Chapter 7
He was a priest, and priests were supposed to guide people into the embrace of God. To be sure, he carried an air somewhat unlike other priests, yet I still hoped he would indulge my childish desire to pin the blame on someone, even for a moment.
Whether my words stirred his curiosity or not, he slowed his pace. Falling naturally into step beside him, I began to babble.
Perhaps displeased by the blame being pinned on him, his straight brows knit together. My voice grew smaller.
Just as I was about to hold my tongue, thinking it was absurd to blame him after all, he pressed on. His attitude suggested he was actually interested in my story.
What rested in those clear, cool green eyes didn't look like mere curiosity. It was far too serious and weighty for that. Swept up in high spirits because he was paying attention, my tongue ran loose.
Only after blurting it out did the shame crash over me, and I dropped my head. His footwear then came into view. His feet looked nearly twice the size of mine, and instead of the leather slippers priests wore, he had on something like ankle-high boots.
A flat voice fell over my head. A bitter sigh slipped out before I could stop it. Biting my lip, I glared up at him.
He called out softly, as if reining in my rising voice. Tears were welling again in my burning eyes, but the light touch of his hand resting on my shoulder made my breath settle on its own.
Bending slightly at the waist, he looked down into my face with serene eyes. It was hard to meet his gaze under that strange pressure, but I forced strength into my eyes and stared back.
As I glared at him, huffing with resentment, the lines of his eyes softened slowly as he watched me. With an indifferent hum that suggested his interest had waned, he straightened up and began striding ahead once more.
Carrying a soft warmth, his languid voice was so clearly articulated that it drew my focus without effort. I had no desire to follow him, but I couldn't just stay behind either, so I trailed along with a scowl.
A shiver ran down my spine; it was as though he had read my very mind. Casting a glance back at me, he added.
Even if there were a hundred or a thousand, wasn't every single choice miserable? I let out a dry scoff.
At my sudden question, the corner of his mouth curved up.
Clutching my frayed hem, I muttered spitefully.
He stopped in his tracks so suddenly that I pulled up alongside him. Looking back at me, his eyes widened in surprise.
When I snapped back sharply, he stared at me for a beat before suddenly bursting into a snort of laughter. Swelling with pride that I had made this rigid, cold-looking man laugh, I gave a shrug, and he spoke with a lingering smile on his lips.
Losing its place, my gaze drifted down toward the dirt. He offered a crooked smile.
I held out both hands and retorted with a mocking scoff, and he turned around slowly. Though the wind blew, the hem of his cloak barely stirred. It was clearly quite heavy.
How could anyone walk around draped in such a thing? Come to think of it, hadn't that blanket-like cloak dumped over me back at the theater felt just like this?
As I tilted my head, it struck me that his gaze had lingered on me for a long time.
Once I became conscious of it, the silence settled over my shoulders as a creeping tension. His wordless stare felt suffocating, yet oddly enough, it set off a flutter in my chest that didn't feel bad at all.
I liked those handsome eyes focused on me. Even if the words that tumbled from his lips carried no warmth whatsoever.
Having spoken flatly, he lengthened his stride once more. Staring blankly at his back, I grumbled under my breath as I hurried after him.
Looking up at his question, I gasped in surprise. Before I knew it, Mrs. Allmon's house had come into view.
The way there had felt so distant, yet returning took no time at all.
To tell the truth, I wanted to ask him to walk me all the way to the front door, but seeing him halt with folded arms as if ready to turn back at any second made me instinctively take a step back. Steeping dark in the shadows, his green eyes delivered a stern warning.
At my sullen retort, a quiet chuckle slipped from him. Somewhere along the way, the foul mood that had held me in its grip had faded, as though it belonged to another day entirely. Hesitating for a moment, I asked cautiously.
After a brief pause, he gave a light shake of his head.
When I pressed with deliberate weight, his brow instantly furrowed, and he swept back his hair with a short sigh. Looking at me with open distaste, he soon let out an exasperated laugh.
As he waved his hand dismissively like he was swatting away a pest, his words sank deep into my mind. Along with that unexpectedly boyish, mischievous grin.
Blinking my wide eyes, I saw him about to turn away and quickly reached out.
As I caught the edge of his cloak, he turned his head. Thick, coarse fabric. It truly seemed to be the very cloak that had covered me back at the theater.
I could feel him watching me with bewilderment as I slowly drew the hem toward me and buried my nose in it. Taking a deep breath, I subtly shifted my eyes toward the back of his hand. On his prominent knuckles, traces of blood he hadn't managed to wipe away had dried dark.
It had to be that man's blood. The one who had breathed that sickening stench in my face.
A gentle warmth spread through a corner of my chest. Something close to a laugh threatened to spill through my teeth. Holding down the flutter of emotion, I parted my lips.
“Thank you for saving me at the theater.”
Caught off guard, he stammered as if he had never expected me to realize he was the very person who had beaten off the drunk groping me. Releasing his cloak, I raised my head to look him straight in the eye and spoke softly.
Those green eyes, which had felt so cold and aloof, wavered faintly. Feeling the corners of my mouth lift, I took off running toward the house.
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I ran into the wind.
Shrouded in darkness, Mrs. Allmon's house looked like a crumbling ruin as always, but heading back toward it didn't feel so terrible. My heart was pounding fast in my chest.
