PSW 04

Chapter 4

“Saintess!”

Someone knocked on the door, shouting.

Saintess…?

“Please wake up, Saintess!”

Ren barely opened her eyes.

Sunlight flooded the room.
An unfamiliar ceiling. An old room.

Last night hadn’t been a dream.

She rose slowly. The crisp morning air brushing against her skin felt vivid. Her eyes snapped fully open.

She had never woken up feeling this refreshed.

“Saintess!”

It was the voice of a young child.

When there was no response, the knocking grew louder—like they were about to break the door down.

Ren dragged her waterlogged body to the door and opened it.

A child barely reaching her chest stood there, nearly tumbling forward when the door suddenly opened.

Once he regained his balance, Ren realized he looked like a cherub straight out of a Louvre painting.

Blond hair, green eyes, pale skin, and soft, plump pink cheeks that begged to be pinched.

Behind him stood the same two women who had attended her yesterday.

Apparently, they were her personal attendants.

The boy stared at Ren blankly for a moment, then snapped to attention. He bowed deeply and spoke clearly and politely.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself! I am Fernandez, assigned to serve you at your side, Saintess!”

Fernandez.
Ren quietly repeated his name.

It sounded warm, like it was full of sunlight.

Fernandez gestured to the women beside him.

“This is Pani.”

The woman on the left, with short brown hair, smiled shyly.
In the dim chaos of yesterday, Ren hadn’t noticed the cute freckles across her nose.

“And this is Tina.”

The woman on the right had long straight black hair and calm brown eyes.
Her ears were bright red, as if she were embarrassed.

Both looked around Ren’s age.

Then why hadn’t they introduced themselves?

As if reading her mind, Fernandez hurried to explain.

“They can’t speak. Only those who are deaf or unable to speak serve in the temple.”

“Oh…”

Ren fell silent.

Tina held something out to her.

A pale sky-blue—no, in the sunlight it shimmered silver—high-quality garment.

It glimmered faintly, like the surface of a blue ocean.

It was a fabric Ren had never seen in Min Suji’s world.

Without realizing it, she reached out and touched it.

Light. Soft.

Fernandez grinned.

“We’re already late, so please change quickly. I’ll guide you to the dining hall.”

Before Ren could respond, Pani and Tina pushed her back into the room.

Through the narrowing gap of the closing door, she saw Fernandez smiling like an angel.

What good is it if it’s pretty but impractical?
That thought crossed her mind just as her shoe stepped on the hem of the dress.

“Aah!”

Luckily, Tina caught her immediately, preventing a humiliating fall.

Pani and Tina had been anxious ever since Ren left the room.

Not that anyone was more nervous than Ren herself.

The outfit they’d dressed her in wasn’t the elegant noble dress she had imagined.

It was… too simple.

So simple it felt less like clothing and more like a single, long piece of fabric.

The soft dress dragged along the floor, unintentionally mopping the temple as she walked.

Who would wear something that scraped the ground front and back, bound to fray after a single day?

When she asked Fernandez, he replied cheerfully,
“I’ve never seen it in person either! They say only the Saintess can wear it!”

That shut her up.

When I see Hatasha later, I need to find out how many saintesses there actually are.

The dress was so long it felt like she had a tail.

She suddenly thought of the novel’s heroine—how she must have wandered everywhere wearing things like this.

Ren gripped the dress tightly with both hands as she walked, but Fernandez scolded her.

“You must walk with dignity, Saintess!”

So she straightened her back.

At the moment, Ren was attempting to take large steps while appearing graceful—like a swan above water, paddling frantically beneath the surface.

In other words, she looked awkward.

If she stepped on the dress again, she’d definitely faceplant.

The effort was incredibly time-consuming.

A five-minute walk in pajamas turned into thirty minutes.

Fernandez bounced impatiently ten steps ahead.
Pani and Tina hovered anxiously at her sides.

Ren clenched her teeth and practically jogged, fighting a battle with her clothes.

I’m finding scissors later and cutting this ragged mess.

Just as her lungs reached their limit, Fernandez stopped before a massive door.

