Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She knew it was too soon to feel this way. This was only their third meeting, and the total time they’d spent together didn’t even add up to half a day. Even knowing that, Amelia was certain of the name of the emotion she felt.

“Ivan.”

Of all the people Amelia had met in her life, Ivan was the best. Her life had been excessively small and confined, so a person like Ivan was entirely new to her.

“I like you.”

Amelia’s blunt declaration made Ivan’s eyes crinkle as he smiled.

“I’m honored.”

Though he said he was honored, his demeanor didn’t convey any such feeling. It was closer to the attitude of watching something small and adorable approach him, rubbing up against him. Like a cat, one might say.

“Try some.”

Ivan gestured to the bottle. Amelia gripped it with both hands, her face set with determination, and lifted her arm. The neck of the bottle tilted to her lips.

“…!”

Amelia fearlessly tilted her head back and drank the alcohol as if it were water. Her eyes widened in instant shock, and her face crumpled like a wadded piece of paper. She coughed and sputtered, spitting out so much that it seemed she’d barely swallowed a drop.

“This…”

Amelia couldn’t even string a proper sentence together, simply pointing at the bottle in her right hand.

“Why does this taste like this?”

She whispered the question, sounding utterly bewildered. It was clear she wanted to yell but was holding back because loud noises weren’t allowed. From her expression alone, this was clearly the most dreadful taste she’d ever encountered in her life.

“What does it taste like?”

“It’s bitter, and my tongue is tingling.”

Amelia mumbled her answer, then peeked her tongue out. Her red tongue looked soft.

“Why do people drink this?”

Amelia asked, utterly baffled. Ivan wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol himself, but such a childlike question was new. He found himself smiling involuntarily.

“Haha!”

Amelia sat beside Ivan and rested her face on her knees. She gazed, mesmerized, at Ivan’s face as he laughed aloud, clearly amused. Even in the dim Prayer Room, where no lights were on, his form was vividly clear in the moonlight. Ivan was unequivocally handsome. That was one of the few certainties Amelia had ever felt in her life, and it was the clearest.

“……”

Was that why she liked him even more? Amelia was still deep in thought when Ivan, as if sensing her intense gaze, gradually stopped laughing and met her eyes. A faint smile still lingered around his eyes.

“They say it makes you feel good after you drink it. Even if the taste isn’t great.”

Amelia frowned, shaking her head, still not understanding Ivan’s answer.

“How can that be?”

“They say it is, so I guess it must be.”

Ivan smoothly took the bottle from Amelia’s hand. He then brought it to his own lips and tilted it. Amelia watched the amber liquid pour from the bottle and flow into his mouth.

“To be honest, I still don’t know what it tastes like myself.”

Ivan casually wiped a trickle of liquid from his lip with his hand, his eyes meeting Amelia’s round ones.

“You said you often go to the pub?”

“I didn’t say I go often.”

It seemed strange that someone who said they had been to a pub claimed not to know the taste of alcohol. However, Ivan truly didn’t enjoy drinking. He enjoyed cigars even less.

“How can you think such things when you’re not even drunk?”

Of course, Rodan’s reaction was that Ivan’s incomprehensible decisions were even more terrible precisely because they were the words and actions of a sane man.

“Are you quitting your apprentice priest job?”

It was as Ivan was casually shaking his slightly damp hand in the air that Amelia asked.

“It seems so.”

Ivan’s reply was quick. The emperor of a nation couldn’t possibly continue to work as an apprentice priest. Especially if that priest served a god, and their proxy, whom he despised the most.

“…I see.”

He wasn’t even truly an apprentice priest to begin with. Ivan subtly observed Amelia’s face as she responded vaguely. Her expression was strangely wistful.

“Do you want to leave this place too?”

It was almost as if she felt envy.

Ivan probed, opening his mouth. He glanced at Amelia out of the corner of his eye, as if his question held no special meaning.

“Hmm…”

Amelia hesitated to answer. She was debating whether she should be honest. However, Ivan interpreted her hesitation differently and let out a soft chuckle.

“Ah, right.”

“……”

“You’re tied to this place until death.”

Amelia flinched at Ivan’s words.

“Until the gods kill me, the only place my soul is bound to is this land.”

