Partially corrected MTL Novel
C79
Suran, a village southwest of the capital. That place was essential to reach the West, and it had always been full of travelers.
Therefore, all the commerce was directed towards visitors. There were many shops selling travel items, and there were many restaurants with delicious beer. The accommodation was, of course, good. Marie was a waitress who worked at "Los Ohos," the most luxurious inn in Suran.
Five years after working as an extra, she was sure she had met most types of guests. Rich, adventurous, aristocratic, monks... It was so diverse that it was hard to choose one, but that pride was shattered the moment she met two guests a few days ago. Lariette was also among them.
"Marie, have you seen the guests in the suite? I'm not joking."
A coworker, Marie, agreed, nodding furiously at Ivania's excitement. It was the first time she had seen such beautiful people.
"How can a man be so handsome? I think his eyelashes are twice as long as mine."
"She's also a very beautiful woman, the color of her hair is unique."
"It's beautiful, but not as good as a man's. I've never seen a man with such long hair before!"
"No, beauty is beauty, but there's an aura about them. Doesn't he seem noble?"
Marie and Ivania were busy evaluating the appearance of their guests as they prepared the food. Time is the most precious thing, but they argued with each other, saying:
"Women are a waste, men are a waste of men."
Soon they were busy extrapolating the identities of the guests.
Marie made up the story of the woman who had eloped with her personal escort, and Ivania agreed because she also saw a subtle elegance in the platinum-haired woman.
"Well, I'll mention it!"
"Wait, let me on the phone! I'm coming!"
"No!"
"Where are you going? No way!"
Marie ignored Ivania and headed to the suite. She was going to serve breakfast. Standing in front of the suite with a tray, she knocked on the door with a flushed face.
Her heart was pounding for no reason, wanting to see that beautiful face again.
"I brought breakfast. Can I come in?"
"Tell me I can!"
Marie pleaded in her heart. If there was no response, she had to leave the food at the door. Unfortunately, no voice was heard from inside.
Marie was deeply disheartened and tried to place the tray on the side table. But the door to the suite opened with a creak, as if God had granted her sincerest wish. Standing in the open doorway was a man with shiny silver hair hanging over his naked body, looking at Marie.
Water droplets fell from his body, apparently after washing up. His face was much more beautiful than most women's, while his muscular body was more masculine than anyone else's.
"Well, well, breakfast, breakfast..."
Marie stammered embarrassingly, realizing it was the best experience she had had working at the inn. She had never been so surprised since she had seen a naked body dozens of times in five years. Instead of being surprised, she was impressed by the timing of this precious scene.
"Oh, thank you."
Doha accepted the tray from Marie and gave her a small tip. He smiled slightly because it was amusing to see her receive coins with trembling hands, even though he hadn't done anything. And at the sight of his smile, Marie was devastated, something she had never felt in 25 years.
"I want to see every aspect of that man! I want to discover all his habits, pursue all his routines! I want to keep that smile in an expensive video box and pass it down to my descendants for generations!"
But Doha heartlessly closed the door as soon as the transaction was done. Above the thick door, she could hear him speaking in a friendly voice to the woman.
"How happy would a woman be to be loved by a man like him?"
Marie had a dreamy look on her face, replaying the smile she had just seen over and over again. But for a brief moment, she snapped back to reality upon hearing the voice calling her downstairs and hurried to follow. It was time to return to the real world.
-----------
"Rie, try this."
Doha passed the potato soup to Lariette. Unlike before, he was dressed in an elegant shirt and had neatly tied back his hair. Meanwhile, disheveled Lariette stared blankly at the food in front of her. She was so weak because she couldn't sleep all night. If Doha hadn't knocked on the door to wake her up, she wouldn't have woken up until lunchtime.
"Eat and cheer up."
Doha poured hot milk into the coffee and seemed concerned. It was he who had already discovered her fondness for coffee. It had only been two days since they left the capital to travel. Lariette, who had struggled even in the carriage, collapsed as soon as they arrived in Suran.
She literally sat on the ground. Surprised, Doha urgently exuded divine power, but the fever didn't improve. There couldn't be an illness that he couldn't cure, so there was only one reason.
Extreme stress.
Sacred power was close to omnipotence, but mental distress couldn't be cured. And so, Doha cared for her like a devoted person without divine power. He cleaned her body with a damp, cold towel. That was a test of patience for him.
He couldn't put his hands through her clothes, so he was embarrassed to death even though he only cleaned her arms and legs, which exposed her skin. Although he was appalled at the thought of being rough with the patient, his face naturally flushed. Perhaps, he endured a great sense of shame and simmering desire, then the fever subsided by dawn. Lariette fell asleep with a more relaxed face, and Doha checked on her condition hours later, just in case. That's why he also didn't sleep well, but there was no fatigue on Doha's face.
He was quite fresh. With Lariette alone, any fatigue was forgotten with the idea of traveling, melting away like snow.
"Eat, okay?"
Doha even offered a spoonful of soup to Lariette, who couldn't eat properly. She took the soup dazedly. Her figure looked like a little bird, but she unconsciously laughed. However, it didn't take long before the smile faded.
"Did Asrahan really do this?"
"...What?"
Doha's face, which was beneath the sea, quickly hardened. His gently curved eyes turned sharp, and his concerned voice was cold.
"Are you still thinking about him?"
Disgust seized his skin.
"The rumor of capturing and killing pink-haired women. No matter how difficult it may be, Asrahan isn't like that... Would he do something so terrible?"
