To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

“Ha! Those who don’t help the lowly will really be punished, I tell you!”

“That can’t be.”

As Liv said that without backing down, they seemed even more dumbfounded.

“Miss Liv, now is not the time to be stubborn like that. According to the Supreme God’s will, all nobles must do volunteer work!”

“That’s right, it would be good to go to the slums and distribute food or go to the medical center and change bandages.”

A lady who was a devout believer of the Church of the Holy Sages even said that out of genuine concern for Liv.

However, Liv shook her head. That was…

‘They said it’s easy to encounter danger in such places.’

Liv knew that if she died, this world, which would no longer hold any value, would be destroyed.

In fact, she didn’t know exactly how the world would be ruined, but recalling the stories the gods had endlessly told her in her mind, she could only tell that it would be very terrible.

She had heard that there were many sick people in the slums and medical centers. If Liv caught a disease there, the world would be in a mess, and those who passed the disease to Liv might also suffer.

As Liv shook her head with a resolute face, the lady who was a devout believer spoke.

“The slums or medical centers might be scary. Alright, then how about this? There will be a departure ceremony to pray for the navy’s victory soon, so you can participate in that.”

“Praying for the victory of brave soldiers is also one of the duties of noble ladies. Miss Liv, isn’t that much okay?”

“Navy…? The sea…?”

“Yes, it’s a departure ceremony held by the sea. It’s not a bad thing since you can also go to the sea on this occasion. The sea is so beautiful.”

However, tears soon began to flow from Liv’s eyes, which had been restlessly trembling with anxiety.

The sea is vast. It is an absolute sacred ground filled with the traces of god, where the power of god is always bubbling like an active volcano, and those sensitive to the power of god can’t even set foot in it. That was the sea.

If she got close to the sea, the power of the gods would intensify, and their voices would crush Liv. Those voices might swallow Liv and eventually crush her to death.

“The sea is… hic, scary.”

Liv said that based on her experiences so far, but it ended up being a sudden burst of tears, so the other ladies looked at Liv with dumbfounded gazes.

From that day on, Liv began to be completely ostracized in high society.

“Ha, the noble fake Saintess has come.”

It was natural to hear sarcastic remarks whenever Liv appeared.

“Oops, it was a mistake!”

It was also frequent for someone to trip Liv while she was walking in high heels or spill water on her.

Each time, Liv would just blink her eyes blankly, her appearance a mess.

‘Strange.’

Of course, it wasn’t strange for Liv to feel uncomfortable from the human perspective. But Liv was also trying in her own way, so when would that effort bear fruit? Could it be that she had already missed her chance and would have to live completely excluded from the human world from now on?

No, maybe… since Liv had gained the love of all the gods, there might be something she had lost forever in return. For example…

‘Could it be that all humans can’t help but hate me? Is that the only thing not allowed for me?’

Thus, Liv reached the point of having such doubts.

* * *

That day, Liv was standing alone, leaning against the wall of the banquet hall.

People found it strange that Liv attended the banquet despite being insulted every time, but it was still enjoyable to see humans. It was better to be among humans than alone in her room. Being alone was lonely and tedious.

At that moment, voices erupted simultaneously from people’s mouths, and the banquet hall became noisy.

“Oh my, Duke Lartman has come.”

“As expected, there was a possibility that His Majesty the Emperor might come today.”

People were all whispering while looking at one spot. To find out what was going on, Liv slightly lowered her eyes and looked around, and then fixed her gaze upon seeing one face.

‘That person is…’

A man with black hair wearing a neat uniform was standing there. The uniform that fit his body perfectly emphasized his sturdy and solid physique. From his black hair to his gray eyes and gray uniform, he was all in dark colors, yet he didn’t give off a rigid or fearsome feeling. Rather, he had a kind smile on his face as if he were harmless, and that unconventional appearance drew more attention to him.

‘Ah, finally.’

It was a moment she had longed for a long time. Perhaps she had endured the days of being ignored in high society just for this moment.

“His Majesty the Emperor is coming? Then I should leave quickly.”

“Wouldn’t it be more troublesome to stand out by leaving your seat for no reason?”

“Would he even pay attention to a humble family like mine?”

