I Pretended To Have Amnesia and the Hero’s Party Becomes Obsessed

22 – 3. The place where the gaze rests is where the heart lies (4)

It was a drowsy day with a hazy sky.

The sunlight felt like a burst of warmth rather than a beam.

And the air on such a day was like a lazy embrace.

“And Seidi said. There’s nothing else I need other than that person… haham.”

The boy reading the novel aloud suddenly burst into laughter. His eyes were still sleepy.

The objection from the listener was immediate.

“Didn’t I grow up early? Why am I already yawning today?”

The girl lying on the boy’s lap poked the boy and asked. The boy lowered his head and covered his eyes with his palm.

“I didn’t sleep late. I just felt tired yesterday.”

“Liar. You stayed up late studying ancient languages, didn’t you?”

The girl sat up a bit and said.

“Why bother studying ancient languages in the first place? What’s the point of it?”

“I have to study ancient languages. Even if I can’t be a saint, I can at least be a supporting character. I have to be a supporting character so I can keep working at the temple.”

“So, it’s a useless thing.

The girl’s arms wrap around the boy’s waist. Without concealing the roughness in her tone, she spoke.

“Anyway, Rem will be my exclusive servant until death.”

Unconsciously, the boy pretended to be indifferent, covering his face. He couldn’t know what expression he was wearing.

Finally managing to compose his expression, he muttered with discontent.

“Considering that, Miss Clara doesn’t seem to go to sleep early either, does she?”

“…!”

The girl’s red eyes widened, and she touched the freckles under her eyes with her white hand.

Then, puffing up her cheeks, she said.

“I didn’t go to bed late doing useless things like Rem, did I?”

“What have you been doing?”

At that, the girl suddenly laughed and winked.

“Something for you.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, but the girl just covered her mouth, saying nothing more.

“I can’t tell you more. It’s a secret.”

However, like someone preparing for something, she didn’t forget a meaningful smile.

“But you can look forward to it.”

A question arose in the boy’s eyes. However, he quickly rolled his eyes, dismissing the question.

The boy’s owner was as unpredictable and eccentric as ever.

Surely, she must be doing something as extravagant and pointless as piling up golden cups like last time.

The boy decided to ignore it.

And, through the window, a strange sound was heard.

“_____!”

A sound like a wounded animal crying low.

It took the boy a bit of time to realize that it was someone’s sobbing.

Feeling something unusual, the boy tried to get up from his seat.

“I, I’ll check for a moment…”

“Forget it, no need to move.”

However, the girl’s arms did not release the boy. Bewilderment crossed the boy’s face.

“But someone outside is crying…”

“They probably clashed with someone. Don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t a crying sound that could be attributed to anyone. It was the cry of someone whose delicate, vulnerable part had been shattered, something that shouldn’t have been hurt. The boy who lived in the alley could distinguish him.

However, the girl didn’t entertain questions.

The girl reached out towards the window. The light emanating from her hand filled the window seamlessly. Then, the sound ceased to be heard.

“Just finish reading the novel for me.”

“But…”

And suddenly, the girl looked at the boy with a pitiful expression, with deer-like pupils.

“Or, do you not want to be with me…?”

As if pulling the boy’s clothes with an invisible force.

The boy nodded his head, feeling that he shouldn’t keep receiving this, yet.

“…Alright.”

Putting away the beast-like cry to one side, he resumed reading the novel.

“…But Eric answered with a sad expression. Blind love is a dangerous thing…”

***

“Wait, are we talking about the story where our four eyes disappear?”

I glared at the manager who had abruptly interrupted the story. There was an inexplicable annoyance on her flushed face, probably due to alcohol.

“But, the story so far… it’s just… a common love story between a commoner and a noble lady!”

“It’s not a love story.”

I replied with a cold expression.

However, the manager’s response was straightforward.

“Don’t lie. Do you know what expression you had until just now? It was like reminiscing about an old lover.”

That remark hit a nerve. I shot a sharp look and coldly retorted.

“…Manager, do you find my story boring? Shall we just end the story here?”

The manager’s eyes showed confusion, then she clapped her hands immediately.

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just that…”

The manager scratched her cheek as if embarrassed. There was a bitter smile on her lips.

“Just… let’s skip these irritating side stories.”

I sighed as I looked at the manager like that.

“Well, since you were about to start that story, let’s wait a bit.”

With those words, the manager’s eyes began to shine again. Looking at her pitifully, I opened my mouth again.

“So… about a month after that, the Sujeong Palace was turned upside down.”

“Suddenly? Why?”

I twisted my face.

Though I had surely removed it when attaching the prosthetic, the golden shards felt like they were piercing my eyes once again.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I managed to open my mouth and replied.

“The Pope summoned Clara.”

***

Originally, the Palace of Amendments was a very quiet place.

It meant quiet in the physical sense, but at the same time, it signified a quietness in terms of work.

The work here was merely catering to the whims of the saint.

However, many priests wanted to work here, and the current saint did not like going outside the palace.

There were many people, but not much work to do.

As a result, the concept of busyness became unfamiliar to the priests here.

