The Stolen Empathy Doll of a Beautiful NPC - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I was pushed so close to the edge that I nearly fainted.

When I woke up the next day, I realized I had fallen asleep slumped against the mirror. The sight that met my eyes was a horrific mess of dense markings-

Hickeys and finger-shaped bruises.

I didn’t even have time to clean myself up.

I had to go to the Temple for prayers.

I could only throw on my robes and headscarf in haste. I didn’t even have time to wrap my long chest binder.

Fortunately, I managed to slip inside the Temple at the very last second before the doors closed.

Inside the Temple, there stood only a single twenty-meter-tall statue.

It had no carved facial features.

Because one cannot look directly upon God, no one knows God’s true appearance.

The Temple was divided into three layers from the inside out, and I was the only one in the innermost sanctum.

I clutched my chest, gasping for air.

Once my breathing settled slightly, I immediately stepped forward and began to pray with devotion.

“God, I wish to confess.

“Though what happened last night was not of my own will, I have violated my vows.

“I beg God to punish me, to grant me forgiveness and mercy, and to guide me toward atonement.”

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

It wasn’t a normal silence.

It was a dead, eerie silence.

A mist formed before my eyes, gradually coalescing into the figure of an adult male.

It was extremely tall.

Its features looked more like a divine miracle than any decoration in this place.

It was so perfect that not a single flaw could be found.

Sacred and ascetic, noble and detached.

It raised a hand, pressing it intimately against my forehead.

Its other hand was tucked behind Its back.

The voluminous divine robes made it impossible for me to see what was happening behind It.

“Tell me your sins. My most loyal Believer, I shall grant you absolution for everything.”

That voice… it sounded strangely familiar.

But I heard so many voices every day that I truly couldn’t place it.

However…

To tell It about last night…

How could I possibly say it out loud?

“I… ah…”

Someone suddenly reached out and squeezed the soft flesh of my waist.

I gritted my teeth hard.

I can’t! I can’t do this in front of God…

“Are you unwell?”

Its lips parted slightly, Its voice as gentle as a cloud.

The sensation at my waist nearly made my legs give out. Physiological tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision so I couldn’t see Its expression clearly.

I shook my head weakly.

“No… nothing…”

“To hide things from God is a double sin.”

It gently tilted my chin up, forcing me to look directly into Its eyes.

Its other hand remained behind Its back.

I gripped Its wrists with both hands, barely managing to stay standing.

I stammered through my confession:

“I seem to have been… been harmed by someone. He left… many unsightly marks on my body. But I had no knowledge of it. I beg God to forgive my uncleanness and purify my soul and flesh.”

“What marks?”

That holy, exquisite face showed a look of confusion.

It looked like an angel who had wandered into the mortal realm, knowing nothing of its ways.

I slowly removed my headscarf and let it fall to the floor.

The hickeys on my neck were so dense they were terrifying.

Its fingertips lingered on my neck, Its eyes showing no trace of emotion.

“Who was he?”

“I… I don’t know.”

I didn’t even dare to say there were two of them.

If I did, my sin would be even greater.

“Are there any more?”

It withdrew Its hand and placed both hands behind Its back. “Similar marks?”