A Saint Lives In The Demon Duke’s Mansion - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“I’ll go with this one.”

A noble pointed at a girl with his finger.

Then High Priest Willam responded to him while he rubbed his hands together like a fly and flattered the man.

“That’s a great choice. It’s not bad in terms of quality and appearance.”

The girl smiled broadly while she stood between William and the nobleman, who were treating her like an object.

The rest of the children, who weren’t chosen, looked at the girl with envy.

Now the girl would go to a noble’s house.

Maybe she’d even wear nice clothes and eat good food.

‘But in return, she’ll have to be treated as an air purifier for the rest of her life…’

Everyone was crazy. This place was crazy.

It was time to click my tongue under my breath at the sight that I couldn’t adapt to even after days of watching it.

The eyes of the nobleman, who’d just purchased the child, looked this way.

I fell away from the door that I’d opened as much as I could.

‘Wow, I almost made eye contact.’

With a strong heart, I made sure that the nobleman wasn’t looking my way anymore, and crept back to peek out the door.

At the door to my room, the nobleman asked William.

“Why didn’t the child in that room come out?”

“Oh, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but she’s a child whose actual character and appearance are substandard.”

Who was substandard in both character and appearance, you bald fly king.

I was annoyed, but I kept it deep in my heart.

Because I knew that William’s answer was simply a lie he made up.

Although it wasn’t something to be proud of, this body was William’s most cherished ‘product’ in name and reality.

“Oh, that’s not true. Aisha is the most important person in the temple…”

“Tom.”

That fickle thing.

The boy named Tom, who had been talking to himself in a small voice, fell silent at William’s brutal yell.

Fortunately, I didn’t think I’d get slapped on the cheek because he had a customer.

“Now Viscount, this way please.”

William, who changed his expression in an instant, took the nobleman and the girl, then they disappeared down a hallway.

Since the nobleman had chosen his item, they would write out a contract and he’d pay for it.

The children left the deserted hallway, and returned to their rooms on their own like well-trained dogs.

It was because it was bedtime soon, and they would be scolded if they didn’t go to sleep.

Why did I have to possess an orphan who lived in a temple that was like a nursery school.

Sighing, I also closed the door to my room tightly, and laid down on my old bed.

Then I muttered in a sing-song voice.

I’m completely done for.

From the moment when I realized where I was, and who I was, it was over. That was the only thing I could say no matter how much I thought about it.

‘I can’t believe I possessed a character in the book I threw away because I was frustrated with the world.’

Was this punishment? A divine punishment handed down by the writer?

Okay, let’s say I was wrong to throw the book.

But, you know what?

‘”Isn’t it awful that the main female and male characters were wasting time by page five? Writer…”

They were going to hold hands, but the male lead stopped when he remembered his dead wife.

The blushing female lead was also startled by the thought of all that she had longed for.

Come on, if you’re both going to hesitate like that, then you shouldn’t have met at all.

He’d hesitate, then be clingy, making the reader sick and tired of it all.

It was amazing that I managed to get through half the book because I couldn’t stand the frustration.

In other words, I didn’t read the other half, and I don’t even know the ending…

That’s not all. There was a second reason why I threw the book.

That my role is the boring ‘All-in-one Female Lead’.

Oh my God, writer. What was this all about? I couldn’t believe I’m a strange existence.

No, before that.

“I have a time-limit…!”

I scratched my head with my calloused hands.

Meanwhile, my bushy hair looked strange.

It’s so transparent that it’s confusing whether it’s silver or white.

‘Even if you melted your hair away with bleach, this color wouldn’t come out.’

It was also frizzy, and I looked like a pedigree white poodle…

I snapped out of my reverie, then I sighed and bowed my head.

A book that’s already been thrown, a transfered soul, and a beggar-like reality.

You can’t eat only porridge if you’re digging ditches.

‘Let’s think about it, think.’

I persevered, and finally remembered the title of that book I had thrown away.

In the book, like a bitter tragedy, there was overwhelmingly more after my death than during my life, my so-called ‘portion’.

As I said, why?

‘I’m timed to die prematurely at the age of 17.’

It was around the age of 20 that the male lead and female lead, who are the same age as me, began to get involved.

So, I appeared in the prolog, a description about how we grew up together in passing, and by the time the real story began, I was already deceased.

Whenever the female lead and male lead were wasting time, I appeared as a recollection.

All the time, over and over again.

It was like a bitter boomerang that kept coming back…

‘Well, it’s fortunate that Aisha’s description was mentioned during those reminiscences.’

