“Don’t do anything; just stay locked up in your room.”
Dolance muttered as he left the room.
“Or just die when no one’s around.”
I want to do that too, axxhole!
Trembling, I collapsed to the floor, and with a click, the door closed.
I sighed and waited for the pain to subside before gingerly getting up from the floor.
‘I can’t die, but I’m just getting beat up. What a life!’
I sighed heavily and went back to bed.
‘It’s better to keep a low profile and take care of myself instead of risking getting killed by that weirdo.’
Anyway, I somehow managed to get to the capital. The chance of meeting Carlothian has increased.
‘I’ll stay quiet for a while, then try to escape and go to him.’
Who knows? Maybe he’ll cut me off for escaping the temple.
I pulled the blankets up to my neck, igniting a fleeting circuit of hope.
It seemed like the blow I received earlier would leave a bruise.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Bang!
I was thrown against the wall.
I shut my eyes tightly in anticipation of the pain that would follow. When I heard a thud, dull pain radiated from my shoulder.
As I trembled without even being able to scream, he slapped me.
For several days, Dolance’s assaults continued like this. The high priest, who promised to take good care of me, was too busy to even look at me.
‘I just have to endure a bit longer, until that bastard loses interest in me and I can escape…’
I must not cause any trouble here. Endure, just endure.
Thud!
“Eugh-!”
But when he hit my head, a dull sound echoed through my skull. This bastard only hits places you can’t see, so he won’t get caught. What a sneaky bastard.
“Do you even know how to repent? I thought you’d go to the High Priest and tell him.”
‘I don’t have time to go to the High Priest when you’re guarding me all day, you little shxt!’
Of course, I had no intention of going to the High Priest just because that guy got away from me.
It was somewhat fortunate that the high priest didn’t come either.
My goal was to cause as little trouble as possible and quietly escape from the temple.
If word got out that I was being assaulted here, that bastard could be in trouble, but I might end up with even more guards watching me.
Then I would have to say bye-bye to my escape plan.
“So, today, just stay quiet here. Don’t make a fuss.”
Dolance said, tossing me a piece of bread.
Snap, bang!
As he left, I picked up the bread crumbs and started eating.
Even Mount Geumgang must be seen after eating, so I couldn’t endure it without eating.**
(TL/N: I’m not sure if I translated that correctly, but it is a Korean proverb meaning that even the most enjoyable activities are better experienced after taking care of basic needs, like eating.)
‘I will definitely escape from here.’
With determined eyes, I finished the bread and climbed back onto the bed.
With that bastard guarding the door all day, there was only so much I could do inside the room.
No, it would be more accurate to say there was nothing I could do. I gathered my knees, lifted the hem of my clothes, and began to inspect my body.
Purple bruises adorned my arms, legs, and back, covered by the robe. I clicked my tongue and lowered my robe.
‘After all this, he should have lost interest.’
Indeed, the guy who used to come and harass me during meal times had reduced his visits to once a day.
‘Ah, how boring…’
Realizing how difficult it was to do nothing, I keenly felt it here.
This explains why prisoners detest solitary confinement.
‘Wait, am I just like them?’
Being confined to a prison cell, unable to leave. The room was so cramped that it was difficult to even pace around.
I sighed and pulled the covers over my head.
I had to stay as still as possible until Dolance came for dinner. If I moved even a little, he would surely do something nasty again.
Doing nothing made me naturally sleepy.
‘I’m sleepy; let’s just go to sleep…….’
How long did I close my eyes?
Bam!
I jolted awake at the sound of the door being forcefully opened. It was Dolance.
‘What, is it already dinner time?’
He was holding up a piece of bread, the same one from lunch.
“You come here.”
His eyes were unsettling. I pressed myself against the wall on the bed.
“Damn high-ranking priests. They just ignore people and…”
His eyes were burning with anger. Dolance had been humiliated today during the temple scripture recitation.
Because he had made a mistake while reciting a verse that even young children knew.
While ordinary priests ignored Dolance’s temperament, the higher-ranking ones didn’t need to fear him, so they openly mocked him.
And I, not knowing why he had become twisted, assumed that he had simply been ignored by the outside world. Do worshippers also disrespect each other?
No, why did he come here to take it out on me when he got slapped elsewhere?
But Dolance grabbed my hair, which was pressed against the wall, and dragged me to the floor. There wasn’t even a cry of pain.
“I’m being ignored by people because I’m taking care of someone like you. Everyone hates you.”
‘No, why is that my fault? You’re being ignored because you’re lacking!’
“Ugh…”
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the pain in my scalp. He squatted down, grabbed my hair, and shook it as he spoke.
“Aren’t you sorry at all?”
‘No, what did I do wrong to this bastard?’
As I winced from pain, he furrowed his brow. Then he raised his fist.
‘Oh crap…’
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. He would likely strike me in an area where it wouldn’t be visible again.
Whack!
Ow! Did this jerk just hit me in the face?
I felt something hard and round somewhere. I rolled on the floor after receiving the blow.
My eyes wouldn’t open properly from the pain. Oh, it hurts so much. I crouched down on the floor and trembled.
As I groped the ground, I touched a table chair’s leg.
“Someone, like you, should just die quickly.”
Ah, I can’t take it anymore.
I grabbed the chair and stood up abruptly from my seat. One of my eyes still wouldn’t open, but I looked up at him with a menacing look.
“W-what?”
He staggered back as I lifted the chair.
“If you keep acting like this, don’t you know it’s only going to hurt you?”
I don’t care, you bastard. Just put me to death already!
Crash!
The chair I threw hit him square on.
“Ow!”
He screamed as he fell to the ground. I briskly approached and kicked him.
Bam! Thud!
Not just once, but several times. How many times have I been hit by you so far?
But in an instant, he grabbed my ankle. I stumbled as he pulled me down, and then I noticed him glaring at me fiercely as he cleared the chair away.
‘Oh, shxt, this son of bxtch.’
With all my strength, I pushed him away.
Crash!
Luckily, I managed to break free from him and escape out the door.
I ran through the corridor in a frenzy, searching for someone who could help me.
‘Let’s go to the High Priest, the High Priest!’
That’s the only way to get out of this. As I ran down the hall, I paused.
‘But where is the high priest’s room?’
The temples all looked similar, so I couldn’t remember. I started running in any direction I could see.
Thump, thump, thump!
“You. Don’t go there!”
I panicked at the sound of Dolance’s voice and the footsteps behind me, so I ran even faster.
I’ve never heard anyone say I’m slow. I turned left at the corner.
‘Why are there no people around here?’
Maybe it was dinner time and everyone had gone to eat? I continued to look around, but there was not a single soul in sight.
Oops!
Suddenly, I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground. The footsteps that chased me from behind stopped.
I gasped and tried to get to my feet, but Dolance stomped on my back with a thud.
“I’ve got you…”
Oh crap! What should I do in this situation?
Feeling like my back was about to break, I braced myself on the ground. But he didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go, as he grabbed my hair and lifted me up.
“You’re going to die today.”
‘Carlothian should be the one to end my life, not a scum like you!’
Even as I struggled, all I felt was the pain in my scalp from his strong grip.
‘Oh, crap…’
As I was being dragged along in vain, I heard a voice from somewhere.
“What’s going on here?”
His voice was icy and chillingly sharp.
I thought I was hearing things, but as I opened my eyes wide and looked down the corridor, Carlothian was standing.
