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Chapter – 13
“Is there something interesting in the water?”
“Not really. I just have something to think about.”
I tilted my head. The young lady noticed and gave a faint smile.
“You’re curious what I’m thinking about, aren’t you?”
“…To be honest, yes. I am curious.”
“Living a life decided by someone else is a truly disgusting feeling.”
The young lady often said things whose meaning was hard to grasp. At first, I thought she was dissatisfied with how women’s lives were dictated by their fathers or families.
But as far as I knew, she lived a far freer life than most noble daughters.
Duke Krüger adored his daughter and respected her wishes. No matter how big a mess she caused, he was the type to embrace her with love. He would never force her to live a life she didn’t want.
So why did she say such things? Was there a side of Duke Krüger I didn’t know?
“Are you living a life decided by someone else, my lady?”
“Yes. I am living a life decided by someone else. But that applies to you as well, Priest. We’re all living predetermined lives, under the name of ‘God’s will.’ Like marionettes in a puppet show.”
“This is the unfinished discussion about human free will from before. As I said then, my opinion hasn’t changed. Human fate may be decided, but we still have free will. We are not marionettes.”
“That’s just what humans want to believe. Because if they admitted they were marionettes, everything would feel meaningless. They’d want to give up on life.”
Just like I once did.
She murmured quietly. Then she dipped her hand into the clear water, lifted it, and pressed it against her cheek, as if checking the temperature.
Soon, she stood up. I watched her silently.
“My lady, it’s dangerous to stand. Please sit down.”
“…Priest, I can’t find any meaning in this life. Do you think you can find meaning in yours?”
An odd sense of unease washed over me. Before I could reach out to her, her body tilted to the side.
She looked at me and smiled brilliantly. The smile resembled a star just before it exploded. My hand hesitated in midair.
A large ripple spread across the lake. The boat rocked violently.
We were in the middle of the lake—the deepest part. Moreover, the depth dropped off sharply toward the center. Near where boats were docked, the water was shallow enough to swim, but if you fell into the center, survival would be difficult.
Salome might die.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, all the color drained from my face. My heart felt like it was dropping. I shouted her name and threw aside the oar I was holding.
I had to save her. I couldn’t let her die. With only that thought in mind, I jumped into the water. The water, still carrying traces of winter, was bitterly cold.
I forced my eyes open underwater and searched for her. She was slowly sinking toward the bottom of the lake.
I wrapped my arms around her and swam up. Breaking the surface, I gulped in air. Climbing back onto the boat like this was impossible. Holding her with one arm, I swam toward the shore with the other. Her body was as cold as ice.
When I reached the shore, I laid her on the ground. She was unconscious. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.
“My lady, wake up. Please, wake up!”
She didn’t regain consciousness, and she wasn’t breathing properly. Only one method came to mind.
I tilted her head back and lifted her chin. Pinching her nose shut with my thumb and forefinger, I pressed my mouth to hers.
I blew air in forcefully until her chest rose. There was no time to think about how improper this was. After confirming her lungs were filled and her chest had risen, I pulled away.
O God, please let her be safe.
Perhaps my desperate prayer reached the heavens, because she coughed violently and opened her eyes. I waved my hand in front of her face. She slowly sat up, coughing and spitting out water.
Then, with a haggard expression, she looked down at her arms. Her whole body was pale, water dripping from her hair.
“Are you conscious?”
“…Ah, this is worse than I thought. Still, this is my first time falling into water.”
She’d nearly died, and that was all she had to say? I was relieved she was alive. Well… wasn’t that what she was supposed to say?
Even if she had jumped in of her own will, a normal person would have reacted differently. Only after confirming she was truly fine did I regain my composure.
“Why on earth would you do something like that?!”
“Because I thought you would save me.”
“You can’t be serious—!”
She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I was speechless. She was saying she’d attempted suicide on purpose, knowing I would jump in to save her.
I didn’t know how to react. But one thing was certain: I was angry. I’d never been this genuinely angry at her before. She studied my expression.
“Priest, are you angry?”
“Yes. I am angry. Is your life a toy to you? Why don’t you value yourself? You were just on the brink of death. If I hadn’t saved you, you would have sunk to the bottom of that deep lake! Then you wouldn’t even be able to utter such frivolous words again.”
I could tolerate many things, but not treating one’s own life so lightly. The image of her buried at the bottom of that lake sent chills down my spine. My heart raced.
“I won’t die. At least, not yet.”
“And how can you possibly be so sure of that?!”
My voice rose involuntarily. She smiled faintly and reached out, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her cold skin touched mine. Lacking the strength to push her away, I only let out a sigh.
Or perhaps… I didn’t want to push her away.
The steady beat of her heart reassured me. She gently stroked my back and said,
“But it’s nice that you worry about me this much. That means you like me, right?”
“…Don’t test someone’s feelings like that! And I don’t like you. If someone falls into the water, saving them is only natural.”
That was the truth. If it hadn’t been her but someone else, I would have saved them all the same.
Yet, a question stirred within me.
If it had been someone else… would I really have risked my life?
I forcibly pushed the thought aside.
As our bodies pressed together, warmth slowly returned. She pulled back and stared straight at my face.
“You look attractive even when you’re angry, Priest.”
“This is not the time for jokes.”
“I’m not joking. You tend to dismiss everything I say as a joke. That’s a bad habit, you know.”
Judging by how she was spouting nonsense even now, she seemed perfectly fine. Color gradually returned to her previously pale face.
As I examined her face, my gaze suddenly fell on her lips. My face flushed hot.
To save her, I’d given her artificial respiration. In the chaos, I hadn’t even asked for her consent. I had… kissed her.
Of course, it had been unavoidable. Without it, she might have died. Still, I had to tell her.
“My lady, there’s something I need to say. Actually—”
She suddenly grabbed my collar and pulled me toward her. Caught off guard, I was dragged closer. She gently held my chin, and her lips pressed against mine.
Startled, I couldn’t react. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, long lashes fluttering. Her tongue slipped between my teeth.
I flinched as it explored, a soft, pliant sensation sending a shiver from my toes upward.
Just as I was running out of breath, her tongue teasingly tapped the roof of my mouth before withdrawing.
“That makes us even, right? You kissed me first.”
“……”
She shrugged shamelessly. My face burned. By now, it was surely as red as a ripe tomato. No matter the reason, it was true that I had kissed her first. I had no way to argue. I covered my face with both hands.
“Priest, what on earth happened to you? You look like a drowned rat!”
“Anton, there’s a reason—”
“Yes, I’m sure there is. Everyone has their reasons. And this time too, I can already guess….”
Anton glared at her. She smiled back with an innocent expression. Water was still dripping from both her clothes and mine. If we walked around the temple like this, the believers would surely gossip.
Anton dragged me away by the hand. I was sure I’d have to endure at least an hour of his nagging. He’d been the one most vehemently opposed when I first said I’d go out with her.
“Priest!”
At her voice, I turned around. She was waving at me, grinning, then lightly tapping her lips with her finger. She raised her index finger to her mouth, as if asking me to keep it a secret.
…Salome Krüger is truly an unpredictable woman.