From her name and appearance, to her background growing up as an orphan in a remote temple.

Thanks to the perfection of the fit, I realized that I was the prisoner of a bitter tragedy as soon as I possessed her.

What if you realized it belatedly when it was already irreversible? It was terrible just thinking about it.

‘I’m still young. I have ample opportunity to make a choice.’

Having been given such a bad role, I had two choices.

One was to ride out the original route, and die young.

The other one, was to become another cliché and put down the original mess.

I blew my messed up curly hair with my breath.

Isn’t it obvious which one I should choose?

“Follow the trends, and go with the flow!”

Live or die, of course I have to live!

I clenched both my fists firmly.

I was the one who persistently survived the chaos in my previous life.

So, this time, I would definitely survive. By any means.

“Then, first of all…”

I nodded as I looked around the room, which was as white as my hair.

“Let’s run.”

Away from this crazy temple.

***

“Ha, ha, ha…”

I’d been taking deep breaths for a long time with an overheated body.

Beyond the door, the priests wouldn’t come close to me, then a shiny bald fly king finally appeared.

“High Priest William!”

“What is going on?”

“Aisha is sick! However, look over there.”

The priests calmed the rampaging William down and pointed at me, who couldn’t even open my eyes properly.

“She’s out of breath.”

“The fever is too high.”

“And that fever is definitely…”

They saw the red, burning fever that spread all over my body.

It was a common sign of the plague.

William shouted loudly, as if he couldn’t believe it even after direct confirmation.

“No way! Bring the ‘Mirror of the Holy Spirit’ right now!”

Oh, that bald fly king. He’s so skeptical.

With a frustrated look on my face, I coughed at just the right time.

“Cough…! Cough, cough!”

As I coughed, dark red blood poured out of my mouth.

As I lay there, blood dripped down from my cheeks, chin, and neck, and even stained my white pillowcase and futon with the color of death that made their hair stand on end.

I don’t know what it looked like, but it mustn’t look very good.

As expected, William and the priests screamed and stepped back.

“What the…!”

“Stay away, High Priest!”

“The filthy plague will spread!”

Were you advertising that you don’t have the skills or what?

While I acted with all of my heart, I clenched my teeth and held in my laughter.

It was said that the stronger your holy power, the less likely you were to get sick. That was because the holy power in this world was a ‘purification’ ability.

I couldn’t believe that the members of the temple, from priests to high priests, were shaking because they were afraid they’d catch the plague.

‘Anyways, is this not a pseudo temple?’

I guess there was no one with the proper amount of holy power.

The future of this temple was gloomy, but it was good for me.

It meant that there was no one brave enough to try and purify me, or to use the ‘Mirror of the Holy Spirit’ on my body to check my holy power.

Okay, it was time to launch the final attack.

“Cough, Cough! Gurgle! Hack!”

I coughed, then turned my head this way and that.

Watch me! Watch me! I’ve become a dangerous atomizer now!

“Oh my…!”

“High Priest!”

“Hey, don’t push me!”

When they saw my dark saliva flying, William and the priests freaked out, then they ran away like c*ckroaches.

It was definitely unsightly, and nice to see.

William, who took the lead in running away faster than anyone else, finally said what I’d wanted to hear.

“Hurry up, and throw it away! Before the rest of them need to be discarded!”

It’s working!

As I swallowed my cheers, two holy knights wearing bird beak masks approached.

They lifted me up by my sagging duvet cover and loaded me onto a ragged gurney.

While being carried out of the room as waste, William’s angry voice burst out.

“D*mn it, D*mn it! I should’ve sold it earlier! I saved it because I thought it would be useful if I raised it…!”

You’re supposed to savor it, then poop it out.

I could feel the corners of my mouth curling up in excitement, but then I saw Tom.

The way he walked around here and there, scurrying around, it seemed like he was looking for something persistently.

‘Oh, by the way, I should return this.’

Because I unintentionally stole it.

I apologized to Tom in my heart, and touched the small ink bottle in my hand.

‘Sorry, I was in a hurry, and there was only black ink in my room.’

Luckily, you’re next door to me.

The moment I passed Tom, I tried to hand him the red ink while avoiding the eyes of the holy knights.

“Well written.”

“Huh…?”

Tom stared at me with a dazed look on his face as he whispered inaudibly.

I was inadvertently left holding two ink bottles.

