Chapter 1

Prologue

“It is time to finally put an end to the matter we have been postponing.”

“There must be no more conflict.”

“Saintess. Please make your decision now!”

“For the eternal peace of the Empire…!”

I sat quietly in the center of the great hall, which resembled a courtroom, and stared blankly at them. The men who had come representing each faction were all shouting with heated expressions.

And the three men representing their respective factions were all looking up at me.

As if they were brides waiting to be chosen.

The Crown Prince of the Eliade Empire and a Sword Master, with striking red hair and crimson eyes.

‘Kyle Alexis Eliade.’

He sat at the front of the imperial officials.

“Choose me. Otherwise……”

The moment I looked into his eyes, I felt as if I could hear a hallucinated voice and flinched.

Without realizing it, my gaze drifted toward the longsword hanging at Kyle’s waist, and a chill ran down my spine.

And then…

The High Priest, Reihas de El, with bright golden hair, golden eyes, and a beautiful appearance that looked as if he had stepped straight out of a painting.

Behind him sat countless priests, tense and silent.

“I have prepared a prison meant only for you, my goddess.”

He twisted his red lips into a decadent smile.

Lastly, there was Cass Lloyd, the head of the Lloyd Merchant Guild.

A man with black hair and deep navy eyes that resembled his cold-blooded personality.

Behind him stood the members of the Lloyd Merchant Guild, the largest business organization in the Empire.

Trying to read Cass’s expression was meaningless.

He was a master of keeping a poker face and never revealed his emotions.

“Saintess… Please make your decision.”

The officials’ urging voices reached my ears.

And in front of me, messages from the excited gods were being displayed on a sparkling blue screen.

[The God of Art, Monde, lectures everyone about the aesthetic value of Reihas’s appearance.]

[The God of Destruction, Ciel, insists that only someone as strong as Kyle can win love.]

[The God of Knowledge, Hesed, lists information about the expensive buildings owned by the Lloyd Merchant Guild.]

[The God of Love, Odyssey, happily performs a fan dance.]

There was no longer any way to avoid making a choice.

‘How did I end up in this situation?’

I sighed and fell into thought.

“Haah……”

When I parted my lips and let out a sound, a beautiful voice that belonged to me—but also did not belong to me—escaped.

A high ceiling decorated with chandeliers and a luxurious interior came into view.

“Are you feeling unwell again today?”

I came back to my senses at the sound of a maid’s voice and turned my head.

“You suddenly asked for my name two days ago… It seems like you have been confused ever since. I was worried.”

Her brown hair was tied into twin tails. She had a face covered in freckles, slightly upturned eyes, and dark brown irises.

Her name was Annie.

In the original novel, she was nothing more than an extra whose name was never even mentioned.

She looked to be in her late teens and wore a navy maid dress decorated with frills.

“No, I’m feeling better now.”

I answered while hoping my response did not sound unnatural.

“Then shall I prepare your meal? If you still feel unwell, I can call a priest right now. What will you do if you cannot deliver your congratulatory speech at His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet?”

Annie quickly continued speaking in a worried tone.

“The High Priest even prepared the dress you wanted. How much did it cost again……”

I silently listened to her words.

The original Ariel would have jumped in excitement.

‘Impossible! I’ll give the greatest speech for His Highness the Crown Prince. I’ll make sure he never forgets me!’

That was the kind of thing she would have said.

But I calmly gathered my thoughts and spoke.

“First, bring me food… Leave out that terrible salad.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

Annie smiled faintly and added,

“But you never ate it before either. It’s strange that you suddenly care now.”

A moment later, she opened the door and left.

After the door completely closed, I slowly stood up.

Then I walked toward the full-length mirror.

Even now, I still couldn’t believe it.

Every time I looked into the mirror, my heart pounded.

“Haah……”

I looked about seventeen years old.

My youthful face stared back at me as I touched my golden hair, which covered half of my back.

My eyes were a faint sapphire color, like they held the light of the sea, and my skin was white and smooth.

The girl reflected in the mirror was undeniably beautiful.

She even possessed a mysterious and unique aura.

But this was definitely not my face.