The door, carved with intricate patterns, stood nearly five meters tall.

On either side stood a man and a woman wearing the same uniform Rix had worn yesterday—except their epaulets were white, not gold.

The moment they saw Ren, both dropped to one knee.

“We greet the Saintess.”

What am I supposed to say here?
What did the original story do?

While Ren panicked internally, Fernandez solved the problem for her.

“May the blessing of Goddess Fiora be with you both.”

“May the blessing of Goddess Fiora be with you…”

Ren clumsily repeated after him.

Apparently that was acceptable—they stood.

“Prince Rix and High Priestess Hatasha have summoned Saintess Ren.”

The female guard rose and opened the door.

Despite its thickness, she pushed it open effortlessly.

Inside stood a long, angular table.

The man seated at the far end immediately met Ren’s gaze.

Prince Rix.

He was lounging crookedly, chin propped on his hand.

When he saw Ren, he smiled.

Seeing a handsome man smile while she was completely defenseless made her heart flutter instinctively.

Damn it.
Now she understood why the author had lavished so many flowery descriptions on the royal family.

“Making royalty wait,” Rix said lightly.
“You really are something, Saintess.”

His words, however, were thoroughly rude.

High Priestess Hatasha sat diagonally to his right.
An empty seat across from her seemed meant for Ren.

Ren forced a smile.

“I apologize for being late.”

She deliberately wiped the sweat from her forehead, making it clear she hadn’t been dawdling.

One of Rix’s eyebrows lifted.

He said nothing more and gestured toward the empty seat.

“Sit.”

Ren smiled as brightly as she could and grabbed her dress again.

When she heard Fernandez gasp from behind her, she loosened her grip.

The fabric fell softly to the floor.

Don’t fall.
Especially not in front of that guy.

Praying internally, she approached.

She thought she was walking as gracefully as possible.

Apparently, Rix and Hatasha disagreed.

Both of their eyes widened.

Hatasha’s lips twitched.

Rix outright snickered.

I’d like to kick his shin just once.

Would he forgive her, considering she was a precious Saintess?

The short distance felt like a thousand meters.

Thankfully, Rix stood up as she neared the chair.

Ren froze instinctively.

Smiling faintly, he pulled the chair out for her and gestured politely.

He may be rude, but at least he has a shred of manners.

Just as she exhaled in relief and took another step—

Her shoe caught the dress.

“Ah!”

She pitched forward.

A firm hand grabbed her shoulder and waist.

Much stronger than when Pani or Tina had caught her.

It was Rix.

He looked just as startled.

Ren smiled awkwardly and pushed his hand away.

His touch was too hot.

“Th-thank you.”

He frowned slightly, then nodded and withdrew.

Only after he returned to his seat did Ren finally manage to sit down.

She was exhausted before the meal even began.

She didn’t care about food anymore—she just wanted to collapse into bed.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Rix spoke first.

Servants who had been lurking like shadows appeared and placed soup before her.

“Ah, yes.”

Ren answered vaguely, lifting her spoon to match Hatasha’s third spoonful.

The two of them clearly had refined table manners.

For Ren, this kind of meal was completely new.

After her burns, she hadn’t eaten out even once.

They ate in silence until steak was served.

Odd, considering how urgently they’d summoned her.

Ren once again followed Hatasha’s lead, picking up her knife.

Every movement of Hatasha’s hands was elegant.

“What were you doing before becoming a Saintess?”

Rix suddenly asked.

Ren’s knife froze mid-cut.

She lifted her head slightly and met Hatasha’s eyes.

She remembered last night.

After a brief silence, Ren spoke as calmly as she could.

“I don’t remember.”

“Your parents?”

“I don’t have any.”

“You remember that, at least?”

Ah. Damn it.

The words slipped out automatically—a habit.

Not having parents applied to Min Suji.

She didn’t yet know about Ren.

But words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.

Fortunately, Hatasha showed no sign of suspicion or alarm.

It felt like walking a tightrope.

Just as Ren finally cut a piece of steak, Hatasha asked softly:

“Where did you obtain the gun