Stay healthy, and Tom, get some sense. I watched over him for a few days, and without fail, he’d throw a few words at the priests and take another beating.

‘If you keep your mouth shut, you’ll be fine in the interim.’

I wanted to give him one last piece of advice, but we didn’t have any time left.

I left behind the confused Tom, and I was abandoned outside the temple.

To be more precise, in the dense forest behind the temple.

For reference, it’s a place where a fierce group of wolves lived.

Thump.

Deep in the woods, the holy knights threw me on the ground and chatted to each other.

“I thought she was going to be great, but in the end he lost a lot of money instead.”

“I know. High Priest William raised her well, and planned to sell her to a larger noble house.”

“Can a child’s holy power disappear suddenly?”

“I heard holy power can increase and decrease.”

“No, she’s had a lot of holy power since birth. To the point that High Priest William’s eyes were spinning.”

“I don’t know. How can we guess what Lumiere wants?”

“Surely… It can be given without reason, and taken away again without reason.”

Among the male and female knights, the man looked down at me and clicked his tongue.

Then I felt an unpleasant, languid gaze.

“But it’s a waste. Even if she doesn’t have holy power, her face is…”

“Arthur. Don’t touch the plague victim.”

“Are you crazy? Who would touch a kid like this?”

At the same time, the man smacked his lips as if he was disappointed.

Then he drew the holy sign towards me without sincerity.

“Anyways, die well. Don’t blame me too much.”

“I think she’s going to Lumiere’s side early.”

After the memorial service, they left the forest before sunset.

When they disappeared and I heard the wolves crying from afar, I jumped up from where I was laying.

“Wow…!”

The ink was messy and tasted bad. It was weird, even if it was helpful.

Having created the perfect blood color with the right mix of red and black ink, I spat and looked around.

My body, which I had warmed by clenching my teeth in the too-hot bath, was now moderately cool and lukewarm.

Oh, absolutely. I even took short breaths that caused me to feel so dizzy that I thought I was going to die.

‘By the way, now that I know where I want to go, how do I get there?’

There were no buses or subways I could catch. I don’t know what to do.

I scratched at the red ink that dotted my face.

Fortunately, the real Aisha’s memories remained, so I knew the rough geography of this place.

The problem was once I figured out the destination and direction, was it going to be too far for me to get their on my own two feet.

‘…Let’s go and find a carriage to the capital city.’

Since I was only nine years old, and much smaller than my peers, I could hide quite well.

I recalled the way out of the forest, and roughly wiped the ink off of my face with the blanket I’d wrapped around my shoulders.

The weather between winter and spring was still cold enough that I could see my breath.

Thanks to the strength of my holy power, I wasn’t worried about getting sick, but it couldn’t prevent the pain from the cold.

‘Ugh, I should’ve been laying down with my shoes on.’

This was said with belated regret, as I walked barefoot through the woods.

Whew!

The distant cry of the wolves came closer.

Subsequently, I heard the sound of rustling grass and branches.

“Oh.”

Wolves appeared, and there were over a dozen of them too.

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A Saint Lives In The Demon Duke’s Mansion - Chapter 2

The big blue wolves stared at me with bright yellow pupils, as if searching for me.

Then, all at once, they rushed in.

“Ack…!”

I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes, but then I immediately squealed at the wetness on my face.

“It tickles!”

“Awroo! Awroo!”

The wolves that were licking my face jumped around in place while making pleasant noises.

There you go, my cuties.

I patted the wolves that were running around me because I liked them so much.

Perhaps because of the holy power beyond the level of a normal human, this body had long been popular with animals.

[T/L: She’s a Disney princess!]

No matter how fierce the wild animal was, they would follow me around while wagging their tail like a puppy.

‘It might just be a feeling, but I think we can communicate.’

According to my memories, the original Aisha also seemed to like hanging out with animals more than humans.

However, she wasn’t able to leave the temple often because William kept a close eye on her.

“Woof!”

Just then, the biggest wolf with the darkest fur came walking through the pack.

The charismatic presence I felt was apparently from the alpha wolf, the general of the pack.

“Good morning.”

When I said hello, the alpha wolf put his forehead against mine.

The warm and soft feeling of his fur felt nice, so I rubbed my forehead against his, and leaned into him.

“Baby. Do you know the Duke of Bastion?”

I asked without any expectations, but the ‘alpha wolf’ nodded. My eyes opened wide in shock, and questioned him more.

“Really? Do you know where he lives?”

“Whine.”

