David suddenly felt Catherine taking a step closer and lifted his head again. A reddish light reflected in Catherine’s deep green eyes as she gazed down the corridor.

David blinked. Catherine’s attitude, taking another step forward while looking at the light, felt strangely peculiar. Without realizing it, David caught Catherine’s wrist as she was about to take another step toward where the light was shining.

“Catherine.”

At his call, Catherine blinked once and her gaze fell to David, who was still sitting on the floor. However, like it had been a mistake, Catherine’s gaze was as clear as usual. David, who had found this momentarily strange, soon shook his head at Catherine looking at him.

“Don’t go.”

Then Catherine, who had been quietly watching what he was doing, asked.

“Why?”

“That’s an evil thing…”

However, before David’s answer could finish, this time Catherine shook her head. Following that movement, fragmented light seemed to flicker and ripple between Catherine’s jet-black hair strands before hiding itself…

“That’s not what I asked.”

David, who had unknowingly been captivated by that sight, was surprised by Catherine’s unexpected answer and raised his head. Not understanding the meaning, he unconsciously tilted his head.

After speaking, David looked at Catherine, who was blinking hesitantly. Her eyes rolled beneath her downcast gaze.

Though he hadn’t known Catherine for long… this was behavior somewhat distant from the Catherine that David knew. The Catherine David knew never regretted her decisions. Everything seemed clear and definite, like she would never hesitate about anything.

But… Catherine was hesitating about something now. David intuitively realized that what Catherine was about to say was very important. His prediction wasn’t wrong, and soon Catherine, who seemed to have made up her mind, lifted her head and met his gaze.

“I know that’s something caused by an evil thing.”

“You… knew?”

At Catherine’s answer, David couldn’t hide his surprise and asked back. However, that wasn’t the end of what would surprise David.

“Because that’s what the evil thing is showing me.”

Catherine’s following voice was calm. Because of that, David froze, unable even to ask back. He couldn’t understand what he had just heard. David simply couldn’t comprehend what Catherine was saying.

An evil thing showing her something? What? And why?

His lips wouldn’t move like they were stuck together. David only gripped Catherine’s wrist tighter, like he was afraid of letting go. Catherine’s gaze fell to David’s hand gripping her. Through their touching skin, she could feel his hand trembling.

“David.”

At Catherine’s call, David’s aimlessly trembling eyes turned to her. David. Catherine called his name once more.

Then light entered his eyes, which had seemed unfocused like he was swept away by thoughts. Still looking into his eyes that weren’t entirely clear, Catherine opened her mouth.

“The evil thing said so. That it and Saul are the same existence.”

The moment those words fell, Catherine saw David’s blue eyes freeze.

“As I thought… you knew something?”

Catherine’s voice settled low, whispering in a tone with almost no inflection.

Catherine exhaled a light, deep breath with an attitude like she had already expected this, then gripped David’s hand that was clutching her wrist. Intuitively realizing what Catherine was trying to do, David’s voice rose urgently.

“That’s not it.”

For a moment, Catherine’s wrist caught by David shook. Like he had pulled without realizing it, David couldn’t hide his startled expression and blinked. David seemed flustered. His every action creaked like something was off.

He loosened his grip on Catherine with a somewhat hurried attitude, then when space formed in his loosened grasp, he immediately tightened his hold again.

Words poured out in a tone so fast it was almost incomprehensible.

“Saul and that thing can never be the same existence. I don’t know what you heard from it, but you mustn’t take it to heart. Even listening to it…”

Suddenly, David, who had looked up at Catherine who was simply quiet without even her usual coldness, froze. It’s dangerous…

The words he should have finished never made it out of his mouth and faded away. David clung to Catherine looking down at him, unable even to breathe, like the hand he held was his only lifeline.

“Saul and you both say the same thing.”

Without explaining anything. However, Catherine’s following voice showed no wavering whatsoever. David intuitively realized. This might be the last moment. This was the first and last test Catherine was giving David, whether she intended it or not…

If he disappointed Catherine, at that moment she would leave David. Cold Catherine would turn away without giving any opportunity. And she might follow the evil thing and leave forever. David felt fear climbing up his spine.

His mind felt completely dried up… However, David had to say something. Once this moment passed, when Catherine’s gaze that expected nothing was fully directed at him, he would have no opportunity whatsoever.

That fact moved David. Finally, he stammered and opened his mouth.

“I was trying to… protect you. Because I had to, protect you…”

Even while guessing that this would become an irreversible mistake.

* * *

【The Direction of Light】

David had a premonition.

He had failed. He knew from the moment he uttered the first syllable. And the moment he faced the cold anger that rose in Catherine’s eyes, the eerie contempt that appeared on her dry face, he fully realized it.

His reason, sharpened more keenly than anything else, whispered to him. That he had made an irreversible mistake.

“…Protection?”

Catherine’s voice fell without intonation. It sounded not just calm but even chilly. She seemed disappointed, or perhaps she had expected this. Her tightly closed lips appeared to curve shallowly.

Red light fell on Catherine’s cheek as she quietly looked down at David with narrowed eyes. The light covered Catherine’s profile, and black shadows tilted along the prominent contours. 

Between them, David slowly watched Catherine close her eyes. David froze, unable even to turn his gaze away.

Thump. It felt like his heart was falling. That simple action of just closing her eyes seemed like a declaration that she had abandoned even the slightest faith… David trembled.

He moved his lips. Please, look at him. That he was wrong. He wanted to beg her to listen to his story.

“You call that protection.”

However, at that moment, Catherine’s long breath with her eyes closed brushed David’s disheveled hair and white forehead, making David helpless like early spring snow before the warm, heated breath.

He could only clench his mouth shut.

“Did you want me to remain knowing nothing?”

Blink. Catherine’s sunken gaze rose, and an utterly calm voice flowed. With eyes closed and ears blocked… did you just want me to smile quietly, pretending to know nothing? Her eyes, filled with anger and disappointment, had settled coldly, but Catherine’s voice asking this didn’t waver. It even sounded gentle, like explaining something to a child…

“…I.”

David opened his mouth. He made a sound to deny it, but that was all. David only moved his lips, with no meaningful words beyond that.

“…I just.”

His throat choked up. David swallowed the heavy, clumped air with difficulty. I wanted you to be at peace… That sentence circling in his mouth was also swallowed down his throat. He finally admitted it. His inner thoughts that surfaced in an instant whispered the answer to David.

Catherine was right. He couldn’t bring himself to deny it. He had wanted Catherine to know nothing. So he had wanted her to simply remain at peace throughout. It wasn’t only because he loved Catherine.

Even before knowing Catherine, before the two had first met face to face, it had always been like that. Because he thought this was something only Saul and himself, only the two of them, should bear.

Catherine bore no responsibility here, nor did she have any burden to shoulder. Catherine had simply been used due to Saul’s need and was unrelated to what happened at Cavendish. 

Unrelated… it would be right to say she had been unrelated. If the evil thing hadn’t become obsessed with Catherine.

In truth, David knew too. From the moment he learned the evil thing was obsessed with Catherine, he should have confessed everything to her.

However… David didn’t want to do that. He couldn’t. It could be called selfishness. He still wanted Catherine to know nothing.

“Earlier when you were standing by the window, the sunlight was coming in.”

Trembling breath flowed between his parted lips. David recalled that voice, softly resonating, colored with abundant affection. And he realized where his irrational wish had originated.

It was because of that voice. Because of that brief conversation they had shared while simply walking down the corridor. David would probably never forget Catherine’s voice even after a long time passed.

That voice he had heard for the first time, and that would never become his in the future, David didn’t want to shatter…