Don’t Be Holy! - Chapter 150

“We met at the Probasc Temple about ten years ago. Back then, I had short hair, and everyone mistook me for a boy. You also suggested we go to the waterside for swimming…….”

“Does that give you the right to look at someone else’s body?”

“It’s not my fault. If we’re going to place blame, it’s yours for stripping as soon as you saw the lake. Please put your hands down from your chest. It makes me feel like a pervert.”

Eir pleaded, reaching out her hand. Being in such a confined space with someone as naive and innocent-looking as Abel regarding her as if she were immoral truly made her feel like she was committing a crime.

In her confusion, Eir didn’t even notice that she had switched to informal speech. And Abel was the same as he mumbled an excuse.

“Well, I really can’t stand the heat….”

Only after unconsciously matching the woman’s informal speech did Abel clear his throat belatedly. Whether it was from hearing her story or not, the woman somehow felt familiar.

Now that he thought about it, the butler had said something similar before he heard these words.

As he was being dragged away by his suddenly appearing father, leaving the woman behind, the butler had anxiously asked why he had stayed so long and what had happened.

Abel was slightly angry at the butler for escalating the matter, but following the scripture’s teaching to minimize expressing one’s emotions towards others, he answered calmly.

‘I merely conversed with her.’

The butler tilted his head and inhaled with bewilderment.

‘But aren’t you usually unable to converse well with women? That’s why I never thought you would talk for so long. I thought something must have happened.’

Now that he thought about it, that was true.

Abel, trying to emulate Rubel who wouldn’t even make contact with women, had unconsciously developed an aversion to women. He rarely spoke unless absolutely necessary, and even necessary words were spoken with extreme nervousness, but with this woman, he conversed comfortably.

But at the time, he thought it was because he was facing a witch, and his priestly self was activated more strongly, nothing more.

Yet here he was, using informal speech as if bewitched.

Since becoming a priest, he hadn’t used informal speech with anyone except Petro.

So Abel thought that either this woman was truly a fearsome witch, or everything she said was true. And his heart slowly leaned toward the latter.

Because for Abel, there was no reason anywhere for Eir to be a witch, unlike Rubel’s conviction.

“Ahem.”

Abel cleared his throat audibly and began to ramble. Eir knew that when Abel was letting go of what he had been insisting on, he would talk more to salvage his remaining pride.

“Even if what you say is true, I request that you not mention anything about what happened in the past. I’m not curious. I don’t want to be manipulated by you using such things.”

Eir could only make a sour face, as she had no intention of talking about it in the first place. Anyway, his tendency to freely make assumptions was exactly like his brother’s.

Even as she was lost in thought, Abel’s long speech continued.

Whatever your story was, what you did cannot be forgiven. How could you for such a long time…

Then suddenly, he stopped as if realizing something.

“Why didn’t you tell my brother the truth?”

Eir couldn’t answer.

At first, she had told him, but he didn’t believe her, and as time passed, she became more afraid to speak. She knew Rubel would find a runaway priestess more horrifying than a witch. She was afraid of receiving his hatred.

“And my brother, not knowing, has…….”

Abel’s words pierced Eir’s heart like a blade. But Abel continued his attack, relentlessly sending contemptuous glances her way.

Even for him, it was deeply wounding to learn that someone he once had feelings for, even if it was ten years ago, had not only become a fugitive priest in such a mess but had also played with his brother’s heart.

“This is the worst. I’ve seen people toying with others in various ways, but this is a first. Was it fun all this time?”

How could it have been fun?

Honestly speaking, the one who suffered was clearly Eir, who was treated as a criminal. That would make more sense, wouldn’t it?

But Eir couldn’t say anything.

For some reason, thinking that Abel’s current reaction resembled what Rubel’s reaction would be later, her mouth went dry and her mind went blank, unable to form any words.