“Yeah, I know it’s scary as well…”

I patted the distressed alpha wolf’s rump.

It’s okay, that’s more than enough.

“I don’t expect much from a wolf. It’s the Duke of Bastion, of all people!”

A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke!

As I listed each of the various nicknames, the wolves nodded their heads in agreement.

At the same time, their tails curled towards their bellies.

Oh, you must be really scared. What shall we do?

I clasped my hands in front of me, and begged the alpha.

“Baby, I’m really sorry to ask this, but can you take me to his house?”

“AWROO!”

It was a yelp. Or a swear word.

***

Duke Bastion’s home was on the outskirts of the capital.

It was very surprising, considering the general rule was that the more powerful you were, the closer you lived to the center of the capital, and the castle.

A duke, who was considered the best in both name and reality. Even the Imperial family couldn’t ignore him, probably because his family contributed to the founding of the empire…

‘It really looks like a dungeon.’

There was even a mountain behind the mansion.

Riding on the back of the alpha wolf, I looked down at the dark mansion roof below, and clicked my tongue.

Here in the Amanta Empire, the history of the Dukes of Bastion was obvious at a glance.

‘Where do you think that blessed family’s self-important temperament originated?’

Their ‘my way’ temperament could even be felt in ‘salty’ amounts in the original story.

Since I was born I’d never made friends with anyone, or received letters from anyone.

Well, whatever. Thanks to that, it was easy to hide here with the wolves.

“Thank you for bringing me here, guys. I think I can go alone now.”

When I jumped from the alpha wolf’s back, the other wolves began to protest. They bit and pulled on the blanket I’d wrapped around myself like a robe.

It seemed they wanted me to go back with them.

I stroked the admirable guys’ heads, and said.

“Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ve already made my decision after a lot of thought.”

“Awoo…”

“This is the only way. I just want to live and see the future.”

In the meantime, the holy power in my body will continue to grow.

‘The stronger your holy power, the less likely you are to get sick. My case was an exception though.’

Everything was in vain because of this world.

No matter how sacred the water was, if the volume was like the sea, the bowl would eventually break.

‘In other words, I’m going to die because I’m a munchkin!’

Well, I was just tired of it.

Anyway, here’s my prescription.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

‘Munchkin for a munchkin.’

And this was a munchkin from a house of munchkins.

It was time to take one last deep breath before going in with a bang.

“GRRR!”

Suddenly, the wolves bristled and bared their teeth. Their reaction was a mixture of extreme caution and fear.

“Why are you doing that…”

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, beasts and children are flocking to me.”

The moment I heard the unfamiliar voice, I felt suffocated.

This energy.

It was the first time I’ve felt it, but I was sure.

I came to find this.

‘This is magic.’

It was also so pure that the tips of my fingers felt numb and my skin was prickling.

I slowly turned in the direction in which the devilish energy came from.

“I didn’t know my yard was this popular.”

It wasn’t like a cave, but a mana from deep within the ocean. He had black hair and eyes, and a cold, sharp atmosphere like the north wind.

And he called this mountain his yard…

‘Does he really think that?’

I winced as I looked at this man from head to toe.

Was this man really the demon Duke of Bastion?

‘But… you never said how handsome he was, writer!’

This is negligence. How could you not describe this beauty?

There were two types of handsome men in this world.

A warm-hearted man, who’s spring-like beauty melts away everything, and a cold-hearted man, like the winter that freezes everything.

Either way, handsome men are unconditionally the best, and my personal taste was clearly the latter.

What was I saying all of a sudden?

I wanted to say that my tastes were unexpectedly and completely ignored.

‘It’s crazy. Why didn’t you get to act as a supporting role, or main character, with that face?’

In the original works, Duke Bastion was endlessly on the cusp of being an extra.

Of course, he had a strong presence in the story, and delivered some important information in the prolog, and in the middle of the story before I threw the book…

‘Even that is a little vague to be considered a direct appearance.’

In addition, it contained a tremendous tragedy for the Duke of Bastion.

‘I know that, and I can prevent it with sufficient effort.’

Yeah, it could be a mutually beneficial relationship.

After taking a deep breath, I gathered my hands in front of my belly.

“Hello!”

My firm full-bellied greeting lulled the oppressive energies between Duke Bastion and the wolves.

Standing there between the two groups, who were slightly bewildered, I spoke up crisply.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Aisha.”

“…Yes, a suspicious little girl.”

He had no intention of calling me by my name.

Duke Bastian observed my behavior with a frown.

