Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 87
Although they had met before, they were not close.
Guy was a child with an ominous symbol, and because of that, others paid more attention to his younger brother, Garan.
So it was strange to be contacted in this manner now.
─ Are you aware of the recent rumors?
“Do you think I can know such things?”
He was confined to a small room in the tower, barely able to move.
The only person he saw was a servant who never spoke a word, as Garan had intentionally assigned someone who couldn’t speak.
“Look at this.”
Guy showed his thin wrist, bound in handcuffs.
“I’m struggling just to stay alive. How could I know any external rumors?”
Despite his twisted insides, he found talking to someone after so long not entirely unpleasant.
─ Then you must know nothing about the current saintess.
“I do not.”
The silver bird flapped its wings and shook its beak. Then it walked over with tiny steps and hid in a shaded corner.
At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside. It was the time of day when food was brought in.
The meal consisted of a few hard pieces of bread and a watery soup. The bread was so tough that it had to be dipped in the soup to be softened enough to eat.
Life was drastically different from when his mother was alive, but Guy still took his meals regularly.
After the servant left, the bird came forward again.
─ The current saintess has red eyes and black hair.
“That’s impossible.”
Guy scoffed as he looked at the hardened bread. If that were possible, would he be confined in this tower?
─ It’s true. Humans decide the king, but the goddess chooses the saintess. If she wishes, anyone can become a saintess.
The bird shook its beak and spoke to Guy. It sounded like a dream.
“Fine, let’s say the saintess has an ominous symbol. What’s your point in telling me this?”
─ The saintess hates the world. And that includes the king.
“Why?”
Isn’t the saintess supposed to love and embrace the world? But now she hates it?
─ Well, if anyone were tortured for days without sleep, wouldn’t they harbor resentment toward the one who ordered it?
“You mean the saintess was tortured?”
─ She was a saintess candidate at the time.
The problem was that the tortured candidate became the saintess. Guy laughed bitterly as he understood the story.
“Even a saintess candidate couldn’t escape people’s hatred.”
She had done nothing wrong, yet had to endure the hatred simply for being born with the ominous symbol.
And on top of that, she suffered pain. It wasn’t surprising that the saintess now hated the world.
“No wonder the light hasn’t been shining well lately.”
The light would come in briefly and then disappear. So, it was the will of the saintess.
─ Don’t you want to be king?
“I don’t know.”
─ Then let me ask differently. Don’t you want to escape this place?
At those words, Guy looked down at his hands. The freedom of his childhood was always a longing.
“I want to escape.”
─ Then next time, I will visit with the saintess.
The bird flapped its wings and took off from its perch. It slipped back through the small window and vanished as it had entered.
It felt like a moment from a dream.
* * *
Burt opened his eyes. Right in front of him sat Irene.
“Did you deliver the message?”
“Yes.”
“How did he react?”
“Not badly.”
Yes, not badly. Despite his despair, Guy had not lost hope for life.
“I see. When can we meet him?”
“Whenever you wish.”
“That’s quite confident for someone speaking from another country’s capital.”
“I have the saintess with me. There’s nowhere she can’t go.”
“Alright. Shall we go for a walk first?”
“Not a bad idea.”
As they got up, Lani came in.
“Oh, where are you going?”
“Just for a short walk.”
“You need to start getting ready now if you want to attend tonight’s welcome party.”
“I’ll just wear what I usually wear.”
“That’s a shame. You’re so beautiful, everyone should see that.”
“It’s fine.”
Although Lani was disappointed, she didn’t press further.
Another maid might have insisted more, but for Lani, Irene’s wishes were paramount. Disobeying her was unthinkable.
As Lani watched Irene walk away, she caught Noah, who was about to follow her.
“That won’t do. At least you should dress up.”
“What?”
“You’re going to the welcome party with the saintess. So, you need to dress up too.”
Noah, caught off guard by Lani, tried to escape but found it difficult.
So, Noah had to watch as Irene left with the King of the North.