Chapter 98 – First Date in the Principality [Filia the Blood] (4)
When I think of Lee Ha-woon’s smirking cat-like appearance, I think a teacher who often jokes with students would suit him more than a battlefield.
“Does Philia go to Balter too?”
“What do you think?”
With her back off the wall, Philia just smiled. As if she wanted to walk again, she held out her hand to Marey. He grabbed her tiny hand, which seemed like it would be a fraction of a finger apart from hers if they touched her. She was soft I could feel her vague warmth in her bare white hands.
“Her brother is going. She didn’t get an answer So, I… What do you think?”
“It seems to be going.”
‘Maybe so,’ said Philia, avoiding her answer vaguely, and lightly placed her hand on the closed door wrapped in her chains. She groaned. Her chains untied themselves and rolled her to the floor. Bright light pours through the door.
“Now, this is my favorite scenery in the world.”
Her face heats up at the sight of a young girl smiling broadly with her back to the sunlight. Her face seemed to heat up.
“Come and see.”
Her small hand pulled Marey even harder. As she stepped into the light, the sun began to lower her head, embracing the city. The capital came into view. The waterway bathed in the yellow sun shines with light.
“It is beautiful…”
Philia smiled happily at her words that escaped her spontaneously moving lips. A gray castle towered high in the center. A huge waterway leading to the sea stretched out like tree branches. A white wall surrounded the entire city. Beyond the horizon, farmland that has turned a hazy green comes into view. I also saw people who seemed to be dots moving around busily.
The appearance of the buildings in the densely packed city could not be evaluated as very cool, but if all other elements were included, it was a beautiful scenery that I wanted to leave as a photograph. When I turned my gaze to the side, I saw a long series of large mountain ranges. Below it, a train passes at high speed.
I glanced at Philia. She has red eyes looking at the city, a pure white face, and even pink lips. She was so beautiful that she shone in the sun, and involuntarily, her hand seemed to move to her left eye patch.
I’m sorry for Philia, but her body was small and shabby compared to the voluptuous bodies of Marey and her older sisters who spend their daily lives of lust. But she was like an immature flower bud, and she had a beauty inside that was not revealed on the outside. In addition, it feels like a flower in full bloom that exudes a sweet scent from time to time, creating a strange thrill.
“Okay, now that the tour is over, shall we go eat? I will buy dinner.”
“Couldn’t we go and see… A little more?”
Despite Marey’s request, Philia shook her head. Walking up to her door, she looked at the hesitant Marey.
“If this scenery is precious, let it go now. The reason why flowers are beautiful is because you can’t hold them. The moment you reach out to grab the unattainable, the beauty in your heart will be stained with regret.”
Her motionless steps fell slowly at the words of Philia, who looked up at her with her half-open eyes. She smiled and removed her back from leaning against the door. The hand that had crossed her arms opened the door to reality that had been closed.
Going down the bell tower of the church was quite an arduous task. As I chased down the back of Philia, who said her knee was hurting, she was already painting the castle in the distance with the evening sunset red.
“I think I showed you all the most important things. Although it’s a little lacking.”
“I don’t even remember because I ran around all day…”
“It just takes time. Even if you don’t try to hold on, the things that come to mind will remain with you and bloom in full bloom. Of course, it’s easy to remember the last time you saw it. That’s why I brought you to the clock tower to ask you not to forget the appearance of the principality.”
I got into the black car that was waiting in front of the church. Philia didn’t say her destination, but the car drove slowly down the road.
“Compared to lunch… Dinner might be lacking. At lunchtime, my former job was a cook, but the owner of the place I’m going to now is a former butler. Well, because he’s such a versatile person, the food isn’t bad either.”
The car stopped immediately. The driver came out, opened the door, put Philia and Marey down, bowed their heads, and disappeared in the car. The place the two arrived was quite large to be called a restaurant. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to call it a hotel?
It was a place rising high alone on the outskirts, quite far from the city center. Despite the sign saying Closed, Philia lightly opened the door.
“My lady, you did not forget to visit us this year. It seems that the blessings of the last years are overflowing. It would have been better if the little lady had also come with us. Instead, she brought along a nice young man. Nice to meet you, Young master. Feel free to call me Norman. Room and meals are prepared. Please follow me.”
Old man. No, would it be right to call him an old gentleman? Although his face was wrinkled, the old man with a clean look burst into laughter. As if she had been waiting for Philia, she took her coat and led them to the elevator.
“I’m still going to retire on a hot topic. It’s a mess over there without you. Building a hotel in a place like this and spending your old age comfortably is a national loss. I can understand it if I do business on the day of the festival, but I don’t understand why all business is closed at this time when it makes the most money.”
“Don’t you know that it was just a dream I had while retiring? And I earned enough to be satisfied, and lived as much as I was satisfied. My old body, which has nothing to hold on to, just keeps the remaining longing here like a grave keeper. And who else would treat the young lady to a place where she could see the magical sky from a quiet place?”
Philia let out a small sigh.
“That’s true… But Norman is still upset. Look at what my father is doing these days. I think I’m out of my mind.”
“I am already an outsider. He must have an idea too. I am very grateful to have you deal with this old man, but it is rude to make Young master next to you feel awkward. Miss.”
Norman pressed the button on the elevator. Immediately, the door opened, and Norman and Filia got into the elevator and looked at Marey as if to ask them to get on.
