章 16: Ch 16: Meeting the Original Female Lead - part 2
"You are one of Duke Lockhart's vessels? But you look…"
Rosette suddenly looked fearful, and Layla knew quite well why the child looked like this.
The temple had a bias against Duke Lockhart, and the priests were not shy about spreading it around. Even the innocent children were not spared from this, and the scene in front of Layla resulted in a grudge.
"Before you ask, I am not a demon, and I am not even a magician yet. The temple's protection would not have allowed me inside if I were a danger.
I am just as human as you are and intend to live as a human."
Layla promised, and her words planted a seed of doubt in Rosette's mind…or that was what Layla was trying to do.
No one in the original work had ever told the Female Lead or the children of the temple that the Duke was not evil.
Since these kids had grown up with a belief and seen the world in black-and-white, they had strong opinions that were difficult to change.
'Thankfully, Rosette had her mind, but romance rottened it by the end. Hopefully, this time will be different. I need to use her for my plans, and I need her to be alive.
Layla was already thinking of ways to use the Original Female Lead. Since she was a child, it would be easy to influence her.
But Layla did not have enough time to come here all the time.
"I will take you back to the praying room now. You are right! You are not a bad person. If you were, then the goddess would not have let you in here. Would you like to be friends with me?"
The female lead asked, and this was an offer Layla was more than happy to make.
Usually, such childish promises made among children did not mean much, but this time, it was different.
The promise between the female and male lead of the work during childhood carried much weight in the future. So, won't it be the same for the villainess and the main character?
'Let's see what happens. I am sure the FL and the villainess had no childhood interaction in the original work. This would surely change the future, right?'
Layla looked at her suspiciously silent system.
There was no notification about either her or the FL meeting. Was it a good omen or a bad one?
...
Layla made it back to the praying room before the hour was up.
Rosette looked like she had a lot to say, but the female quickly thought better of it, and she went back.
It all happened just in time for the priest to come and escort Layla out of the praying room.
"Excuse me, but are you done praying? Your guardian is asking for me to escort you out to her. She says that it is time for you both to head back."
Layla looked at the time, and there was still one and a half hours left before she had to head back.
The priest refused to look intimidated by Layla's questioning look and maintained his posture. But it was clear that he wanted Layla out of the temple.
"I understand. I am done praying as well. Please lead me out."
Layla had not prayed to the goddess, but the priest did not need to know about it. Nothing much had happened today, yet it felt like a lot had happened.
Just before Layla left the room, her system sent her a notification that scared her.
[??? has taken notice of you]
[??? is watching you from somewhere]
This was a new notification, and Layla had never seen it before. No one in the original work had been denoted with '???' before, and the lack of information made Layla's head spin.
'I will try to find out more about this later. For now, I need to focus on getting out of here. The priest looks ready to chew me out if I remain here for a second more.'
Layla quickly followed the priest, and she was led to Mary.
The maid noticed Layla and quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the priest, ensuring that her hand did not touch the priest.
"Thank you for caring for our young miss and bringing her back in one piece. The Duke will donate this month, as per the customs."
Mary spoke with a cheer, but somehow, Layla felt that this was more mocking than actual praising.
"Don't worry about it. The temple has enough money to allow a lost soul to pray for guidance. You don't have to force yourself to help us out."
The priest subtly spoke to trigger Mary.
Sparks flew between the pair before Layla tightened her hand around Mary to remind her they needed to leave.
"Oh my! Looks like my young miss is in a hurry. You should consider yourself lucky since the Duke is neither stingy nor lacking money. Accepting all this would be in your best interest. Maybe then, you would be able to pay your debts back.
No matter how kind and supportive most people are, money makes them lose their reason. I would be careful if I were you."
Mary jabbed the temple one last time before she turned around and walked out.
She was not even trying to hide her rotten relationship with the temple.
"Was it a good idea to come here if we have such a bad relationship with the temple? I don't think our presence did those priests any favor."
Layla asked in a tense voice.
"Ah, it's fine! Those priests and the Duchy have never gotten along with each other. There have been more assassination attempts on the Duke's life than I can count from the temple's side.
It's funny how those fools think they can eliminate us."
Mary giggled as she spoke. She had full confidence that she could and would win against the temple.
"You should never be too overconfident about your victory. That is how you lose your life. I would be more cautious against the temple if I were you."
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