Since meeting David, Catherine still couldn’t understand his attitude of suddenly showing grief now.

Even during Saul’s funeral, David had displayed no particular sadness. He had simply accepted his brother’s death calmly, like someone facing an expected outcome, without showing such anguish and sorrow. Moreover, when Saul came back to life…

“Catherine, you don’t know Saul.”

Those brief words, thrown out like something spilling from within him, fell abruptly and stopped Catherine’s thoughts in their tracks.

“When he wakes up, you’ll be unhappy.”

It was closer to a declaration. David was certain—from the moment Saul awakened, Catherine would become unhappy. But that was all he said. Once again, he added no explanation.

Catherine stared at the golden hair cascading in several strands from David’s bowed crown. She observed the shadow cast beneath it, his trembling hands tightly clenched, his firmly closed eyes, and his cheeks drawn taut as though gritting his teeth. Then she tilted her gaze slightly.

Outside the window, it remained pitch black without a single star visible. Catherine knew continuing this conversation would be pointless. She blinked once, exhaled softly, and whispered:

“Perhaps. But even so, that’s not your concern.”

To mark the end of their conversation, Catherine pushed her teacup slightly toward the center of the table. At the sound of the saucer sliding, David raised his head. He wore a strangely vacant expression.

“David, I know you’re hiding something.”

Even as Catherine said this to him, David still seemed unable to collect himself. Something in their conversation had apparently struck him as profoundly shocking. Catherine started to mentally retrace their conversation but then stopped herself.

“If you want me to listen to you, you’ll need to reveal at least one of your secrets.”

In any case, Catherine realized she wouldn’t be able to figure it out now. And she knew that in most such situations, time resolved many things.

“If you can’t do that, I think it would be better for you to remain silent.”

And I’m not leaving this place, she added in a whisper, then quietly rose from her seat. The conversation with David was over. He no longer appeared to be in a state for dialogue anyway. Catherine glanced at the small clock behind where he sat and realized more time had passed than she’d thought. Realizing she’d been away for too long, she felt a sudden urgency.

Just as Catherine turned to return to Saul’s side—

“…what if I love you?”

Before she could take even one step, these unexpected words blocked her path. What? Catherine turned her head in surprise. She thought she must have misheard. David still wore that vacant expression.

He wasn’t even looking at Catherine, which made it seem at first glance like he hadn’t spoken at all. David sat frozen in the same position as earlier, when he’d been listening to Catherine’s words. Slowly, she watched his eyelids blink up and down.

“Catherine, I love you.”

And in that moment—like an ivory maiden coming to life under the Creator’s kiss—with that momentary blink, light returned to David’s blue eyes. His gaze then slowly slid toward Catherine. 

I fell in love the moment I first saw you in the chapel, David whispered. Though quiet enough for only Catherine to hear, his voice was clear and forceful.

“Your unhappiness won’t come from Saul not loving you.”

Yet strangely, that whisper… to Catherine, it sounded like David was trying to deceive even himself.

“It will come because I love you.”

As he spoke, David’s gaze remained fixed on Catherine. Since I won’t be able to leave you alone, you’ll become unhappy here one way or another. Unable to blink even once, Catherine couldn’t tear her gaze away from David’s blue eyes.

She only needed to take one step and turn away. But David’s whispering blue eyes suddenly resembled Saul from their first conversation on the bridge… and Catherine found herself momentarily captivated by that gaze, even knowing it was false.

“So, leave.”

That solemn voice… Catherine belatedly realized she had been rubbing the edge of the ring on her right ring finger for some time. She experienced a sense of déjà vu. Somewhere other than Cavendish, Catherine had heard a voice speaking like this before.

“Leave with me.”

“You are now the master of Cavendish.”

Two voices—similar yet dissimilar—overlapped. Catherine closed her eyes.

Stopping her finger from rubbing the ring, Catherine slowly opened her eyes. She lowered her gaze slightly to look down at David. Catherine felt herself in a surprisingly calm state. Perhaps because she clearly sensed the falsity in David’s words, or because she couldn’t understand why he would lie.

