Moonlight - Chapter 3




I never saw things wrong.

It was him, it was him.

The world's most shameless bastard who threw me into prison without a moment's hesitation as soon as I arrived in the city!

Not only did he point his sword at me out of the blue, but he also dragged me, who wanted to break up with him, away and walked towards somewhere. Then, he came across a city and before I could even be surprised, he handed me over to the city guards.

As if that were a serious crime.

The ill feelings that had been building up little by little began to rise.

I wanted to go over there and grab him by the collar, shaking him and yelling. 'You bastard! I almost died of heatstroke because of you!' but I held myself back.

Why?

Since I am a pretty girl with a generous heart, I can let that go easily. No, because I will be taken back to prison.

But why did we have to meet at a time like this?

My luck is so bad...

I secretly glanced at the man and sighed without thinking.

Huh, still the same.

Damn it, the guy was still there.

Under the sun, the mere fact that such a creature was standing there made me swallow my saliva without realizing it, as I was struck by the manly lines drawn by his beautiful appearance and solid muscles.

To think that a man of that size would be beautiful.

Me too.

In fact, rather than saying he was beautiful, it seemed more appropriate to say he was handsome or sculptural, but I still felt that the man was beautiful.

It was nothing compared to simply being handsome or a well-carved sculpture.

I never thought I'd hear I compliment a man on his beauty.

I shook my head.

The expression 'beautiful' was something I used only when I saw a magnificent view or encountered something truly wondrous, but that unwritten rule was broken.

Since I was born, the most handsome man I had ever seen was my dad and the most beautiful woman was my mom, I never felt like I was admiring other people because I grew up seeing those things from a young age.

But no matter how much I admire my parents, my dad is my dad, and I couldn't bring myself to say that their faces were beautiful because I saw them every day... 

I never thought it would break like this.

I frowned.

It was unimaginable that someone would appear who did not even meet the standards of beauty that were naturally high thanks to well-off parents.

"While I was away, everyone was busy taking care of their own rice bowls."

"I have no face." 

As his tightly shut lips twisted into a mocking smile, the man standing in front of him bowed his head even deeper. Even though the man he was dealing with was a man who looked quite old, the man's attitude was relaxed.

Could it be that their status is different?

They say that even the rich bow their heads, but the polite atmosphere that came from the attitude of the person bowing their heads was clearly conveyed to me, who was watching from afar.

The man was never bowing his head for money or any other reason.

There was something else, something more fundamental than that. Respect and admiration for that is an Instinctive fear and awe?

For a moment, I frowned, wondering if the emotions I had read were correct, and then our eyes met.

A deeper crimson color than the red blood scattered on the white snow.

My heart sank as our cold gazes met.

A cold gaze that I had encountered before, one that made even my heart shiver.

I felt thirsty and unconsciously tightened my grip on the wall.

I thought I should look away rationally, but my whole body was already overwhelmed and I couldn't move easily.

The moment I opened my eyes, I felt like someone was grabbing me by the nape of my neck.

I feel like I'm prey before a wild beast.

Still, I barely managed to turn my head with all my might and moved further into the corner.

Somehow my whole body became drenched in sweat.

Moreover, my heart trembled uncontrollably and my fingertips shook.

I was out of breath even though I wasn't even walking, let alone running.

I walked as fast as I could, barely catching my breath.

Pretend we haven't met, pretend we don't know.

Of course, I don't think that guy would remember me... but it's suffocating.

Did you find out?

No, I don't think you know.

There's no way that guy would remember me unless he remembered himself.

Yeah, there's no way that guy would recognize me.

After thinking about it like that, I feel a little better now.

When that happened, I wondered for no reason whether the man was still looking at me.

The back of my head feels hot, but I wonder if he's still looking at me?

No way, hey.

I'm still curious though.

As I happened to see a stall set up on a nearby street, I approached it with a sly look and pretended to look at the items before glancing back at the man.

It was at that moment that our eyes met again.

The man's gaze did not return.

I held my breath.

"..."

"..."

Although countless people passed between us, I felt that in this space, this street, this moment, there were only the two of us.

