Following her words, Solaith wanted to wake Lev right now and share the secret words they hadn’t exchanged. No. More than that, he wanted to hold her hand and run away immediately. 

To put aside duty for a while and go together somewhere they could breathe comfortably.

But that would be after Lev’s heart was ready.

Lev was too young. He’d at least wandered through various places, but she’d been isolated for so long she didn’t know the outside world well. Her innate altruistic heart and kind nature would probably never be abandoned until death. 

Moreover, if she knew he’d betrayed God, she’d worry in unspeakable shock. For such a person, suddenly going out into the world wouldn’t be easy either.

Solaith gently stroked Lev’s hair. He slowly pushed aside the hair covering her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

‘Slowly. Everything after Sister is ready.’

Everything would flow according to Lev’s calm footsteps. He would just position himself beside her and guide her into the light. Slowly.

But an indescribable desire began to writhe in his peaceful eyes. Like wanting to roughly embrace Lev right now, or wanting to expose her chest and suck hard. Or perhaps the desire to copulate before she even woke, making her come to her senses from the strong shock.

No. He couldn’t become like that filthy wretch who just died.

Solaith closed his eyes reverently. His eyelids shut, trapping his trembling pupils of desire. He brought his lips to Lev’s ear.

“Don’t worry, Sister. I’ll absolutely never… do anything against your will.”

Reassuring the quietly sleeping woman was a secret and pleasant act. Solaith, intoxicated by his solitary sensation, kissed her ear.

Smooch—moist lips touched. When his lips touched the protruding cartilage, ticklish goosebumps rose. The young man lowered his lips a bit more and tried kissing her earlobe too. 

Smooch. He felt like he was pressing down on something soft and small.

Solaith became somewhat unable to restrain himself. This much wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. He tried placing his lips near her ear canal, and kissed continuously with small smooching sounds. Eventually he even bit her earlobe small and sucked deliciously.

Everything proceeded carefully enough not to disturb her sleep. Gently. Enough not to notice. Pleasantly.

He didn’t want to wake her lovely slumber yet. As he continued kissing her ear while coveting her longed-for scent, a moan escaped without him realizing.

Though he tried to suppress it as much as possible.

Perhaps more stimulated by his own sounds, Solaith continued kissing while breathing like an unleashed horse.

“Mmm. Mm. Sister… Haa, aah.”

Wet sounds filled the room. Solaith even bit her ear between his saliva-soaked lips and moved slowly up and down. Then he stuck out his tongue slightly and made shallow piston movements inside her ear canal.

“Haa, hng. Sister, even your ear is delicious. Your whole body tastes sweet.”

His whispering wet voice continued to tease Lev’s ear. He hadn’t intended to do this until just now, but impulse was powerful.

I love you. Sister. I love you, Lev. I love you. 

He kept spitting out such words, when at some point his arm was grabbed.

It was Lev.

“Si… Sister?”

“Solaith…”

Lev’s half-opened eyes were still hazy, seemingly drunk on dreams. Her reddened lips called his name, losing their bearings. He wanted to immediately press his lips to those lovely lips, or better yet, attach his tongue and indulge.

“Laith… at this hour… what brings you? Did you come because you missed me?”

Even while drowsy, her brightly smiling face made him rub his cheek against hers. Since he couldn’t bring his dirtied hands to touch her. Solaith affirmed with a smile.

“What’s that on your clothes?”

Lev, blinking her eyes vigorously, asked while looking at the hem of Solaith’s cape. It was a bloodstain hinting at what happened with Raoul.

Well, Sister. Solaith pondered briefly, then began explaining the whole story. Though he’d intended to hide it forever worried she’d be shocked, perhaps it was better to know in advance.

Lev, hearing the incident in a gentle voice, was now completely awake. Her wide-open eyes were deeply awakened in shock. She seemed to have difficulty believing Raoul’s death while struggling with complex emotions.

“It’s alright. No one can harm you anymore.”

That wasn’t her concern. She placed her pale hand on top of his.

“That’s not the issue. Because of me, you committed m*rder…”

“Sister. How is this because of you? It’s because of Raoul who tried to report you for witch hunting. Even if there’s sin, it belongs to him and me.”

Rationally, he was right. His words were correct, but Lev’s pupils trembled upon hearing of the sin. Someone’s death carried that much weight. Solaith warmly embraced Lev’s white shoulders and brought his face close.

“Sister Lev. Please listen. When I responded to heretic invasions at the Yusdainut border, when I cut enemy throats to protect our citizens—does all that constitute the sin of m*rder?”

“…No. It doesn’t.”

“Correct. If I’d stayed still, innocent people would have suffered terrible sacrifice.”

“Right. This time too, it must have been an unavoidable choice to protect me…”

“I believe the Holy Spirit used me to punish evil.”

“Yes. Solaith, you’re right.”

Lev cast off the simple, uniform moral concepts that had been strangling her. Everything must be viewed differently depending on circumstances. Not all k*lling is the same k*lling. When her thoughts reached that point, her violet pupils looked at him with vitality.

“Sister. If you truly think so, please grant me one request.”

“What…?”

“Come down the mountain range with me.”

‘Actually, I’ve been preparing for a long time. I’ve even looked into foreign estates where we two can live quietly. Let’s go somewhere no one knows us and live peacefully.’

Solaith had intended to spend a long time persuading her, but instinctively felt now was the opportunity. So he looked straight at her and whispered, now. Right now.

Lev was shaken by the proposal that knocked on her mind from the crack of dawn. Could she live well leaving the home she’d lived in all her life, been loyal to all her life? If she went to a new place, what could she do for a living?

A major reason for implicitly defining this place as her only home was worry about whether she could become a useful member of society if she went out into the bleak outside world. 