Nor was it the face of the heroine I remembered from the original story.

The protagonist, Saintess Camilla, had much brighter platinum-blonde hair, and her eyes were a fresh emerald green, as if emeralds had been embedded inside them.

“Ariel… That’s right? So I’m Ariel……”

The girl in the mirror—meaning me—released a small sigh as her lips moved.

So…

How should I explain the situation I was in?

『The Return of Saintess Camilla』.

The novel I had read in my previous life was an otome-style reverse harem story centered around Saintess Camilla, a woman of noble character who was pursued by three exceptionally handsome men from completely different backgrounds.

The emotions of the main characters were the focus of the story, and watching the three men slowly become captives of love through their push-and-pull relationship gave readers a sense of satisfaction.

‘The ending where all three men became Camilla’s husbands was pretty shocking, though.’

Still, it wasn’t a bad story for something to pass the time.

And two days ago, I possessed the body of a character from that novel.

The character named Ariel.

Ariel was the illegitimate child born between the daughter of a poor provincial baron family and a servant.

She lived a life where she was barely noticed.

Although she lacked genuine faith, she continuously visited the temple because she wanted to rise in status by meeting a man from a prestigious family.

By chance, she caught the attention of the High Priest Reihas and was brought to the Elium Temple.

And through a deal with him, she had been faithfully playing the role of a “fake saintess” for the past two years.

The problem was that Ariel was the villainess of the novel.

A temporary saintess created as a substitute to maintain political stability between Crown Prince Kyle and High Priest Reihas.

Even though she knew she would be discarded once the real saintess appeared, Ariel interfered with Camilla because of her twisted love for the High Priest who had protected her and her secret unrequited love for Crown Prince Kyle.

She was a foolish villainess who did not know her place.

‘The real Saintess Camilla will appear five years from now.’

I bit my lip as I thought.

[The moment Ariel plunged a dagger toward Camilla, who had forgiven her, the swords of the three men simultaneously turned toward her. Before she could even scream her final cry, she met her death.]

That was how Ariel died in the original novel, giving readers a satisfying moment of revenge.

‘But I don’t want to die.’

In the end, I spent two sleepless days trying to organize the situation rationally.

If it had been my previous life……

The moment I was dying was still vivid in my memory.

My former body was already dead, so there was probably no way to return.

That meant I had to live the rest of my life in Ariel’s body.

“……”

I quietly looked at the large, beautiful windows.

The bright sunlight streamed through them, illuminating the room.

I approached one of the windows and gently pushed it open.

“Since things have turned out this way, I have no choice but to accept it.”

I was someone who adapted and judged situations quickly.

The cool outside breeze entered through the opening, scattering my long hair.

“Still, isn’t this actually pretty good?”

Because I had possessed her body before she became corrupted.

“If I don’t live according to the original story, I can change the future.”

The fresh air filled my lungs.

A privilege only the living could experience.

At the moment when the coldness of death had spread from my fingertips to my heart, I realized that no matter what happened, it was better than dying.

I had been born as an illegitimate child in a wealthy family and spent my childhood constantly watching my surroundings.

Then, after saving enough money, I finally became an adult and left that house—only for my life to disappear meaninglessly after just one year.

Compared to my empty previous life, wouldn’t the life of a fake saintess in a novel be better?

The foolish Ariel had died because she acted without knowing her place.

But I was different.

I possessed knowledge of the original story.

I had no interest in the male leads who would become someone else’s men, nor did I care about the position of saintess.

I still had five years.

During that time, I would save money, study, and learn how to survive in this world.

Then, when the real Saintess Camilla arrived, I would gladly step aside, leave the temple, buy a building…

And spend the rest of my life running whatever business I wanted.

After organizing my complicated feelings and making plans for the future, my anxiety gradually faded.

There was no point in denying reality.

Two days of worrying was enough.

“Ariel. Yes… From now on, I am Ariel.”

I clenched my fist, trying to calm my beating heart and convince myself of this new beginning.

But at that very moment—

[The Path of Radiance has been bestowed upon you for accepting your new destiny.]

“What is this?”

A blue screen suddenly appeared before my eyes, displaying unfamiliar words.