## Chapter 1017 – #243_Scouting Is Difficult (5)
#1011
1.
A nun’s habit that meticulously covers the skin, almost to the point of being rigid.
A black veil that hides the eyebrows.
And beneath it, a glimpse of red, curly hair.
A witch is an immortal being of fire.
No matter how much time passes, she remains eternally beautiful.
Arin Tiandra, whom she had reunited with after 100 years, or rather, now Sister Arin, looked exactly as Dorothy remembered.
However, unlike her radiant appearance, which shone like an unfading jewel, her aura had changed considerably.
Well, the younger one is, the more they change over time.
For Dorothy, a century was a small part of her long life, but for Sister Arin, it was like a lifetime.
Arin, who had not yet shed all the traces of a novice witch and was still innocent, was now staring intently at Dorothy’s face, exuding the poise of a seasoned witch and a quiet holiness.
“Welcome~ It’s been a while.”
Although she had shown Linne an unsightly side of herself, she didn’t reveal such a pathetic appearance to just anyone.
A mask to hide her true feelings was like a well-honed skill.
As if nothing had happened, Dorothy greeted Siwoo and Sister Arin with her usual languid tone and composure.
At the same time, she didn’t forget to hide her romantic relationship with Siwoo.
Some witches seemed to know, but there was no need to create a scandal between a public figure and a baron for outsiders.
“Since you two seem to know each other, there’s no need for a separate introduction.”
“Yes, I would be grateful if you could give us some time alone.”
For Dorothy, who had been expecting a three-way meeting, this was a welcome proposal.
“Then, Linne.”
“Understood.”
Linne left her seat at Siwoo’s words.
“It’s been a while, Dorothy.”
“Indeed.”
After the nuisance was gone, a long time passed.
Arin, who had been standing still, looked at Dorothy with eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
There was lingering attachment and regret, joy and bitterness, doubt and restraint, memories and reminiscences, all tangled together like the roots of weeds.
“Shall we sit down and talk?”
“Sure~ Would you like something to drink?”
“A glass of water will be enough.”
A difficult situation where her husband’s important client was her ex-lover with whom things had ended badly.
Dorothy, alone with Arin, felt her heart grow heavy.
In fact, she knew why she felt so uncomfortable.
Was it because she was worried about her relationship with Siwoo being exposed?
Was it because she was worried that a relationship she had had lightly in her immature days would reflect poorly on him?
Of course, that was part of it.
But the fundamental reason was the sense of guilt she felt towards Arin sitting in front of her.
Would she have felt better if they had both immediately expressed their resentment?
But Arin, who quietly brought the water glass to her lips, showed not even a trace of resentment.
-Clink
“……”
“……”
A long silence.
In the oppressive stillness, the sound of each of them putting down their water glasses echoed like thunder.
Dorothy, unable to bear it any longer, spoke first.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Is that so? Well, it has been a long time.”
It was truly amazing.
They had only exchanged a few words, but the vast amount of time that had separated them seemed to fade away like a lie.
Like the days when they used to sip coffee together at the cafe every day at 5 pm when the afternoon sun’s heat was waning.
The sensations and distance that had felt like distant memories scattered like bubbles.
It felt like they had met just yesterday.
But the two of them had changed.
Dorothy and Arin.
Their situations, environments, and ages had all been swept away by the tides of time, which even witches could not resist.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Only then did Dorothy realize the source of her guilt.
Dorothy was superimposing Arin’s past, who had clung to her, onto the present Dorothy.
There are feelings that one cannot help but choose, even knowing that they are imperfect, even knowing that a perfect future is not guaranteed.
A self-magnetizing magic that makes people more foolish than any hypnosis or brainwashing magic.
The name of that magic is love.
Just as the current Dorothy was showing blind devotion to Siwoo, Arin back then had only looked at Dorothy.
She now understood much more directly the sadness that Arin, left alone, had had to endure, rather than through abstract imagination.
“I’ll accept any resentment. It’s true that I did something terrible to you.”
In various religions, homosexuality is taboo.
Recently, some denominations have allowed same-sex marriage in accordance with the changing times, but it is also true that conservative religious circles still do not view it favorably.
There was no particular coercion or seduction, but in any case, Dorothy and Arin had slept together.
The magnitude of the confusion she had to bear would have been greater than the sadness of separation.
“I did resent you.”
