Chapter 66
She wanted to hide her impure, dark hair. Then she remembered that Emma had put a bonnet on her. This thought finally reassured her, and she exhaled softly.
Lucas gently patted her back, understanding her worries. It often felt like he could see right through her.
Feeling somewhat strange, she began to walk again, realizing that the Pope hadn’t asked anything about her. What she had worried about seemed pointless—the Pope might have already understood her situation and chose not to inquire because she was Lucas’s guest.
Even though she might be a woman forsaken by God, the Pope accepted her without question because Lucas brought her. Leila felt a mix of gratitude and sadness, pressing her lips together.
She heard the sound of a door opening and felt they had entered somewhere. The place, which had felt bustling with people earlier, now seemed very quiet.
“Then, please pray comfortably.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
“Hohoho, think nothing of it.”
After finishing his conversation, the Pope left the room. Once they were alone, Lucas spoke to her.
“Let’s move a bit further in.”
“…Yes.”
Instead of trying to gauge her emotions right now, she decided to follow his lead. With each step, Leila realized this was a larger space than she had initially thought. The sound of their footsteps echoed far.
Then Lucas whispered in her ear.
“It would be truly enchanting if you could play the violin here.”
“…I think so too.”
She had been thinking about how wonderful it would be to play the violin in such a place. The fact that they had the same thought made her feel peculiar. After walking a bit further, he spoke again.
“Would you slowly lower your hand?”
At his words, Leila lowered the hand that had been covering her eyes. She opened her eyes at the same time, but the light was so overwhelming that she couldn’t keep them open. She was surprised, as she had never seen such dazzling light before.
“I wonder if you can see it well.”
His voice was filled with anticipation. However, it didn’t reach her ears. The light pouring in here didn’t seem like ordinary light. The colorful and brilliant hues were more varied than the rainbow she had seen as a child, so beautiful that they defied description.
“Wow…”
Her mind, which had been filled with distracting thoughts, suddenly cleared. The scattered, fragmented colors in front of her looked like flower petals. The bright hues spread out like small petals fluttering down.
“…It’s so beautiful.”
“When I first saw it, I couldn’t take my eyes off it either. Despite His Holiness allowing me to use this prayer room to pray comfortably, I couldn’t pray at all and was captivated by the sunlight streaming through this window.”
When Leila mentioned she could see light, he immediately thought of the Pope’s prayer room. It was a place only the most devout could enter, but Lucas, being someone who fit well with the church, was highly favored by the Pope. Perhaps it was also because noble donations flowed in whenever he visited the temple.
“I hope it pleases you.”
Her heart began to race wildly again at his words. Every word he spoke made her feel excited and nervous. She didn’t fully believe everything he said, but regardless of belief, she was curious why he treated her so well.
“…Your Grace.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you so good to me…?”
Lucas couldn’t answer her immediately. He couldn’t very well say it was because he found her blindness appealing. Of course, no man would go to such lengths for someone without some kind of emotion.
“Well. Does there need to be a reason?”
So, he avoided the question. He didn’t want to give her false hope or cause her pain.
“…And why did you introduce me as your fiancée?”
To the second question, Lucas replied softly.
“Because I wish to marry you.”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.