An intense ecstasy flowed through Ivan's body. He thought that was why he had never tried to kill Amelia despite meeting her so many times. And that intuition gave him another realization.
“...”
At that moment, Ivan unobtrusively knocked over the bottle of liquor he had placed next to him. The tilted bottle fell down onto the platform.
“Oh, what should I do?”
The sound of the bottle breaking was something only those in the prayer room could hear. However, if someone came to clean up and smelled alcohol or found a broken bottle, it would be equally embarrassing. Amelia quickly got down from the stage, lowered her body, and reached out to the broken pieces.
“I'll do it.”
Ivan pretended to clean up the broken bottle himself, lowered his body, and took a piece in his hand. Then, pretending to be flustered, he naturally scratched Amelia's delicate fingers.
"Ah!"
Amelia let out a cry involuntarily due to the stinging pain. Ivan didn't miss the opportunity.
"Are you okay?"
He took Amelia's thin, blood-covered fingers in his hand without hesitation. Then he put Amelia's fingers in his mouth and licked the wound with his tongue. The pungent smell and taste of blood were completely absorbed. Even the warm body temperature was that of a living human.
“What, what are you doing?”
Amelia, who came to her senses late, was startled and pulled her hand away. Ivan slowly lowered the corners of his mouth that had gone up without him realizing it before he finally raised his head.
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
Ivan answered calmly, his tongue tracing his lips. He said he did it instinctively, but there was no way to explain it. Amelia just clenched her burning fingers and blushed.
“Just leave it, I’ll clean it up.”
Ivan, who had sat up, took out the pouch that contained the bottle of liquor from his bosom and roughly pushed the broken pieces in with his foot. There was no sign of him having been flustered until just now.
“Amelia.”
It was a good thing he didn't listen to Rodan. Ivan thought as he called Amelia's name gently. It was a voice that sounded all the sweeter because it was made up.
"Yes?"
Amelia answered immediately. Her gaze followed him as if she were possessed.
“Why are you afraid of dogs?”
Ivan asked a question.
“I got bitten once. It hurt a lot.”
Amelia answered, rubbing her shoulder with her hand. She was also watching Ivan's expression. It was obvious from her attitude that she did not want to hurt Ivan's feelings again.
“Are you bleeding?”
“Of course. I’m human too. I almost died.”
But it seemed like he had to say something while keeping an eye on her. Amelia responded as if she would listen to all the strange things he said. It was a strange attitude of a woman who didn't think of him as something special.
“Yeah. That was a strange question...”
Ivan muttered with a faint smile on his face. A normal human being. Amelia seemed to have no doubt at all about how strange her answer sounded.
“Is there anything you want to try next time?”
So he decided to be more affectionate towards Amelia. The longer Amelia remained unconscious, the better.
"Next time?"
“I told you we’d meet again next time.”
Amelia nodded hurriedly at Ivan's words. It was an immature attitude, as if she were worried that he might change his mind.
"Then..."
"Yes."
“I heard there’s a food that’s sold on skewers like this. It has seasoning on the outside.”
Amelia opened her mouth hesitantly. It was funny to see her roughly describe the appearance with her hands.
“Chicken skewers? I’ll bring them next time.”
But Ivan hid his feelings cleanly and faced Amelia with a smiling face. Amelia laughed, unable to hide her joy.
“I'm glad I met you.”
And she whispered to Ivan that she was glad to meet him. Not knowing that the most dangerous thing in her life was licking its tongue right in front of bet. Ivan laughed heartily at the foolish Amelia.
“You might smell like alcohol, so let’s really go back now. Don’t worry, I’ll clean up after myself.”
Amelia rolled her eyes as if to say, “Is that okay?”
"Yes."
But he had to nod. If she left the room for too long, someone might come looking for her and chase her. Around midnight, Louis would also come to see Amelia. She would check if she was in the bedroom and not running away. If Amelia wasn't there, or if she smelled like alcohol, she would think it was suspicious.
“Next week we...”
But it was a shame to break up like this.
