Ione got up from her bed.
Without even thinking about tidying her disheveled hair, she walked to the mirror and began washing her face like a cat. When she saw that the countless self-inflicted scars on her arms had disappeared, she flinched.
Yesterday.
After that strange man in priestly robes placed his hand on her head, her arms and legs had felt tingly. When she looked, this is what she saw.
No matter how many tis she looked, it was a shocking sight every ti.
How?
He had just touched her head, and yet…
All she’d ever known were people who feared her.
But this man didn’t seem afraid of her at all. He entered without any protective gear.
He even touched her body barehanded, without hesitation.
In her 19 years of life, yesterday’s encounter with that man was the most shocking event she had ever experienced.
Could he be a good person?
Ione thought for a mont.
She wasn’t sure yet.
There was still a chance he could be dangerous.
Like the people who ca every seven days to tie her up and inflict pain.
Today was one of those days.
Today was the day of her tornt.
Ione growled lowly in fear and anxiety.
When she reflexively tried to scratch her skin, she realized that instead of the usual rough scars, smooth skin greeted her. She stopped herself.
What a strange man.
The smooth texture of her skin felt so good.
How should she feel about him?
As she pondered, one thought ca to her.
Today.
She would see if he would protect her from those strange people who ca to hurt her.
If...
If he turned out to be like the people who tornted her—if he helped them...
She would claw him.
She would bite him with everything she had.
Since he ca without protective gear, it would be much easier to hurt him.
Never.
Never let your guard down.
She reminded herself.
If she let her guard down, she would get hurt again.
Ione growled softly, vowing to remain vigilant.
*****
Princess Ione was devouring the snacks I had brought in a hurry.
I watched her with a satisfied expression.
“Take your ti, Princess. There’s plenty more.”
Whether she heard or not, Ione was too focused on stuffing cookies and bread into her mouth.
I’d heard that until now, she had survived on a diet of supplents and sedatives, food ant solely to sustain her.
It seed this was her first ti eating snacks like these.
“Here, try this too. It’s delicious—honey-soaked peaches.”
I opened the jar and held it out to her. She cautiously approached , sniffing at the air.
I took a fork, pulled out a peach slice, and offered it to her.
After sniffing it again, she took a bite.
Her eyes widened.
She must have liked it because she snatched the jar and fork from my hands and began wolfing it down.
There was no hint of dignity or etiquette in her behavior.
She was like a wild animal.
But I didn’t mind.
Seeing her eat so well—it was endearing and satisfying.
“Eat as much as you want. I brought plenty of other things too.”
After all, the way to bond with a beast is through food.
As I watched her with a smile,
Sowhere in the Secluded Palace, a grandfather clock chid twice.
Hearing the sound, Ione froze as if struck by lightning.
She turned her gaze toward the source of the sound.
She was looking at the main entrance of the palace.
She stopped eating, and her breathing grew erratic.
I looked at her with pity.
“Saint, every Tuesday at 2 p.m., we’ve perford divine magic treatnts on her. That day is today. Since you’re here, we won’t do it anymore, but... when 2 p.m. cos, the princess will likely beco very agitated. Please keep that in mind.”
The mage who had previously tried to give protective gear had said this before I entered the palace today.
As expected, she was now staring at the entrance with extre fear, her body tense.
“Kyaaaah!!”
Gripping the fork in her hand, she scread as if ready to attack at any mont.
I watched her for a mont before slowly standing up.
“They won’t co. No one’s coming to hurt you today.”
But no matter how much I reassured her, Ione remained on edge.
Unable to hold back any longer, she raised the fork in her hand, as if about to stab herself.
Seeing her about to harm herself, I quickly rushed over and stopped her.
“Kyaaaah!!”
The fork sank into my forearm.
Damn, that hurts!!
What the hell has been going on since yesterday?!
It hurts!!
But...
The princess in front of looked even more pitiful.
“No! It’s okay! They’re not coming! You won’t be hurt today!”
“Kyaaaah!!”
But she didn’t stop.
She turned her fury toward , the one who had interfered, and began to lash out.
She stabbed at with the fork, over and over.
Blood splattered, and the pain made want to scream.
But I held it in.
I desperately suppressed my cries and approached her.
When she drove the fork into my shoulder,
I hugged her tightly.
“Shh... It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Tears welled up from the pain.
Goddamn it, this really, really hurts.
But I endured.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
I repeated those words, gently patting her back.
The fork embedded in my shoulder, Princess Ione growled low, as if ready to bite . But my soothing gestures seed to calm her as her voice gradually softened.
Even as tears welled up from the pain, I kept speaking words of comfort to her.
Yeah.
What does it matter if I get stabbed a bit?
I can heal myself anyway.
The pain she’s endured for sixteen years must be far greater than this.
Don’t you think?
Despite the cold sweat trickling down my back, I felt it was worth it when she finally stopped growling and leaned into my embrace.
Carefully.
