Chapter – 03
The young Seraphina clung tightly to my legs, refusing to let go.
“Maah!”
She even called me “Mom.”
“Uh, I—”
“Aren’t you Mommy? I don’t have a Mommy?”
I tried to correct her, but her bright eyes, brimming with moisture, stared up at me.
For a moment, Seraphina’s older self came to mind.
The grown Seraphina would always smile bitterly whenever others talked about their parents, hiding her envy.
Remembering that, how could I possibly tell her, “You’re actually an orphan with no parents”?
‘No matter how patient you are, you just can’t.’
“Mom… yes, let’s say I’m your mom.”
The young Seraphina didn’t remember anything.
“Seraphina, where do you think we are?”
“Our home!”
“…This is a temple. A temple that worships the goddess Ludina. Seraphina, you were a saint of Ludina. Do you remember what a saint is?”
“Um?”
“I see, you don’t know.”
Seraphina did know some things, though.
“So, how old are you, Seraphina?”
“Three!”
‘Oh my god, isn’t she just too cute?’
Her three little fingers pressed against her cheek were absurdly neat.
If I could, I’d just gobble her up—ultimate cuteness overload.
‘So that’s why Seraphina’s childhood was never shown.’
Knowing her like this, how could I possibly hand her over to the male lead? I’d want to keep her all to myself.
I realized, maybe being Seraphina’s mom isn’t so bad after all. When else in life would I hear such a tiny, adorable child call me “Mom”?
‘Also, it’s a chance to peek at the main character’s childhood.’
Moreover, Seraphina had shrunk to try to lift the curse—ignoring her wouldn’t be morally right.
At that moment, Seraphina stretched out her arms wide.
“Hug me!”
She aimed straight for my lap.
I couldn’t refuse, so I picked her up. The moment I did, a string of messages popped up:
“Check the message left by the god Ludina.”
“According to the contract with Saint Seraphina, the blessing of goddess Ludina shall be bestowed upon your future.”
“The curse of the Demon King Belzebuth has been downgraded to the curse of oblivion.”
“If you perform good deeds that leave a turning point in history, the curse will be mitigated.”
“Based on your contributions to history, the memories of surrounding people will return.”
“Huh…?”
Goddess Ludina.
As the goddess of life, she enabled Seraphina to use healing powers under the name of Saintly Power.
But there was no way Ludina had sent me a message.
‘Is this one of those so-called smishing scams?’
“The goddess Ludina rebukes your impiety!”
At the same time, vines attached to the wall grew rapidly, filling cracks in the outer wall.
‘Wait… so it really is the goddess? But why is she talking to me? I’m not a saint.’
“The goddess Ludina says that it is due to your contract with Saint Seraphina that this is possible.”
Alright, fine. This is a strange fantasy world, so that can happen.
‘So, what exactly did you say I needed to do to lift the curse?’
“If you perform good deeds…”
‘What a crazy goddess.’
“?!??”
Some ringing sounds and unintelligible characters appeared briefly, then disappeared.
“Goddess Ludina explains that a huge amount of Saintly Power is required to neutralize the curse.”
“Saint Seraphina failed because she lacked sufficient Saintly Power.”
“However, you, not being a saint, cannot accumulate Saintly Power.”
‘…Right?’
“Goddess Ludina says it is possible to convert the good deeds you perform into Saintly Power.”
“The more good deeds you do, the more the curse will be undone, and Saint Seraphina will also be restored to normal.”
So basically, if I perform good deeds, everything can return to normal.
‘Great… so I just have to go outside and pick up trash or something?’
“Only good deeds worthy of being recorded in history will be recognized.”
‘Then how exactly do I make them worthy of being recorded?’
“You’ve already modified the historical record once.”
I couldn’t have done anything that impressive.
All I did in this world was tweak the original story so that Laura wouldn’t die.
‘Could it be…’
The historical record Ludina mentioned must be…
‘The original story?’
Ludina confirms.
I started to get it.
‘So, this time too, she wants me to tweak the story so I survive? And also do something that helps the world?’
Ludina is very positive about it!
‘Very positive… what a ridiculous goddess.’
So I had to handle it all on my own again, twisting the story even further without Seraphina around.
‘Useless, really. Even the nitrogen in the air has more presence than this goddess.’
Ludina saw nothing at all.
Great.
It was absurd and ridiculous, but still…
“I have to survive.”
No matter what it takes.
‘My comfort, my prosperity… I have to reclaim them.’
Then what should I do?
Two years had passed since I was possessed into this body, and the original story was almost at its end. Fortunately, I had read all the side stories, so I still had usable information.
‘I need to buy time.’
