Prologue
“Did you see?”
He calmly wiped the blood on his black gloves.
And undoubtedly he was the Priest Leo she knew.
“…Why, Father?”
“Why?”
The silver cross on his perfectly maintained priest’s robe swayed slightly.
“I don’t like it when someone else kills Anya.”
Between his slightly twisted lips, he spoke her name.
“Anya.”
Approaching gently while calling her name, he reached out his hand. Grasping her cheeks, he opened his mouth.
“You don’t need to pretend to be a foolish priest anymore.”
Leo Priest was just a facade, a guise created to break down Anya’s defenses.
“So from now on, don’t call me Father Leo.”
The gaze fixed on her crimson lips shifted upward. Her bewildered eyes reflected his face.
“Ivan Abramovich.”
The name that came out of his mouth caused Anya’s lips to slowly part.
Ivan Abramovich—he was the son of the man she should have killed as a government official.
Ivan lowered his head toward Anya, who wore a look of disbelief. Before he could seize her parted lips, he spoke his final words.
“Call me Vanya.”
Vanya—a nickname permitted only to her.