The nobles around her had an incomprehensible conversation, but Liv didn’t care. Instead, her stomach felt ticklish from earlier, so Liv tried to somehow define the emotion she was feeling. She felt so suffocated that she couldn’t bear it without naming this emotion right away.

It seemed like she was happy to meet him, glad to see him, longing for him…

‘Are these the right words to use?’

Words describing emotions were difficult for Liv, so she tried to confirm her emotions with the gods once again. But it seemed that what she was feeling now was none of those.

It’s not just that level of emotion. A much deeper emotion. The strongest emotion above all else. The most beautiful emotion a human can have.

She clearly knew what that emotion was and had felt it before. It was just that it was the first time she was putting a name to it. So, this was…

‘Love.’

She could feel her cheeks flushing and burning, and her head felt like it was spinning. It felt like all the strength in her body was draining away, but at the same time, a hot energy seemed to rise from somewhere. Liv could understand why the word love was so beautiful.

‘When you love… what should you do?’

She recalled the love she had heard about from the gods long ago. The gods told her many stories about how they loved humans. Yes, for example…

‘They said they offered thousands of people as sacrifices to the human they loved.’

And ripping out hearts and giving them as gifts, bringing down nations, parting the sea in two…

But Liv couldn’t do such grand things, so she soon became crestfallen. Instead, she began to ponder what she could do.

‘…I want to give as much as I’ve received.’

Yes, that was all Liv could do right now.

Liv walked in long strides towards the man. The noble ladies around her looked at Liv with curious eyes, but she didn’t care.

And when she stood in front of the man, he became puzzled and asked cautiously.

“What… is the matter?”

“Hello.”

There was something she had to tell him first.

“I’m Liv Hamelsvoort. Hamelsvoort is my family name now.”

“I see.”

The man nodded his head with a smile that was so soft it could be considered a model of a smiling face that would be drawn in scriptures. That appearance felt more noble and beautiful than anything else.

“Understood.”

However, with those words, the man left the spot right away. It was a cold attitude as if he had no interest in Liv at all.

‘…What? There’s no way I can’t remember. Certainly…’

Only Liv, who was left in that spot, looked at his back with a disheartened gaze. The ladies around her gaped their mouths wide open.

“Oh my, it seems like she doesn’t even care about her life.”

“But since it’s not a matter related to His Majesty the Emperor, it’s fine. That person only reacts to matters related to His Majesty.”

“Shush, don’t even mention the ‘E’ in Emperor! If he happens to hear it, we’re done for!”

While Liv was flustered by his unexpected attitude, Hildegard, who had been watching the situation from earlier and couldn’t hide her shock, ran over quickly and grabbed Liv’s arm.

“Sister, why did you suddenly do that!”

“I was just… just greeting him.”

At those words, Hildegard let out a deep sigh.

“I see… Well, it’s not surprising that you seem to have fallen in love just by looking at his face…”

“What?”

“But you have to be careful with Duke Lartman. He may seem kind, but sometimes he can become colder and more cruel than anyone else.”

“Duke Lartman?”

“Yes, didn’t you know? The person from earlier is named Emmett Lartman.”

“Emmett Lartman…”

Muttering that name, it felt like fireworks were going off in her mouth. Finding out his name was a small achievement, but it was a proud moment for Liv.

“But what do you mean by being able to become cruel?”

“W-Well, for example… If someone insults or angers His Majesty, he immediately executes that person according to His Majesty’s order…”

“He kills people?”

“Shh, be quiet! And the privilege to directly punish people belongs to His Majesty. Duke Lartman is just following His Majesty’s will. He is truly devoted to the imperial family.”

If Duke Lartman really purged people, he was in a position that was difficult for Liv to approach recklessly. It didn’t seem like they could easily become close.

“Hmm…”

Liv groaned softly, then clenched her fists as if making a decision.

“It’s okay, we can become close in the future.”

She had waited so long for this moment, so she couldn’t give up. Above all, what Liv was most greatly influenced by the gods was the value of ‘love’. Love was the greatest thing that made this world function, so how could Liv dare to let it go?

As she reaffirmed her resolve, Hildegard, who had been watching, shook her head.

“Sister, you’ll really get into big trouble. Haah, I can’t stop you, but you must never mention anything about His Majesty the Emperor in front of him. Understand?”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Liv’s eyes were sparkling with intense passion as she said that.