His Kindness Is A Lie

Until yesterday, or rather, even this morning, I had been so curious about the scenery of this city.

What colors might this land hold, where cool winds blow even in the summer? What would it feel like to observe the daily life that seeps through the people? Would it be warm like the smoke rising white from the chimneys?

But I didn’t expect to have the chance to see it so clearly like this. Should I be happy for this fleeting opportunity, or should I grieve for the death that is soon to come?

The knights escorted her without covering her eyes. Thanks to that, the gathered crowd could see with their own eyes the existence of the witch, which until now had only been a rumor.

It wasn’t only gazes of contempt. Some people, already captivated by the witch’s beauty, must have pitied her as she was being led away.

However, they could not express it outwardly. The rumors, which had seeped into this land under the guise of prophecy, were far heavier and greater than personal feelings.

Bella’s eyes, bound by rope and being dragged along, were lifeless. In her heart, where the small sprouts of hope had been trampled, there was nothing left to expect.

Once she was dragged to the temple, what came next was obvious. The witch wouldn’t even be given a chance to defend herself; she was marked for immediate execution.

They would likely burn her alive, claiming it was to cleanse her filthy body.

As soon as that thought occurred, her fingers trembled with instinctive fear. It felt like a heavy stone was weighing down her feet, making it impossible to move. Memories she didn’t want to recall surged through her mind like a storm.

“All witches must be caught and killed.”

“If we leave her be, she’ll bring a bloody storm to the nation, just like the prophecy says.”

“Burn her already!”

Even with her eyes closed, the painful memories kept rising from the endless darkness.

Every time she pushed through the shouting crowds, there was always her mother, tied to the stake. Only after locking eyes with her mother on that day did her mind go blank.

“What are you doing? Move already!”

Despite the knight’s urging as he pushed from behind, she didn’t move, keeping her head lowered. Her unexpected behavior caused a stir around her.

“What’s going on? Is she chanting a spell to cast magic or something?”

At someone’s anxious remark, the crowd’s voices grew louder. Even with her eyes closed, she could clearly hear the faint footsteps of people hesitantly backing away. At that moment, a sudden blow to her head snapped her back to reality.

“Ah…!”

A stone that came flying from somewhere tore her soft skin, making her collapse to the ground. Only after understanding the cause did the dull pain in her head catch up to her.

Slowly raising her head, most of the crowd looked shocked. One among them, however, shouted angrily.

“You wicked witch! You killed our Sien, didn’t you?”

That shout reignited the atmosphere, which had briefly calmed down. The knights showed no intention of protecting her, merely standing by.

“That’s right. There are already two people who’ve died at that witch’s hands!”

Perhaps due to the blow to her head, the people’s voices began to blur and echo. Feeling slightly dizzy, short breaths escaped from her mouth.

“Don’t just stand there, move!”

Her body was dragged helplessly by the knight’s rough grip. Whether it was due to her hazy consciousness, it seemed she could hear the sound of a horse galloping from somewhere.

Just when she felt like giving up entirely, the sound of hooves rapidly approached.

The sharp screams of people tore through her ears, and the dust rising in the air covered her body. In an instant, a strong arm grabbed her and lifted her onto a horse.

It all happened so fast that even the knights couldn’t respond in time. Only after the dust settled a bit did the knights realize that the witch had disappeared.

“Quick, chase them! The witch has an accomplice! Capture both of them alive!”

The voice of the frantic knight commander quickly faded. Amidst the confusion, she found herself laughing, merely because she had escaped from the knights.

Whoever the person that had kidnapped her was, and whatever their intentions were, it didn’t really matter. Nothing could be more dreadful than death, she thought.

The knights were pursuing them, but it didn’t seem like they would be caught. Feeling a bit of relief creeping in, she glanced up slightly. The man had his hood up and his face covered, leaving only his eyes visible. Somehow, it didn’t seem like he had kidnapped her with ill intent.