And then the next moment, the man moved.

I was barely able to catch my breath and bit my lower lip in shock.

No way, really. No way, no way!

Even the sound of a man walking towards me rang loudly and vividly in my ears. No, it can't be. It can't be, that's ridiculous. Really...?

Bang.

The man stopped about 10 centimeters before colliding with me.

I froze in place and couldn't even think of raising my face, just biting my lips.

I felt my blood running dry. My throat was dry and my breathing became ragged.

I was concerned about my chest rising and falling for no reason as I tried to breathe.

I instinctively raised my head as the man's fragrant scent lingered in my nostrils and a shadow appeared right in front of me, but I froze in place.

A face that came right up to my nose.

The two men's gazes felt harsh.

Exhaling a thin breath through my mouth, I was grateful that I was wearing the niqab.

Although it was only a piece of cloth, I was barely able to keep my defeated expression from showing thanks to the cloth between them.

Still, the man did not back down easily.

A persistent gaze that seems to dig through everything as if it had found prey.

It was humiliating to have to face those cold, sharp gazes.

My whole body felt like it was tied up and I had no strength.

All I can do is just endure it.

A long time passed in that standoff.

Finally, the corners of the man's lips twisted.

"Now I see, it was a rat."

"Whoa!"

I  screamed without realizing it and had both of my hands grabbed and pinned to the man's sides.

I wasn't the only one who was surprised.

"Oh, my Lord!"

Even the older man who had been watching silently was surprised and ran towards the man.

Sihad?

Even though I had heard everything while struggling, I was annoyed by the monstrous man who would not budge no matter how much I struggled.

A man who deserves to be beaten by the world!

Where did you pick me up like a piece of luggage?

But the worst thing was being thrown away by a horse that had been dragged away as if it were being stolen from a group of men.

The man on horseback not allowing even the slightest movement to escape, looked down at the other man who was looking up at him with a look of mixed wonder and surprise as he spoke for the last time.

"I will go back first, Umar. I leave the rest to you. Don't let me down."

***

At first, I just felt a strange gaze and turned my head in that direction.

And soon as the familiar yet unfamiliar brown eyes that met my eyes shook. I simply stared at them with a strange sense of wonder.

He thought that if the woman who was slowly backing away hadn't looked back, he wouldn't have caught her.

The woman tossed back and forth on the wildly moving horse, desperately clinging to the horse to keep herself from falling.

The man who had been looking down at the sight coldly suddenly ran into a huge temple-like mansion. At his sudden appearance, everyone in the building, regardless of age or gender, knelt down.

His attitude was so reverent that it felt like a sense of wonder that had never been felt before, but the man ignored everyone and headed to the deepest part of the building with an arrogant gesture.

Still, as soon as he passed by, people knelt down.

He dismounted and reached the entrance to a large, domed building, passing through arches that stood like pillars along the boulevard.

People who were surprised by his sudden appearance poured out in an instant.

Men dressed in desert attire, with robe-like drapes wrapped around them, quickly took their places and lined up.

I, who was still hanging on to the horse, swallowed hard for a moment.

"Are you here?"

The man turned away, looking at them without saying a word.

There were also quite old middle-aged men there, but I was overwhelmed by their gazes and went inside without even looking back.

In the suddenly cold atmosphere, the men hesitated and followed the man.

As I tilted my head, suddenly left alone, a large hand suddenly pulled me down.

"Ugh!"

As I groaned, clutching my sore shoulder, which had been thrown away in an instant, a fluttering sheet was draped in front of me.

When I raised my head, I saw a typical Pessian woman in fancy attire, with her niqab removed, looking down at me.

"Follow me."

I frowned at the polite but strangely cold tone and stood up. Those people were gone a long time ago.

Of course, that guy too. What the hell is that kid doing?

Besides, this mansion was so huge that it made me feel uneasy.

Anyway, I followed the woman who guided me.

I was taken aback by the sight of her clothes that clearly showed her stomach and had separate tops and pants, but I still thought that nothing bad could happen.

By the way, what kind of clothes are you wearing under that thick niqab?