“See you next week.”
Just as Amelia was about to say that they should definitely meet again next week, Ivan cut her off. And then he said what Amelia was going to say.
"Yes."
Amelia, who had been staring wide-eyed in surprise at having her words stolen, smiled bashfully like a child. Then she answered meekly and walked away.
“Goodbye, Ivan.”
Of course, before leaving the prayer room completely, she made sure to look back one more time and say goodbye.
“...”
The door to the prayer room leading to the main building of the palace, where Amelia was staying, closed. At that moment, the smile on Ivan’s face, which had been kindly seeing Amelia off, disappeared as if it were a lie.
“Let’s go for now.”
Ivan took a step forward, dryly picking up the bag containing the broken pieces. He opened the door on the side of the prayer room and escaped. The defenses on the side of the building were somewhat lax, as there was no other space to escape to.
“When on earth is that guy Eric coming?”
In addition, the guards at each gate were busy preparing for their shift. When they saw Ivan coming out of the prayer room, they only checked his identification and let him go.
The palace where Amelia stayed was separated from the temple by a high wall on the north side, and the prayer room in the separate building was implicitly off-limits. It was not actually a rule. The priests did not like to come near it in the first place because they were uncomfortable with having to be inspected by guards every time. In addition, the peaceful situation where there had been no threats up until now probably made them lazy.
Of course, even so, approaching Amelia indoors was a different story. The palace where Amelia was staying had a rather strange structure. Unlike the guards outside the main building, who were the minimum necessary, that is, guards at the entrance and exit, there were many servants inside.
It blocks intimate access from the outside, while at the same time confining the person inside in a tight net.
“...”
So is Amelia Escliffe the innocent victim trapped inside?
“Nonsense thoughts.”
Ivan clicked his tongue. A woman who lived in a temple and was treated to gold and jade was locked up in prison. It was nonsense.
Anyway, thanks to that strange structure, Ivan was able to easily get through the gate of the palace where Amelia was staying.
“Are you going out again?”
Ivan handed over his identification badge to the guards standing guard at the door leading from Amelia's quarters to the temple. They saw the name written on it, Ricky, and clicked their tongues in dismay. They didn't even bother to tell him to turn the hood of his robe upside down.
“If you get caught doing that, you’ll lose your status as a trainee priest. Be careful, because the knights have recently started patrolling outside to catch guys like you.”
Even though Ricky's face was unknown since he was not attached to the temple, his presence at the bar was already famous.
“There’s nothing I can do if I get caught.”
“Ugh, go away.”
The guards clicked their tongues at Ivan's witty response, but still allowed him to leave. Ivan left the temple without any restrictions. At the same time, the bell rang heavily behind him. It was a sound that announced that it was midnight and that no one should leave the building.
“You dare say something like immortality.”
Ivan stood still as if he had stopped hearing the sound. Then he muttered with a faint hint of laughter in his voice.
Of course, he had never believed in temples or Priestesses. He thought humans couldn't age or die. However, he couldn't help but think of the possibility.
What if Amelia really lived for 200 years and was immortal? Wouldn't that mean she would be fighting a battle she couldn't win for the rest of her life? That slim possibility made Ivan hesitate.
But now Ivan was convinced of his own suspicions. Amelia was just an ordinary human being. The reason she was strangely naive was because she was still young, and the reason she showed affection for Ivan, whom she had only met a short time ago, was because she had lived her entire life in a state of forbidden contact with outsiders.
“Then how was she born?”
Ivan thought of the innocent face of Amelia. It was impossible for an ordinary human being to be born of his own free will.
“...”
Ivan looked back. The beautifully decorated prison was crouching under the pale moonlight, like a secret hidden within.
“Well, there’s no rush.”
Soon, Ivan shook his gaze from the door. Strangely enough, he had no desire to find out the truth right away. To be precise, there was no reason to be impatient.
Since they would find out soon anyway, Amelia would follow Ivan on her own. Ivan would have to use Amelia, who admired him, to steal away and follow him, or he would have to kill her.