Love? It wasn’t even amusing. Catherine let out a derisive laugh. The look in David’s eyes as he gazed at Catherine was not that of someone speaking of love. Rather, it bordered on threatening.

His attitude of speaking about love while looking that way was absurd. It was disrespectful and went far beyond acceptable bounds. Catherine saw no reason to overlook such disrespect, so her tone turned sharp.

“Are you in your right mind?”

But David’s response was brazen.

“Do I seem otherwise?”

Ha. Catherine let out a hollow laugh and shook her head. There was no reason to continue this conversation.

“Let’s stop. I didn’t hear anything.”

Catherine turned around. She should have done this much earlier. David was not in his right mind now. For whatever reason, his behavior struck Catherine as extremely impulsive.

She walked briskly across the room toward the doorway. She intended to speak with David again after daybreak. When his head cooled, perhaps he would admit his impulsiveness. Just as Catherine was thinking this—

Suddenly, she thought she heard the sound of clothing rustling behind her. Catherine, who was about to place her hand on the doorknob, noticed the presence that had approached unawares and raised her head.

Tap. But before she could turn around, a hand extended from outside her field of vision and planted itself within her sight. Catherine’s eyes narrowed when she saw the bony hand pressed against the door.

“David.”

“Catherine.”

The sharp voices of the two people cut across each other’s calls.

“Are you going to be a scoundrel?”

“Am I not allowed to love you?”

Their voices clashed acutely once more. Neither seemed inclined to listen to the other. Both Catherine and David remained stubbornly unyielding.

“What are you doing…”

“If Saul hadn’t come back to life.”

But the mention of Saul’s name from behind silenced Catherine. As she hesitated, David removed his hand from the door. Catherine watched as his hand withdrew silently from her sight.

The retreating fingertips brushed against her shoulder. After brushing past, they settled down. Curving gently, they gripped Catherine’s shoulder.

“To keep your promise to him, you would have needed me.”

It felt hot and heavy. Catherine rolled her eyes to look at David’s hand gripping her shoulder.

“Weren’t you planning to kiss me, to join your flesh with mine?”

His firm fingertips were slowly climbing up Catherine’s shoulder like a spider. David’s moist breath brushed against the nape of her neck as he whispered. Catherine could no longer endure it and turned around.

As she turned, she was startled by David’s presence closer than expected and stepped back. Thud. She felt her back touch the door. Catherine began to find this situation increasingly unpleasant.

“No, that would never happen with you.”

Catherine snapped, pushing against David’s chest. But he didn’t budge at all. Rather, it was Catherine who was pushed back. Surprised by the firm, resilient body that she could feel even through the thick cloth, she unconsciously withdrew her fingertips.

He was different from Saul. There was a distinctly unfamiliar weight to him, unlike the bony, hard body where the skeleton could be felt. Catherine was somewhat perplexed. She tried to withdraw her hand, but David was quicker, grabbing her fingertips and stepping even closer.

With David’s back to the lamp, Catherine, standing beneath him, was buried in the shadow he cast. Through the dimness, she could see David slowly meeting her gaze. His blue eyes gleamed coolly.

“As long as Saul exists, that’s true.”

David retorted. His voice was so even and calm as he spoke that Catherine momentarily blinked, not understanding what he meant. Then she frowned.

“As long as Saul exists”?

Those words sounded as though he intended to take away his revived brother’s breath once more.

“Do you realize what you’re saying?”

“More clearly than ever before.”

Catherine looked at David, clearly trying to gauge the true meaning of his words. Despite her obviously suspicious, careful gaze, David didn’t avoid her.

Rather, he allowed her to scrutinize him until she was satisfied. Peering into David’s eyes, whose thoughts she simply couldn’t fathom, Catherine asked:

“David, why are you acting like this?”

The question was closer to a probe, hoping David would show some kind of reaction.