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The real purpose of taking the Ivory Tower’s exam was to prove to everyone that I was not a fake, but a true Saintess who could genuinely communicate with the gods of Heaven.

‘That way, what I say in the future will carry weight!’

Perhaps I was just an ordinary person reborn with some extra perks, and maybe the doubts people had about me not being a true Saintess were valid. But for the sake of a comfortable future, I needed to be recognized as the real deal.

“Heaven has spoken to me again,” I said, taking extra care to pronounce every word clearly as I knew the importance of what I was about to reveal. “They said Eugene of the Kreutz family should be invited to the Ivory Tower.”

Heaven hadn’t exactly spoken those words, but the intuition granted to me strongly suggested that Eugene needed to be separated from Duke Kreutz. That was good enough for me. I puffed out my chest with pride. The Duke’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at this unexpected statement.

* * *

“Cardinal Kaltas.”

A young priest entered the room with a grave expression, bowing deeply. “There’s an urgent message from Elpinard. It seems the Saintess has delivered a revelation.”

Cardinal Kaltas set aside the letter he had been reading and looked up at the young priest. A true clergyman was said to offer everything to God, and it seemed that Cardinal Kaltas had even offered his vitality to the divine altar. His appearance was withered, like a dried-out tree branch.

“A revelation?”

Despite his fragile appearance, the young priest flinched under the Cardinal’s intense gaze. For many years, Cardinal Kaltas had served the divine faithfully, earning the respect of all the priests in Kydsha as the de facto leader of the Church. Though officially, the head of the Church was Pope Dominac, illness had confined him to bed for the past three years.

“What revelation has she delivered this time?”

“She… she said that Eugene, the illegitimate child of Duke Kreutz, should be invited to the Ivory Tower.”

At the young priest’s words, Cardinal Kaltas let out a small, amused laugh. 

“Do they actually believe the Saintess’s revelation over at the Ivory Tower? The scholars there aren’t exactly the kind to be easily swayed.”

Their pride was unmatched.

“They wouldn’t be swayed by the words of a child who is still suspected of being a fake Saintess.”

“I thought the same, but… it seems the scholars at the Ivory Tower are leaning towards following the Saintess’s revelation. It’s not finalized yet, though.”

“What?” Cardinal Kaltas furrowed his brows, prompting the young priest to quickly add more details.

“It appears the Saintess passed the Ivory Tower’s exam with a perfect score. She claims that the gods provided all the correct answers.”

“Hmph,” Cardinal Kaltas let out a derisive chuckle. The young priest, sensing the Cardinal’s displeasure, hesitated, then cautiously spoke.

“Is it possible… that the Saintess really is receiving divine revelations and is truly—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the sharp glare from Cardinal Kaltas silenced him immediately.

“Haven’t I told you before? That so-called Saintess is nothing more than a fake, propped up by Cardinal Bael.”

“My apologies.”

“If she were a true Saintess, Cardinal Bael would have kept her close in the temple. But he sent her to the Elpinard family, a close ally of his, to avoid exposing her as a fraud.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“How could a Saintess who can’t even wield holy power receive divine revelations? It’s clear that Cardinal Bael and the Elpinard family concocted this story together.”

“But Cardinal Bael is currently in the midst of a hundred-day prayer, completely cut off from any outside communication…”

“You’re being naive,” Cardinal Kaltas clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Of course, they would have planned everything in advance. They’re using Cardinal Bael’s seclusion as an excuse to carry out their scheme without raising suspicion.”

“Yes, that makes sense! I wasn’t thinking clearly. You’re absolutely right, Your Eminence.”

“As long as you understand now,” Cardinal Kaltas said, his sharp demeanor softening as he picked up the letter he had set aside earlier. Without a second thought, he tossed it into the fireplace, where it was quickly consumed by flames.

“We can’t allow a false Saintess’s so-called revelation to tear apart a family. We must summon her to Kydsha and verify whether her revelations are genuine.”

* * *

Today was my first day attending classes at the Ivory Tower. Unlike the other students, who lived and studied at the Ivory Tower, I could commute from home since the Elpinard Duke’s mansion was so close.

‘Is this a privilege of sorts?’

It would have been strange to stay in the Ivory Tower’s dormitory with home so nearby.

“It’s hard to believe someone so young is already studying at the Ivory Tower…” Lily said as she brushed my hair, shaking her head. One would think she’d be proud that the person she served had been admitted to such a prestigious institution, but Lily seemed more disheartened than anything.

Rose and Daisy, noticing Lily’s unusual behavior, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Why are you so down? This is a good thing! Now those who underestimated the young lady won’t dare speak ill of her.”

“That’s right. Some of the other maids have already approached us, asking if the young lady could possibly give them a blessing,” Daisy added, her voice filled with pride.

Thanks to passing the Ivory Tower exam, my reputation, which had been at rock bottom, was slowly starting to recover. In the past, when I walked down the corridors, the servants would give me half-hearted greetings, but now more and more people were bowing respectfully.

‘The plan is working perfectly!’

Of course, there were still plenty of people who looked at me with suspicion, thinking I was a fake, but I wasn’t in a rush. Changing everyone’s mind overnight was impossible, so there was no need to be impatient.

Just then, Lily finished brushing my hair and sighed deeply as she looked at me through the mirror.

“At four years old, you should be out playing, not stuck in that dreary Ivory Tower. I don’t know how you’ll endure it,” she said, clearly believing that children should be allowed to be children.

But I hadn’t exactly had a typical childhood in my past life either. Growing up in the slums without knowing my parents or siblings meant I had to work from a very young age. The most common job I could find was cleaning. Children were sought after for their small size, which made it easier to clean hard-to-reach places, and because they were cheap labor.

Of course, it wasn’t easy work. The cleaning itself was exhausting, but the prejudiced stares were even more tiring.

‘If anything went missing or got broken, I was always the one blamed.’

I often got beaten or didn’t receive my pay for things I hadn’t even done. Compared to those days, I felt like I could handle anything now. No one was beating me, no one was accusing me of theft. I had nice clothes that didn’t smell, good food that wasn’t rotten, and warm water to bathe in.

Compared to my childhood in the past life, studying at the Ivory Tower felt like luxury.

I clenched my fists and smiled at Lily, trying to reassure her. “I can do it. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, my. How admirable you are,” Lily said, gently tapping my nose. “But if it ever gets too difficult, don’t hesitate to say something. The education at the Ivory Tower is mandatory, but they’re not completely heartless.”

* * *

Sitting at the desk, staring at the book in front of me, which might as well have been written in code, I felt my head start to spin.

“So, if you apply the modified formula here and use the Aberzhan-Teres theorem…”

The scholar lecturing at the front of the room sounded like he was speaking in code as well. This was far beyond the reach of my intuition, leaving me feeling like nothing more than a sack of barley left in the corner.

And why was this chair so uncomfortable? I had only been sitting for thirty minutes, but my backside was already sore, causing me to squirm restlessly in my seat.