It wouldn't have been difficult if Amelia's presence were in his shadow.
“...”
At that moment, Ivan unobtrusively knocked over the bottle of liquor he had placed next to him. The tilted bottle fell down onto the platform.
“Oh, what should I do?”
The sound of the bottle breaking was something only those in the prayer room could hear. However, if someone came to clean up and smelled alcohol or found a broken bottle, it would be equally embarrassing. Amelia quickly got down from the stage, lowered her body, and reached out to the broken pieces.
“I'll do it.”
Ivan pretended to clean up the broken bottle himself, lowered his body, and took a piece in his hand. Then, pretending to be flustered, he naturally scratched Amelia's delicate fingers.
"Ah!"
Amelia let out a cry involuntarily due to the stinging pain. Ivan didn't miss the opportunity.
"Are you okay?"
He took Amelia's thin, blood-covered fingers in his hand without hesitation. Then he put Amelia's fingers in his mouth and licked the wound with his tongue. The pungent smell and taste of blood were completely absorbed. Even the warm body temperature was that of a living human.
“What, what are you doing?”
Amelia, who came to her senses late, was startled and pulled her hand away. Ivan slowly lowered the corners of his mouth that had gone up without him realizing it before he finally raised his head.
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
Ivan answered calmly, his tongue tracing his lips. He said he did it instinctively, but there was no way to explain it. Amelia just clenched her burning fingers and blushed.
“Just leave it, I’ll clean it up.”
Ivan, who had sat up, took out the pouch that contained the bottle of liquor from his bosom and roughly pushed the broken pieces in with his foot. There was no sign of him having been flustered until just now.
“Amelia.”
It was a good thing he didn't listen to Rodan. Ivan thought as he called Amelia's name gently. It was a voice that sounded all the sweeter because it was made up.
"Yes?"
Amelia answered immediately. Her gaze followed him as if she were possessed.
“Why are you afraid of dogs?”
Ivan asked a question.
“I got bitten once. It hurt a lot.”
Amelia answered, rubbing her shoulder with her hand. She was also watching Ivan's expression. It was obvious from her attitude that she did not want to hurt Ivan's feelings again.
“Are you bleeding?”
“Of course. I’m human too. I almost died.”
But it seemed like he had to say something while keeping an eye on her. Amelia responded as if she would listen to all the strange things he said. It was a strange attitude of a woman who didn't think of him as something special.
“Yeah. That was a strange question...”
Ivan muttered with a faint smile on his face. A normal human being. Amelia seemed to have no doubt at all about how strange her answer sounded.
“Is there anything you want to try next time?”
So he decided to be more affectionate towards Amelia. The longer Amelia remained unconscious, the better.
"Next time?"
“I told you we’d meet again next time.”
Amelia nodded hurriedly at Ivan's words. It was an immature attitude, as if she were worried that he might change his mind.
"Then..."
"Yes."
“I heard there’s a food that’s sold on skewers like this. It has seasoning on the outside.”
Amelia opened her mouth hesitantly. It was funny to see her roughly describe the appearance with her hands.
“Chicken skewers? I’ll bring them next time.”
But Ivan hid his feelings cleanly and faced Amelia with a smiling face. Amelia laughed, unable to hide her joy.
“I'm glad I met you.”
And she whispered to Ivan that she was glad to meet him. Not knowing that the most dangerous thing in her life was licking its tongue right in front of bet. Ivan laughed heartily at the foolish Amelia.
“You might smell like alcohol, so let’s really go back now. Don’t worry, I’ll clean up after myself.”
Amelia rolled her eyes as if to say, “Is that okay?”
"Yes."
But he had to nod. If she left the room for too long, someone might come looking for her and chase her. Around midnight, Louis would also come to see Amelia. She would check if she was in the bedroom and not running away. If Amelia wasn't there, or if she smelled like alcohol, she would think it was suspicious.
“Next week we...”
But it was a shame to break up like this.
“See you next week.”
Just as Amelia was about to say that they should definitely meet again next week, Ivan cut her off. And then he said what Amelia was going to say.
