༺ The Long Night (1) ༻
It took a lot of effort to clear up the misunderstanding.
Leading a red-faced Renee to a different location, making one ugly excuse after another, and then begging for forgiveness.
“It’s the truth. The one who has my heart, in the past, present, and future, is you, Saint, and only you. It’s already in the past, isn’t it? I swear to you, my bo—my body is also…!”
Vera didn’t know why he was making these excuses.
He just had a strong conviction that this was what needed to be done, and for the first time in his life, Vera dropped down on both knees on the bare ground.
This wasn’t like kneeling for a vow or a ceremony.
At least then, he had done it out of courtesy, and not for groveling like this.
“If you really can’t believe me, I’ll make an oath…!”
“Forget it.”
Vera’s head snapped up.
Renee heaved a heavy sigh, her face still red, then continued.
“I understand what you’re saying, so let’s end it here. It’s also my fault for getting all worked up.”
Her hand twitched in his.
Renee herself acknowledged that she had been a bit too harsh on Vera, considering that she already knew the truth.
Shame surged up, but in a way, it was inevitable.
What kind of person in this world could love their beloved’s past?
How could one be nonchalant about the times when their lover whispered their love to someone else?
Of course, there were those who could keep it inside.
But even that was ultimately a coping mechanism born from experience, and Renee was only a clumsy novice when it came to love.
“…Sha-shall we make up?”
Renee opened her arms.
Vera finally eased up and slowly hugged Renee back.
“Thank you…”
It was a moment when he felt thankful to Renee, to the Gods, and to the world.
As the moment more terrifying than any battles ended, Vera spoke in an unusually weak voice, and Renee laughed.
“Did it prick your conscience that much?”
“I mean…”
“Forget it, I said. I was just teasing you.”
It was the most savage prank in the world.
Vera shuddered as the thought crossed his mind, and Renee’s smile deepened.
‘…How cute.’
She found it quite cute that Vera, who was always so stiff, had become so mushy like this.
Apart from that, there was also a feeling that came to the surface.
Renee felt a shallow sense of superiority that she was the only one who could see this side of Vera.
That was enough to dispel all of Renee’s anger.
No matter how much others appreciated Vera’s appearance, or how covetously they looked at him…
In the end, Vera was hers, and the thought of the victor already being decided became etched in her mind.
“Now, you can’t go anywhere near Cernei.”
The following words were spoken as she recalled the previous event in the square.
A small grunt escaped Vera’s lips.
As Renee had said, his face had been essentially known widely in Cernei.
Worse, he’d been labeled a ‘scoundrel who cheated on his pretty girlfriend.’
The words Vera had heard before they left echoed in his mind.
— Oh god, he must be some kind of pervert who goes around town to pick up virgins and molest them!
He didn’t know how such an opinion came out, but anyway, it reminded Vera of the horrors of rumors.
“…I think it’s a good thing I came out wearing a casual outfit.”
“Right. If you’d come out in a priest’s robe or holy armor, Elia’s position would have plummeted.”
A hint of fear flashed on Renee’s face.
“The candidate for the next Holy Emperor is a womanizer. Thinking of such gossip is enough to give me a headache.”
“Please stop…”
Vera’s eyes turned sharp.
In a way, Renee was also at fault for ranting so loudly there.
Renee, who was already well aware of that, looked away and played dumb.
“Mmm, ahem, then, shall we go now?”
It was obvious that she was changing the subject, but Vera didn’t feel like pressing the issue.
“Yes, let’s get back to Elia. If we go now, we should be there by evening.”
“Huh? We’re not going back to Elia.”
Vera looked up.
His face showed his confusion.
Renee spoke to Vera with a nonchalant look.
“We’re going to stay out overnight today.”
The expression vanished from Vera’s face.
***
— Didn’t I tell you? We’re on vacation here for three days. His Holiness agreed to take care of the work for the time being, and Lady Marie has booked us a room at the finest inn in Cernei.
What kind of secret plan was going on behind his back?
That was the first thought that came to Vera’s mind as soon as he heard the words, and it still haunted him.
A fine tavern in Cernei.
There, in a corner seat by the window, Vera sipped on his drink in confusion.
His gaze drifted to Renee, who was sitting across from him.
“Since when…”
“Since I invited you to go out on a date.”
Renee gave him a wide smile.
Her smile bloomed naturally as she thought that things had gone as planned.
Vera couldn’t spare much time like before since he began working as Vargo’s proxy.
This vacation was planned so she could spend all day with him, and during that, she planned to make Vera completely hers.
It was safe to say that Renee had played her trump card.
In addition, it was also safe to say that this was her petty revenge against Vera, who still treated her like a child.
Renee fumbled for her glass and grabbed it, then she lifted it up and drank a lot before saying.
“What’s wrong?”
She asked a question that sounded like nothing was wrong.
Vera opened his mouth, then dropped his head since he didn’t know what to say.
It was a checkmate.
It was too late at night to turn back now.
If he wanted to go back to Elia now, he had to run with Renee on his back, and it wasn’t like there was anything urgent right now that would require that option.
Besides, going back to Elia without considering such things could only mean one thing.
‘Running away.’
