Dancing in the Legendary Sea - Chapter 9 Part 1

Orion spoke as if he could see through everything. His eyes were blue and cold but Kira felt like they were burning. As it was the first time she encountered this kind of eyes, Lokira felt nervous. She turned around trying to hide the marks on her arms. Although she applied medicine and wrappers, her skin still showed whip scars. She covered her arms so Orion couldn’t take a closer look. She thought her lie about her injury from a fall was credible. Suddenly, cold sweat sprang from her skin. Lokira, who had become pale, asked softly,

“You knew?”

“If I didn’t know, I would be the stupidest person alive. Who falls and gets scratched like that? I was unsure until yesterday.”

Orion’s words struck her heart. The fever rose and her ears felt hot.  No matter how much she got punished, she didn’t want him to know. However, there was a vague perception of the fact that Artemis’ deity being confined in a cage and  treated like a disobedient colt should not be known by others. It wasn’t necessary for the man from the sea to know this. Deep down, Lokira wanted him to see her as a noble being in the temple rather than an abused beast. As if trying to cool off her shame, her eyes got wet. She tried to pretend not to acknowledge it. She didn’t even get angry.

“What are you here for? Did you climb the cliff just to see something like this?”

“What am I coming for? I came to say goodbye for the last time.”

Lokira turned her head reflexively when Orion said this would be the last time they would see each other. She had already known that, but somehow when she heard it from his lips, her heart pounded. Orion bowed down to match her eye level and spoke:

“It’s early morning and this place feels off. The way people hustle and bustle is strange. I thought it’d be best to sail quickly without having to worry about the strong wind later. However, since you seemed to be dazedly bordering along the cliff, I decided to come to see you.”

“Why……?”

“Well, first of all, you’re my lifesaver.” Orion replied lightly. “That’s why I came here…. Actually, I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk to you because there is a sentry who guards you closely. I surely know that the priests would follow you around if you went out outside.”

His lips then sneered. “But It looks like this when I come here.”

“This is how…. I’ve been in this room since I was a kid. There is a mirror, there is a rosary (prayer beads), and the priests would come and teach me many things”

Lokira pleaded.

In fact, all education ended when she was 12 years old. She omitted the fact that she was well educated in every way of the temple. Moreover, she couldn’t say that her room was so boring that seeing the unconscious man on the shore made her so curious that she brazenly went to see him. Nonetheless, her words seemed to get stuck in her throat. Once she admitted all that out loud, she would not be able to undo it. Orion didn’t even know how she was feeling and asked,

“So, does it mean that the Temple of Artemis in Delos has confined you in this barn since childhood and trained you by whipping?”

“A barn?! It’s my room!”

“Listen. You are a girl who doesn’t know about the world. You’re worse than the Minotaur. King Minos of Crete wanted to hide his youngest son and built a complex palace, but he didn’t lock him in a single room. He would satisfy the cravings of his poor son by giving him girls. He didn’t give his son mirrors or children’s toys to satisfy him.”

“What is wrong with the mirror?  It’s a good mirror! Some say that it’s precious and not anyone can have it…”

Her face grew hotter as she put in a lot of effort to keep her jaw from trembling.

“You said you came here to say goodbye, but why are you so mean…?”

Orion took a deep breath for a moment, then exhaled again.  His dark black eyebrows narrowed again. Does he think she is a foolish, insignificant and stubborn woman? Lokira wondered while silently scrunching the cushion in her hands. What a wicked man. He not only peeked at someone else’s room at will, but also discredited the high priest’s teachings. Suddenly, Orion’s expression became complicated. The next moment, he asked Lokira in an unexpectedly serious tone.

“Do you want to go with me?”

He didn’t say where to. Perhaps even he couldn’t have been able to confirm it. But his point was clear. Lokira almost dropped the cushion but grabbed it back quickly, and eventually dropped it because the strength in her hands ran out.

“What….?”

“If you live in a place like this, you’ll go crazy. I asked because I thought you wanted to get out of here anyway.”

“…..”

“You saved me. If you like it, I’ll do that for you.”

Orion suddenly checked around. After making sure no one was around, he habitually brushed his hair.

“As I said, all the women I associate with lose their luck…. I don’t know if this is really okay. I’m going to go out with a kid like you who doesn’t know anything. I wouldn’t have asked if you were treated well in the temple.”

He paused for a moment. “By the way, you’re already unlucky.”

“And you are mean…”

“Say whatever you want. I know better than anyone that my personality is not good. But I told you before, Shinsu is highly valued. Delos takes care of you because there’s worth. As you can see, you aren’t sensitive so you’re trapped. “

Orion rested his elbow on the windowsill.

“I have a feeling that once you get you out, there will be a shift in the future. Because right now as it is, tt will be one of the three – die, get beaten or go crazy. I guarantee it.”

“The high priest always gives me medicine after I get punished. If I don’t act like an animal, I won’t get hit….”

“Ah, yes. You’re an important source of revenue, so they will keep you alive. They will continue to beat you heavily enough but not kill you, it won’t stop. “

Lokira only listened and wondered. Did her questions about the outside world whenever she saw him made him think that she had a desire to escape from the sanctuary? No. He was wrong. She didn’t ask him to take her. Above all, until he pointed it out, there was no realization that she wanted to leave Delos. Doesn’t she have horns anyway? There was no way she could live and adapt to the outside world so suddenly. A beast who knew nothing about anything outside of the sanctuary called Lokira. A newborn fawn. Her knowledge of the outside world was like a sand castle built up by the spoken words of others. Nevertheless, she couldn’t resist her desire. She was curious enough about the outside to go down the stone steps.

“I’m curious, but…”

???