Every dawn, I would wake early, complete simple preparations, and head straight to the prayer room. Unless something special came up, my life followed the same routine. I greeted each morning with dawn prayers, ate breakfast, then handled the day’s schedule.

So today, just like always, I finished breakfast and headed back to the prayer room, but the looks from those around me weren’t kind.

I could tell from their glances and murmuring that an unpleasant atmosphere was brewing. I’d sensed their attitude toward me had been less than favorable lately, but today’s blatant hostility was a first.

There seemed to be more maids and servants moving through the corridors than usual—perhaps it was related to that.

When I entered my room to rest briefly, I saw Marianne, my personal maid, already preparing refreshments. As she approached to speak with me, her face showed clear signs of anxiety.

“Saintess, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“A new saintess has appeared.”

“A saintess?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked by her words. After all, I was currently the only saintess in the Alpha Empire. With me here, how could a new saintess appear?

While many people would rejoice at a saintess’s arrival, from my position, this wasn’t exactly welcome news.

“The entire palace is buzzing with talk about the new saintess. This saintess is… the daughter of a Count’s family.”

Marianne spoke carefully while glancing at me. She seemed to be considerate of my feelings, given that I wasn’t of noble birth.

Since I was of common origin, it was natural that people’s attention would turn to a noble-born saintess rather than me. I understood this, but I couldn’t help feeling bitter.

“Where is the new saintess now?”

“She’s currently having an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. After that, she’s scheduled to spend time with the elder nobles.”

“Has there been any word for me?”

“No, not yet.”

If another saintess had appeared, they should have introduced her to me first, but the complete silence meant they were dismissing me as a commoner-born saintess.

I considered asking if I could attend, but decided against it. No matter how I thought about it, going to a gathering I wasn’t invited to would be improper.

“Could I perhaps catch a glimpse of her secretly?”

“She’ll be moving to the reception room, so you could see her from that area. But Saintess, why would you need to look secretly? You could just happen to pass by.”

“You’re right.”

Realizing my thinking was excessive, I immediately left my room and headed toward the reception room. As I walked with considerably deflated steps, I stopped when Marianne halted.

“That’s the new saintess. Lady Diane Radner of House Radner.”

Marianne pointed discreetly and whispered to me.

The new saintess was surrounded by many people. She wore a gentle smile that radiated refinement—completely opposite to me, who knew nothing of noble etiquette.

She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, dazzling to behold. Unlike me, armed with simplicity, she was glamorous and radiant. Beautiful enough to captivate anyone with her appearance alone.

The saintess wore a completely different dress from mine. Wasn’t I only allowed to wear white dresses? She wore a bright pink dress.

She was so glamorously dressed that people couldn’t recognize her as a saintess at first glance—ordinary people might mistake her for a regular noble lady. She looked like she could pass for a crown princess rather than a saintess.

Since she had just been recognized as a saintess, her attire might be different, but somehow I felt stifled.

After confirming the saintess’s face, I was about to return to the chapel when a man caught my eye. The man escorting the saintess.

He was the crown prince—my fiancé.

The man who hadn’t even visited me lately, claiming to be busy, was now with the new saintess. I was so shocked that my body froze.

The two made a truly well-matched pair. They were such a perfect couple that the phrase “handsome man and beautiful woman” came naturally to mind. Dressed simply, I felt like I couldn’t fit between those glamorous two.

While staring at them blankly, one fact flashed through my mind. Now that I thought about it, the saintess’s name and the crown prince’s name were strangely familiar.

Soon I realized who they were. They were the protagonists from the book “The Saintess Wants to Win Both Love and Work!” And I had been transported into that book.

It wasn’t my preferred type of story, so I’d never read it. However, my friend loved that novel so much that she constantly told me about it, so the protagonist names and general plot remained in my memory.

What was the story again?

The book began with the tale of a cursed empire. Amid political chaos, a fake saintess had been causing trouble.

The fake had some holy power and pretended to be a saintess, deceiving the imperial family, until a real saintess appeared later to stop her. The female protagonist’s name was Diane, wasn’t it? And the male protagonist crown prince was named Theodore.

Since I only knew the two protagonists’ names, I had no idea this was the world from a book when I first woke up here.

When I heard about the curse plaguing the imperial family, I only thought it sounded vaguely familiar and carelessly dismissed it.

But to think this was a novel’s world. That meant, in other words…

‘Could it be that I’m the fake saintess?’

I’d been wondering why that power was gradually diminishing lately. To think I was the villain…

Then what was all my suffering for?

Since I’d only struggled after being transported here and that time felt so precious, I desperately tried to recall the conversation my friend had shared.

‘What happens to the fake?’

‘Of course she pays for her evil deeds. She gets exiled to another empire and exits the story.’

After working myself to the bone for three years to save the empire, I get exposed as a fake saintess and banished? This can’t be!

I knew nothing else about the fake saintess. This made me resent my past self for not reading the novel.

While clutching my head with both hands in despair, I realized that what my friend had told me was subtly different from what I’d experienced. Because I hadn’t committed any evil deeds.

For the past three years, I’d been a saintess respected by the empire’s people. Even if they didn’t know my face, everyone praised me when my name was mentioned.

Based on that alone, wasn’t I not the villain? What kind of villainess sacrifices herself to save an empire?

Maybe the story had changed when I was transported as the saintess? So perhaps I wouldn’t be banished as a fake saintess?

I wanted to trust the imperial family and citizens who had treated me respectfully all this time. But remembering their subtly changed behavior lately made me suddenly anxious.

While lost in thought, I sensed the crown prince and new saintess approaching me. Since I hadn’t planned to encounter them, I couldn’t help but panic.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

I hurriedly greeted the crown prince. I expected him to introduce me to the new saintess, but he didn’t. He glanced at me and simply passed by. The saintess did the same. In that moment, I felt like my existence was nothing more than a speck of dust.

Not even a greeting… What kind of situation was this? My heart felt like it was crashing down.

“His Highness must have had urgent business.”

Marianne beside me seemed quite flustered too. She added an explanation to comfort me, but it only made my existence feel infinitely shabby and miserable.

Her words meant that Marianne had the same thoughts I did.

“Let’s go to the chapel.”

“Yes.”

Though I felt terrible, I had no choice but to pretend composure and head to the chapel.

No matter how differently they treated me, I intended to remain faithful to my role. Whatever anyone said, I would pray for the empire’s people. I would bless the empire while remembering their words of gratitude.

Since it seemed my time as saintess wouldn’t last much longer.

I tried to clasp my hands in prayer but couldn’t concentrate. My head was full of complicated thoughts, feeling tangled like a ball of yarn.

Would things flow according to the original story? This can’t be happening…

I sighed softly and recalled the moment I opened my eyes in the Alpha Empire.