“As someone who’s a child of God, isn’t the temple your home Sister? A place you can always return to.”

Charlie felt a lump in her throat and pouted her lips, mumbling.

“But I broke the roof.”

“Ah, regarding that, we’ve agreed to receive compensation from the Hunt family.”

Originally, Michael had distanced himself from greed and disregarded wealth.

He hadn’t been uncomfortable and hadn’t felt the need.

But after Charlie came to the Grand Temple, Michael’s thoughts changed.

Buildings with cracks everywhere letting in drafts. And meager meals.

These things had been fine for him, but when he thought of Charlie living the same way, it wasn’t okay.

He hadn’t been consumed by greed.

However, he felt that they should rightfully claim what they deserved.

“Enough that even if you lived here your whole life, Sister, eating and sleeping, it wouldn’t be lacking. A lot, I mean.”

Michael smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.

* * *

“Charlie.”

On the way to the bedroom after finishing dinner, Hector stopped Charlie.

Kaisis had already left after receiving a signal from Miller.

“I have… something to say.”

Hector led Charlie to a small garden within the temple where there were few people.

What could he be trying to say that he’s hesitating so much?

Could he be trying to tell her to come back to the mansion?

Charlie swallowed dryly, tensing up in response to Hector’s serious expression.

She didn’t know how much time had passed like that.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Hector carefully opened his mouth.

“Charlie, the truth is, you are my affiliated guide.”

“Affiliated guide?”

Charlie blinked at the words she couldn’t understand.

“The day you first came to the mansion. The contract Tanner gave you was actually an affiliated guide contract with me.”

“What does that mean…?”

“An affiliated guide is a contract protected by God, where the guide swears to guide only the contractor. It’s a system created in ancient times to prevent the harm of wars waged to obtain guides. The affiliation is not limited to purification, but everything from rank follows the contractor. If someone tries to forcibly take another’s affiliated guide, it’s against God’s will, so neither the temple nor the imperial family can intervene.”

Hector said, clenching his slightly trembling hands.

“The contract period is for life.”

“For life?”

“The contractor can terminate it at any time if they wish, so you don’t need to worry about that part.”

Hector continued, unable to look at Charlie directly.

“Tanner took preemptive measures knowing that if the imperial family and temple learned of your existence, they would try to separate you from me by any means necessary. I made the contract knowing that Tanner had deceived you and obtained your signature. And I didn’t tell you. Regardless of the reason, I don’t think it’s right that I made a contract by deceiving you.”

Charlie silently looked at Hector.

“I had plenty of opportunities to tell you. Although it was to protect you, I should have informed you and asked for your permission. But I was afraid that if you learned the truth, you might refuse… that you would despise me for deceiving you and leave.”

He was afraid.

Afraid of losing her.

Afraid of missing her.

“So I betrayed my faith and tried to force you to stay by my side.”

But that made Hector even more afraid.

“Ignoring… your feelings.”

Hector gazed intently at Charlie.

Eventually, a large hand gently brushed Charlie’s hair.

“That’s why I couldn’t come. I was afraid… afraid to face you turning away in disappointment.”

“……”

“When I learned you were in danger, it felt like the world was crumbling.”

The day Molech tried to harm Charlie. Hector could instinctively sense it.

And in that fleeting moment, Hector prayed desperately.

Just once.

Please, give me just one more chance.

“If you forgive me for deceiving you… If you come back to the mansion and become my lover despite that, I would be happy. But your feelings are more important than that.”

When he saw Charlie smiling at him, Hector realized.

That he wanted to keep seeing Charlie’s smiling face.

That he wanted to see Charlie truly happy, wherever she was.

“So choose what you want, Charlie.”

Hector gently kissed Charlie’s eyelids.

“I’ll always be here.”

* * *

Late at night.

Even after Hector left, Charlie couldn’t fall asleep easily.

[I think they said Count… the head of that family is so picky, I don’t think he can smell a commoner’s pheromones.]

The first time she accepted the maid’s offer was because they mentioned it was a count’s family.

[Welcome to the Hunt ducal mansion.]

But the place Charlie arrived at following Tanner was none other than Hector’s mansion.

[Didn’t you see the clause about a penalty of three billion irangs for unilateral termination without specific reasons?]

At the time, she couldn’t understand why Nova had lied about it being a count’s residence.

Then one day, Hector had asked to bring the contract.

Afterwards, his behavior of muttering ‘guide’ and chuckling seemed strange.

