in a calm voice.

“Good job.”

“What?”

She didn’t report it properly, but Hayley was surprised. Artizea replied.

“Don’t you say you got Barque wine?”

“Ah yes.”

“If you were sloppy, you wouldn’t be able to look at me with such a fine face now, because Grand Duke Roygar would have attacked you terribly. You wouldn’t have had the spirit to take the wine.”

“It could have been just a gift, right?”

“If you had been treated with Barque wine, he had probably said that the profits of the eastern region businesses are less than in the previous years?”

Artizea asked back without hiding her tired look. Still, Hayley couldn’t stop her curiosity.

“Can you tell from that alone?”

“Wine, silk or sugar, it’s the same. Still, you’ve done a good job getting the wine, Hayley. I didn’t think he had looked down on you.”

“Your Grace.”

“Let’s take a break and talk properly about what’s going on in detail later. Now, I’m a little… tired.”

Artizea spoke quickly by herself, feeling like she was going to fall, and headed towards the bedroom.

Lysia said, “Hayley, I’ll talk to you later,” and she quickly followed Artizea.

“You said you’re hungry… Do you want me to prepare anything? How about a meat pancake?”

Lysia carefully mentioned the snack that Artizea often eats these days. The thoughts of the snacks disappeared, so Artizea shook her head.

Alice jumped out as Artizea went up to the second floor.

“Madam, why is your complexion so pale?”

“I’m tired, Alice. I want to sleep.”

Said Artizea.

Alice hurriedly supported her and took her to her bedroom. While Alice stripped her coat and her clothes, the other maids prepared a basin of hot water.

Alice wiped the makeup off Artizea’s face with a warm towel. Artizea laid down in her bed without energy.

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing, it’s just because my mind is in disarray.”

“Would you like to cover your face with a wet towel?”

“Hmm.”

Alice put a towel soaked in warm water over Artizea’s eyes. And she wiped her hands and feet. There was a feeling of cold energy escaping from her cold eyes.

Brother Colton’s words buzzed in her mind.

‘What saintess.’

A person who can change history.

Alright. She turned time back and changed the future.

She also knew that she was the one who could change the Emperor too.

However, there was nothing she could do as a saintess. Whether she is Grand Duchess Evron, Marchioness Rosan, or Lawrence’s sister, the saintess does not fit in with any name.

Artizea couldn’t do anything like jumping into an epidemic area to heal the sick, and she had no intention of doing it, unlike Lysia.

The place where she will be is not in the sunlight, but in the corner where candles cast their shadows.

‘Return… …?’

Does it mean to undo what she’s done so far?

Is it God’s will for Lawrence to become emperor? Maybe it was.

The people who have fallen into depravity long for salvation. People who had lost hope of surviving, despaired and got corrupted, or relied on God for miracles and relief.

What happens when a Saintess appears there. Artizea had seen faith and prayer go beyond the customs of life and spread like fire.

Or, is that what God wants?

No. God should not be tailored to human-like desires.

If God’s will was to rule the heavens, the future that Artizea knew might not matter in decades after.

There was something as suspicious as it was complicated.

Could there be two saintesses in one age?

It is said that no one knows for sure the will of God, so there is no guarantee. Nor are there statistics that have accumulated enough to establish a prediction.

However, as far as Artizea knows, no two saintesses have ever appeared in history at the same time.

Is she a saintess herself? Couldn’t Lysia become a saintess in two years?

If so, then she had really taken everything away from Lysia.