If I stay put, I’d definitely die. Laura died not only because of her mistakes, but largely because she bore the sins of her family and the marquis.
‘Luckily, the hereditary guilt system has been abolished.’
As long as I can prove I didn’t get involved in the marquis’ demon summoning ritual, I can survive.
‘Plus, the chaos caused by Laura’s misdeeds has been reduced.’
Compared to the real Laura, who engaged in all sorts of corruption, human trafficking, and murder…
‘Getting caught for taking bribes and causing one socialite to be expelled is trivial.’
With my two years of achievements recorded, the curse was progressing in a predictable way.
What I need most right now is allies.
‘If I defend myself alone, it’s just my word against theirs. But if multiple people believe me, it becomes fact.’
I’ve done it before. I’ve already proven that Laura’s infamy stemmed from the marquis’ actions.
‘So I need to show I’m a different Laura.’
I have to prove I’m not just a meddling villain, but someone competent enough to handle responsibilities.
Gaining allies and increasing my influence will make it easier to perform good deeds worthy of the historical record.
The main story of this novel focuses on Saint Seraphina overthrowing the dark Leweys family and deposing the empress and the second prince.
The side story is about Seraphina, engaged to Ascel, adapting to court life. She strengthens her social standing, fends off foreign princesses vying for the crown prince position, and prevents the grand duke from staging a rebellion during political chaos.
‘My original plan was to quietly advise Seraphina from the backlines and live a peaceful life.’
But the side story is so action-packed that many people die when caught in the grand duke’s rebellion.
Without Seraphina, I can’t just step aside.
‘I guess it’s my job to prevent that. If I act earlier than the original story and reduce casualties, I might earn good deeds too.’
Ludina confirms.
‘The air is talking now?’
-a(ﾟДﾟ)
At that moment:
“Sleepy.”
Seraphina rubbed her eyes and tugged my arm with her small hands.
“Please tuck me in.”
Ugh, I couldn’t roam around with Seraphina in this state, so I moved.
We walked through the ruins—“ruined temple” would be a better word—until we found an intact room.
The moment I laid her down, Seraphina fell asleep. She really was tired.
The colorful, peaceful sound of her breathing calmed me slightly, giving me a moment to look around.
‘Come to think of it…’
The room looked familiar. This was Seraphina’s room.
‘So this was how it originally looked.’
Looking at the old furniture, I imagined how it used to look with my knowledge added. Another question arose.
‘There was someone else.’
Every time I visited the temple, someone greeted me besides Seraphina.
“Where’s Marsha?”
Marsha, my maid, had suffered endless abuse in the Leweys household but I had saved her and turned her into a paladin.
However, when Seraphina’s time was erased, the temple disappeared, and Marsha vanished with it.
Where could she be now?
“Master… is this really okay?”
The servant peeked at the small young mistress, anxious.
He meant that he had dragged Marsha, Laura’s former maid, into the warehouse behind the marquis’ estate.
“If something goes wrong—”
“If something goes wrong, what?”
Jepetto glared at the servant.
“This is the perfect opportunity. If you don’t run over and warn her, no one else will know.”
Jepetto had one reason for bringing Marsha here: revenge.
His father, the Leweys Marquis, was a meritocrat, discriminating based on ability. Even his own children weren’t exempt.
[What exactly do you contribute? You’re sucking the family’s blood just because you’re my son!]
Laura was adopted, but he was a biological son!
Yet he couldn’t harm Laura. Not only because of his personality, but because the marquis favored Laura.
‘But a maid? That’s different.’
She could be beaten or even killed for no reason—she was only a maid.
Also, Laura’s maid was tight-lipped. As long as the victim didn’t witness it herself, it wouldn’t spread.
In fact, Jepetto didn’t even care about this situation.
“You think you have a say? Even a small mistress, huh—”
“Hey.”
Jepetto sneered at Marsha.
“Why would I need an excuse to mess with someone like you?”
A maid.
“….”
Jepetto curled his lower lip. Every time he did, it was thrilling to watch someone forget their place.
While the servants were confiscating Marsha’s belongings, he noticed an embroidered handkerchief in the corner. Despite its age, it was well-kept, clearly cherished.
“What’s this?”
Marsha’s hands trembled and fists clenched, but she didn’t reach for it.
Right. This was the difference in our positions.
“What are you doing? Perform some trick and maybe I’ll decide whether you get it.”
Bang.
The door of the flimsy warehouse smashed open.
“Sis is here.”
The least welcome person appeared.
“Damn.”
Laura’s expression was as usual, with a high-pitched, playful voice and a mischievous smile.
Yet… somehow, her gaze carried an inexplicable chill.
“What are you doing? Don’t kneel.”
