Chapter 1

Knight Perceval was dozing, guarding the entrance to the dungeon, and then suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Top, top.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Perceval straightened up, waiting for the appearance of the descendant.

It turned out to be Saint Rabien, whose appearance the knight was waiting for.

– Holy Mother! Aren't you afraid to come here to pray again? How many years has it been?.. Now you can rest!

– No, she's my dear friend. I can't do that, – Rabien smiled bitterly and lowered her big eyes.

– Saint, you are showing great kindness to such a monster. You can't even guess what a great grace this is, – Perceval looked at Rabien with admiration.

– This is my job as a Saint. Mr. Perceval, I'm sorry, but could you forgive me? I would like to be alone, – Rabien said, looking at Perceval with a sad smile on her face and putting her palms together.

–Yes, of course, – it happened so often that Perceval's answer was simple.

Perceval, straightening his stiff shoulders, led the soldiers out of the tower.

After making sure that there was no one else, Rabien opened the prison door. When she entered the room, she looked very excited.

– Hmm, so.

The girl's empty gaze was fixed forward, as if she didn't see anything, and Rabien pouted her lips, as if she didn't like this look.

With a shrug of displeasure, she walked past Daina to a small recess behind her.

A crystal vessel was connected to Daina, inside of which a mysterious red liquid fluttered.

– Why did you collect so little? – the volume was less than expected, and Rabien was very annoyed.

The girl sighed and walked over to Khalid, the guardian, and pulled his sword out of its sheath. This sword was issued only to the sixth division representing the temple. In the middle of the handle was a red ruby symbolizing the eye of the goddess Episto.

Rabien, holding the sacred sword in her hand, started towards Daina again, but Khalid, hiding in the darkness like a shadow, suddenly stepped forward:

– I'll do it. You don't need to get your hands dirty.

– Can you? – Rabien asked, eyes wide, but laughing, she handed the sword to Khalid.

The sword of justice, which was supposed to be used only to punish according to the will of the Gods, cut Daina's palm. Blood immediately gushed from Daina's cut.

'Ha... it hurts!..' – Daina, suffering from the pain that throbbed in her palm, threw her head back. However, no one heard her screams. And all because Daina's mouth was tightly tied.

The shackles preventing any possibility of escape were shackles that no one could remove the thunder of the head priest.

Jin! – For the first time since Rabien started coming to the prison, Daina raised her head.

At that moment, Khalid and Daina's eyes met, but the man instantly turned away from her with a poisonous mixture of resentment, anger and hatred in his gaze.

All the blood that flowed from Daina's palm fell into the vessel that Rabien was holding.

The mysterious red liquid turned out to be Daina's blood, and Rabien quickly drained the vessel, drinking every last drop.

– Great, – smiled Rabien, who, having drunk the blood, was beautiful like a trembling flower. Daina's blood glistened on her thin lips.

Daina stared at Rabien, her lips trembling.

Feeling the girl's gaze on her, Rabien smiled even wider and brought her face closer to his:

– What? Why is everything so unfair? Rabien stroked Daina's disheveled hair, and then tucked a few strands behind the girl's ear. – You dared to take my place. An insignificant slave who does not know her place dared to gain the power of a Saint.

Rabien stepped forward and pushed Daina roughly.

Daina's head, looking at the floor, hit the solid wall. Rabien, having achieved her goal, snorted contentedly and left the prison with Khalid.

Daina closed her eyes helplessly as she watched the two men's backs slowly recede.

'I'm real. The real Saint is… I am!'

As always, Daina's cry that rang in her heart did not reach anyone.

***

The tightly closed door opened with a thud. It was the new girls in white who opened the prison door where Daina was.

– It's time for dinner, – Yun Rachel, the oldest of the three arrivals, said coldly.

Rachel was the first to enter the room, followed by Helen, a middle-aged stranger, and Annie, a novice.

Annie was the new girl who was supposed to be looking after Daina from today. It was her first job since Annie became a novice.

Entering the room, with an excited expression on her face, Annie, at the sight of Daina, involuntarily opened her mouth in amazement.

The many wounds and bloodstains on the girl were extremely shocking.

– Lady Rachel, what the hell is this… Who did this?! Confused, Annie stumbled, but didn't take her question back.

– Who did this? No one knows. You can't bully others here, so it's her doing.

– How could she? She's chained up!

–That's why they call her a monster, – Rachel ordered Annie to stop and be silent.

The eyes framed by fluffy eyelashes were filled with questions, but Annie could not get rid of a strange feeling.

Rachel stepped forward and grabbed Daina's chin, forcing her to raise her head. Because of this, Daina, who was sleeping, opened her trembling eyelids.

Daina's transparent eyes moved with the speed of a snail, as if she was trying to understand what was happening. They were eyes that would have closed again any other day, but today Daina's gaze caught Annie standing behind Rachel. And after a moment, Daina felt a surge of strength.

The other ladies did not understand this, but Annie felt Daina's gaze on her. Even in the semi-darkness, Annie's hands were covered with goosebumps.

– Sha, the new girl! Let's…

– Why are you frozen in place? Have you forgotten what they told you?

– Ah... no! – Annie, who was about to say about Daina's look, stopped in amazement when she heard Rachel swearing.

Meanwhile, Helen pulled out a rag that got wet while in Daina's mouth. This was done to feed her with what they brought.

The usual food given to Daina was liquid, similar to water, so it had to be swallowed without even chewing.

Rachel started pouring the brought "food" into the rod Daina, but the girl did not want to eat, so most of it flowed out of her mouth.

'Poor child!' – Annie could not get rid of the feeling of complicity in the mistreatment of the prisoner.

No one explained to her in detail who the special prisoner was. Annie was simply ordered to take care of everything she was told and keep quiet. Everything she would see should never have come out of her mouth.

'What kind of sins could a person commit if he is treated like this?' – Annie thought, thoughtlessly looking at Daina.

Annie and Daina's eyes crossed again.

– Let me go, – at that moment, a charming voice rang in Annie's head, which she had never heard before.