Ann was escorted by a young priest all the way to the secluded room that was made for purification rituals.

Before that, however, she passed through a room where she saw some familiar, recognizable faces.

Prince Kiehl with his unreadable expression.

Fremont, who seemed to be pacing around.

Mila, who was pretending to be Miles, staring daggers at her as usual.

Allen, who immediately paid attention to her and looked at her with his usual cool demeanor, yet the depths of his eyes showed a hint of anxiety.

And then… The rampaging Birdie who tried to break through the sturdy birdcage she was in, carried by a priest.

 

Ann had a mixed feeling looking at the figures she recognized there.

The prince might have been here since the ritual was a very important ritual that would decide whether or not the threat to the current monarchy could be rid of or not. It was understandable why he would be here.

Fremont, perhaps he was worried about his adoptive sister who would be the one performing the ritual.

Mila… Why the heck would she be here?! This is something I don’t understand!! Is it to make sure I am indeed not the villainess and the villainess is gone for good? But I don’t remember a character like her in the game, nor do I remember seeing Miles. I don’t understand why her hatred towards the villainess is enough for her to be suspicious of me and to stare at me with such hostilities!!

Birdie… She really can’t be away from me for so long, huh? Even Faye, her second choice is away… She has never been the obedient one waiting inside the cage. Wait for me, I’ll be back soon, so please give me your prayers too.

And Allen…

Despite still maintaining the cold demeanor, I can tell that he’s worried sick and can’t wait for the ritual to be over. Perhaps I came to know the subtle signs after knowing him for so long. Sorry for making you worried like this. It wouldn’t have happened had I not been the villainess, and had you not fallen in love with me…

But I am a selfish woman and I am glad that things worked out like this between us, despite the fact that you have to be worried sick like this right now.

I hope you will forgive me, and…

Please wait for me! I promise I will do my best to win this body over!

 

Ann was unable to talk to any of the people here, despite having so much in her mind to tell them, since she knew she had to go to the purification room right away instead of stopping here to talk. It would defeat the purpose of all the preparation she had done before.

So, she tried to convey the words that had been in her mind through her eyes. At least to Allen. And Birdie, although she was too busy trying to escape to even notice that Ann was trying to make eye contact with her.

…Though she wasn’t sure if they understood.

Still, it’s the thoughts that count!

 

The priest spared no second in waiting for Ann, so she couldn’t be distracted for too long.

Soon after, Ann arrived in the room for purification.

The purification room itself looked like it was built long, long time ago. The walls and the stairs were all made from the finest stones weathered by the passage of the time. In the heart of the room was a small pond filled with a pure, still water.

Beyond the pond, a simple stone altar adorned with candles could be found.

A giant inscription that was akin to a complex magical circle was inscribed inside the room, with the pond as the center of it, with several inscription that marked certain positions, some of which were filled with torches, candles, statues, or combination of them.

Waiting in front of the altar, standing at one of the markers made by the inscription was high priestess Debienne, with Faye standing right next to her. Faye was wearing a cute white dress with golden accent, with her wings showing on her back.

She’s like an angel…!!

Ann was looking at Faye with a fuzzy warm feeling inside her heart.

In an instant, flashbacks of her and Faye’s moments played in her mind.

From the scrawny little girl with tattered clothes, Faye had turned into cute and angelic presence, ready to deliver the song of a prayer inside a temple.

At that moment, she felt like at the very least, her coming to this world had made a change—an insignificant one to this world, but it meant the whole world for little Faye. For a moment, she felt as if she had no regret.

 

After being dazed looking at Faye who she had raised to such a fine figure, albeit for a short time, Ann finally noticed another figure inside the room. Standing on the opposite side of the pond, right below Debienne was Laura who was wearing a traditional priestess’ outfit. From Ann’s point of view, Laura’s current outfit was similar to that of a shrine maiden’s, the one that people from the modern world would wear during a festival where the shrine maiden performed some kind of a traditional dance of prayers.

Laura’s hair was tied up intricately as her head was adorned with traditional headgear befitting of a traditional priest’s. She was holding a small staff adorned with similar decorations and a flowy ribbon that she held with her other hand.

Her expression was solemn, befitting of a holy figure that her identity as a saintess entailed.

There was no trace of silly expression that she would’ve displayed often in front of Ann. It was as if she was a different person altogether.

It was finally at this time that Ann had fully embraced the fact that Laura was indeed, the saintess of this world. It finally dawned on Ann that Laura had indeed lived in this world for way longer than her, and during that time, had transformed into someone she wasn’t completely familiar with.

 

The priest that escorted Ann closed the heavy door behind Ann and stood on guard next to the door. On the other side of the door was another young priest that Ann presumed to have escorted the other personnel here.