When she was young, she had the recklessness and spirit that she could do anything, but it was a feeling that gradually faded after becoming an adult.

But before the clear golden ring before her eyes, all thoughts disappeared. No, she gained confidence. Solaith had eyes full of conviction. 

Recalling how he believed in her potential and dismissed the unjust accusations others warned about in unison as worthless noise, she felt it would be okay with Solaith. That dropped a single drop of oil on the ember residing deep in her heart.

‘Maybe, maybe the life I wanted is there. Maybe I’ll find a different life in a wider place.’

Lev nodded while facing him.

This time, with the excuse of thinking of Solaith, she didn’t want to become a stumbling block at his feet. She didn’t want to shrink before even putting her foot on the starting line.

Solaith grasped both of Lev’s hands with warm touch. Lev, whose hands were interlaced with his seemingly full of conviction, smiled looking at his eyes. An angel’s halo was shining down in her eyes.

* * *

“Y-Your Holiness…!”

The checkpoint before the wall. The boundary separating the outside world from the saint’s cradle opened.

Solaith, wearing a necklace bearing the imperial seal, told the man who’d been half-dozing and snapped to attention. That he was leaving this place forever. His lofty bearing wouldn’t look strange even if he returned to his home country and inherited the throne tomorrow.

The guard captain, taking in the color of the greedy jewel suddenly thrust forward, opened the checkpoint without a word.

Still not fully awake in the dawn twilight, he looked like he was agonizing over whether to call the archbishop right now to explain the situation, or chase St. Yusdainut and the woman behind him with her face wrapped in a veil.

Then, Solaith added.

“Ah, and I command as Yusdainut. If the temple pursues me, I’ll consider it a plot against imperial authority. Please convey the same words to the archbishop. Though deposed, I’m clearly of the first imperial dynasty’s bloodline, so if you don’t want to turn against us, be cautious in your movements. A good mascot can just be obtained when the opportunity arises, can’t it?”

A prince is forever a prince. His words were enough to inspire fear in subjects. Just with a light smile on his face, the guard captain bowed his head sharply. The deep bow signified loyalty to the empire’s authority.

“And convey this too.”

May your splendid donation business continue to prosper.

“…”

Solaith withdrew his smile and turned around. The guard captain could only watch from a distance the backs of the two departing figures without saying anything.

Lev pondered while feeling the warmth of the hand clasped with his. Just when had Solaith started having such thoughts? 

She couldn’t deny that corruption was rampant, that subtle discrimination was spread everywhere, that it was a place proclaiming worldliness while professing piety. 

Even the archbishop who occupied his position before he came was the same kind of person. Lev too had remained here for the sole reason of wanting to serve God, not humans.

But while Solaith’s cynical attitude scratched an itch, her heart ached. Because she couldn’t fathom what things young he had seen here and what wounds he’d received.

“Sister. The night wind is quite chilly.”

He fastened the front of Lev’s blanket all the way. Her whole heart melted at the smile he made playfully while blinking. The tiny coiled worries and concerns instantly faded at his clear smile.

Now wordless warmth would be more powerful than various words. Lev came down the slope while strengthening her interlaced hand with his to transmit body heat. In the quiet mountains, the only thing chasing them was the sound of wind brushing between leaves.

“Aren’t you cold, Solaith?”

When Lev looked back at him, Solaith answered in a brazen voice.

“I’m actually hot. Maybe because Sister’s hand is so warm.”

When the woman laughed lightly at his nonsense, the man said.

“No. Maybe it’s because I’m carrying a sword hilt on my back. Or maybe because I stuffed all the jewels I brought from the imperial palace into my pants pockets…”

He suddenly made a stiff expression and adjusted the white cape he wore.

“Or maybe this is too heavy.”

It was the highest-grade silk cape worn by the temple’s highest dignity. Though now dirty blood decorated the corners, the vestments made only for St. Yusdainut elegantly bore the soaring eagle and cross that were the empire’s symbols. 

It was a masterpiece from the finest tailor with complex patterns embroidered in various gold threads. His long fingers suddenly grabbed it from his body and pulled it off.

“…Solaith.”

Then he let it flow away in the blowing night wind.

The garment fluttered toward the sky, seemingly finding its rightful place.

The man also unhesitatingly removed the platinum cross necklace hanging around his neck. It was the pinnacle of luxury with diamonds densely set on the invisible sides and back.

That too left the man’s possession by hands without regret.

Thus false poverty flew away in the wind.

False frugality also rolled around hitting the ground.

The man who’d cast off the chronic contradictions that had weighed him down since childhood finally looked light-shouldered. The night wind refreshingly brushed through his golden thread-like hair as he lightly turned.

Solaith must have had a hard time too.

A smile befitting him spread across his clean face. Lev stopped walking briefly and watched that sight. It was the first smile shown as young man Solaith, not clown Solaith. 

His smile, which had only felt coy and seductive, looked sincere for the first time, making her want to just imprint that pretty sight in her mind like saving it.

Lev gripped his hand even tighter.

She wanted to fully embrace his honest face so he could be sincere for life. She wanted to embrace all his bad sides, his negative sides.

‘I’ll protect you so you can be yourself. I’ll put down roots beside you and be with you for life.’

“…Now beside me, live comfortably.”

Due to her poor way with words, what actually came out was a single blunt, short sentence. Words that could sound somewhat out of the blue.

But Solaith’s golden irises wavered. He responded in a gentle voice, seemingly reading the covenant in her violet eyes.

“Until the moment my breath stops. With endless glory…”

Though the mountain range’s north wind momentarily brushed between them, their clasped hands held each other even more firmly.