Be Fascinated - Chapter 22

Philia raised her wrist and screamed in surprise at the feel of arms wrapping around her waist. Philia’s body trembled.

“Let me go, let me go!”

Philia struggled, but the strength around her waist was overwhelming. Her body was forcibly turned around. Philia had to face the reality that she wanted to turn away from.

“Was this the best place to escape?”

Claude was standing in front of her. He was smiling brightly. But Philia trembled like a deer caught by a wild beast.

Since meeting him, he had the scariest face.

As though he was going to devour her whole.

* * * 

Claude gently took her hand and led Philia out. He was like a sweet lover. Had it not been for her two wrists that were bound, it would have been like that.

Claude walked around the temple leisurely, as if taking a walk, but Philia was terrified. There were bloodstains everywhere in the temple, which Philia had never seen before.

What happened here? As Philia stood at the entrance to the temple, she saw the priests tied up. Fortunately, no one seemed to have lost their lives. However, there were traces of assault on their faces.

“Claude!”

Philia looked at Claude, frightened. Claude whispered.

“Be quiet. Before I swallow those pretty lips here.”

What kind of person could be so eerie?

“There are people who want to confuse the country by using a false saint.”

At Claude’s words, the eyes of the villagers changed. Some of the tied priests also looked at Philia, who was standing next to Claude, with a puzzled expression.

She couldn’t resist. The number of knights he brought was greater than the number of priests.

“What do you mean a false saint! Who in the world!”

Asked the priest. Claude laughed.

“This is what the Emperor has commanded me to do.”

“……!”

The priests’ faces hardened. They seemed to have finally figured out who Claude was. A look of wonder appeared to all of them, including Philia.

What do you mean? What does it mean if he was not the emperor? Who ascended the throne? Before answering those words, one of the discerning priests spoke.

“This is ridiculous! We didn’t even know she was a fake saint!”

Claude raised his lips and gestured. Then the priest’s captivity was released. It meant to say more. He mustered up the courage and said, pointing to Philia.

“If we had known that the woman was a fake saint, we wouldn’t have brought her. We thought she was strange from the start.”

“Strange? What is?”

“It was strange that a young woman was brought in by the high priest!”

“Yes. We just took care of her because the High Priest asked to take care of her.”

Claude asked, tilting his head.

“Did the high priest ask you to look after her?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, as far as I know, High Priest Irik and her were very close.”

At Claude’s move, they were very agile and figured out a way to live. Pretending to know nothing, they blamed Philia for all their sins.

“Ah, High Priest Irik fell for that woman.”

“I swear to God, we knew nothing! Can’t you see it? That woman, h-has no dignity as a saint!”

“That’s strange.”

“It’s a bit strange to go in and out of a temple with only men…”

“Yes, always smiling… Her attire seems to be modest, but it’s not…”

“Looking back, yes. Just as she tempts High Priest Irik, she tempts us… Ah, my God!”

Philia’s face turned white. She seemed to understand why Claude had brought her here.

That’s what he was trying to show her. This was Claude’s intention. Now, the temple was no longer a place for her to return. The temple she was going back to has insulted her and abandoned her.

* * * 

Claude and Philia returned to the little hut where Philia lived and looked around. She didn’t even know she had to come here.

“You mean you live here? It’s filthy.”

Importantly, she was afraid of Claude. It’s all about going back to the way it was in the past, not even expressing anger and being calm.

“Did the priest prepare only this much?”

Philia flinched as if she had come to her senses. So, what happened to Irik? How could Claude find her?

“What, what happened to High Priest Irik?”

“…….”

The smile disappeared from Claude’s face. His eyes went cold, but Philia did not notice the signal. Claude’s anger rose to a dangerous level.

The only thing that popped into her head was Irik in danger. If Irik is “the people who want to confuse the country,” then he must be going through great hardship.

Just because he believed in her. Just because he supported her!

“The, the high priest is not at fault. It was all my fault.”

“Really?”

“So, I… I…”

Her heart was pounding. Although Irik had hurt her, she never once wished for Irik to suffer.