[Stay behind the shield.]

When Kaisis mentioned the Saintess. She wanted to ask what he was trying to do, but couldn’t due to the circumstances.

“Affiliated guide……”

Charlie felt dazed, as if she had been hit on the head with a blunt object.

Why had Tanner deceived her?

Because she was a Zero with holy power?

Memories of the past tangled in her mind, making it impossible to understand what was going on.

Faith.

When Charlie heard Hector’s words, her heart sank.

It would be a lie to say she felt no sense of betrayal at being deceived.

But more than that, it was because she remembered that she was a transmigrator.

Charlie couldn’t tell Hector the truth that this world was inside a novel and that she was a transmigrator.

That she actually knew who he was.

That she knew everything about his mysophobia and his suffering from not being able to receive purification.

But for her own survival…

She couldn’t say that she had planned to endure for just a year and leave because they offered a lot of money.

Hector had confessed honestly, but Charlie could never confess.

Yes, like Hector, she too had plenty of opportunities to speak.

Of course, if she had suddenly said, “Actually, this is inside a novel and you are all characters,” she would have been treated as insane.

But as time passed…

Hector would have surely believed her, no matter what she said.

“Because Hector is that kind of person……”

It wasn’t for Hector’s sake.

It was purely for her own sake.

She was afraid.

Afraid of losing Hector.

Afraid that he would abandon her and choose Liliana.

If she had told him there was a female protagonist destined to awaken as Miracle, Hector would have searched for her.

Honestly, if she had confessed everything, they could have prepared other alternatives.

They could have found Liliana before Kaisis and avoided the same ending.

“I’m… the worst.”

She is a hypocrite. And selfish.

[So choose what you want, Charlie.]

“I can’t tell you to choose what you want……”

Charlie buried her face in her knees.

* * *

“Where are you going?”

Rapha, who was guarding Charlie’s bedroom, asked her.

“To the prayer room……”

“At this hour?”

“I forgot to pray earlier.”

Rapha didn’t ask any further. It was because Charlie’s complexion looked dark.

She must be feeling conflicted about having to choose her residence tomorrow, especially after everything that had happened.

Rapha nodded and guided her to the prayer room.

“There’s a private prayer room inside the temple. I’ll guide you there.”

Rapha led Charlie to the prayer room within the Pareon Temple that had been used by past Saintesses.

“If you need anything, please call. I’ll be outside.”

Soon, silence descended upon the prayer room after Rapha left.

Charlie quietly looked up at the statue of the deity.

It was the image of a benevolent and holy woman extending one hand. With a warm smile that made you want to take that hand.

“Why did you send me here?”

Charlie asked, looking at the goddess statue.

She doesn’t know if her coming here was God’s will.

Charlie didn’t believe in God to begin with.

However, in a world with holy power, she couldn’t deny its existence either.

“There must be a reason.”

The statue just kept smiling, giving no answer.

Charlie slumped down.

“Isn’t this too much? You made me go through all sorts of hardships without saying a word.”

In fact, it wasn’t really a hard life, it was quite comfortable.

Well, even so.

“If you called me, you should at least explain why. So I can understand. They’re calling me a child of God and whatnot, but I haven’t even heard a single divine message… I won’t ask to be sent back. I gave up on that long ago. So at least tell me why I came here.”

Lamentations to an unknown recipient echoed through the temple.

“I can’t read, and I’m a Zero. And unfairly, Liliana who’s about to awaken is Miracle and I’m……”

Enough.

Why even mention her, it just hurts.

Charlie let out a sigh.

“In transmigration novels, they can read fluently and use their abilities powerfully, but for me, it’s too much. What, am I just a substitute? Then you shouldn’t have let me meet Hector.”

Charlie curled up, hugging her knees with both hands.

“If it’s going to be like this, I’d rather be Liliana.”

She muttered complaints that no one would listen to, burying her face.

Even if you want to die, you still get hungry.

Just as she was about to get up, unable to resist hunger and sleep, her eyelids slowly closing.

“……?!”

Charlie’s head, frozen in an awkward position, slowly turned.

Long hair sliding down her shoulders onto the floor.

It was definitely hers.

“But… why……”

Is it silver?

Charlie, who had been in a daze, hurriedly ran her hands through her hair.

“It’s definitely mine.”

It hurts when she pulled it, so it must be her hair.

But no matter how much she rubbed her eyes and looked again, this wasn’t brown.