I removed the fork from my shoulder, used my body’s modified healing ability to treat my wounds, and continued patting her back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. You won’t hurt anymore. There’s no need for those painful treatnts every week anymore. Calm down. You’ll be fine.”
As I kept consoling her like a child, she finally looked up at .
She was crying.
Her tear-filled eyes trembled as she glanced nervously toward the palace’s main entrance.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
I lifted her gently into my arms.
Carefully, I carried her to her room.
Her lavish bedroom, with its grand bed, was empty and devoid of warmth.
I lay down with her on that bed.
“Shh. No one will hurt you today. Okay? Just relax and get so rest.”
Slowly, her stiffened body began to relax.
She snuggled closer to .
I held Ione in my arms.
Patting her back, I humd lullabies, songs I rembered from my childhood, even ani the songs—badly, of course, but comically enough to keep her company.
Hours passed like this.
By the ti evening ca, her body finally went slack.
Looking down, I saw that she was sleeping soundly, her breathing even.
I wiped away the tear tracks on her face.
Even though I was doing this for selfish reasons—to escape the curse and flee—I couldn’t help but feel pity for her.
Too much pity.
Was the Emperor and Empress’s decision to save Ione really the right one?
Even in this short ti, I had questioned it dozens of tis.
Ione was pitiful.
The Emperor and Empress were pitiful.
Princess Alne was pitiful.
Compared to that, the pain I suffered today was insignificant.
What does it matter if I get hurt?
If she can sleep like this, that’s what’s important.
I carefully tucked the blanket around her, cleaned up the remains of the snacks she had eaten, and left the Secluded Palace.
The pure white robes of my priestly uniform were stained red with the blood from where the fork had pierced , but if it ant avoiding a ticket to hell, this much suffering was worth it.
I could endure as much as needed.
“Saint!”
“Oh heavens! Blood! What happened to you?”
Their reactions weren’t surprising, considering my robe was riddled with holes and soaked in blood from the fork wounds.
I waved reassuringly to the priests and mages standing outside the palace, always on standby for ergencies.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s nothing serious. I’ll be back tomorrow. Keep that in mind.”
Getting stabbed by a fork hurts, sure.
But burning in hell would hurt a lot more.
If enduring this could let skip hell, it was a bargain.
“Saint…”
So of the priests and mages seed moved, their eyes welling up with tears.
“Thank you… for putting an end to this.”
“We used to think it would be better for her to die every Tuesday.”
“We couldn’t even sleep because of the screams of a child. Truly… thank you.”
So were even sobbing, weighed down by guilt.
I understood.
It wasn’t like they enjoyed tornting the young princess.
“You’ve done well,” I said to them.
Yes.
They had worked hard.
And I, too, had worked hard.
Pretending to be a saint, signing up for a one-way ticket to hell.
Damn that wretched Goddess.
Let’s hurry up and escape to Korea.
I just… want to stop living in fear.
*****
In a dark room.
Apart from the faint candlelight flickering on a table, it was enveloped in perfect darkness.
A few silhouettes were barely visible as they conversed.
“A new variable has arisen. The Saint has involved himself in this matter.”
Murmurs filled the room.
“The Healing Saint, Amayel.”
“A man acknowledged by the Pantheon.”
“The one who discovered the brother who had infiltrated the Solar Order.”
“How? I still don’t understand.”
“The miracle was flawless. The concealnt miracle bestowed upon us by the Evil God was perfect.”
“No divine magic, no miracle, no human effort could ever uncover us.”
“And yet, the Saint found us.”
“Is he going to ruin this too?”
The frantic words abruptly ceased.
After a long silence, one of the silhouettes spoke hesitantly, unease evident in their voice.
“Do you think he’ll recognize the Evil God’s chosen one near the princess?”
This question stirred more murmurs.
“The Thousand-Faced One’s disguise is flawless! He can deceive everyone except himself!”
“There is no way he’ll be discovered. Even the Emperor and Empress, who tried so hard to find him, failed.”
“He is the Evil God’s favored one. He will not be revealed.”
But despite their reassurances, their voices betrayed unease.
After all, the brother who infiltrated the Solar Order had been perfectly disguised as well.
He was one of the most skilled at using the concealnt miracle, capable of eluding even the eyes of the gods.
For over a decade, he had safely infiltrated the Order.
But the Saint had found him with an inexplicable miracle.
No one knew how.
It wasn’t a conventional miracle, divine magic, or any form of sorcery.
He just… found him.
And that was what made those gathered here deeply uneasy.
“We need to strengthen the concealnt miracle on the chosen one. The Saint is too close to him. Contact the Collector. Gather more human grudges to enhance the miracle on the chosen one.”
“It will be done.”
With that, the eting ended.
As one silhouette stood, the rest followed suit.
“In the na of the Blood-Drinking One.”
They all spoke in unison.
The candlelight was extinguished.
And the silhouettes disappeared along with it.
Reviews
All reviews (0)