Chapter 24
24. Requiem (4)
It was fortunate that some water remained in the bathroom. Liene soaked a towel and wiped the wound. The candle, with only a small bit of wick left, flickered precariously, but her eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to see things nearby.
“That must have hurt.”
It was not a small wound. It didn't look so serious because his hand was large, but if the same wound were on her hand, it would feel different.
“I didn’t realize.”
“How could you not know about a wound like this?”
“……I might have been in a hurry.”
It felt strange to hear a man like him say he was in a hurry. This person was like a large rock or tree. He seemed like he would stand in his place without being bothered, no matter how much wind or rain blew. It seemed like nothing could make this man impatient.
“It would be better to apply Tiwakan’s medicine to the wound. His medicine seems to work better.”
Liene, who had carefully wiped away the dirt and dried blood from the wound, hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Would you like me to wash your face too?”
Now that his hand was clean, his face looked even dirtier.
“……Yes.”
Black had been swallowing his breath slightly before opening his mouth for a while now.
“Then come a little closer.”
His face was farther away than his hand. Black strode closer and thrust his face forward.
“This is too……”
……Close. As Liene murmured softly, Black knelt on the bathroom floor.
“Is this alright?”
……Still close.
“I’ll be quick.”
Liene began to wash his face, choosing a clean part of the towel that wasn't stained. ……I think I shouldn't have offered to wash him. It might have been better to tell him to step back a little. Or maybe the candle was too bright. This man…… is too visible. Too……. ……He looks handsome.
“Please close your eyes.”
Just as she was looking at him so closely, he must be looking at her too. Even if that wasn't the case, it was unnerving to have his pale, ice-like eyes watching her from this distance. It seemed like Black didn't even blink.
“Why?”
“It’s too…… close.”
“It’s the same whether it’s close or not.”
No, it's definitely not the same. At this distance, nothing would be hidden. All the surprise or admiration she felt whenever she looked at him would be revealed.
“Please close them anyway.”
Black muttered slowly.
“……I don’t want to.”
“Pardon?”
“I won’t close them.”
“…….”
What stubbornness all of a sudden? I don't care if water gets in your eyes. Liene pouted her lips almost imperceptibly and rubbed the towel a little roughly. Thud.
“Ah……!”
Then she was surprised at her own actions. As the skin on his forehead, which had been covered by his hair, was rubbed, drops of blood suddenly fell.
“You’re hurt here too!”
Liene was startled and rummaged through his hair. She wondered if there was dirt on that side, but it was torn. This side was worse than his hand.
“You didn’t know about this either?”
“I knew about that. I thought it was okay because the bleeding had stopped.”
If Liene hadn't rubbed it roughly with the towel, it wouldn't have started bleeding again.
“…….”
Come to think of it, it's my fault. Liene's hand stopped out of guilt.
“I did something unnecessary.”
“That’s not true.”
Black grabbed Liene's hand as it moved downwards and pressed it against his face.
“Keep going. It doesn’t hurt.”
……There’s no way it doesn’t hurt.
“I think this needs to be washed with water. Please let go of my hand.”
“Will you still wash it for me?”
Seriously, why is he doing this? He can wash it with water by himself. ……Ah, he hurt his hand. It didn't seem right to tell him to touch the water with that hand. Liene nodded slightly.
“Yes. If you let go of my hand.”
“…….”
His hand slowly became free. Liene put down the towel and pulled Black towards the water basin stand.
“You have to close your eyes.”
Black obediently lowered his head towards the water basin. She could see the blood spreading as she poured water on the injured area. He was badly hurt. Why did he just leave a wound like this? Instead of getting treatment first, he came to me. Her touch became more and more careful. The splashing of water and the occasional breaths mixed strangely with the flickering candlelight.
“I think it’s almost done. Just a little more here…….”
The inside of his forehead was dark and hard to see. At the very moment she wished it were a little brighter, the candle suddenly flared up as if by a lie.
“Yes, it’s done. ……Ah,”
But the brightness was only for a moment. The next moment, the candle suddenly went out, and the smell of the burnt wick swirled around her nose before disappearing. It seemed that the last wick had burned brightly before going out.
“The light went out.”
“That’s good.”
The space, where darkness embraced everything, changed strangely. It replaced sound with sensation, tickling her skin. Black's low voice, gently vibrating her eardrums, was like a wave wetting her ankles.
“What…… is good about it?”
“That the light went out after I finished washing.”
“……?”
“Because you said I could touch you after I washed.”
“I…… I want to ask why you’re doing this.”
“It’s trivial to say.”
Rustle. The sound of Black raising his arm brushed against her skin. Liene inhaled before his hand even touched her. Rustle. In this darkness, it seemed like she would have to grope around for a long time, but Black quickly wrapped his arm around Liene's waist. Because he was kneeling, his hair brushed against her chest, rustling. Liene, who was flustered and didn't know where to put her hands, placed them on Black's head. It wasn't the first time she had been held by him, but she was several times more flustered and unfamiliar now. ……It's because it's dark. People get a little strange when they're in the dark.
“Still…… there must be a reason.”
“A rock was falling from above…….”
Black continued slowly, holding Liene.
“I just, I had that thought. That it would be nice to touch you, Princess.”
“That’s a bit of a strange…… reason.”
“I think so too. It’s the first time I’ve felt that way when I was hurt.”
