CH:08
“Khan!”
The dog that had opened its mouth toward Amelia’s ankle suddenly froze. It was because its master had called its name. Khan, withdrawing from the unconscious Amelia, gently wagged his tail.
“……”
Of the three dogs, Khan was the leader and followed only his master’s command. When Khan stopped, the others naturally halted as well and turned their gaze to Aaron. Aaron patted each of their heads once, then unlocked the door and stepped inside.
“I really didn’t want to go this far.”
Aaron knelt down and softly brushed the unconscious Amelia’s face as he whispered.
“But why do you keep putting yourself in danger?”
Amelia, collapsed unconscious on the filthy floor, looked like a flower blooming in the middle of a battlefield. Aaron quietly watched her pitiful form before carefully lifting her in his arms.
Her arms dangled limply in the air like those of a corpse. As Aaron climbed the stairs, he stared at her and let out a small laugh.
Well, Amelia’s life wasn’t much different from a corpse’s, after all.
“Gasp!”
Amelia suddenly jolted upright. She thought she heard the bark of a dog somewhere.
“Priestess?”
Louis, who had been watching over her, was startled. Amelia threw off the covers and checked herself, holding her breath as she examined her ankle and shoulder—anywhere the dog might have bitten her before she passed out.
“What’s wrong?”
Louis asked with wide eyes. Amelia ran her hands all over her body and only after realizing that aside from a scratch on her ankle, she was otherwise unharmed, did she finally exhale.
“You really must’ve been in bad shape. Collapsing on the street like that.”
Louis clicked his tongue as he spoke.
“I collapsed on the street?”
“Yes. So the High Priest carried you back himself.”
Louis touched Amelia’s forehead with his palm before standing up. There was a knock from outside.
“On the street?”
Amelia scoffed at the excuse Aaron had used. Sure, she had collapsed on the floor—but it wasn’t a street. It had been the floor of a kennel, pushed in there by Aaron, who knew exactly how terrified she was of dogs.
“High Priest.”
“Has the Priestess awakened?”
A gentle yet hypocritical voice spoke. Amelia glared in disgust at the silhouette of the man cast beyond the thin white canopy.
“Yes, she’s awake. And she doesn’t seem to have any serious injuries.”
“What did the physician say?”
“He said she’s just exhausted. He prescribed a tonic to help her recover her energy.”
Not knowing the full story, Louis calmly explained to Aaron.
“Still, we can’t be sure. Keep a close eye on her.”
Louis nodded enthusiastically at Aaron’s command. There was no doubt that coming all this way just to confirm she was awake, then leaving those words, was a clear warning.
“Understood. Don’t worry too much.”
As if to say, this could happen again anytime. And no one would ever know the real reason.
Her hands were shaking. Amelia gripped the blanket tightly in both fists. Tears fell in heavy drops onto the crumpling fabric. She didn’t want to live like this—so miserably.
“You must live.”
But the saddest part was… even though she wanted to die, she didn’t really want to.
Her mother’s final words—you must live—were branded into her very soul. That will to live always made things harder for Amelia.
“…But I still want to live.”
And that, more than anything, was what kept her enduring this painful life. Because otherwise, she had no idea what the point of it all was. If she believed Aaron’s words, then she’d start to think her only worth in life was to be used and discarded.
Amelia bit her lower lip hard. She was trying to stop the tears, but it wasn’t working.
Was that really all her life amounted to—live like this, and one day be thrown away like garbage?
With her face buried in the blanket, Amelia curled into a ball. Her body was heating up, and her breathing grew shallow.
Late that night, Amelia opened her eyes. Her body, overwhelmed by stress, had become sick. She had spent several days in a haze of sleep. After resting so long, her mind was blank and her body was no longer sleepy.
She closed her eyes again. If I’m just going to live like this until I die, whether I die in bed or somewhere else… That was the thought in her mind.
“Amelia.”
At that moment, she heard someone call her name. Her eyes flew open. It felt just like the divine revelations people spoke of.
Ivan.
“Ah.”
Amelia let out a short sigh. She had forgotten about him.
“What day is it…”
She sat up and scrambled out of bed, then ran her finger down the calendar pinned to the wall. Thanks to Louis diligently marking the dates, it wasn’t hard to find.
“Friday.”
Every Friday, she was supposed to meet Ivan. They had agreed to meet at midnight. He might be waiting, and yet she had been lying there, helpless.
Realizing that, Amelia hastily pulled a house dress over her nightgown. She was used to being dressed by others, so she fumbled a bit, but it wasn’t too difficult. Her clothes weren’t too elaborate or hard to wear—priests were expected to live simply, after all.
“Are you heading out?”
The guards stationed at her door asked.
“I’m going to the prayer room for a bit.”
She told them without hesitation.
“I’d prefer to go alone.”
They quietly nodded. They saw no need to accompany her just to the prayer room within the annex, especially since Louis had recently ordered them not to interfere with her movement inside the building. Plus, there were guards outside the prayer room as well.
Thanks to that, Amelia was able to reach the prayer room near the northern gate on her own. Last time, she had searched for Ivan in the garden and ended up using the outside door. But if she wanted to move discreetly, the indoor path was much better.
“Ivan?”
But the prayer room was empty and silent. Maybe he hadn’t arrived yet? As she opened the door leading from her quarters to the prayer room, she called out his name.
“Ivan…!”
Or maybe… maybe he had lost interest and wouldn’t come anymore?
Standing alone in the middle of the prayer room, Amelia looked like a child who had lost her parents. That’s when a man appeared from an unpredictable spot.
“……”
It was Ivan. As always, he wore a hood over his head. When he saw Amelia, he smiled faintly and casually pushed his hood back—like he no longer needed to hide who he was.
“Amelia.”
He called her name, as if he already knew exactly what she needed from him. It made her heart drop. Amelia stared straight into the man’s eyes, glowing softly in the moonlight.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
She spoke with a trembling voice. Ivan raised one eyebrow at the sound of it.
“I had something to bring. That’s why I’m late.”
Ivan answered calmly, sitting on the platform in the center. Even though he knew she was a priestess, he acted without hesitation or awkwardness.
“Come here.”
Ivan. A man with no surname. A commoner. But he was undeniably real—someone who made Amelia feel like she, too, truly existed in this world.
“Okay.”
Amelia answered obediently and stepped toward the center of the prayer room. If Louis had seen her like this, he probably would’ve complained she never listened this well to him.
“I had to grab this.”
Ivan rummaged inside his robe and pulled out a bottle—the kind usually used to hold water.
“You said you were curious what the wine tasted like.”
Amelia’s eyes widened. She had said it was okay, yet he had gone and smuggled wine in anyway. His boldness amazed her. As Amelia stared in awe, Ivan uncorked the bottle and handed it to her.
“Try it.”
“…Is it okay?”
“You’re the divine representative, right? Then your will is God’s will. Why worry about some temple priests?”
He placed the bottle into her hand. Amelia fixed her gaze on the amber liquid inside.
“Why are you kind to me?”
“Isn’t everyone?”
Ivan answered her question casually, not at all surprised.
“No. Everyone else treats me like a priestess.”
To her response, Ivan gave a thoughtful little hum.
“I hope you don’t.”
Amelia said, raising her head and meeting his gaze. His forest-green eyes curved gently in kindness.
“All right, Amelia.”
Tap. Ivan lightly tapped the bottle’s mouth. The liquid rippled inside. Amelia’s heart rippled with it.
“If that’s what you want.”
And at that moment, Amelia felt a foolish certainty—that she would fall for this man who had given her a new life.
Because someone had finally called her name. Because someone saw her as she was. That alone made this life too precious to give up on.