To him I was a strange and small uninvited guest, who invaded his yard with a pack of beasts.

“Did you come here knowing where you were?”

“It’s a magical restaurant.”

“Huh?”

Oh, my. I should stop teasing him.

I shook my head, and spoke again.

“No, you’re the Duke of Bastion.”

“To come knowing that means that you have some business with me.”

“That’s right.”

“Is it asassination? Using wolves?”

“Oh, you’re making quite the leap.”

Thinking it was a joke, I laughed and waved my hand, but Duke Bastion just continued to look at me suspiciously.

Oh, you weren’t kidding. This undeveloped mind of mine was unable to keep up with the demon duke’s thoughts, and this was why I felt so uncomfortable…

I went straight back to polite speech, and erased my laughter.

“Ahem, I’m sorry I came in without permission. However, there was something I wanted to ask the duke for.”

“What?”

That’s right. I don’t know where to start. What about events in the future?

No, that’s so ridiculous.

However, if I dragged out my explanation, he might slit my throat while saying ‘The wolves were a decoy, and you were planning to kill me with boredom.’

I needed to think about it.

An impactful first statement that would get straight to the point of why I came, and at the same time caught the interest of the duke.

That’s it! With sparkling eyes, I pointed my finger at the Duke of Bastion.

“Give me your son!”

“….”

“Ouch.”

The demon duke thought that he could hit people with his eyes.

My stomach hurts. Uh huh, I think he managed to hit a bone.

After I was beaten for such a long time, and I checked whether my ribs were broken or not, Duke Bastion crossed his arms and asked.

“Young lady, how old are you?”

“I’m… nine years old.”

I almost said I was twenty two years old without realizing it. I have to watch my mouth if I don’t want to get hit again.

“Nine years old? The same age as Franz?”

The Duke of Bastion murmured and tilted his head. He even stared at me as if he was trying to estimate my physical condition.

The pitch-black gaze that seemed to penetrate all the way through the futon bedding’s safety that surrounded me and looked lower and lower.

Maybe he even found my bare feet.

When I fidgeted with the tips of my toes, the man, who was towering over me, lowered his body.

I exclaimed at the sight of his eyes, which were now at a similar height.

As expected, it seemed appealing no matter what posture you take when you have a face like his.

Duke Bastion crouched down in front of me on his long legs, and put his elbows on his hard thighs.

Even his slouched posture, which would have looked good in some dirty alley, looked like a sculpted statue when he did it.

[Like this.]

The duke chuckled when I tried to subtly move away from him.

“Let’s get rid of this rag for a moment.”

“Wh, why…?”

I hesitated and backed away, while I pulled the futon over my head.

I want to remember your face and kill you. If this is your idea of consideration, I’d really like to refuse.

“Shouldn’t I at least know the face of the young lady who’s going to be my daughter-in-law?”

That’s what I was talking about. Something understandable.

I squirmed and quickly took off my duvet cover, which had become soggy while the wolves were running along the remote mountain path.

The Duke of Bastion, who I faced without any protection, was even more handsome and even scarier than before.

Now I knew why there was a rumor going around that if you were weak, you would wet yourself in front of him.

Even if it wasn’t because of his mana, he had a powerful aura.

I suddenly thought of the names for him that I had listed off while taunting the wolves.

A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke…

‘Those names were a perfect fit.’

This was the moment when such a man and I officially met for the first time.

I tried to tuck my head instinctively, but I stopped myself and straightened my posture.

I had a hunch that I shouldn’t show any weakness here.

Duke Bastion stared at my face, especially my amber colored eyes and curly silver hair.

Then he suddenly asked.

“Which temple did you run away from?”

“Oh, how…”

Was he a psychic, and not a demon?

When I stared at him in surprise, the Duke tapped my chest with his finger.

“The young lady’s mana is overflowing from here. At the rate that it’s coming out, you would have been taken to the temple as soon as you were born.”

“Oh.”

As I could feel his mana, he could feel mine.

It seemed easy to recognize each other’s mana as we were opposite elements.

‘I can’t believe he’s already noticed that I ran away from the temple.’

This is awkward.

I was going to reveal my mana on purpose. However, I’d planned to hide my connection to the temple as much as possible.

What should I do? Is he going to send me back?

It made sense if I thought about it from his point of view. It would be troublesome if he took me in, and got into a quarrel with the temple.

Right when I was about to tell him that it was okay because I’d pretended to be dead on purpose.

“Does the temple starve the children these days?”

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