“…….”
The sight of rocks falling from the cliff came to mind. It was strange that the thought that Black had at that dizzying moment was of her. Why was that? He didn't say anything, but it must have been a situation where he could have lost his life. She didn't understand, but if that was the reason, she wanted to allow it.
“That must have been dangerous.”
At some point, her fingers were carefully touching Black's hair.
“……I wasn’t seriously injured.”
“Still.”
The two remained in the darkness for a while in the same position. The rustling sound of Liene's fingers touching Black's hair echoed very softly in the darkness. It's softer than I thought. She belatedly realized that she was stroking Black's hair, but Liene didn't bother to stop. I thought it would be rough. This man has so many different sides to him than he appears. Today was like that too. She never dreamed that he would take such a risk and do something for her. In fact, are other things like that too? Maybe things will be different from what I think if I experience them. Everyone says that this man's purpose is revenge, but maybe that's not the case.
“It’s different from what I thought.”
At that moment, Black said something very similar to her. Her hand stopped for a moment.
“What’s different?”
“You, Princess.”
“How so?”
“I thought you would stand still and endure it if I asked if I could touch you.”
“But…….”
“I didn’t know you would touch me.”
“…….”
“I also didn’t know that it would make me this happy.”
Black, who made Liene stop with those words, slowly stood up and faced Liene.
“It was good that I got hurt.”
“……”
Liene watched, holding her breath, as he brought the hand that had been stroking her hair to his lips and gently ran his lips over it. * * * It was as expected. The Cardinal rushed to the castle, his face ashen. He said that the Stairs of God leading down from the temple were broken, so he had tied a rope around his body and climbed down from above. He apparently threw up several times on the way, which seemed to be why he looked so deathly.
“It’s all because God is angry!”
The Cardinal shouted, choked with emotion. Liene frowned slightly, suppressing her anger. The temple was a place where rumors spread faster and were more sensitive than anywhere else. She knew very well that the rumor going around was that the Stairs of God had collapsed because the temple had forbidden Liene from attending the funeral, and God was angry. The fact that the Cardinal was shouting so loudly now was, rather, a sign that he was aware of the rumor and was trying to cover his tracks.
“It’s only natural, with such an unclean and impious being as Tiwakan treading on this land!”
Liene, sitting in the seat of honor in the reception room, frowned and suppressed her anger.
“I heard that wasn’t the reason.”
“What? No, Princess. Are you denying the word of God?”
“I’m just saying what I heard. God was angry because I didn’t attend the funeral, right? And it was Milode who refused my attendance. So isn’t God’s wrath the Cardinal's responsibility?”
“Who dares to say such a thing! Who dares to tell such lies to God…!”
“If he was angry because of Tiwakan, he would have punished Tiwakan. But what was destroyed was the Stairs of God. Isn’t that the evidence God is showing us?”
“……!”
The Cardinal opened his mouth wide, speechless. He didn’t seem to expect Liene to come out like this. …He’s not a very smart person. Liene thought, looking at the Cardinal's jaw, which looked like it would drop off at any moment. If he was going to cling to Tiwakan, he should have brought at least one piece of evidence. Black must have anticipated this and taken the risk of climbing the cliff. She felt anew how bold and clever he was.
“N-no, that’s not true at all.”
The Cardinal managed to utter a word of denial after a moment.
“Why would God be angry with his good children? Leaving those unclean seeds alone? Isn’t that right?”
The last words were directed to the priests who had brought him.
“That’s right.”
The priests hurriedly came to the Cardinal's aid.
“You mustn’t be swayed by ridiculous rumors, Princess. God is very wary of such rash actions.”
“That’s right.”
Liene shook her head, looking at them as if she was tired.
“Haa……”
It was true that she was a bit tired this morning. It was because she had gone to bed too late last night. She had stayed in that dark bathroom for too long. Black hugged Liene once more after getting up. It was a hug that felt like her body was completely buried, unlike when one of them was sitting. At first, she thought she was suffocating. But that was only for a moment. Later, she felt that the embrace, which held her tightly without any gaps, was just for her. It was comfortable, reassuring, and felt like it would never collapse no matter what happened. The two let go of each other only when dawn was approaching. Liene was surprised at how quickly time had passed, and she was even more surprised that the act of hugging without doing anything wasn't boring at all. Why was that? It was mostly like that when she was with that man. She didn't know how time was passing. He was the first person like that…
“……efore God……, ……and also……, ……so that such a thing never happens again……, ……Princess? Princess!”
While Liene was lost in thought, the Cardinal, who had been ranting on his own, raised his voice sharply.
“……Speak.”
Only then did Liene come to her senses, turning her head slightly to face the Cardinal again. Her expression was so calm that the Cardinal couldn’t find fault with it.
“So? Tell me what you want.”
After all, the Cardinal was probably going to say something about how the temple couldn't pay for the cost of repairing the stairs.
“We must offer sacrifices so that this never happens again. And we must punish the impiety of Tiwakan.”
“How?”
What nonsense. Who could do that? The temple and Kleinfelter were all taking a step back while telling only Liene what to do. It was just absurd. They had no intention of considering Liene's situation in the first place. As it had been all along, Liene was the only one who was taking care of this precarious kingdom. The Cardinal confidently spouted nonsense at Liene.
“Postpone the wedding.”