“Um…”

She parted her lips and tried to speak softly, but there was no response. It seemed that her voice couldn’t be heard clearly due to the fast galloping of the horse.

She crouched down and centered herself to avoid falling off the horse. As the sudden shift in events started to sink in, the pain from various parts of her body that she had temporarily forgotten began to return.

As she endured the pain with short breaths, the horse’s speed gradually slowed. When she opened her eyes, which she had been closing tightly, a familiar scene came into view.

It was the area near the forest she had fled from just yesterday. Whether or not the man had saved her, there was no reason to stop here.

In the middle of the road, right before her, was a forest that was strictly off-limits to the general public—a sanctuary. Of course, she couldn’t be certain if that was true, but it felt suspiciously lax for a sacred place.

The man helped her down from the horse. When she looked at him in confusion, he gestured toward the forest. No way.

“…You’re telling me to go in there?”

To return of her own will to the place she had desperately escaped from to survive?

She was too reluctant and just stood there blankly, staring at the forest. The more she looked at the dense trees, the more it felt like she was being sucked in.

The man silently nodded. At that moment, she felt a faint tremor from the ground. Seeing the man glance back as well, it didn’t seem to be her imagination. He adjusted the reins of the horse and turned it around.

Was he going to leave just like that? He had suddenly appeared, taken her away from the knights, and now it was all over? For what reason?

One question after another surfaced in her mind, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. Even if she asked, it didn’t seem like he would answer.

With his back still turned to her, the man finally spoke, parting his lips as if they had been sealed shut.

“If you’re caught by the knights, you’ll be burned alive at the stake. But if you run into the forest, you might live.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to think about something, then muttered under his breath.

“You might die, though.”

If it was just a thought to himself, he could’ve kept it in his head. But of all the words he said, it was the last, softly mumbled part that stuck with her the most.

It was probably because of the man she had encountered in the forest yesterday.

Without giving her time to thank him, the man left decisively. Even though her head was spinning and her vision was blurring, she was reluctant to enter the forest.

The knights chasing her appeared in the distance. Although they seemed far away, they were closing the distance quickly on horseback, meaning she had less time to make a decision than she thought.

She knew she didn’t have many options. There was no optimal choice right now.

There was only the worst and the second worst.

With a short breath, Bella finally stepped into the forest.

The fresh scent wafting from the woods tickled her lingering unease. The memory of the forest was strongly etched into her mind in a negative way. For someone who once found comfort in the forest, this time, it was the complete opposite.

She could clearly feel that her condition was worsening the further she walked. She couldn’t tell if the wetness running down her cheek was blood or cold sweat. Her breath was becoming more labored, and her body felt heavier, making it difficult to continue.

When she looked back, there wasn’t a trace of the knights. So, it seemed the sanctuary wasn’t a lie. On the other hand, it also meant that she had just become a witch who dared to step into the sacred ground.

The temple would be in an uproar again.

In the end, she collapsed onto the ground after struggling to take a few more steps. The thick smell of earth that filled her nostrils seemed to be telling her to rest now, that she had done enough.

The desire to close her eyes and sleep right there overwhelmed her. What was holding onto her so persistently now?

As she heard the sound of someone stepping on the fallen leaves, her eyes fluttered open slightly. When she struggled to raise her head, she saw someone’s feet standing in front of her.

Could it be that man?

Her heart, which had been flickering out like a dying flame, started to beat violently. As she saw the figure kneel on one knee, she was certain.

It was him.

That voice, cold as the night air, pressed down on her entire being, a voice she would never forget.

“If you get caught by me again…”

The man grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at him. As soon as Bella met his eyes, she regretted her decision.

How could she have thought that this was the lesser evil? No one could possibly know what the worst would be. This man would surely be the death of her.

As he caressed her cheek, the man smiled in satisfaction. His eyes, however, didn’t match the curve of his lips. They were still filled with a murderous intent.

Like a child who had finally gotten what they wanted, his gaze was pure and brutal. Even the artificial smile hanging from his lips disappeared in an instant.

“What did I say I would do?”