Arin, who had been tracing the edge of her water glass, opened her mouth.
“It felt like half of my soul had been torn away, a terrible feeling.”
Dorothy swallowed her breath, but Sister Arin continued to speak quietly.
“After you left, I dreamed every night that you would come back. In my dreams, you would whisper in my ear that you missed me, with an awkward smile, and embrace me under the blanket.”
“……”
“During the day, I would wander the streets aimlessly, but at 5 pm, I would always find a pretty cafe nearby. You liked coffee, and I thought that if God willed it, we might meet again.”
“……”
“I resented you, and resented you again.”
Even the great Dorothy could no longer pretend to be unaffected.
The end of Sister Arin’s words, which expressed her heartbreak in a nonchalant tone, stabbed at her heart.
“I’m sorry.”
Dorothy lowered her head.
She thought that no excuse would be of any use.
“But, I understand now. You don’t have to act like a criminal.”
“What?”
Sister Arin, who had raised her head again, was wearing a benevolent smile.
“After searching for you for three years, I returned to Gehenna. I started to focus on anything to forget the pain of heartbreak.”
“……”
“I founded a convent. I established a foundation of faith for witches in Gehenna who had the same concerns as me.
After that, I practiced the word of the Lord by carrying out poverty relief and orphanage projects in the mortal world.
To be honest, it wasn’t my inherent goodness. I just wanted to put a painkiller on the pain of heartbreak, even if it meant acting hypocritically.”
“……”
“Then, I suddenly realized the reason why we had to break up.”
Arin’s hand rested on the back of Dorothy’s hand.
“As time passed, I began to reflect on my immature self. I also realized that you were lost in a deeper and longer quagmire than I was at that time.
I was acting spoiled without knowing that, and you accepted my childishness without showing any displeasure.”
It was a relationship that would only leave scars the deeper it became from the beginning.
Even if Arin had followed Dorothy, it would have been the same.
That was tantamount to stepping into the life of a public figure.
“That’s why you took on the bad role for my sake. You left abruptly without any promise, to prevent my wrong choice and to become someone I could resent.”
“It’s nice of you to say that, but… I didn’t think that deeply back then.”
Dorothy showed reluctance at the evaluation, which was nothing short of beautification.
“No, it’s not.”
But Arin said with a confident tone.
If Dorothy had only intended to use Arin, there would have been no need to push her away.
She could have drawn in a naive young witch, extracted everything from her body and mind as well as practical benefits, and then discarded her.
If Dorothy had asked for a wrong act in exchange for proof of love, Arin would have gladly done it.
At that time, Arin was that fascinated by Dorothy.
But Dorothy didn’t do that.
“Dorothy, you have an unseen kindness in your indifference. Even if you weren’t aware of it, it would have been a choice for my sake.”
Whether such a conjecture was true or not, Dorothy could not readily answer.
If she wanted to know the truth, she would have to go back to Dorothy 100 years ago and have an in-depth question and answer session.
“I found my own answer. Because you were there, I was able to ask many questions about life and move forward on a path that I am not ashamed of.”
Arin met Dorothy’s eyes without a hint of cloudiness or falsehood.
“Just as I received help from you, I wanted to help you if the current Dorothy was lost. But… you’ve already found it.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes, very much so.”
Sister Arin smiled knowingly.
The nun, who used to frown when drinking alcohol or eating chocolate, had become a full-fledged adult who could understand just by glimpsing the secret love of a man and a woman.
“The fact that Chairman Shin Siwoo is trying to bring our society into a partnership is ultimately to bring Dorothy into Gehenna, right?”
Not only that, but she also understood the general context.
“Well, you could say that…”
“I will help.”
Sister Arin, who had been waiting for Dorothy’s answer as if she wanted to confirm it, nodded as if she was glad.
“But…”
Dorothy, who was reflexively tense in front of Sister Arin, who seemed to be adding a condition, though she believed it was not an unreasonable one.
It was a habit that had become ingrained in her after living a public life for a long time.
And Arin was neither a public figure nor a villain who calculated profit and loss.
“Could you tell me how you’ve been doing all this time?”
“Of course~”
Starting with Dorothy’s smile, the two of them spent more than six hours catching up on all the things they hadn’t been able to say.
On this day, both Dorothy and Arin seemed to have returned to 100 years ago, with light tones and gentle smiles.
