Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero - Chapter 17
The man who had risen from the tree fell abruptly to the ground with a thud. Now that they were eye-to-eye, he squatted down like a man with a small child in front of him and extended his hand toward Iora.
“Good girl, what’s your name?”
His voice was a little too innocent.
“I’m not lost.”
“That’s not what I asked. Why won’t you tell me your name?”
“…”
He couldn’t have been much older than her. Still, she couldn’t help but laugh at the way he spoke, as if he were a child. Despite her fear, Iora cautiously responded.
“My name is Iora. …And yours?”
“Iora? You’re Iora?”
The man’s eyes widened for a moment, then he tilted his head slightly and smirked.
“Well, someone mentioned it was the Crown Prince’s fiancée. So, that’s why you’ve ended up here? Wondered how you got in.”
“Fiancée…”
“Yes, Iora von Ribandt. The daughter of Marquis von Ribandt, engaged to the Crown Prince. Everyone and their dog knows that… Oh, hey?”
Iora couldn’t help but let out a soft sob.
No longer that fiancée. Tears welled up in my eyes again as she remembered what she had almost forgotten, and the man in front of her stiffened, embarrassed at what he was thinking. Unsure of what to do, he furrowed his brow and abruptly extended his large hand.
“Ack!”
“Why do you keep crying?”
Then, as if instructing a young child, he roughly patted Iora’s face with his large hand. Feeling the roughness and the discomfort of it, she let out a sharp cry. He frowned, as if unable to comprehend.
“What’s wrong? Does this hurt?”
“Ah, it hurts! Of course it does…! Ugh.”
The cheek that was roughly patted felt sore to the touch. The man furrowed his brow, and Iora, with an equally distressed expression, sobbed intermittently. The man’s palm, though elegantly formed and in contrast to his fine features, felt rough and sturdy.
“What’s with all the crying? Geez, I didn’t even pat that hard. What kind of delicate skin is this? Even paper would be sturdier than this.”
“Sniff, it hurts, it really hurts…”
“Hey, wait a minute. You’re not going to cry more now, are you? Tell me you’re not. Huh?”
But when told not to cry, it only led to further bursts of tears.
Sniff, sobs! “…Huuuuh!”
“Good grief. Fine, cry then, cry.”
Iora used the excuse of the soreness from the roughly patted cheek to unleash a torrent of tears. It was a shameful display, but she was sad and sick and scared and in pain.
The man, letting out a sigh, crouched down and patted her shoulder gently. Perhaps it was the unexpected tenderness of this strange man that allowed her to release the pent-up and knotted-up tears.
* * *
“Hmph. Hmph. Mmm, I’m sorry, it’s been so, so long. hmmm.”
“Huh, as if you didn’t just cry to your heart’s content earlier. You could have watered the trees. Even if you try to squeeze out tears now, it won’t work, right?”
Iora rubbed at the corners of her eyes in frustration. The sensation of soreness lingered from the rough patting. Yet, her insides felt refreshed, as if a dam long held within her chest had finally burst.
“…Honestly, it’s strange. Talking for so long and crying freely, it’s been a really long time. And it’s all thanks to you.”
“What’s so hard about that? You’re making yourself sick by holding it in.”
“It’s not that simple. For some people… even that can be difficult, you know.”
After sniffling and murmuring, Iora rested her head on her knees.
‘I can’t imagine how angry my Father will be when I return.’
It was hopeless. Night had already fallen. If she returned home now after not having returned to the mansion until this late hour, it would be hell for Iora.
‘How should I bring up the broken engagement? He won’t just let it go. I don’t want to go back. I’m scared…’
Lost in thought, her gaze fell upon the man beside her. He had his hand on his knee, his chin resting on it, leaning against the tree and listening to her story. Iora, who had been wondering why he was behaving this way when he surely had things to attend to as well, suddenly blushed deeply.
Because she found herself gripping the man’s sleeve with a grip that would not let go.
