For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 90
Feyden let out a long sigh, so heavy it seemed to sink to the floor, as he dragged a large hand over his face.
“There you are.”
A clear, refined voice broke through his brooding thoughts. It was that of the ever-composed and self-righteous priest, as dignified and clean-cut as always, even in this situation.
“Leave. I’m in no mood to talk to you.”
Feyden’s voice was weary and dismissive, but Ariel continued to approach, ignoring the warning.
Feyden’s eyes darkened with a faint hint of menace as he glared at Ariel, who responded with a bitter smile and held something out toward him—a small box, vividly colored in a way Feyden could tell was far from his taste.
“What’s this?”
“It was in Estira’s robe. Even in that situation, she seemed to have kept it close.”
With that, Ariel walked past Feyden without another word.
Feyden, turning the small box over in his hands, let out a deep breath before opening the lid. Inside was a silver bracelet and a small note.
[ Happy 20th birthday, Feyden. You’re officially an adult now! ]
The neat handwriting was unmistakably Estira’s.
Feyden cursed under his breath. He had been trying to stop himself from swearing lately, but it was futile now.
“…Damn it. What am I supposed to do?”
***
Ariel didn’t make it far before he stopped walking. It felt as though the ground itself was pulling at his ankles, weighing him down with a crushing lethargy.
Turning the corner of a building, he leaned against the wall and looked up at the clear blue sky.
It was bright and clear, like Estira’s smile.
Perhaps that was why Ariel couldn’t bear to look at it for long. The purity of the sky seemed to cast his sins into stark relief.
He slowly lowered his eyelids, veiling his sorrowful golden eyes.
Closing his eyes wouldn’t erase his sins, but he couldn’t bring himself to face the sky—or the angel Natasia, who was surely watching him from above.
Ariel had always acted without hesitation when it came to matters concerning the angel. He believed that questioning anything related to the temple or the angel’s will was itself an act of sacrilege.
That was why he had accepted the future Pope Kyte’s request without question and monitored Estira’s actions. Ariel knew it was wrong to steal someone’s information in secret, but he convinced himself it was for the angel’s sake and sought solace for his guilt through prayer.
‘At least, that’s what I told myself…’
But his guilt had only grown heavier with time.
Ariel knew that Estira posed no threat to the angel Natasia. Years of prayer and meditation, training to discern good from evil, had shown him that Kyte’s suspicions were unfounded.
He had even prepared a handwritten confession to give to Estira, hoping to clear his conscience.
‘But I was caught before I could confess…’
Hearing his sins from someone else’s mouth must have caused a far deeper sense of betrayal than if he had admitted them himself.
In Estira’s unflinching gaze, as she spoke so calmly about how it didn’t matter whether there was one traitor or two, Ariel saw a flicker of pain.
She was hurt.
Because of him.
Ariel fidgeted with the letter he had written but never delivered, tucked safely in his robes. Even though he knew he couldn’t be forgiven, he carried the letter with the hope that it might convey the sincerity of his remorse.
The letter, worn down at the edges from being handled so many times, would finally be given to Estira when she woke up. Ariel had resolved to confess his sins to her, even if it meant defying Kyte’s orders and the temple’s decisions—acts that were nothing short of rebellion against his faith.
It was a betrayal of everything he had believed in, yet Ariel was determined to deliver the letter.
Was it because Estira was a good person?
Of course, she was kind—kind enough to make him feel unworthy of standing beside her.
But there was another reason that moved Ariel more deeply.
‘I don’t want her to hate me, my angel.’
So please, grant me mercy and look upon me with your infinite love and understanding.
Ariel slowly opened his eyes. His golden irises shimmered faintly, like grains of sand swaying in the wind.
He pushed himself off the wall and began to walk with deliberate steps—his usual composure tempered by a newfound resolve.
This time, Ariel vowed to trust in the goodness he saw in Estira and make a decision of his own.
Ariel planned to defy the temple’s orders to assist in Estira’s kidnapping.
It was the first act of rebellion in his otherwise upright and principled life.