Ann walked until she reached the place she should be standing at—the marker in the inscription. She had been instructed beforehand that this would be her position—the subject of the ritual.

Seeing that everyone and everything had been put in the place, high priestess Debienne snapped her fingers. At the same time as her fingers snap, the torches that hadn’t been lit were suddenly lit by magical flames. Contrasting to the red flames of the candles, the flames of the torches were blue.

“We are here now to commence the purification ritual on Duchess Ann Schwartzen, who fatefully occupied the body of Arnestianne Lacey du Ermengilde one day. We believe that it is the gods’ will that led Ann’s soul to inhabit this body. As such, we are going to perform this purification ritual in order to purify her body, so that the new soul fated by the will of the gods can rightfully inhabit the body as the new owner without any disturbance. I, high priestess Debienne, will be the priest commencing the ritual, with Faye as our songstress, and the saintess, Laurence Holly Ainsworth, as the priestess performing the purification ritual today. May the gods bless our holy ritual today and smile on us.”

 

After Debienne finished narrating, Ann saw some white figures rustling from the ground behind Debienne. Apparently, two young priests were kneeling on the ground all the time, that she hadn’t noticed them before they stood just now.

They quickly went to the back of the room to ring the giant gong placed there.

The other young priests then used a wand with some bells placed at the end of it to form a melody with the bells.

“O ancient spirits, hear our call—”

Faye began to sing, her beautiful voice was indeed befitting of a songstress.

The melody formed by the bells rang by the young priests and the gong were oddly harmonious with Faye’s singing.

 

“Purify our hearts and minds,

In this ritual, our destiny binds!”

As Faye recited the song, high priestess Debienne lifted up an ancient artifact up high. The artifact was an ancient mirror-like orb that had a faint blue light glowing and dimming as the song continued.

The room, which should have been closed off from the outside world, suddenly was breezy, with the flames of the candles and torches flickering.

 

“By the flickering candlelight's embrace,

We step into the pond's gentle trace,

A dance of purity, a sacred flow,

As the old self wanes, the new shall grow.”

It was at this time that Laura began to slowly perform a ritual dance beautifully.

Ann held her breath.

She never knew that Laura could do such a magnificent dance.

 

As Laura’s dance grew faster, the wind inside the room felt more powerful as the torch’s flames grew bigger, the candles’ flames seemed like they were about to be extinguished, yet they were still there.

The still water in the pond suddenly had ripples and started to glow. At the same time, the artifact that Debienne lifted up glowed even stronger, this time a steady blue glow that illuminated the room.

 

“In the sacred pool, reflections gleam,

A mirror of the soul's deepest dream,

With every note, with every rhyme,

We journey through the currents of time.”

Simultaneously as Faye’s singing, Laura swung her staff down towards the pond’s water as it splashed here and there, the ribbons flowing from Laura’s staff and clothes also melodiously fluttered, making the scene even more beautiful.

Laura danced as she moved, and soon the holy water splashed from the pond towards Ann.

As the whole pond glowed, Laura’s dance and Faye’s singing reached what seemed to be the climax.

 

“As the final notes ascend and soar,

We emerge reborn, forevermore,

The Song of Purification, an eternal art,

Binding our spirits, never to part!”

Laura finished her fance by kneeling right in front of the glowing pond, her staff submerging into the water as Laura assumed a praying stance. The divine glow in the pond only grew stronger.

The candles’ flames were extinguished by now, and only the torches’ blue flames danced inside the room, safe for the candles that led all the way from the place where Ann stood towards the pond, as if guiding Ann to go there.

Remembering the instructions she had received, Ann gulped and slowly walked down towards the pond. The more she walked, the more submerged she became.

As she reached the middle of the pond, the water had reached her chest. She assumed a praying stance and closed her eyes as the ritual entered the second phase.

 

The melody began to play again.

This time, Faye was singing in a language Ann wasn’t familiar with.

Soon, Ann felt a sensation similar to when she was practicing receiving Laura’s holy power back then.

The tingling sensation soon spread throughout her whole body.

“…kh!”

The sensation was so uncomfortable and it even hurt a bit, but Ann wouldn’t lose to it. She focused her mind and steeled her heart.

She concentrated so much until she could no longer feel anything else, not even the cold water of the pond she was submerged in. The only thing ringing in her mind was the purification song done by Faye.

 

The sound grew even bigger in her mind, bigger and bigger, until suddenly, it stopped.

She could hear nothing anymore.

Not even Faye’s song, not even the bells, the gong, the rustling voice of Laura’s clothes as she moved.

She stopped concentrating as there was nothing else she could hear.

It was then she realized that she no longer felt the cold holy water that she was submerged in, so she opened her eyes to see what was going on.

…Only to find herself in an unfamiliar space.