He has been with her since childhood. Because she used to call him brother. There was a friendship they had with each other. He even helped her escape from Claude. How could he not have foreseen this kind of situation? He helped her even though he knew this was going to happen.

Tears filled Philia’s eyes. Tears flowed from both her eyes.

“I seduced the faithful man and dropped him into the abyss.”

She doesn’t know why Claude didn’t become Emperor, or who the new Emperor was. But he was still a man of overwhelming power, a man of overwhelming madness. Philia wept, and said.

“I was wrong.”

Philia decided that she would make herself the whore. Claude stared blankly at Philia. Her sobbing.

“So, please save me.”

“…….”

“Save me.”

Philia’s thin voice was trembling. Despite her desperate pleas, Claude’s face did not move. He didn’t seem to care how miserable and desperate she was.

Philia was not disappointed by it. She only felt despair. No matter what she says, his disposition towards Irik won’t change… He was that kind of person.

Philia reached up to Claude’s collar. Her actions were not free because her hands were tied. Then, she reached down and stroked his thigh.

As he lowered his head, he kissed Philia on her lips. It was a long, deep kiss. Except that it didn’t feel as sweet and romantic as it used to be, which made her tongue sore.

“Ha…”

A laugh escaped Claude’s mouth. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter whether her own pride fell to the abyss or not. Nothing was important. Claude’s reddish-brown eyes gleamed.

“Sh*t.”

He let out a low swear word.

“Sure, I’ll accept this game.”

Claude lifted Philia and then roughly pushed her onto the bed. The recoil was enough to cause her body to bounce off.

Claude got on top of her. When his hand touched her, she closed her eyes tightly and flinched.

“Why?”

“…….”

“Am I forcibly attacking the ‘Saint’?”

At the ridicule, Philia shook her head. When she opened her eyes, he saw her beautiful eyes. He felt a bizarre sadism.

He did not want to leave this woman alone, trying to get away from him and seek stability.

“Do it yourself.”

Claude smiled and let go of the body that had been holding Philia down.

“Myself…”

Philia asked in denial, even though she knew what he wanted.

“Those who are thirsty must dig a well. Because I am a person who does not feel sorry about anything. I don’t want to make it look like I attacked you.”

Claude laughed bitterly to himself even after saying that. By mentioning that he has nothing to feel sorry about, he recalled how all the knights guarding the mansion were killed when he found out that she had disappeared.

The reason he kept the priests alive here was that he was afraid that if Philia saw the pile of corpses, she would be more afraid.

In those long and short hours in search of her, Philia, he became mad. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to be touched. He wanted to see the deep and vivid ‘color’ on her dull, frosty face. However, he hoped that it is a color derived from a smile, not a color vivid from sadness or despair.

He didn’t know when he started deceiving himself, but…

“Hiic, hiic…”

Tears fell from Philia’s face. Shame had dawned upon her in a relationship that had suddenly become natural. But Claude ignored it.

She touched Claude’s knee with her tied hands on the floor, and touched his manhood under his clothes, rubbing her lips.

She’s clumsy, but she’s already mastered that clumsiness. Claude’s greedy tongue swallowed as she staggered open her lips. Although there was no sticky, honey-like feeling between them, the kiss was sweet and familiar, warming their bodies.

They were already accustomed to each other. Philia’s hand peeled off his shirt. Having become half-naked, he had to undress Philia, but he was just staring at her.

Knowing what he meant, Philia squeezed her eyes shut and pushed him slightly. He lay on the bed without resistance. Philia sat on Claude’s body. She felt his manhood grow bigger between her legs.

Claude was lying defenseless and looking at her. Her tears dripped. It wet his face.

At that expression that didn’t change even with her tears, Philia bit her lip. And she had a moment, she had a very scary imagination. If she strangles him here, can she kill him and run away…?

Philia shook her head. It was impossible. How would she kill him?

Instead, she spoke quietly.

“Save me.”

“…….”

“Will you save me?”

Claude replied.

“Who knows.”