When That Door Opens - Chapter 50
He did say on the day we reunited that he planned to leave the temple with me. Considering he brought highly skilled individuals, he must have some kind of plan. Even as I steadied my resolve with this thought, ominous ideas kept surfacing.
If Lakian only intended to smuggle me out, there was no need for such a grand display. It was well known that I occasionally left the temple.
However, Lakian chose the hard way, deliberately avoiding the easy path of abduction. He committed an irreparable atrocity, one that would cause him to be labeled a demon for the rest of his life. We could never live a normal life from now on.
“…What if it’s not about us?”
Suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind. Until now, I had believed that whatever he did, he intended to do it with me.
Either we would escape together, or we would die together. I feared his death but never worried about being separated again.
But what if that was just my own delusion?
***
“Burning the bodies, what the hell are you planning?”
“We can’t just leave them as they are. They would start to rot soon.”
“But the smoke will rise. People outside the temple will notice!”
“They might, or they might not. Let’s talk about the bodies later. For now, you’re more important. I was losing my mind all day.”
As night fell, he came to me again. He began urgently undoing my clothes. Half tearing them off, he lowered his head.
“Ah, now I feel alive.”
He exhaled a languid breath only after burying his face in my neck. The strange sensation from his touch on my sensitive skin made me squeeze my eyes shut.
“Stop.”
“What did you say?”
“I said stop.”
“You were clinging to me so desperately last night. Why the sudden change of heart?”
He paused for a moment, then chuckled and gently stroked my exposed waist.
“Are you trying to tease? That’s amusing.”
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“If not, then what? Are you seriously thinking of stopping me?”
“You can’t do anything without my permission.”
“Quite the confidence. But you have no basis for it.”
“No basis? Then do as you please. Just like I said when I discarded you, force yourself on me!”
I shouted, roughly shaking off his hands.
“Whatever you do, I won’t respond. I won’t cling to you like I did last night! I’ll resist until the end. Every action you take will hurt me!”
The smile disappeared from his face.
“Will you still embrace me?”
I stared at him intensely. His grip on my collar tightened, his knuckles white from the pressure.
I truly hoped my guess was wrong.
That his love for me was just my own misconception and that he would overpower me right now.
“…Then it’s not fun anymore.”
He let go of my clothes irritably and stepped away from the bed. My heart sank.
“Lakian! We need to talk.”
I urgently turned him around. He stood at the door, looking at me expressionlessly, hand on the doorknob.
“If you don’t intend to give yourself to me, don’t hold me back.”
“Lakian, please.”
“Don’t call me with that face.”
“What are you planning? Tell me exactly. Why did you come here? Why did you kill Roman’s men!”
I shouted.
“Die together? Don’t be ridiculous! You can’t hurt me. You can’t even touch me without my permission. How can you talk about letting me die?”
Despite my plea, he didn’t move. I asked him, feeling desperate.
“You’re not planning to handle everything on your own, are you?”
Someone has to take responsibility for this. I naturally thought we would face it together. But looking back, there was no need for that.
Just like three years ago, if he takes all the blame and becomes the sinner, that’s enough.
“You said you’d never let me go. We’re together until the end. I’m right, aren’t I?”
He was silent for a moment. Then, slowly raising his hand to cup my cheek, he spoke softly.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time. Why did you abandon me? Why did you say those things? I remember you seemed to be crying. I smiled to comfort you, but then you suddenly discarded me.”
As he spoke, a faint smile touched his lips. My eyes widened. The smile overlapped with the one I last saw three years ago.
“At first, yes, I resented you. I thought I would die from hating you. But then I realized something. Everything was very strange. From one to ten, everything. Why wouldn’t Roman kill me? A lowly slave who dared to lay with his betrothed.”
“…..!”
“That’s when I realized. You made a deal with him to save me. To be honest, I can guess what you offered up for my sake.”