Last night, it was a question that filled Lariette's heated mind. She knew that Asrahan was a cruel man. Because he cut off the arm of Marquis Segreb, who attacked her, killed his knights, and killed the knight who betrayed him. But still, he was not the one who pointed the sword at anyone. Asrahan had never attacked innocent civilians.
He was not a man who believed in his power and acted recklessly. She didn't know what he would do to her if she made a big mistake, but she thought that at least he wouldn't take it out on innocent women.
"I heard that the knight from Candel took them away, and you saw it. Is it hard to believe what you saw?"
"Wasn't he trying to make sure it was me? Regular knights don't know my face, so they would randomly grab pink-haired women and check..."
"How is it that no one has returned if they just check? Everything ends when the butler sees their face."
At Doha's logical point, Lariette fell silent. There was nothing to answer, but she still had a small belief in a corner of her mind that Asrahan couldn't do that. Doha slowly swirled his champagne glass. Perhaps because he felt congested inside, he felt sick.
"Don't keep thinking about it. There's no answer anyway. We're already out of the capital, and this journey is something you've always wanted to do until the moment of death, so let's enjoy it."
As soon as Doha finished speaking, he moistened his throat with champagne. He wanted her to stop thinking about the duke and focus on the journey with him. But Lariette continued to stimulate Doha's nerves.
"I need to send a letter."
"...A letter?"
"Yes, a letter explaining my situation. It's my fault, so I have to explain at least. Even though I chose to run away now because I was scared... However, I can't travel without any explanation, ha..."
Lariette's eyes, which had been released without understanding, quickly regained their weapons. Still, she was afraid of his retaliation. It was because her life, which had been difficult to regain, was so precious. The journey to the West was one of her bucket list items, something she wanted to do before dying. So she decided not to return to her selfishness right away. However, she wouldn't evade responsibility forever. Doha looked into her clear and bright purple eyes. Her eyes were excited, but she didn't seem as satisfied as she did now. He continued with a smile.
"If they know where the letter was sent from, they will track it. It could be dangerous."
"I have to take that risk. And if I send a letter, they won't catch any more pink-haired women. They are sure that I am out of the capital, so they don't have to catch and check."
It was a word of conviction that Asrahan couldn't kill an innocent person to vent his anger. Doha felt a great pity for her faith. But there was no further justification for him to stop. Doha shrugged to let her do what she wanted, and Lariette, who had a purpose, ate like crazy. And as soon as the meal was over, she completed a letter to be sent by mail to the House of Candel. Like she had written dozens of times, there was no hesitation in the movement to write. The story went like this.
[To: Asrahan.
Hello, Asrahan. It's Lariette. Let me apologize first. I'm really sorry. The last letter I sent you wasn't from the bottom of my heart.
I thought I had a three-month life expectancy until recently, and I left because I didn't want to die in front of your eyes. But I soon realized that the time limit was a misdiagnosis. Whatever my situation, it hurt Asrahan beyond description. I will take responsibility for it. Whatever punishment you give me, I will accept it gladly. I'm ashamed, but give me a month. I will definitely return to the capital after a month. I'm sorry for being selfish until the end. I heard that the war is coming to an end. I sincerely hope you return without any injuries...]
She wanted to emphasize what she said about liking him and that her feelings weren't false. She really wanted to write that, but it felt too brazen. She couldn't say such a thing because it mocked her feelings. Lariette put a small headdress with a letter in the envelope. She handed it to Asrahan, who was jealous of the bracelet Doha gave her. If he had that, he would be sure it was what she sent.
"I'll send it to you."
Just as Lariette was about to start getting ready to leave, Doha, dressed in a coat, offered.
"No, I can go."
"The train leaves today at 3 o'clock sharp. Miss, we'll have little time to quickly prepare and go to the post office."
She was surprised and looked at the time. It was one o'clock before she realized it. Doha smiled as if her expression of surprise was cute and continued.
"You're not feeling well either. Don't push yourself, Rie."
"But it will be a bother... Thank you, Doha."
"Well, there's nothing to be thankful for."
Lariette grasped his hand with an excited look. Now that she thought about it, Doha took care of her all night, bought train tickets for her on his own, and helped her escape, but she didn't seem to have done much in return.
"Thank you so much. Doha is truly... my best friend..."
She praised with utmost sincerity. Doha had a wry smile. Because there was nothing he hated more than those words.
"There's nothing to be thankful for, really."
----------------
The southern part of the Harshan Empire, the border with the Kingdom of Danube, smelled of blood and fish in the air above the land. The bodies that lost their heads and pierced their hearts formed mountains, and the thick red blood flowed like a river.
Bang~
Squelch. A sticky sound of footsteps echoed through the buzzing of insects around the bodies. A man with blood all over his body emerged from the mountain with a corpse. There was no place on his skin that wasn't red, and his hair was almost indistinguishable. There was a round thing hanging from his large hand. It had been attached to the neck of a living human just a moment ago. When the man who arrived at the headquarters after a long time roughly placed the severed head on the table, everyone around him opened their mouths. There was also a groan from someone laughing.
“Y, Your Grace, that…”
“Jeremiah, Danube’s head.”
A terribly low voice flowed through cracked lips. His throat had been hoarse all day from cutting hair and skin without saying a word. The knights were shocked by the name Jeremiah Danube. Some knelt down in surprise, and others smiled cheerfully. Jeremiah Danube. Instead of the former king of the Kingdom of Danube, it was the crown prince who handled
Tags:
ITDHL (Novel)