Could it be that the second busiest person in this Palace of Amendments was a boy who always played with the girl?

However, quietness exists to be broken.

A week ago, everything became a thing of the past due to a letter that arrived from Aholtlot.

The boy without wrists ran through the corridors, a jewel box cradled preciously in his arms.

Yet, the priests passing him didn’t cast their usual hateful glances at the boy. To be precise, they didn’t have the luxury to do so.

Some priests lounged on large silk beds, their faces turning red.

Others rushed somewhere, holding fabric.

Some priests walked while staring at ledgers, tearing at their hair.

Various forms of suffering,

But all that suffering had the same purpose.

Preparations for the journey of the prospective saint Clara to visit the Pope.

The boy with the jewel box on his shoulder opened the door to the girl’s room.

With the help of the female priests, the girl, clad in a complex outfit, revealed herself.

Basking in the spring sun flowing through the window, she was as beautiful as an angel manifested, but her face was twisted like a little devil.

The boy breathed heavily as he extended the jewel box to the girl.

“Haa… Haa… I brought it!”

The girl, rudely pushing away the hands of the female priests, accepted the jewel box the boy handed her. After opening it and inspecting its contents, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“This is awful… And this too… Ugh, disgusting. Not you, not you. Not you either…”

The jewelry stored in the jewelry box is thrown to the floor by the hands of the girl. Each one of them was considered a treasure of the church.

As the jewels and gold ornaments fell to the floor, the faces of the priestesses gradually turned pale.

“Ah, this one is not bad.”

Fortunately for both the boy and the priestesses, the destruction did not last long. The girl picked up the pendant with seven colored gems embedded in it and threw the entire jewelry box aside.

And then, facing the bewildered expressions of the priestesses, she spread her arms.

“Hurry up and do something about it. Take them off again quickly.”

“Yes, I…!”

“And, where is Lem?”

As the boy, staggeringly, turned to look at the girl with a puzzled expression.

“I also have to help with carrying the luggage now.”

“Forget it, just stay here.”

“But…”

“Just stay here, I said.”

The girl glared at the boy with her red eyes.

Eyes filled with deep annoyance.

The boy nodded obediently.

Over the past week, he had learned that it was best to behave like this.

Looking at the boy, the girl muttered as if chewing on her thoughts.

“That darn old man, he should’ve died gracefully. What else does he want us to do?”

Unthinkable words even in her own mind.

The shoulders of the priestesses, who were dressing her, trembled heavily. Some of them even started to show tears.

“When people reach the time to go to heaven, they naturally become fragile.”

The one who saved them was Bishop Ivan, who had always kept silent until now.

He spoke in his usual gentle tone.

“Please, understand Clara with great generosity.”

However, he didn’t expect the girl’s brows to soften just once.

“Why in the first place is the Pope, the author, not in the Papal See, but stuck in the northern countryside?”

“…He mentioned that he has one final task to do, but I didn’t hear any details. However, I’m sure it must be something important.”

The girl’s face twisted into a frown.

“Does that give him the right to summon someone who was just resting in peace? If he wants to see my face before he dies, he should come over here himself.”

Then, suddenly, the girl’s eyes widened as if she had a good idea. She looked at Ivan with hopeful eyes and said,

“Ivan, come to think of it, shouldn’t it be like that? Ivan, you know, the saint is considered higher than the pope. Why not just go see the old man, right?”

Upon hearing this, Ivan showed a smile for the first time.

“Miss Clara, I’m sorry, but you’re not a saint yet. You’re a prospective saint, right?”

“That’s the point! Anyway, after the consecration ceremony…”

“The Pope may still disapprove of you.”

The girl bit her lip in response to his words. Ivan closed his eyes and continued speaking.

“And, it’s not unprecedented.”

Prospective saint, Glaia.

The girl who could not become a saint, the first and last.

Her compassionate nature led her to teach the beggars the sacred law. And for that sin, she had her eyes gouged out and died.

The girl, recalling that incident, chewed on her lips. Then, with a resigned voice, she said,

“…Wearing a mask should work, a mask.”

And the girl tried to suppress her anger in her mind.

…

Yes, it’s just a brief visit.

If I just smile at the old man’s face once, it should be enough.

And maybe it won’t be as bad as I think. Surely, there will be time afterward.

During that time, the girl could wander around with the boy in Aholt.

Thinking that way, the girl felt a smile coming to her lips.

Yes, instead of going to meet that old man, I’m going on a journey with the boy.

Come to think of it, I’ve never been anywhere with the boy.

…Yes, I could look forward to such a journey.

With a smile on her face, the girl began to think about what she could do and play with the boy inside the carriage.

…

Yes, it was definitely like that.

I was having such a happy imagination.

What on earth is happening in front of the girl now?

Kop-

A red liquid paints a mosaic on the girl’s face.

Her eyes widen as if they would burst, but the girl does not comprehend the sight before her.

Only, like paper soaked in water, each element seeps into her eyes.

The sky drenched in sunset.

The edge of the forest turning black.

A knight pulling out a sword from his chest.

And, bleeding and falling to the ground,

the boy the girl cherished and loved.

“Rem…?”