Chapter 24
“Are you insane or what?”
“Exactly.”
(Not me answering right now.)
“You dare trample on a woman’s dream?”
“Exactly.”
(Not me.)
“Seraphina, show them the flames of justice!”
“Exactly!”
(Not me!!!)
I stared blankly at Tofu, who was viciously chewing on my pillow.
Ever since he and Kasian teamed up to trick me, he’d been cautious around me for a while. But it looked like he’d gotten so angry that he’d completely forgotten he was supposed to be watching his behavior.
“You need to get disciplined before you come to your senses!”
It was close to midnight.
Moonlight poured in through the open window.
A bed facing the window, a magic saintess lying face-down while hugging her pillow, and a divine beast stepping on the back of that magic saintess’s head while scolding her.
And then…
“Why are you here?”
I glared at Kasian, who was naturally standing there as if he were just part of the scenery.
Kasian, who had been leaning against the wall by the door with his arms folded, shrugged obnoxiously at my question.
Instead of the worn-out errand boy clothes he usually wore, he was dressed in an expensive evening outfit. He wore gloves, and in his hand was an opera glass made of white ivory decorated with blue enamel.
The delicate blue color and pearl decorations along the edges, no matter how I looked at it, seemed more like something for a woman…
But that aside, why was Kasian here?
Why was he in my room saying “Exactly” every time Tofu talked?!
“Is it okay for a priest to just barge into an unmarried woman’s room like this?”
“You’re the one who told me to come in.”
“Then if a dog was standing in front of someone’s house with a dog on its head, wouldn’t you tell them to come in?”
“Would you invite them in no matter what?”
“Not necessarily, but still—if rumors spread that you were alone in a room with a woman, you’ll never be able to get married!”
“And don’t try to make me take responsibility for that!”
“Don’t worry. Since there’s a puppy here, it’s not just the two of us.”
“I’m not a puppy!”
“So why did you come, anyway?”
“I watched the performance today too.”
“What does that have to do with you being here—wait, didn’t you say getting tickets was nearly impossible?”
“That has nothing to do with me. I had a ticket.”
Then, after brushing the dust off his opera glasses, Kasian jerked his chin toward the men’s clothes hanging on the coat rack.
“Whose clothes are those? They look like an Imperial Knights uniform.”
He asked, then came to his own conclusion.
“Is it the blond guy who lives upstairs?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s his name?”
Kasian walked over to the coat rack and read the name embroidered on the inside of the jacket.
“…Arden.”
I glanced at him because his pronunciation was unexpected.
Most people who saw the spelling of Arden’s name for the first time read it as “Ardenen.” But he read it perfectly, and this was supposedly the first time he’d seen the name.
“The Imperial Knight who lives upstairs is Arden?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m leaving.”
Before I could even respond, Kasian picked up Tofu—who was lying sprawled on the bed with his belly up—and disappeared out the window.
Flutter.
In the spot where Kasian and Tofu had vanished, only a single sheet of newspaper, torn from somewhere, was left behind.
“…Why…?”
Why did he leave through the window instead of the door?
While I was shaking my head in disbelief at how suddenly Kasian disappeared—
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Arden.”
“Oh.”
I got up and opened the door.
Arden, who had been standing there, took a step back.
Even though he’d been in my room before, he still acted extremely reserved around it.
As if he thought he’d burn to death if he stepped too far into this room.
Unlike some priest who casually barged into an unmarried woman’s room.
“I heard voices. Were you talking to the puppy again?”
“No. Practicing acting.”
Because the play I watched today was so impressive. I was planning to debut too.
Making up excuses as I grabbed Arden’s jacket from the coat rack.
If Kasian had been just a little slower, or at least left through the door, they might’ve run into each other…
But even if Arden had seen Kasian from right in front of him, he wouldn’t have recognized him.
Because Arden was just an Imperial Knight.
And the High Priest was apparently so mysterious that only the Emperor or the Crown Prince would even know his face.
“You got off work early? I thought you’d come back later.”
“I only watched the cast disband and then came back. It wasn’t even my duty hour, hu—”
“It wasn’t your duty hour?”
“Th-That is…”
“That is?”
“That is…”
“That is…?”
“That is because I was worried the Magic Saintess might appear.”
“…Huh?”
All of a sudden?
“Since many high-ranking nobles attended today’s performance at the Cernier Opera House. I thought that if the Magic Saintess showed up again, this would be the most likely place, so I volunteered.”
“Oh.”
Sharp. She actually did show up.
“So you were there in advance for that.”
“Yes. But she didn’t appear.”
Arden let out a small sigh.
“I’m worried she might have appeared somewhere else while everyone’s attention was focused on the Cernier Opera. I wish she’d at least send a notice beforehand.”
“A notice? That’s a good idea.”
Only good for people trying to catch her.
Absolutely not doing that. Firmly stored in one corner of my brain.
Advance notice (X)
“You’re really serious about catching the Magic Saintess.”
“I am originally very serious about catching all perverts in the world.”
“……”
“……”
I’m hurt……
After staring at each other like that for a moment, I suddenly asked:
“Arden, don’t you have any memories you don’t want to think about?”
Like embarrassing ones. Humiliating ones. Things you’d never want other people to know.
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“When I was little…”
As if searching through his memories, Arden’s eyes rolled back slightly.
“I once touched a cicada with my bare hand.”
“……”
“I scrubbed my hands over and over, but the feeling stayed with me for thirty years. Ugh.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-one.”
“…Oh.”
“Yes…”
“What about you? Do you have a memory like that?”
“I…”
So many. For starters…
“When I was little, I once got scolded by a teacher for something another kid did, and I couldn’t properly speak up for myself back then.”
I’m okay now, but for a long time, every night before sleeping, I’d replay that day in my head, thinking, I should’ve said this, I should’ve said that.
“Then if someone suddenly brought that story up in front of people now, how would you feel?”
“I would not let it slide.”
“Me neither.”
The people’s right to know.
Does actress Rosena’s past really fall under that right?
“…Honestly, I’ve never seriously thought about that topic even once until now.”
To be more honest, I don’t know.
But in my opinion, that “right to know” isn’t meant for situations like this.
It’s for exposing someone influential’s criminal record, or a politician’s corruption, bribery…
Is knowing that someone wasn’t as pretty in the past really related to the public good at all?
Just seeing Rosena screaming in despair earlier had already made me uncomfortable.
A face someone doesn’t want to show.
Isn’t it basic human decency to pretend you didn’t see those things by accident, instead of digging them up and exposing them?
Why do you have to tear it all open?
“…I don’t know.”
Consuming someone’s painful memories by putting them on the front page of a newspaper doesn’t seem like anything noble enough to be called a “right.”
I’ll just follow the justice that I believe in.
After making up my mind, I looked at Arden.
Even though I had suddenly fallen into deep thought right in front of him, he was quietly waiting.
As expected, he’s really good at waiting. I let out a small laugh and said:
“But Arden.”
“Yes?”
“That cicada thing—wasn’t that a memory you didn’t want other people to know? Are you really okay telling me?”
“Is it because you’re someone who’s about to die?”
“No, that really is—”
“Pfft!”
