I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

Eunji pressed her lips together. For a moment, they trembled as if she were about to speak, but then she hesitated. Her eyes wandered through the empty air before finally settling on me again.

"Actually… Selina’s soul and your soul are one. You and Selina are the same person, but in this space, your soul has temporarily split."
"Split?"
At my question, Eunji nodded firmly.

"Yes. It happened because of your memories. You only remember your past life, right? That’s why Selina’s memories… were separated, almost as if they became another soul. But in the end, everything that ‘Selina’ said—all of it—came from you."
So all those words—telling me to be happy, telling me to live while pretending to be Selina—were truly my own thoughts?
Had I unconsciously believed that myself?

It felt too strange to fully accept, but every memory Eunji had shown me so far had been nothing but the truth.
"Unni, this life I gave you… It’s really your second chance, so please, live happily until the very end. Live a long, happy life, and when it’s time, let’s meet again.
"You’ll grant my wish, right?

"You always granted my wishes before."
Eunji whispered softly as she hugged me again.
Her voice sounded like a farewell.

I wrapped my arms around her in return.
"…Yeah.
"So promise me, we’ll meet again."

Eunji let out a soft giggle, her laughter ringing in my ears before gradually fading.
And like her laughter, her body also melted away into mist.
Even after she disappeared, I remained still, staring blankly into space, holding on to the memory of that final embrace.

"This is the prayer room."
Turning back time—while Selina was busy preparing to leave for the plaza, Aaron and Lukas arrived at the temple.
A high-ranking priest named Isaac had come to greet them personally, eager to introduce them to the temple.
The moment the temple heard that the duke’s family was visiting, they had rushed to prepare.

But their motivations weren’t as pure as one might assume.
With the power of the temples weakening, priests had started attaching themselves to noble houses in order to secure their livelihoods.
In other words, receiving a fixed monthly payment in exchange for offering prayers or residing in the noble’s estate had become a form of employment.

For them, the Duke of White’s household was a golden opportunity.
If they were lucky, they might even convince the duke’s family to sponsor the entire temple.
Some high-ranking nobles who didn’t keep personal priests had indeed formed such arrangements in the past.

Either way, forging a connection with the duke’s family was undeniably a tremendous advantage.
With that in mind, Isaac proudly guided them to the most extravagant part of the temple.
"The prayer rooms at the back of the building are open to everyone, but this area is reserved exclusively for nobles."

Unlike the simple prayer rooms they had passed earlier, this space was lavishly decorated.
What kind of god divides nobles and commoners?
Lukas clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away from the chattering priest.

Aaron, too, seemed bored by the conversation.
After all, the priest they had come here to see was nowhere in sight, and they had already spent over an hour listening to pointless explanations about the temple.
"This is truly the temple of Chief God Ariana. To think such a magnificent temple stands so close to the duchy’s territory… It’s nothing short of a divine blessing," Lukas suddenly interjected, cutting off the priest’s long-winded speech.

Aaron shot him a warning glance, but in truth, he didn’t mind. He had been wondering how much longer they would have to endure this tedious monologue.
"Exactly! This is a blessing! It’s proof that the great Ariana watches over us all!"
The priest, entirely taken in by Lukas’s flattery, launched into yet another enthusiastic rant, completely forgetting that his speech had been interrupted.

Watching him, Lukas exchanged a knowing glance with Aaron and mouthed silently:
"Your turn."
Of course.

"You’re right," Aaron said smoothly. "It’s all thanks to the great Ariana’s will.
"Just a few days ago, my younger sister received help from one of the priests here. Surely, that too must have been Ariana’s guidance."
"A priest’s assistance?"

"Yes. His name was… Ian, if I recall correctly."
"Ian…? That fool—"
The priest cut himself off abruptly.

A strange reaction.
For someone who claimed that under Ariana’s name, all were to be treated with respect, he had called another priest a fool without hesitation.
"May we see this priest, Ian?"

Lukas smiled pleasantly, hiding his true intentions behind a charming expression.
The priest hesitated, looking uncomfortable.
"Ian, you say…? Yes… well. You could see him, but…"

**"Then I would like to speak with him. I haven’t had the chance to properly thank him yet… Who knows?
"If things go well, he might help strengthen the relationship between this temple and the Duke’s household."**
"Oh…! Yes! Strengthen! That’s a wonderful idea!"

The high priest Isaac’s eyes gleamed with interest.
"Noah! Go fetch Ian and bring him to the reception hall immediately."
"Yes, Priest Isaac."

The young priest named Noah turned and hurried off to find Ian.
Watching Noah’s retreating figure with satisfaction, Isaac, looking rather pleased, led Aaron and Lukas to the reception hall.
"Please wait here. He’ll be brought shortly. In the meantime, shall we discuss how to deepen the bond between the temple and the Duke’s house?"

