Chapter 335 - 230: Nightfall (Part 1)
Matilda, The Temple district, Prayer Hall of the Church of Lord of Justice.
Kneeling on the cushion, the young girl gazed at the statue before her, a simple, small wooden carving of a human figure, entirely different from the gigantic statues adorned with gold leaf and jewels in other churches.
But Matilda knew that this modest carving was the preferred gift of the great Deity, a gift from that lady, crafted with the not-so-exquisite skills of a noble and stained with a trace of blood.
It now stood in the grand hall of the main Church, and these were replicas carved by the maidens of justice.
It was also the proudest mission for a Justice Maiden. Each girl took pride in this task.
However, Matilda had never received such a task. Before that, a devout maiden had already sculpted a figure, which the Lord of Justice himself placed in the hall of the Carterburg Church of Lord of Justice, replacing the one that had been there for a century. The latter was to be sent to the family of the girl who made it, along with blessings and baptism as a reward.
As the last living girl of her family, Matilda did not know what to do next. Her grandfather died in battle, the family fortunes waned, and she could only step forward to infuse new offspring into this vitality-depleted family.
It meant she had to forsake the one she loved because his bloodline was so powerful, his lovers so numerous; he could never abandon everything just for the sake of Matilda’s family.
My Lord, is this fate’s curse upon me, or your trial for your believers?
Matilda bowed her head, clueless about how to face each coming day.