Be Fascinated

31-32

It was just that. Claude laughed out loud in incredulity. Come to think of it, the reason he didn’t focus on that prayer was because of that woman.

“Her name… It’s Philia.”

Even though he thought she was no fun, that she was boring, he kept looking at her. Claude’s gaze relentlessly focused on her. It didn’t matter if it was the gaze of a vicious beast that prowled on its prey, or the gaze of a sly hunter who was aiming for a beast to capture.

This moment awakened his interest. Claude was willing to move for Philia.

Claude obsessively observed Philia whenever he met her. The almost colorless blonde hair became darker at the roots. Her eyes were always down and there was a soft smile on her lips.

That’s not it, hurry up, smile more.

Should he give her more gifts? Claude thought, but he knew the gift was useless when the High Priest thanked him.

That woman touched it for a moment and gave it to the High Priest to return it to the Crown Prince.

He tried to talk to her, but he had no excuse for a conversation with her. Rather, Philia avoided it when men spoke to her.

His reddish-brown eyes turned to the men who stared at Philia tenaciously.

They disguised their desire with honorable devotion and loyalty towards the saint, but it was clear to him that those gazes were stained with dirt.
They disguised their desire with honorable devotion and loyalty towards the saint, but it was clear to him that those gazes were stained with dirt.

That woman must have already been assaulted by them in their mind’s eye again and again.

Claude didn’t think of her in that way. It was just interesting to see the little differences she showed. He wanted to see her smiling brightly with jewelry once again. After drinking a few drops of water in the arid desert, he felt a strange thirst, as if languishing to drink more.

Then one day—

Claude went looking for Philia as usual. Philia avoided him, feeling uncomfortable. It was as if she had noticed his gaze. So he became even more anxious.

He wanted to talk even one more time. He wanted to make eye contact one more time.

Ah, why is that woman a saint? If it hadn’t been for that, he would have grabbed her right away and kept her by his side.

Claude, who was chewing on his lips, heard a familiar sound. It was the sound his own father made whenever he was sleeping with a whore. Of course, his mother also made such a noise when sleeping with a different nobleman.

It wasn’t surprising to see someone else’s love affair. But he wasn’t happy either. Claude watched them indifferently as they mixed their bodies. Thinking that he would cut off their neck later.
But, with his eyes wide open, he found Philia, who looked at it and was helpless, and the thought disappeared. She was so startled that she couldn’t do anything.

In the meantime, he felt happy and approached Philia. Those big eyes were filled with a great sin that she clearly had never even thought of before.

With her expression of not knowing what to do, Claude felt euphoric again as he saw this. When he nearly caught her, he reached out his hand, covered her mouth, and pulled her into his arms.

“Shh, be quiet.”

Claude whispered in her ear. The golden hair lightly touched the tip of his nose, smelling like flowers. Aside from her modest appearance, the scent that reached his nose was very mesmerizingly fragrant.