Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Khan!”

The dog, its mouth open and lunging for Amelia’s ankle, froze. Its owner had called its name. Khan backed away from the unconscious Amelia, wagging its tail obediently.

“…”

Khan, the leader of the three dogs, was absolutely devoted to its master’s commands. When Khan stopped, the other dogs naturally ceased all movement and turned their attention to Aaron. Aaron stroked each dog’s head once, then opened the locked gate and stepped inside.

“I didn’t want to go this far either.”

Aaron knelt down. He gently caressed the unconscious Amelia’s face, whispering,

“But why do you invite such danger?”

Amelia lay sprawled and unconscious on the dirty floor, like a flower blooming in chaos. Aaron quietly watched her pitiful state before carefully lifting her into his arms.

Her limp arms dangled in the air like those of a corpse. Aaron climbed the stairs, gazing at her, and let out a soft chuckle.

Indeed, Amelia’s life wasn’t so different from a corpse’s.

–

“Ah…!”

Amelia shot upright in bed. She thought she’d heard a dog barking somewhere.

“Priestess?”

Regardless of Louis’s surprise, Amelia threw back the covers and examined her body. She checked to see if her ankle or shoulder had been bitten by the dog she’d encountered before she fainted. She didn’t even breathe while checking.

“What’s wrong?”

Louis asked, her eyes wide. Amelia felt around her body and finally exhaled the breath she’d been holding only after realizing she was fine, save for a scratch on her ankle.

“You really must have been unwell. Fainting in the street like that.”

Louis clicked her tongue as she spoke.

“I fainted in the street?”

“Yes. That’s what the High Priest said when he carried you back.”

Louis touched Amelia’s forehead with her palm, then stood up. There was a knock at the door.

“In the street?”

Amelia scoffed at Aaron’s excuse. She had indeed fainted on the ground. But it wasn’t the street. It was the floor of the breeding pen Aaron had thrown her into, knowing her terrifying fear of dogs.

“High Priest.”

“Has the Priestess awakened?”

A gentle, hypocritical voice sounded. Amelia glared with contempt at the man’s silhouette visible beyond the white, thin canopy.

“Yes, she’s awake. She doesn’t seem to have any major injuries either.”

“What did the physician say?”

“Just that she seemed exhausted. He prescribed some medicine to restore her energy.”

Louis, unaware of the full story, calmly explained to Aaron.

“Still, we can’t be too sure, so keep a closer eye on her.”

Louis eagerly nodded at Aaron’s command. His deliberate visit to confirm her awakening and his parting words were a clear warning.

“Understood. Please don’t worry too much.”

It warned that the same thing could happen again at any time. And that others would never know what it truly was.

Her hands trembled. Amelia clutched the blanket tightly. Tears splattered onto the crinkling fabric. She didn’t want to live such a miserable life.

“You live.”

But the sad truth was, she didn’t want to die either, not like a future that would inevitably arrive someday. Her mother’s last words, “You live,” were etched into her. The will to live always tormented Amelia.

“…Even so, I want to live.”

Yet, that alone kept her going through this agonizing life. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know the purpose of her existence. She felt as though being used and then discarded to die, just as Aaron implied, would be her only utility in life.

Amelia bit down on her lower lip. It was an attempt to hold back tears, but it had little effect.

Was this truly all there was to life? To live like this, only to be discarded when the time came?

Amelia buried her face in the blanket, curling into a ball. Her body grew hot, and her breathing quickened.

Late at night, Amelia opened her eyes. The stress had made her delicate body ache, and she had spent several days simply sleeping. After sleeping her fill, her head felt dull, and sleep wouldn’t come.

She closed her eyes again. If she was going to live and die like this anyway, what difference did it make if she died stubbornly in bed or simply died? That was her thought.

“Amelia.”

At that moment, Amelia heard a voice calling her name from somewhere. Her eyes snapped open. That sound felt like what people often called a divine revelation.

Ivan.

“Ah.”

Amelia gasped softly. She had forgotten him.

“What day is it today….”

