Even after confirming there were no people around, he lowered his voice even more.

“Instead of doing this here, I’ll speak to His Holiness the Pope and arrange a separate meeting.”

“No! I can’t bother His Holiness with something so trivial. Could you ask the Commander of the Holy Knights if he can spare some time later?”

“Do you mean Gined Roengreen?”

As soon as Gined’s name was mentioned, the High Priest made a displeased expression.

Given Gined’s reputation for deep faith and integrity, not just in the Holy Kingdom but across the continent, I found it a bit puzzling.

“He is very busy, so I don’t know when he will have time. But don’t worry. I, Dominique, will do my best.”

“Thank you, High Priest.”

Silver was a precious metal on Earth, but it was even more valuable in this world.

Donating enough silver for the entire Order of Knights was no small feat, even for me, the legitimate daughter of the Dronay family.

‘If I had known this, I would have frequented the temple more diligently…’

The cost of negligence was excessively high.

However, in a situation where choices were limited, it was unthinkable to give up meeting the male lead because of money.

Whether High Priest Dominique made an effort or not, I finally got to meet Gined three days later at night.

I was alone in the library, transcribing the scriptures until late.

High Priest Dominique approached, along me with a man.

“You’re working hard even at this hour.”

Startled by the voice, I woke up from my drowsiness. The moment I saw the man standing in front of me, all my sleepiness vanished. It was a visual shock similar to when I met Lina.

From head to toe, he radiated holiness. It felt like Sanctus was ringing in my ears.

Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality at the sound of High Priest Dominique ‘s voice.

“Allow me to introduce you, Roengreen. This is the young lady of the Duke of Dronay.”

“I am Gined Roengreen.”

Gined gave a curt greeting and bowed slightly. His neatly tied silver hair glowed red in the lamplight.

He looked like the perfect apostle of the gods, in other words, like an angel.

However, he was far from the young and lovely angels often depicted in paintings. Instead, he looked more like a cold and stern judge.

His clear and transparent eyes seemed to see through my sinister intentions.

I couldn’t bear to look directly at his face and lowered my head.

“Nice to meet you. I am Lou Dronay.”

“The young lady is donating silver to the Order of Holy Knights. The budget has been tight, hasn’t it? It’s truly a blessing. Isn’t it, Roengreen?”

“Donations are not necessary. I have already stated that if the corrupt individuals embezzling the temple’s funds are removed, the budget will be sufficient.”

Both High Priest Dominique and I were taken aback by the unexpected refusal.

Especially High Priest Dominique, who almost jumped up.

“What are you saying? And in front of a believer…!”

“Why do we leave those who forget their duties as priests alone? If we ignore the fundamental problem and focus only on donations, how are we different from merchants? Measures must be taken to ensure that traitors can no longer defile the sanctuary of the gods.”

“No, this man is always…”

Between me and Gined, High Priest Dominique was flustered.

“Am I doing this for my own good? You even made a pointless suggestion to His Holiness the Pope recently, and the budget for the Order of Holy Knights was cut. I felt guilty about that and introduced you to someone who’s willing to help…”

Based on the conversation, I could roughly guess Gined’s situation.

‘They say fish can’t live in too clear water.’

Gined was the type who attracted more jealousy than affection because he was too talented and had a rigid character. Even the Pope subtly kept him in check.

I felt a bit sorry for him.

Anyway, since we couldn’t have a proper conversation like this, I stepped in to mediate the dispute.

“Thank you for your help, High Priest. Can I speak with Sir Roengreen separately?”

Only then did the High Priest turn to me and compose his voice.

“Please don’t mind the earlier conversation. Roengreen is rather inflexible for his age.”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

The High Priest sighed deeply and made a final plea to Gined.

“Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

“…”

Once the High Priest left the library, an awkward silence settled between Gined and me.

I was contemplating whether to call the High Priest back when Gined spoke first.

“Why do you wish to donate silver?”

“I heard that the appearance of monsters has become frequent lately. I just wanted to help, so please don’t feel too burdened.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not something the young lady should concern yourself with. We cannot pass the internal problems of the temple onto an individual believer. That’s what I wanted to convey.”

He rejected my proposal again.

In my life as Lou Dronay, this was the first time I had been so firmly rejected.

Even the Crown Prince usually tried to accommodate my requests.

Knowing that he was originally a rigid character, I wasn’t offended. I just didn’t know how to handle the situation.

“Then I will take my leave.”

While I hesitated, he was about to leave the library.

Panicked, I blurted out whatever came to mind.

“If you can’t purchase the necessary amount of silver due to budget constraints, won’t your subordinates ultimately suffer?”

Gined stopped walking. Then he slowly turned to look at me.

Although he remained expressionless, he was clearly agitated.

“That is… none of the young lady’s concern.”

“None of my concern? The Empire of Kebrenia and the Holy Kingdom are the closest allies. I heard the Empire often receives help from the Holy Kingdom when dealing with monsters. If the strength of the Sephiroth Knights weakens, it would be a loss for the Empire as well. As the future Crown Princess, I believe it is my duty to help.”

I regretted mentioning the crown princess as soon as I said it.

Although I planned to break off the engagement with the Crown Prince eventually, reminding him of my fiancé now would only strengthen his ironclad defenses.

‘I’m not trying to seduce Gined right away. I’m definitely not trying to cheat…’

“…”

Gined lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while.

Seeing him in deep thought gave me mixed feelings.

Of course, I intended to force him into a debt of gratitude and use that as a pretext to build a connection.

However, the problem was that Gined was much more upright than I had anticipated. It made me feel like a worn-out temptress trying to seduce a pure youth with money.

“If you put it that way… I will accept it. Thank you.”

“You made the right decision.”

Even then, Gined’s face showed reluctance.

He seemed to have more to say, but he closed his mouth again.

‘Is he angry because I forced the silver on him?’

I glanced up at his face and our eyes met. A fleeting emotion that he couldn’t hide appeared in his eyes and then disappeared.

I realized that he was genuinely ashamed of this situation.

He seemed to think that accepting an unjust donation was more disgraceful than clashing with other priests over a lack of budget.

A clumsy encouragement or consolation would only provoke his sense of shame further.

I sensed it was time to end the conversation.

“It’s late at night. I should finish transcribing for today and call it a day. Let’s discuss the details further at a later time.”

I bid Gined my farewell with a light bow, just as he had when he first entered the library.

Leaving him behind, I trudged out of the library.

‘It won’t work after all…’

I knew I wasn’t in a position to be picky, but I had my own conscience.

How could I possibly commit an unholy act against such a noble priest?

It seemed more realistic to hope that I would develop a fondness for Pinion through our constant bickering.

The result was disappointing compared to the effort I put in. My shoulders drooped automatically. The fate of being a substitute heroine was truly pitiful.

‘Lina was loved by everyone, even just by breathing…’

Back in my bedroom, I looked into the mirror, thinking of the shockingly beautiful Lina.

Instead of a stunning beauty with mesmerizing hair and eyes, a girl with thick lavender hair tied in a braid looked back at me.

She didn’t have the cold and vicious look typical of a villainess. Instead, her soft hair and round, mint-colored eyes gave her a delicate and gentle appearance.

‘I don’t resemble Lina at all.’

Well, how could a villainess dare to compare to the heroine’s beauty?

Besides, my face had too mild an impression to captivate men’s attention.

Today, the appearance I usually found quite decent felt unsatisfactory.

I lay on the bed and irritably pulled the blanket over my head. Then I fell asleep, cursing Lina and Enril, who were no longer in this world.