"Yes."
Amelia, who had been staring wide-eyed in surprise at having her words stolen, smiled bashfully like a child. Then she answered meekly and walked away.
“Goodbye, Ivan.”
Of course, before leaving the prayer room completely, she made sure to look back one more time and say goodbye.
“...”
The door to the prayer room leading to the main building of the palace, where Amelia was staying, closed. At that moment, the smile on Ivan’s face, which had been kindly seeing Amelia off, disappeared as if it were a lie.
“Let’s go for now.”
Ivan took a step forward, dryly picking up the bag containing the broken pieces. He opened the door on the side of the prayer room and escaped. The defenses on the side of the building were somewhat lax, as there was no other space to escape to.
“When on earth is that guy Eric coming?”
In addition, the guards at each gate were busy preparing for their shift. When they saw Ivan coming out of the prayer room, they only checked his identification and let him go.
The palace where Amelia stayed was separated from the temple by a high wall on the north side, and the prayer room in the separate building was implicitly off-limits. It was not actually a rule. The priests did not like to come near it in the first place because they were uncomfortable with having to be inspected by guards every time. In addition, the peaceful situation where there had been no threats up until now probably made them lazy.
Of course, even so, approaching Amelia indoors was a different story. The palace where Amelia was staying had a rather strange structure. Unlike the guards outside the main building, who were the minimum necessary, that is, guards at the entrance and exit, there were many servants inside.
It blocks intimate access from the outside, while at the same time confining the person inside in a tight net.
“...”
So is Amelia Escliffe the innocent victim trapped inside?
“Nonsense thoughts.”
Ivan clicked his tongue. A woman who lived in a temple and was treated to gold and jade was locked up in prison. It was nonsense.
Anyway, thanks to that strange structure, Ivan was able to easily get through the gate of the palace where Amelia was staying.
“Are you going out again?”
Ivan handed over his identification badge to the guards standing guard at the door leading from Amelia's quarters to the temple. They saw the name written on it, Ricky, and clicked their tongues in dismay. They didn't even bother to tell him to turn the hood of his robe upside down.
“If you get caught doing that, you’ll lose your status as a trainee priest. Be careful, because the knights have recently started patrolling outside to catch guys like you.”
Even though Ricky's face was unknown since he was not attached to the temple, his presence at the bar was already famous.
“There’s nothing I can do if I get caught.”
“Ugh, go away.”
The guards clicked their tongues at Ivan's witty response, but still allowed him to leave. Ivan left the temple without any restrictions. At the same time, the bell rang heavily behind him. It was a sound that announced that it was midnight and that no one should leave the building.
“You dare say something like immortality.”
Ivan stood still as if he had stopped hearing the sound. Then he muttered with a faint hint of laughter in his voice.
Of course, he had never believed in temples or Priestesses. He thought humans couldn't age or die. However, he couldn't help but think of the possibility.
What if Amelia really lived for 200 years and was immortal? Wouldn't that mean she would be fighting a battle she couldn't win for the rest of her life? That slim possibility made Ivan hesitate.
But now Ivan was convinced of his own suspicions. Amelia was just an ordinary human being. The reason she was strangely naive was because she was still young, and the reason she showed affection for Ivan, whom she had only met a short time ago, was because she had lived her entire life in a state of forbidden contact with outsiders.
“Then how was she born?”
Ivan thought of the innocent face of Amelia. It was impossible for an ordinary human being to be born of his own free will.
“...”
Ivan looked back. The beautifully decorated prison was crouching under the pale moonlight, like a secret hidden within.
“Well, there’s no rush.”
Soon, Ivan shook his gaze from the door. Strangely enough, he had no desire to find out the truth right away. To be precise, there was no reason to be impatient.
Since they would find out soon anyway, Amelia would follow Ivan on her own. Ivan would have to use Amelia, who admired him, to steal away and follow him, or he would have to kill her.
It wouldn't have been difficult if Amelia's presence were in his shadow.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment