The water of the sacred spring is bottomless. The water source, blessed by the divine and never running dry, is imbued with holy energy, keeping its surface always calm.

The priests took turns guarding the spring. They worried that impure things might infiltrate. Though who would dare to defile a spring under divine protection, humans still guarded the water as a custom.

It was during a moment when the space was briefly empty as people changed shifts. When no one was there, with only the primordial water remaining.

Splash.

The water ripples alone.

The water that had never known ripples began to undulate.

* * *

In the carriage returning to the mansion.

I told Rashid about what happened in the library. Rashid listened to my words with a rather serious face.

“Bookworms do have strong resistance to barriers, but it’s problematic that they’ve infiltrated the palace. It’s fortunate at least that they don’t harm humans.”

“Isn’t devouring the letters in books harmful?”

“It means they don’t directly harm humans.”

Certainly, it didn’t feel like something that would torment people. Although it looked like a centipede and was creepy, it was small and it seemed more interested in books than people.

While pondering whether it was a big deal or not, I suddenly asked him.

“By the way, why did you come to pick me up?”

It was as curious as the bookworm incident.

Rashid answered nonchalantly.

“Because you didn’t return for a long time. When I went to the grand theater, they said you went to the library with Her Highness.”

So instead of turning back at the Grand Theater, he followed all the way to the library. Like parents looking for a lost child. Am I that untrustworthy?

“Wouldn’t I have come back on my own just fine?”

“I thought you might not come back at all.”

Certainly, just running away and disappearing would be a way to lead to a divorce that’s not a divorce… But I felt that no matter where I tried to hide, it would be difficult to completely erase my traces.

“That could be possible.”

But I didn’t bother to deny it.

I barely ate dinner. My mind was too complicated to focus on eating. After just a few spoonfuls of soup, I went up to the bedroom.

I think about the day’s events.

Pedro and Inês of Portugal. A romantic novel that was once popular. The appearance of a demonic beast that devoured the letters of the book. No matter how many times I thought about it, everything was too strange.

The more I thought, the more I felt like I was sinking into a mire. What was the meaning of that book’s existence? Was it a byproduct of the author’s setting?

The sudden trace of my original world shook my heart. Like the light of a lighthouse illuminating the dark night, could it be a secret signal that I could return to where I was born and raised?

‘Why did I come to this world in the first place?’

And why did I end up inhabiting Alisa’s body of all people?

At first, I thought it was because of the similar fact of falling into water. That it became some kind of connection. I guessed that some kind of magical event occurred because I happened to have 《Unavoidable Fate》 in my bag.

But there’s no reason it had to be me specifically.

Like falling into the only open manhole among countless ones beneath my feet, was it just bad luck?

I came up with several hypotheses, but couldn’t find the answer.

I lay on the bed, tossing and turning, lost in thought all night.

* * *

The Founding Festival concludes with a mass at the Grand Temple.

The imperial family and nobles all gather to pray until nightfall to the God Morea who allowed the era of humans. When darkness falls, brilliant fireworks burst over the roof of the Grand Temple, painting the sky. That marks the end of the Founding Festival.

Noble individuals flocked to the central cathedral of the Grand Temple. The front row was for the imperial family, and the next seats were prepared for the five Dukes.

Alisa sat with Rashid behind the imperial family. Behind them, numerous nobles were seated according to their rank and power. Among them was Alisa’s father, but the father and daughter didn’t acknowledge each other.

At the end of the mass, couples from the imperial family and the ducal families stand before the High Priest. The High Priest leaves words of blessing directly to them and has them drink water from the holy spring to purify their blood.

Alisa and Rashid stepped forward after the Emperor and Empress to stand before the High Priest. The High Priest looked at the two with a solemn face.

“Reflect your faces in the holy water.”

The faces of the two were reflected in the clear water in a crystal bowl. The High Priest leaned over to look at the faces of the ducal couple reflected in that water.

Duchess Penvernon raised her head.

At that moment, standing there was not the Duchess of Penvernon, but a woman with black hair.

No way.

The High Priest’s body stepped back in surprise.

When he blinked, the next moment the strange woman was gone. The woman standing before him was the Duchess of Penvernon.

For a moment, a word flashed through the High Priest’s mind.

Witch.

All magic users in the empire are under the country’s management. Those with strong magic among them live as mages in the Magic Tower, or live under the surveillance of the imperial palace. Magic, which borrows the power of nature from the divine, is a blessed yet turbulent force. It was not to be abused carelessly.

But occasionally, there are magic users who escape from the eyes of the country and are out of control. They lived in hiding, avoiding restraints. If one has power granted by the divine, they should rightfully use it for the empire! Truly wicked and delusional ones, they were called demons and witches.

Could it be that a witch is disguising herself as the Duchess of Penvernon?

The High Priest fell into reasonable doubt. His intuition, blessed by the divine, was as sharp as a blade.

If so, this is a serious matter. He must quickly unveil the witch’s disguise and make this fact known to the world.

Therefore, after all the ceremonies were over, the High Priest called the Penvernon couple separately.

“I hear the Duchess has recently gone through a great ordeal. I would like to give you a blessing so that you may walk an easier path from now on.”

What noble would refuse the High Priest’s blessing? The two followed him.

The High Priest and the Duke and Duchess Penvernon headed to a shrine.

He slowly poured holy water over Alisa’s head. The sacred water has the power to burn away evil and call forth truth. If she were a witch in disguise, she would reveal her true form under the power of the holy water.

Her coral-colored hair became wet. The pure water moistened her face, ran down her shoulders, and dripped to the floor in ripples. Throughout this, Alisa maintained a devout attitude with her hands clasped together.

Finally, he poured the entire bowl of water over her.

However, her appearance remained exactly that of Alisa.

Holy water has the power to reveal the truth. If Alisa were maintaining a false appearance, her true form should have been revealed when touched by the holy water.

Did I see wrong?

Nevertheless, the High Priest’s brow furrowed with suspicion. In any case, there was nothing he could do immediately, so the High Priest feigned composure and greeted them.

“May Morea’s blessings be upon the Duchess Penvernon.”

“I am grateful for your grace.”

The Penvernon couple left.

But the High Priest was still unsettled. It was certainly not an issue to be dismissed as a momentary hallucination.

Alisa Penvernon undoubtedly had something suspicious about her. Although he couldn’t immediately tell what it was, once aware, it was not something to be ignored.

That night, the High Priest secretly summoned the leader of the Blue Crystal Order.

The Blue Crystal Order¹or 푸른 수정 결사단. In which 결사단 means ‘a group of people who are dedicated to a cause or ideology, willing to risk their lives,’ much like a suicide squad. was a secret organization under the temple. Their duty was to gather information and conduct covert operations as directed by the temple. If necessary, they did even more than that.

“Keep an eye on Alisa Penvernon’s movements.”

It doesn’t hurt to be cautious in advance. That’s what the High Priest thought. If Alisa Penvernon were a witch, eliminating her would be a righteous duty to uphold the justice of the world.