It would only look like he was running away because he was scared of spending the night with Renee.
Vera couldn’t tolerate that.
While it might not have been immediately apparent, as he was always by her side, he was a man with strong pride.
Moreover, this was about masculinity, not something else.
Even if it hadn’t been Vera, any other man in the world would have given the same answer.
Vera took a long, deep breath, set his glass down with a dull clink, and looked up.
He looked straight at Renee and spoke.
“…I assume you know what this behavior means.”
Renee’s hands tensed up.
A blatant tinge of red appeared on her face.
She could blame it on the alcohol… but that would seem like an excuse.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heart began to race.
Her throat gulped dryly.
Slowly, her head bobbed up and down.
It was an affirmation.
A subtle atmosphere filled the air.
The conversation between the couple faded, and with it, the swishing of liquor and the clinking of glasses became clearer.
***
Eventually, all they did was sip their drinks in silence until they left.
But, ironically, it brought them closer together.
Communication occurred not through words but through other means.
Not through actions, but through things unspoken.
Such things took over the space between them and linked them together.
No, it was a bit misleading to say that it linked them together.
It was just that the atmosphere stirred their imaginations.
Their imagination of what was to come, and the anticipation, anxiety, and fear that came with it.
Because crossing that line was something that flooded them with different emotions, it completely consumed their thoughts.
And so, they found themselves thinking only about themselves and the other person.
Fortunately, they were lucky.
First, the place where the atmosphere swept over them was a tavern, and second, there was no one here to berate them for their current intoxication.
Whispers of the Long Night.
That was the name of the inn they were heading for.
As Renee had mentioned earlier, the room Marie had prepared for them was on the top floor, and the two clumsily made their way inside.
The moment the door closed behind them, the noise of the city ceased.
It was a perfectly private space for the two of them.
The room was silent.
Thanks to this, small sounds were made clearer, and it goes without saying how much clearer they became when the source was closer.
Their breaths.
Their heartbeats.
And the rustle of their clothes.
Vera led Renee.
The aforementioned sounds followed loudly behind.
This moment made them realize that sound had its own physical power.
The transmitted wave landed over the skin.
It dug in and traveled throughout the body.
When it reached the spine, it exploded, turning into goosebumps that sent shivers down the back.
Gulp—
Renee swallowed hard.
Before she knew it, they were sitting on the bed. As she realized that, her body reacted.
Finally.
As the thought crossed Renee’s mind, Vera hesitated.
It wasn’t for any other reason.
He wondered if the ‘way of conveying love he knew’ which he had explained to her once, would hurt her.
He was worried about it.
All this time, Vera had tried to keep a saintly demeanor in front of Renee.
That was why it was only natural that he would hesitate to show his true self.
To put it a bit more simply and blatantly, this was what it ultimately meant.
He wanted to show her only his best, but he was afraid that she would see his carnal self as ugly.
He was afraid of looking ugly in her eyes while he was panting with lust.
A scene filled Vera’s mind.
It was one of the things he had done in his past life, when he had beguiled many nobles, to fulfill their desires.
In the large whorehouse built underground in the slums.
And the ugly sights he saw there.
The sight of them stained with greed had been so ugly, and Vera’s hesitation intensified because he didn’t want to be like them anymore.
Of course, Renee could guess Vera’s thoughts.
They had already shared this kind of conversation before.
Renee’s hands reached for the back of Vera’s hand.
“…It’s okay.”
She took it and brought it to her cheek.
“You won’t become bad, Vera. You’re not going to be ugly, either.”
“Saint…”
“This is not just lust.”
Their breaths drew closer, and their words drifted through the space, holding a peculiarly human air of humidity.
“We’re expressing it because we like each other, don’t we? So, this will be different.”
Renee savored the warmth of the hand on her cheek.
Her head was a little dizzy from the alcohol, and her heart was pounding.
For some reason, even in the midst of all this, she felt a knot in her stomach, and the warmth of the hand she felt was more clear than usual.
Renee’s body leaned forward and covered Vera.
No, it was more like she fell on top of Vera’s body.
Renee hugged Vera, who felt even more vulnerable in that position, and spoke.
“You know what?”
“Yes…”
“You love me, right, Vera?”
“…Of course.”
“Then you’re not going to hurt me.”
Her breath fluttered in the air.
It carried the scent of alcohol.
It smelled a little sweet and pungent.
Vera felt his stomach flutter unnecessarily at that, and then he wrapped his arms around Renee’s waist.
Then, he slowly turned her over.
In an instant, their positions reversed, and now Renee was pinned beneath Vera.
“I…”
Vera thought.
He peeled back the layers of his emotions and looked inside.
He looked at what he really wanted to do with Renee.
He just wanted to hold her close, warm her up, and fall asleep with her in his arms.
When he finally faced it, Renee then cut off Vera’s hesitation.
Her hand stroked his cheek.
She spoke, her face flushed.
“I… I’ve been waiting so long, haven’t I?”
Vera’s voice trailed off.
Short, heavy breaths scattered.
Soon, their heads came closer.
The first thing the two felt was the unmistakable scent of alcohol.
As in any story, there was a quiet room.
It was night. There was a man and a woman, and the smell of alcohol between them.
That was all.
