Meanwhile, Luciana was trapped in a nightmare she could not distinguish from reality.
In the dream, she ran while begging, "Save me."
Yet she was still viciously grabbed by the hair by an evil hand. "How dare you run, you little rat?" An evil male voice rang out, dragging the struggling girl toward a corner, heedless of the eyes around him.
No matter what, Luciana had to survive, and her mother's final words echoed in the girl's mind, summoning her last breath of strength. The girl pushed the villain away with all her might.
Just then, a commotion rose in the distance. "The divine maiden, Gratzia, has arrived."
Everyone rushed toward the divine maiden. It turned out that every year before the sun festival, the divine maiden would, out of pity, choose orphans, and if lucky, they might even be taken in by her.
"Are these all the children you gathered?"
When this clear voice sounded above Luciana's head, she stood up in despair and met the divine maiden's eyes. Revealing the wrist marked with a curse, she cried out loudly, "Honorable divine maiden Gratzia, if you can hear my words, please save me from this hell."
After that, Luciana was placed in a temple. There she ate, slept, and washed. Those divine maidens who were displeased with Luciana began whispering in the ancient language.
"I really don't understand why Gratzia always brings these abandoned children to the temple. They look dirty and lowly."
"That's because you don't understand. Gratzia needs to do more good deeds before the sun festival altar, because the sun god blesses kind people."
The divine maidens whispered among themselves, thinking these abandoned children could not understand the ancient language. But Luciana understood it, because her mother knew the ancient language.
While combing her hair, the girl thought sadly, I feel sorry for divine maiden Gratzia's greatness. She will soon offer herself to the sun god to protect us. She had once saved me with such kindness. She, who guarded the sacred flame from ever being extinguished, was the first divine maiden of the Arato Empire, and could even create fire through divine power.
On this day, Luciana prayed devoutly as usual. "Oh, omnipotent sun god, thank you for allowing me to live a peaceful life."
As she gazed at the brilliant sunlight, a divine maiden entered her room. "I have come to take you to see the honorable high priest Unicus. But before that, your hair color needs to be changed."
Very soon, the bewildered Luciana was dressed up by the divine maidens. As they walked along the road to the high priest's palace, she looked at her reflection on the smooth ground, and a ridiculous thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
I actually look a little like Gratzia.
At this thought, Luciana's cheeks instantly flushed, and she lowered her head. How could I think that?
Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out. "Honorable high priest Unicus, divine maiden Gratzia has come to pay her respects."
Luciana's pupils trembled violently, and the veil on her head was instantly lifted. Unicus, having just finished the ritual, was washing his hands with clean water. "Gratzia, why have you suddenly come at this hour?"
Hearing the high priest call her Gratzia, Luciana began trembling all over, and a huge unease rose within her small body. I actually—
"Another Gratzia appeared. I'm here."
Unicus was suddenly shocked. "Then she really isn't you?"
Hearing this, Gratzia laughed even louder. "Well, isn't this perfect? I've been looking everywhere for this little thing."
Unicus looked utterly confused. "What do you mean by this?"
Gratzia roughly lifted Luciana's wrist and said, "Look, Father. Just as my mother said, the mark of the Mandos family, along with these cursed words, are branded on her body."
Only then did Unicus understand. "You know this was a mistake." Unicus denied it flatly. But strangely, scalding tears slid from the corners of his eyes.
At this moment, Gratzia's gentle voice rang out once more. "What do you think? Can't you see any resemblance between us? I heard your mother was a direct divine maiden of the sun god. They say she had long pale golden hair and was born with a kind of charm that could fascinate every man in the country."
"Right. Enough. Stop bothering me with this kind of thing. Your life is also hanging by a thread now," Unicus said viciously in the ancient language.
But Gratzia was not flustered in the slightest and softly replied in the ancient language. "But tomorrow she'll go to the sun festival in my place."
At Gratzia's words, Luciana felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. The altar. As far as I know, that is where they offer human sacrifices to the sun god.
At this thought, Luciana burst into tears and grabbed Gratzia's sleeve. "Please spare me. I am willing to do anything, divine maiden. I don't want to die."
Hearing this, Gratzia was slightly startled. Looking at the desperately crying Luciana, she said coldly, "So, you can understand the ancient language? You're very clever. But don't forget your status. You were born to die in my place."
Orizio looked at Luciana, who was still crying in her sleep, and for some reason, his heart ached. Then he forcefully grasped her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and carefully studied the girl's delicate little face, unable to help sighing.
She is clearly only a human, yet she has a head of pale golden hair so perfectly suited to her.
At this moment, Luciana was still immersed in her nightmare. The fear of being devoured by flames, along with a force on her hand, made her mistakenly think that her hand was burning. The girl instantly opened her eyes, but the dazzling light made her vision unable to focus, and she only saw a blurred face.
"Who are you?"
Orizio was slightly stunned, hearing the girl's cracked and hoarse voice. He used divine power to summon a golden cup and slowly fed the holy water in the cup to the girl's lips, as though watering a withered flower.
But Luciana instantly panicked. At that moment, she remembered how the divine maidens had once brutally forced a magic potion down her throat, damaging her vocal cords and leaving her unable to speak. She did not want to be treated so horribly again. So the girl tightly shut her lips and clenched her teeth, knocking over the holy water in one motion.
Seeing this, Orizio suddenly lifted the girl onto the bed. "You must drink it, or the sunlight will dry you out until you die."
"No, I won't drink it."
But Orizio turned a deaf ear to the girl's words and once again used divine power to summon a second cup of holy water. Then, like pinning down a small prey animal, he firmly pressed her back and brought the cup to the girl's lips. But she still refused to open her mouth and only struggled frantically. Once again, she knocked over the holy water.
Looking at this girl who kept sobbing just to refuse the holy water, and at his own body now soaked by the spilled holy water, Orizio suddenly let out a soft laugh. "You're interesting. But you're already starting to trouble me. Don't resist your good fortune."
After saying that, he directly took the holy water into his own mouth, firmly held the girl's small chin, and bent down to kiss her. In an instant, a subtle sensation spread across Luciana's lips. After an unknown amount of time, only when her whole body had gone stiff did Orizio finally finish feeding her the holy water.