Saint's Prison - Chapter 110

A Noisy Night

It’s the words of family.

At the worn edge of memory.

“You have been chosen,”

Mother said, averting her eyes.

“Fulfill your duty,”

Father said, narrowing his eyes.

“Become one, and accept everything,”

Grandmother said, crying.

“This is our destined fate,”

Grandfather said, laughing.

Those are the words of a family, now just a memory with faces I can no longer recall.

***

Ah, my head hurts.

Awakened by a throbbing pain, I feel discomfort in my blurry vision. Darkness envelops me, and I am unwillingly aware that night has fallen.

…What happened to me?

Raising my body, which had been lying down, I fumble around to determine my location. Rough linen bedding. Smooth and lukewarm skin. Sweet breaths I can barely hear. I inadvertently hold my breath at the sensation.

Then, moonlight streams through the window.

My eyes chase the light, widening as my mouth trembles. I short-circuit at the sight before me.

“Sofia-san,”

Next to me lies Sofia-san… naked, lying next to me. And I, too, am without a single thread of clothing.

“Did I… sleep with Sofia-san?”

Saying it out loud, I understood.

The heavy scent of a woman fills the room. The unnaturally damp bedding. The red marks Red marks were scattered all over Sophia’s white skin, as if to infringe on it. Everything was telling. Ah, I was careful. I, Sophia. I don’t remember how it happened, but there was evidence right in front of me that I couldn’t escape from.

“Heh, huhuhu, ahaha,”

Despite being terribly shaken, I found myself laughing. It was the only thing I could do. It wasn’t fun, nor was it joyful. I simply couldn’t fully accept the reality before me. That’s what I had to think.

My heart thudded wildly.

As if still hungry, it pulsated. How greedy can you be? Haven’t you had your fill? What more do you desire? Feeling disgusted, I pressed my hand against my chest. No more desires. No more tainting. No more loving.

That’s right. To prevent that from happening, I kept running and running and running… Wait, what happened then?

“Amal.”

Whispering her name,

I wanted to see her. To see Amal.

Despite my betrayal, despite holding another woman, I shamelessly wanted nothing more than to see her. I slipped out of the bed, picking up my discarded clothes off the floor and clumsily putting them on while a chilly feeling crept over me.

Then, with unsteady steps, I began to walk. The sound of my feet echoed on the cobblestones.

Pitter-patter.

Echoing in the silence.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Echoing in the silence.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, clank.

—Echoing in the silence?

Giggles.

Someone laughed.

Something sneered.

The sound of a crowd could be heard.

Amidst the silence, it was noisy.

The night was so noisy.

“Hey, turn around.”

If I turned around, it would be the end. That much I understood. I knew nothing else. I closed my eyes tightly, a clear sign of my determination not to look.

“Turn around, turn around, turn around… please, I want you.”

The words kept repeating. I didn’t respond. Instinct warned me not to.

“Find me. Call my name. Love me…”

Whispered into my ear.

The voice was wet, both familiar and strange. My heart, starving and exultant, soaked up the sound.

I couldn’t breathe. Oxygen wasn’t circulating, and my blood saturation plummeted. My consciousness faded.

Die, die, want to die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die.

――――Die.

“Hey, who am I?”

The last time I heard her voice, it sounded so lonely.

＊＊＊

“…Andy-sama?”

My name was called. I opened my eyes. The setting sun was streaming through the window. There in my view was a young girl sitting on the bed, peering worriedly into my face. I involuntarily gasped, not from surprise but from an immense sense of guilt.

“Ah, Amal. I, I am…”

“Andy-sama, are you alright? You seemed to be having a nightmare; did you see something frightening?”

“A dream, was it all just a dream?”

“Yes, a dream. You seemed to be suffering, Andy-sama, so I woke you.”

I see. So it was all a dream. The pilgrimage, putting Sofia-san to bed, and holding her, was it all just a dream?

With that thought, the tension left my shoulders. Good. I had not betrayed Amal.

“Is that so. Amal, thank you.”

“Yes, Andy-sama.”

I took Amal’s hand and pulled her close. She didn’t resist. On the contrary, she happily rubbed her face against my chest, marking me as usual. A soft, faint scent of roses tickled my nose.

“Because Andy-sama found me, called my name, and loved me… I can be myself.”

“Amal?”

“I will not hand over Andy-sama to anyone. As if I would. No matter who they are, I will not allow them to touch you. You alone are my light. My everything. My beloved.”

Amal lifted her face and gave a small smile.