Episode 1
Prologue
“The time has come to put an end to what has been postponed.”
“There should be no more conflicts, shouldn’t there?”
“Holy Maiden, please make a decision now!”
“For the eternal peace of the Empire…!”
I sat in the center of the courtroom-like conference hall, silently looking at them. The men representing each faction were all excited, roaring with enthusiasm. And the three men representing their respective factions looked up at me. It was like the brides waiting to be chosen.
Prince Kyle Alexis Elide, with striking red hair and red eyes.
‘Kyle Alexis Elide.’
He was sitting in the front of the palace staff.
“Choose me. Otherwise…”
Suddenly, when I looked into his eyes, I felt as if I heard a hallucination and flinched.
Without even realizing it, my gaze fell on the sword at Kyle’s waist, and a chill ran down my spine.
And… with bright golden hair and golden eyes,
And with a pretty appearance as if taken out of a painting, Duke Reihardt du Elle.
Behind him, numerous ministers were sitting tensely.
“I have prepared a prison just for you, my goddess.”
He twisted his red lips and revealed a decadent smile.
Lastly, with black hair and cold, intense blue eyes that resembled his ruthless personality, the head of the Lloyd Cartel, Cass Loyd.
Behind him, members of the Lloyd Cartel, the largest corporation in the empire, were lined up.
Reading Cass’s expression was meaningless. He was a poker-faced person who rarely showed his emotions.
“Holy Maiden… Please make a decision.”
The officials’ urging echoed in my ears. And in front of my eyes, the flashing blue screen displayed messages from the excited gods.
“God of Art, Mond, preaches about the aesthetic value of Reihardt’s appearance.”
“God of Destruction, Sial, claims that only the strong like Kyle can obtain love.”
“God of Knowledge, Hesed, recites information about the expensive buildings owned by Lloyd Cartel.”
“God of Love, Odyssey, dances with a fan while saying that he wants to become a god.”
It was time to make a choice where I could no longer retreat.
‘Why did I end up in this situation?’
I sighed and got lost in my thoughts.
* * *
“Ha…”
When I let out a breath and made a sound, a note of mine but also a melody that didn’t belong to me flowed out.
I noticed the high ceiling adorned with chandeliers and the luxurious interior decorations.
“Are you still not feeling well today?”
I came to my senses at the maid’s voice and turned my head.
“Didn’t the Holy Maiden suddenly ask for her own name two days ago…? I’m worried because you still seem confused.”
She had brown hair tied up in two braids, freckles all over her face, and shimmering hazel eyes above slightly upturned eyebrows.
Her name is Annie, an extra among the extras who doesn’t even have a single line in the original.
She was wearing a maid dress in navy blue with frills.
“No, I’m getting better now.”
I answered, hoping that my response didn’t sound awkward.
“Then should I prepare the meal? If you’re not feeling well, I should call the officials right away. What if you couldn’t give a toast at Prince’s birthday party?”
Annie continued her quick speech with a worried tone.
“The head official prepared a dress that you wanted. I remember it was quite expensive…”
I listened to her words without saying anything.
If it was the original Ariel, she would have jumped up in excitement.
‘It’s absurd! I have to give the best toast to His Highness the Prince, so that he can never forget me!’
But I calmly cleared my mind and said,
“Let’s start with the meal… Bring it. But no tasteless salad.”
“Yes, Holy Maiden.”
Annie smirked and added,
“But you didn’t eat it even though you didn’t like it before.”
Without saying anything, she left after a moment.
After the door was completely closed, I stood up slowly.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