Ah, here we go again.
Another tedious conversation.
Both Aaron and Lukas inwardly prayed that this Ian would be found quickly.

Meanwhile, Noah’s steps took him to the most secluded and oldest part of the temple.
"Ugh… I really hate coming here…"
Grumbling, he dusted off the grime that had settled on his shoulders and wrinkled his nose at the sight of a cracked column.

"Ian! Ian! You here? Ian! High Priest Isaac is looking for you! Hurry up and come out!"
Noah waved his hand to clear the dust clouding his vision, his face twisted in displeasure.
No answer.

Of course.
That idiot was never any help.
Clicking his tongue, Noah held his breath and reluctantly stepped further inside the abandoned prayer room.

Inside, kneeling on the marble floor in silent prayer, was a tall man.
Noah didn’t hesitate.
Smack!

"Hey!"
"Ack!"
Ian flinched as his head snapped forward from the impact. Blinking in confusion, he turned to look up at Noah.

"Priest Noah?"
"You little rat, do you think I wouldn’t notice you pretending not to hear me?"
"What? Ah… No… I would never…"

"Whatever. High Priest Isaac is looking for you, so get up and follow me. And for the love of the gods, dust yourself off! You look disgusting."
"Y-yes…"
This translation is the intellectual property of .

Noah scowled as Ian scrambled to brush off the dirt clinging to his robes.
Then, with a flick of his finger, he gestured for Ian to follow.
"There are some very important nobles waiting for you in the reception hall. Apparently, you helped them somehow.

"Just keep your mouth shut and say ‘Yes, yes,’ to whatever they say. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Just like that.

"Not that an idiot like you would have anything else to say anyway."
Noah chuckled, entirely unbothered by his own insults.
Ian, on the other hand, simply nodded and forced a polite smile.

"Also, try not to let them see that unlucky face of yours.
"Just keep your head down.
"The temple’s finances depend on this, so don’t screw it up."

"Yes, Priest Noah."
In this temple, this was normal.
Ian was always ignored, mocked, and treated like dirt.

And everyone acted as if that was the way it should be.
New priests would initially feel uneasy witnessing it, some even feeling guilty.
But that never lasted long.

Soon enough, they, too, would fall into place.
To become a priest of Ariana’s temple was to accept that Ian was beneath them.
"Brush off that dust!"

And so, when they watched the tall, sharp-featured Ian obediently obey their every word, they felt a strange, twisted satisfaction.
Glancing over his shoulder at Ian, who was hastily dusting off his robes, Noah smirked.
Then, arriving at the reception hall, he came to a stop.

Taking a final look at Ian—like an examiner inspecting a test subject—Noah nodded in approval.
Knock, knock.
Dear gods…

Both Lukas and Aaron let out a silent sigh of relief.
They had reached their limits listening to the high priest’s long-winded nonsense.
"We have brought Priest Ian."

"Oh! Bring him in!"
The doors opened.
Noah entered first, followed by a much taller man, both of them bowing deeply.

As Ian lifted his head, dark hair shifted, revealing a sharp, striking face.
"Ian."
Lukas took a step forward, feeling like he was finally being rewarded for enduring the mind-numbing speeches earlier.

"Ah… um… You’re… the knight from the Duke’s house, aren’t you?"
Ian’s hesitant voice carried a hint of recognition.
But before Lukas could respond—

"Ian! What are you doing? Show proper respect!"
Lukas had been about to nod in acknowledgment, pleased that Ian seemed to remember him.
But at Isaac’s harsh interruption, his expression instantly cooled.

Just how much of an idiot was this high priest?
"Ah… um… G-greetings.
"My name is I—Ian."

As he spoke, Ian kept sneaking glances at Isaac, as if gauging his reaction.
It was the kind of nervousness one had when dealing with a truly terrifying superior.
And yet, his attention was entirely on Isaac—not Aaron or Lukas, the ones he should have been focusing on.

Now that Lukas looked closer, he noticed dust clinging to the edges of Ian’s robes.
The same dust was also on Noah’s clothes, though it hadn’t been there earlier.
It meant they had just come from a place covered in dust.

Somewhere hidden.
Lukas shifted his gaze back to Ian and smiled warmly.
"Priest Ian, we’ve been waiting for you."

"Now, Noah, go prepare some tea.
"Lords Aaron and Lukas, what kind of tea would you like?"
"No need for tea."

"None for me either."
Aaron was the first to refuse, with Lukas following immediately after.
Isaac, momentarily thrown off, let out an awkward cough and waved Noah away.

"Ah… well then, Noah, you may go."
"No."
Before Noah could even step away, Lukas spoke up.

The priests blinked in confusion, turning to look at him.
Lukas slowly glanced around the room, his eyes curving into a smile.