It was true that I had difficulty adapting to Cromwell, who was extremely conservative when it came to women's clothing, even though I was considered liberal.

It must be hard for Pessian women.

You have to wear clothes that show your belly fat right away.

"Ouch! Where are you touching!" 

Arriving at a certain room, I suddenly changed and started to run around the room, avoiding the Pessian women who were trying to take off my clothes.

The women were dressed in the same colors as the Pessian women I saw earlier, but to my horror, I was soon stripped naked by their hands.

"What the hell is going on!"

"..."

"Ahh! Don't do that, sisters!"

I tried screaming and crying to get through this absurd situation, but... Oh, maybe it's because I'm a woman? It didn't work.

This beautiful girl's tears are not working!

Is the level of realm still lacking?

While I was lost in thought for a moment, a woman suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me somewhere.

Huh huh?

Before I could even figure out what was happening, someone pushed me hard from behind.

I, who had fallen without a fight, was pushed and fell into the bathroom.

I, who had been sucked in quite deeply and then surfaced, vomited out the water I had swallowed and threw back my wet hair.

"What the hell is this-!"

Choaaaak.

A thunderbolt struck me while I was shouting.

Hot water with steam rising from it was poured mercilessly.

I floundered under the water pillar.

As I staggered about, unable to come to my senses, one of the maids pushed my back with a rough cloth.

I was dying.

If you're going to do whatever you want, you should at least give some kind of notice!

"..."

Well, if they were the kind of people who would tell you if you asked them to, they would have been so considerate from the beginning.

Eventually, I gave up and let them do what they wanted.

The maid here seemed to be skilled at washing and serving without saying a word.

No, since this is Pessian, should I call them slaves?

I became afraid of expressionless women who just washed me silently and poured water on me.

In the end, I suppressed my complaints and followed them silently, preparing myself for the day when I would have to vent my frustrations.

After washing my body, my soft brown hair flowed below my waist.

I would have been more stunning if I had original hair, but I was beautiful even with just brown hair.

Yeah, it feels refreshing to have washed it clean, but what next?

After I finished washing up, the clothes that were handed to me were, of course, Pessian's.

"Hey, you want me to wear this?"

A top and skirt that completely exposes the stomach.

I can understand the skirt, but the clothes that only covered the chest definitely increased my hesitation.

Do I really have to wear it?

What good is it if the sleeves are long?

The fabric doesn't go down below my chest!

My stomach is completely exposed!

I screamed quietly and put on my clothes.

Even if I didn't want to wear it, I didn't have any clothes to wear, and more than anything, these doll-like maids would have dressed me up without question.

After I had put on my awkward clothes, the woman who had dragged me here in the first place beckoned to me again.

Are you telling me to follow you again? It was ridiculous, but I let out a sigh and followed.

Yes, since I don't know where I am, I shouldn't act rashly. 

After wandering around here and there for a long time, I felt that this place was too dangerous.

It was dangerously large...

I frowned at the thought of being cut off.

Besides, that man is clearly not an ordinary person.

He seemed to occupy a fairly high position.

I let out a quiet sigh, feeling that even if I had hung up wrongly, I had hung up hard. 

I wrote it, really...

***

The hallway, made of white marble, was smooth as a slippery slope.

A building topped with a round dome was visible beyond the arches of the corridor.

A somewhat ominous feeling began to creep in.

After walking for quite some time, I stopped in front of a large door that seemed to be three times as tall as I was.

I was looking at the door with a frown, wondering what it meant, when the maid reached out and opened the door lightly.

The door opened smoothly and without a sound.

The maid who entered through the open door immediately knelt down and bowed her head respectfully.

I felt reluctant to go in because of that appearance.

But I had no choice but to go inside because the door was about to close.

What the heck is this?

I looked around and took a look at the structure inside.

The ceiling inside was as high as the door.

So much so that it's mind-boggling.

And that's the end.

The man was in a seat on a flight of stairs that ran along the central path, beneath a silk drapery that hung high on both sides of the ceiling.



Previous                Next



Support Novellate!

        Buy Me A Coffee

Comments