That was the first Priestess’s vow. She didn’t know why such a vow had been made, but because of it, Amelia’s mother, grandmother, and even their ancestors were all bound to this land.

“I plan to work for the Imperial Family once I leave here.”

Amelia’s relief that Ivan hadn’t asked why such a vow was made was short-lived. Ivan’s quiet words made Amelia tilt her head in confusion.

“The Imperial Family?”

Since he was the Emperor, it was natural for him to work for the Imperial Family. But to Amelia, who didn’t know this, it was puzzling.

“Because they pay the most.”

Ivan replied with a sly air.

“Contrary to what you’re at odds with, the Emperor didn’t seem like a bad person.”

He added, quite nonchalantly. Ivan was remarkably skilled at externalizing himself.

“I’m not at odds with the Emperor.”

Amelia said, as if hearing this for the first time. In reality, Amelia felt no hostility toward the Escliffe Imperial Family.

“But you oppose everything the Imperial Family tries to do.”

“That’s…”

She hadn’t done that herself. Amelia had only taken this position a year ago, after her mother’s death. And even then, she was certain it hadn’t been her mother’s will either.

“Everyone thinks the Priestess and the Imperial Family don’t get along. Isn’t that right?”

“It’s not like that.”

Amelia denied it. Those in the Priestess’s position had never willingly crossed these walls. There was no reason for them to feel antagonism or hostility towards the Imperial Family.

“Then why? Was what the Emperor was trying to do truly wrong?”

Suddenly, her head felt dizzy.

“I just… follow the will.”

The answer came without passing through her mind. Amelia blinked her burning eyes. Though only a few drops had touched her tongue, having alcohol in her mouth for the first time in her life made her feel instantly tipsy.

“Ah, I see.”

“……”

“How interesting.”

Ivan muttered, setting down the bottle he was holding. Shortly after, he chuckled. He didn’t look particularly amused, but he did it anyway.

“Ivan.”

He had an unpleasant look even when smiling. Amelia reached out a hand to Ivan’s face, her expression tinged with worry. His skin felt nice, but it was different from hers. It was smooth rather than soft.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Like what?”

“You look upset.”

Ivan blinked silently, as if being seen through wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

“It’s late, so you should go back.”

Ivan pushed Amelia’s hand away, then stood up and advised her.

“Why are you angry?”

Amelia asked, looking up at Ivan with innocent eyes. Ivan felt a loss for words. There was no reason for an apprentice priest like him to be upset by Amelia’s words. It was solely because he was the Emperor. But there was no way he could reveal that fact.

“I’m not angry.”

“That’s a lie.”

Amelia said, pouting.

“What did I do wrong? Can’t you tell me?”

She pleaded, almost imploringly. Strangely, clinging to Ivan didn’t feel embarrassing at all. Her pride wasn’t hurt. Perhaps it was because Ivan wouldn’t mock such an attitude.

“I’m scared you’ll be angry and won’t come back.”

Ivan stared down at the small hand clutching the cuff of his sleeve. He sighed softly. He hated troublesome things.

Ivan reached out to shake off Amelia’s hand. Just as his fingertips touched her soft skin, she blurted out.

“I, I’m scared of dogs!”

Amelia abruptly declared her fear of dogs. So what? Ivan raised an eyebrow, as if asking what he was supposed to do about that.

“Whenever I see a dog, my body freezes, and my feet won’t move. This is a real secret, and you’re the first one I’ve told.”

“……”

“So, can’t you stop being angry?”

Amelia gave a small shake to the hand gripping Ivan’s sleeve. It was the coaxing action of a child. In this way, the Amelia Ivan encountered seemed somewhat childish for someone who had lived for two hundred years.

Well, that must be why she had come to like him. Whether it was a friendship or romantic affection, Amelia’s feelings for him were special. The cunning man quickly discerned those emotions.

“…Alright.”

Amelia, finally getting the answer she wanted, smiled brightly. Her face showed no awareness that she had just handed him two of her weaknesses, oblivious to the danger.

Ivan gazed at the colorful stained-glass light scattered across Amelia’s fair skin. It was beautiful, like the colors of the ceiling glass, but its fragmented pattern looked sharp, ready to pierce her delicate skin at any moment. Just as Ivan’s presence was to Amelia. At that moment, Ivan instinctively knew.

This woman would one day die because of her feelings for him.