Cecilia's pupils trembled imperceptibly for a moment. That name echoed in her ears, and she actually failed to refute it in the first instance.
And that was exactly what the Herrscher wanted to see.
"Miss Cecilia Schariac, I have to call you by your full name to distinguish you from the vice-captain of the Snow Wolf Squad," the Herrscher said, stepping over a new sword mark.
"Even if everyone in this world, including me, sees these two as one person, I still have to follow your heart and treat the you before seventeen and at eighteen as two different individuals from the you now and at seventeen."
Cecilia was silent, her gaze following the Herrscher's footsteps.
The Herrscher continued, "Unlike others, before we talk about your sins, we need to talk about your merits first."
She waved her hand gently in the air, and a series of images appeared in the trial court. "Cecilia Schariac, the peerless genius that the Schariac family has devoted all its efforts to cultivating, is a new breakthrough in human talent, and can even be called a great existence of the 'new human race.'
"You are worthy of the name 'Saintess.' After completing all your basic education at the age of twelve, you took over the family business. While developing the family's power, you helped many war-torn areas and solved the survival problems of tens of millions of people.
"You single-handedly created a miracle of a large-scale bottom-level assistance operation that is second only to Shenzhou's poverty alleviation and comprehensive well-off society. You have brought the Schariac family glory and status almost equal to that of the Kaslanas, and you are even worshipped by the people as one of the gods."
"This is what I should do," Cecilia said softly, without a trace of wavering, nor any pride in these achievements.
It was as if this was really something she could do with a wave of her hand.
But in fact, it was absolutely not.
The Herrscher shook her head at Cecilia, her tone respectful but also with a hint of playfulness. "Is this what you should do... or what the Schariac family should do?"
Cecilia's gaze lingered on the Herrscher for a longer time, but the next voice was no longer from the Herrscher, but from the jury.
It was a somewhat familiar voice. Just about a minute ago, Cecilia had heard this voice.
Tafira, the vicious person born in the City of Sighs, but now he was no longer himself, but had become one of the many faces of the world like the others, appearing from time to time among the flickering faces.
"I'm very sorry, Miss Cecilia," the members of the jury seemed to speak at the same time. The layered voices made Cecilia instantly lose her target of focus.
"Before you were seventeen, the only thing you probably owned was the ownership of the name 'Cecilia.' 'Schariac' filled your life for a total of seventeen years. It wasn't until you were about to turn seventeen that you were truly born into this world.
"And we call that newborn person... Cecilia, the vice-captain of the Snow Wolf Squad.
"From the moment you were taken away by Mr. Siegfried, you separated yourself from your past self. The vice-captain who adventured with Mr. Siegfried was only Cecilia. Schariac had nothing to do with her, and was useless to her.
"And why did Cecilia at that time save people? She never said 'because I am the vice-captain of the Snow Wolf Squad.' She just sincerely wanted to save those who were suffering and could not bear to see them continue to suffer."
"I..." Cecilia's gaze suddenly focused on a certain member of the jury. She opened her mouth to say something, but the member of the jury she was staring at just shook his head and made her words die in her mouth.
"Perhaps you have forgotten who always talked about responsibility, but it's okay, we remember every word you said. This is evidence you cannot hide... the Saintess of Schariac."
"The real culprit who tried to kill Cecilia at the wedding..."
["If only the person from two years ago could come again~"
Just by turning the corner, Cecilia could see several juniors of the Schariac family playing with each other because of this sentence.
And she just stood there, not taking that step. She waited until the juniors had finished this topic before she walked out and passed the necessary intersection.]
What was I thinking at that time?
["Do you need a rehearsal?" At the final rehearsal, the host asked Cecilia nervously, "We can choose a woman from below to cooperate with your rehearsal."
It would be better to have a rehearsal. This was the conclusion Cecilia quickly came to. After all, it was such an important ceremony, and there should be no mistakes or omissions.
But when she turned her head to look at the people below that the host was talking about, the figure who had been with her in the Snow Wolf Squad for a long time made her heart tremble slightly.
Then she retracted her gaze and refused the host's proposal.
"I've always remembered how to do it," she said as a reason, but she didn't know how many people she had convinced.]
At that time... what was I thinking again?
["The banquet is ready, Lady Cecilia, please prepare," This was the final ultimatum. The breeze blowing in from the window gently caressed Cecilia's cheek, making her close her eyes.
She said "please wait a moment," then stood up and walked towards the window that had been open for a whole year.
Perhaps her steps were still steady, but only she knew how bad the frequency was.
In the very short time from closing her eyes to putting her hand on the window and closing it, what was she thinking?
She remembered it clearly.
"You shouldn't go. What you should do now is refuse. You have the ability to refuse this marriage!" Her first step passed by a person who was very similar to her.
The two of them looked almost identical. The only difference was that the person who was passed by had a hint of heroism in her eyes.
"I can't do that," said the Saintess of Schariac. "This marriage will bring more benefits to the world. No matter how good the Schariac family is, it can't compare to the Kaslanas. With that title, I can save more people.
"And even end the war in Siberia."
"Is this your choice?" Cecilia turned her head. The burning gaze made the Saintess of Schariac, who was brushing past her, feel as if she was on pins and needles, but it still couldn't stop her steps.
"They need me," the Saintess of Schariac answered.
"They need more than just you."
