As soon as Eliane procured some candles, Neirin helped her light them and placed them among the lit candles with flickering flames. They clasped their hands once again to utter some prayer.
Although Neirin didn't know whom she was praying to, she acted like she knew.
She acted like she had some faith.
She acted like one of the believers.
As soon as the prayers were uttered, Neirin unclasped her hand and walked back to where they came from. Eliane and the knight followed her without any questions. They were walking silently behind her.
Neirin observed the cathedral again. The towering pillars it has and the beautiful arches are explicitly made to give honor and respect. From time to time, many people come and go. They either give offerings or utter their prayers.
It felt surreal, and it felt distant from her. She can't connect to this place, and she can't see herself worshiping. Which made her think that In the loud bustling atmosphere of the capital, this place, only this place was solemn and quiet.
It can even be considered as though it wasn't part of the capital.
Just as she was observing the outside surrounding of the cathedral, Neirin saw two individuals. They were looking at her. Neirin guessed that they were also watching her. They were mumbling words to each other. Careful on how they deduce what was her identity.
It's not surprising since, of all the people here, Neirin was the only one accompanied by a knight and a servant. Any person would conclude or speculate that she was someone who has a standing in the noble society or, perhaps, a daughter of a noble.
Neirin gazed back at them. They looked rather old based on the wrinkles they had on their face and their beard. Neirin estimated that they might be in their middle forties. They were dressed in a black and white priest robe with complicated patterns of embroidery placed on the hem of their clothes and a gold sash over their shoulders.
Neirin withdraws her gaze back, thinking that looking at them might be a form of disrespect. She doesn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. However, just as she was about to turn, she was stopped by a calm and gentle voice.
"May we ask whom the high esteemed guest we have?"
Neirin turned back, smiling. They were the two old men from before who kept glancing at her. Looking at them more clearly than this, Neirin can see the color of their eyes.
In her lifetime, she saw different pupils of eyes. Some were mesmerizing others were okay. However, right in front of her, seeing that both priests have a gold-like pupil eye, she was a little breathless. They were beautiful.
It was as if, with their eyes only, a person could not lie. Neirin felt that kind of feeling looking at their eyes right now. Was it perhaps magic? Should she ask? But that would be rude.
"My lady?" Eliane brought Neirin back from her trance. She blinked, smiling again to hide her awkwardness. They were asking who she was. Their eyes stared at her. They were waiting patiently.
Should she lie and just make up some believable stories she could possibly make? Or should she use her title and standing to its advantage to investigate more?
"Pardon my rudeness, reverend fathers," Neirin politely uttered. She took a simple bow to express her respect. Her right hand is on her chest as a form of greeting by those who work at the cathedral.
"I am Neirin Halstead. I am the new duchess of the Halstead duchy, and I have come here to pay my respect."
"We give respect, your grace." The two priests uttered.
They looked shocked as they looked at each other, but then, they immediately calmed their nerves down to give some greetings. "We apologize for this greeting, your graces. We could have properly welcomed you if you had told us in advance."
"Don't be, father. I come here to pay respect, not to be greeted as such." Neirin said in a more gentle and respectful manner. Both Eliane and the knight offered the same greetings that their master had given.
The two priests smiled. They looked somewhat contented. "Then, if there's something we could do to make your visit a little better, your grace?"
Neirin smiled even more. "Then perhaps, could I ask more about our god and his traditions? I am now a new believer of the lord."
"A new believer?" Both of the priests looked at each other. They looked confused but, at the same time, relieved.
Neirin felt a little anticipation. She was lying right now. She was not a believer. She never was, but she knew that she lacked some foundation a believer should have. Hence, she made a believable lie.
A new believer.
Neirin knew that every temple that serves a god prioritizes a new believer no matter who they are since their goal is to spread their faith across the world. And Since Neirin was a duchess, it was another heavy variable to take this matter more seriously.
"Praise his grace and holiness!" both priests uttered rather piously. They almost kneel right at that very moment.
Neirin was a bit taken aback, but she also clasped her hand as if praying and said, "Praise his grace and holiness!"
Seeing their master mirror the priest's actions, Eliane and the knight followed. "Praise his grace and holiness!"
"Praise him! Praise him! Praise him!"
Neirin bit her lips, trying hard not to utter any words or make any facial expressions. She tried her best to smile and said, "Praise him! Praise him! Praise him!"
--
Right after they finished their praises outside the cathedral of grace and sinner, the priest invited Neirin and her two servants inside the cathedral.
As they stepped inside, Neirin felt the atmosphere to be a little heavy, as if something was weighing down her heart.
Was it because she's not a believer? She glanced at Eliane, who clearly was. She was smiling. Her eyes were full of energy, and Neirin could tell from her actions that she felt relatively light different from what she was feeling.
It was the same for the knight accompanying her.
She heaved her breath and stood straight as she tried walking in a calm and light manner mirroring Eliane. Neirin was relieved for a moment.
If gods were true and a liar non-believer like her was to come into their cathedral with blasphemous thoughts, if they knew it, she might even be punished by some curse or something.
Trying hard not to attract attention, She walked side by side with the priest as she listened to their words.
"Our Lord is a very jealous god."
Right at that very sentence, Neirin wanted to run away.
'Father, what?'
"He is someone who looks at his subjects very well and takes care of them as his child," The priest added in a solemn and respectful manner. "You are his child now, your grace."
'Does this mean he's looking at me right now?' Neirin's lips' quivered as she looked around the place's interior.
"Isn't that great, my lady?" Eliane added enthusiastically. She wanted to glare at her. 'It's not!'
Still trying to keep her calm, Neirin acted very well. She smiled happily and was full of awe.
"Our god does not demand many things. He only wished for his believers to praise him every day and add him to their daily lives. It's all about a person's heart and their pure ways of serving him. We believe that if we act like this, we will be able to give him glory. Our god loves us and wants to connect to his believers in every way possible. Hence, we do some rituals that give him glory."
"Once a month, give offerings and hold a mass for him. We sing praises and dance to honor his love for us."
Neirin smiled nervously. "And what day of the month do you usually proceed with this ritual?"
"It will be a week from now, your grace. As you can see, everyone here is preparing for the ritual, and all our believers are excited." Neirin looked around. Indeed there were many people going all over the place. They seemed to be busy.
The two priests glanced at Neirin. They smiled. "Of course, you are invited."
'Please don't!' Neirin wanted to say, but she held back. "It would be an honor for me to be invited, father. I-" Just as Neirin was about to ask for more intriguing questions,
"Reverend father Abraham? Reverend Father Gregory? What brings you here?"
Neirin frowned as soon as she heard a voice. Both of the priests turned around and looked behind Neirin. Then, they bowed reverently with their hands on their chest. "We greet the saint of our holy land."
Saint? Neirin deepens her frown once more. Saint? This was not right. In her memories from the future, no benediction of a saint was known to the public. Neirin received no information about this. How come there's a saint? And it looks like she was respected as a proxy of their god.
Heaving her breath, she turned to look at who was the saint they were talking about.
Right there and then, Neirin gasped. Her eyes widened as her heart palpitated. All the sense in her body was going numb.
"Amisha?" She whispered.
The woman with long blonde hair and hazel eyes smiles cheerfully. She wore a white and golden robe that signifies her importance to this church.
"You know me?" She asked.
"I-" Neirin stuttered. Of course, she knows her!
This woman! She's - Neirin swallowed, trying to calm herself down.
Back in her memories, in her previous life, this woman was Vincent's fiance and soon-to-be bride.