Amelia sat up, threw back the covers, and scrambled out of bed. She ran her finger along the calendar on the wall. Thanks to Louis, who had dutifully marked it, checking the calendar wasn’t difficult.

“Friday.”

Every Friday was the day she had promised to meet Ivan. They were supposed to meet at midnight, and he must be waiting, yet she had been lying there, listless.

Realizing this, Amelia hastily threw a house dress over her nightclothes. She fumbled a bit, always having been attended to by others, but she managed to change by herself without much trouble. This was because the Priestess’s clothes were not extravagant or difficult to change, due to the dictate that she should be frugal.

“Are you going out?”

The guards standing by the bedroom door asked.

“I’m just going to the Prayer Room for a moment.”

She held no particular ill will toward them. Amelia told them her destination.

“I’d like to go in peace, so there’s no need to follow me.”

They quietly nodded. They thought there was no need to accompany her to the Prayer Room attached to the annex, and Louis had recently ordered them not to restrict her movement within the building. Besides, there were guards outside the Prayer Room as well.

Thanks to this, Amelia was able to reach the Prayer Room near the North Gate, which connected to the annex, by herself. While she had used an outer door last time when searching for Ivan in the garden, it was actually better to use an indoor connected door for Amelia to move unnoticed.

“Ivan?”

However, the empty Prayer Room gave no sign of anyone. Had he not arrived yet? Amelia opened the door connecting her quarters to the Prayer Room and called Ivan’s name.

“Ivan…!”

Or, had he lost interest and decided not to come?

Amelia stood forlornly in the Prayer Room like a child who had lost her parents. A man appeared from an unpredictable location.

“…”

It was Ivan. As always, Ivan, wearing a hood over his head, smiled when he saw Amelia. He then easily pushed the hood back, as if there was no need to conceal his identity.

“Amelia.”

And as if knowing what Amelia expected of him, he called her name in a bewitching tone. Her heart plummeted. Amelia looked directly into the man’s eyes, which glowed eerily under the moonlight.

“I thought you weren’t coming.”

Amelia spoke, her voice trembling. Ivan seemed to notice her tremor, tilting one eyebrow at an angle.

“I was a little late because I had something to bring.”

Ivan answered calmly, perching on the central altar. He showed no hesitation or discomfort, even knowing Amelia was the Priestess.

“Come here.”

Ivan. A commoner, without even a family name. But he was undeniably a presence in this world. He made Amelia feel rooted as a real being on this earth.

“Okay.”

Amelia replied meekly, stepping towards the center of the Prayer Room. It was such docility that if Louis had seen it, she would have complained about how much better it would be if Amelia was always this compliant.

“I was just grabbing this.”

Ivan rummaged inside his robe and pulled out a bottle. It was a common bottle, usually used for water.

“I remembered you said you were curious about the taste of alcohol last time.”

Amelia’s eyes widened. She was surprised by his audaciousness, smuggling in alcohol even though she had said it was fine. While Amelia marveled, Ivan uncorked the bottle and handed it to her.

“Try it.”

“…Is it okay?”

“You’re the voice of God. So your will is God’s will. Do you care what the priests think?”

He then placed the bottle in Amelia’s hand. Amelia’s gaze fixed on the amber liquid inside the bottle.

“Why are you kind to me?”

“Aren’t others kind too?”

Ivan answered Amelia’s question indifferently. He didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“It’s different. Other people only treat me as the Priestess.”

At Amelia’s reply, Ivan made a thoughtful sound, a soft “Hmm.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be like them.”

Amelia said that and raised her head. She met Ivan’s gaze directly. His forest-green eyes curved kindly.

“Alright, Amelia.”

Thump. Ivan lightly tapped the mouth of the bottle. The liquid inside rippled and shook. Amelia’s heart shook helplessly too.

“If that’s what you want.”

At that moment, Amelia gained the foolish conviction that she would inevitably lose her heart to the man who had given her a new birth.

Because there was someone who called her by her name, and someone who saw her for who she was, she felt it would be a shame to give up this life so easily.