"This may be an excuse to escape," the Saintess showed a smile, with a hint of resolute bitterness. "But... I shouldn't escape. Since I can do it, I should do it.
"Didn't Siegfried say that? It was them who raised me high, so I should do my best for them. Now that I have such an ability, I can't just stand by."
Cecilia couldn't respond. She might have also tacitly agreed with this statement.
It might have been a long time... it wasn't until the Saintess's hand was on the window that Cecilia spoke again.
"Do you know? You made a choice."
The Saintess's hand paused.
"There is a train whistling by, and there is a fork in the tracks in front of it... on the predetermined path are the suffering people of the world, and at the turning point you have decided on is an unfortunate person you have pushed up.
"And now you have given the answer to this question..." Cecilia had her back to the Saintess. She sighed softly. "You have chosen to sacrifice the minority in the two options."
The Saintess did not deny it. She knew it well.
In order to let the people on the tracks who could not break free continue to live, she, who had the right to pull the lever, had no choice but to let the train go to the other track, even if the person on that track was...
"You should know, right?" Cecilia asked the last question. "Who is your marriage partner."
The Saintess was silent, then nodded slightly.
The young master of the Kaslana family had never hidden his identity. Even if she had not deliberately inquired, she could easily know his name.
Siegfried Kaslana.
I really don't know if this is lucky or unlucky. Sometimes the Saintess and Cecilia couldn't help but feel that the world was really small. Her marriage partner happened to be the person she loved.
After tonight, the Saintess would give her hand to him. She would return to the Snow Wolf Squad in a new posture. This year of separation would end here, and the Snow Wolf Squad would be complete again...
Was it really so?
The Saintess lowered her head.
Of course not.
The one who returned was the Saintess of Schariac, the Saintess of Schariac whose mission was to help the people of the world, not the Cecilia who acted because she saw.
In fact, that was what the Kaslanas should do... she had returned to her self. After all, she had lived this kind of life for seventeen years. And Cecilia? She was just a flower that flashed by in that snowfield.
The figures of the two overlapped at this moment. The Saintess was also Cecilia, and Cecilia was the Saintess tonight. The Snow Wolf Squad would be complete again, and more people would be saved. This was a win-win choice.
No one would be hurt tonight, and Siegfried would also happily pick her up at this engagement ceremony...
No one... would be hurt, and no one would lose.]
["Is it really so?" The layered voices merged into one at this moment, just as the Saintess closed the window and Cecilia and Schariac merged into one.
The Herrscher put her hand on Cecilia Schariac's shoulder, gently holding the scale and showing its tilted angle to Cecilia without reservation.
"At that moment, the girl named Cecilia had already died under the train~"]
The moment she closed the window, the Saintess stood by the window and faced the speeding train. She chose to push Cecilia off the high platform.
["In this grand trial, let us judge your sins..." the Herrscher's voice was as gentle as a lullaby. This voice drilled through a tiny crack and into the fragile heart hidden deep inside.
"Only those whose hearts are lighter than a feather can achieve victory."
The Herrscher said softly, and as if holding a treasure, she took out a delicate heart from Cecilia's chest and placed it on the scale.
The scale in front of Cecilia fell towards the heart.
["You don't want to wear that ring either, do you?" This was the question Siegfried had asked her. And just this simple question, Cecilia found that she couldn't answer.
She could always understand what others were thinking. And the Kaslanas never hid their emotions, so she knew that what Siegfried was asking was definitely not such a simple question.
Was it the ring that she didn't want to wear?
No, was it the responsibilities that bound her? No, it wasn't that either.
What she wanted... was never these.
The unstained Saintess was high above, and she raised her hand to sprinkle rain and dew on the world. This rain and dew washed away the dust on people, brought them life, and brought them happiness.
The Saintess was tireless, and took this as her responsibility. She pitied the world and knew the suffering of the people, but the Saintess did not know why people were trapped in the mire, and could only work harder.
One day, the Saintess fell into the mortal world and was covered in dirt.
So he saw the struggles of the people, and saw their sorrow. The Saintess no longer had her former great power, and could only continue to save... with the other heroes...
...
Other heroes?
At this moment, the Saintess suddenly understood.
No one could save the world, because the world never needed to be saved.
She was not the one who was pushed to a high position, but the high position needed her, so she stood on that position.
"They raised me high, and I will do my best for them." This was not a spur to herself, not a warning to herself.
This was a warning to the world.
What was important was never what "I" should do, but what "they" should do.
God cannot save the world, only self-salvation.
And God did not have to save everyone. He would only extend his hand to those who called for help.]
["I'm sorry, Miss Cecilia... you had selfish intentions, you lost..." The moment the scale hit the bottom, the Herrscher gently raised her hand and brushed it over Cecilia's eyes, covering her vision.
"I sentence you... to a hundred years of slumber."
A wave of sleepiness washed over her, and Cecilia only felt her whole body begin to gradually freeze.
It was freezing in all senses of the word.
Time had stopped on her. The Herrscher's punishment would make Cecilia wake up in a hundred years, and hand the stubborn her to a world that was completely different.
This was the greatest punishment for a stubborn person.
In reality, it was still half a minute. And the moment the Herrscher withdrew her power, Bianka saw Cecilia falling from the sky.
And the Herrscher let out a long sigh of relief. The gold had almost completely covered the darkness.
She looked at Bianka from a distance, revealing only one emotion.
"You can't do anything."."