BSLFS 02

Chapter 2

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I know it sounds bad to say this myself, but… the life of a “Saint” is honestly pretty exhausting.

Every morning I have to wake up before sunrise, and from dawn until sunset, I’m required to stay in the prayer hall, praying nonstop.

When I was little, I used to hear the other kids playing near the temple and asked the Archbishop, “Can I play with them too?”
But he just said, “You have to pray, so no,” and I was never allowed to join them.

And the hardest part of all… is the food.

Breakfast and dinner are just bread and soup.

They told me I’m not allowed to eat meat, because it supposedly dulls the power of holy magic—the kind of magic that comes from prayer.
So even the soup only has a few bits of vegetables floating in it.

That’s pretty rough when you’re still growing. Thanks to that, even though I should be about sixteen by now, I’m still short and look like a kid.

Even so, the Archbishop always said, “We raised you even though you were an orphan, so you must repay that debt by serving the kingdom.”
So I kept doing my best, but then—

“Y-you mean… I’m really allowed to leave!?”

I asked Prince Aidan again just to make sure.

“Y-yeah, get out—get out right now!”

Prince Aidan kept shouting, “Get out!” over and over again.

Since he’s the Crown Prince and will be the next king, if he says I can leave, that means I’m truly dismissed, right?

A rush of freedom bubbled up inside me—it felt almost floaty.

“I’ll go pack my things right away!”

I said that and went to my small sleeping area next to the prayer hall. My belongings fit into a single bag.

Not that there was much to begin with—just one extra priestess robe, and a green pendant with a bunch of knife-like scratches on it, which they said I’d had when I was taken into the temple.

They told me that having desires dulls the effectiveness of holy magic, so personal possessions were forbidden.
These two items were the only things I could really call my own.

When I came back to the prayer hall, a group of soldiers was already waiting—Prince Aidan must have called them.

“You lot! Take her to the neighboring country and drop her off there!”

“Oh, you’re having them escort me? Thank you!”

When I said that, the prince’s face twisted like he’d just swallowed something bitter, and he shouted,

“No! You’re being banished! Out of the country!”

The soldiers lifted me up and set me onto the back of a waiting carriage.

The wheels began to rattle as the carriage started moving.

“Your Highness, where are you taking Layla—?”

It seemed the Archbishop had noticed the commotion; I saw him running toward us in a panic.

“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do!!”

Prince Aidan shoved the Archbishop aside.
The old man fell to the ground but still managed to shout toward me.

“Layla! Have you forgotten the debt you owe us for raising you!?”

“Thank you so much for that! But the prince said I can leave now, so I’ll be going!”

I called back to him as he grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

“I think I’ve done my best up until now! So from here on, I want to wear cute clothes and eat delicious food!”

Prince Aidan, Lady Hanna, and the Archbishop all grew smaller and smaller—
and then, they were gone from sight.