“The young lady is now at the age to meet her boyfriend. Before this old man dies, I would have no wish if I had hugged the lady’s child.”
“What, boyfriend. We just met today. I got entangled with the guards my father put after kicking them out… Just.”
Philia grabbed the ends of her hair and twisted her. Norman’s wrinkled eyes narrow, and a small smile is drawn on his lips.
“When you are young, fate comes more suddenly than you think. When I get older, new relationships disappear. Because there are ties left to sort out slowly, so I just draw the back.”
“Norman is still young. Don’t talk like that He said he was afraid that he would die soon…”
Marei forcibly averted her gaze at the tender reaction that did not seem like a philia. The elevator made a light mechanical sound as it reached the top floor.
“I have an appointment, so I will go. Food is prepared. We have to kick out all the employees on vacation and heat up the food.”
“Go in carefully…”
“Yes, welcome back to the principality, lady. I forgot to say hello. Young master. No, Marey de Parwen. Please take good care of my lady.”
“Yes, four…!”
The old gentleman who introduced himself as Norman seemed unusual. He never revealed his name. After Philia heard her name too, she recognized himself, but he recognized her Marey by only looking at her face.
“The penthouse has been cleaned out. It’s for ladies and little ladies. One person never comes. Slowly… It’s time to go out with my wife. I left the key in the room.”
“Emma…”
Philia clenched her fists. She pursed her lips, unable to follow her words.
“It is always the same. I want to stay with you tonight. We will close the door again this time, so I hope Gongja will also use a comfortable room. If there was a little lady too, she would be really nice.”
“… Next time I’ll kick her ass to get her back so don’t worry.”
“Haha, thank you for your words.”
The old gentleman put his hand on his chest, bowed silently, and disappeared with his elevator. He was a strange man No, he seemed like a great person. As I stared blankly at the place where he had disappeared, Philia lightly tapped her elbow on the side of her Marey.
“Norman was also a famous administrator. He’s from the Empire, so don’t you know?”
“Ah yes…”
“Slowly… It’s time. You have to go out into the yard to see it. I need to heat up some warm water.”
Philia skillfully opened the door. A wide space that did not seem like a room spread out, and I could see the green yard beyond the glass door. Philia put her kettle on her stove and lit it with her deft hand.
“There is a thermos in front of it, so take it out. Oh, in red. You can’t bring the pink one because it belongs to someone else.”
Foods that Noman said should be reheated were set on the table, steaming hot. Seeing Marey unable to take her eyes off her, Philia sat down at her table first, and she gave Marey a wink to sit down.
The night in the principality was very cold.
Although spring had clearly arrived, the night air was chilling around the table. The cold wind that blows past even around the blanket is melted like snow in a cup of hot jasmine tea.
“With a lady in front of you, what are you thinking about for so long?”
“Ah, a little bit about Norman…”
Philia hugged the blanket. A deep breath landed on her teacup. Like nostalgia, the thick breath that clung to it continued to hover over the table.
“Five years ago, Emma died.”
“Wasn’t the name of Norman’s wife just now called Emma?”
“…Emma was the nanny to me and my sister. Her cause of death was poisoning. A poison was used that melted all of her internal organs.”
She bottomed out the teacup. Her lame feet reminded me of the old gentleman’s benevolent smile, and pressed her against her chest. He passed between them in a faint form. He wasn’t here, but he was definitely by his side.
Caught on the tip of my tiny finger, the tilted teacup rattled. Instead of herbal tea, pain without warmth fills the cup.
“Everyone says Norman is crazy. Some idiots are pointing fingers for being senile. I just hate to admit it, even though the old man is just pushing it. No one even tries to understand. Bad guys…”
In the place that was full of pain, only cold and melancholy remains. Emotions squeezed through the darkness and slowly grabbed the ankles and pulled the two down there. I couldn’t fill my heart, so I filled my glass.
“Why am I telling you this… I’m sorry, I ruined the atmosphere.”
“…It hurts. Thank you though.”
Philia kept her head down, and she touched her own face several times. She smiled and lifted her head. The corners of her mouth trembled, and she lowered her head again. She was angry
“Don’t comfort me, it’s okay. Because I am really fine.”
She looked like she was about to burst into tears, but she was trying to laugh. He had held his anger for so long that he seemed to have forgotten how to be angry. It was just touching her own face several times, several times.
Numerous magic circles began to rise above the dark sky. The scenery Philia wanted to show was placed in front of the two of them, but she was quietly catching her breath and killing her emotions. With her effort she turned her gaze away from her.
Only silence filled the garden.
Philia was the first to break the silence that seemed to last forever.
“Yes, I want to eat blood.”
Philia was holding her empty glass with both hands. I couldn’t help but nod my head involuntarily at the sight of her stuttering, avoiding her gaze.
People call the beings of the principality vampires. People in the principality call themselves vampires.
“You smell so good.”
Philia came up to the table and carefully stroked Marey’s cheek. I could feel the trembling of the back of my hand brushing my cheek. She stroked her cheek and before she knew it, she was held in his hand. Her warm breath escaped and tickled her face.
“You don’t look too surprised.”
He nodded. Skin like white jade, pupils torn above red eyes. Long ears reminiscent of elves. Fangs that glanced at him when he saved himself on a cruise ship. And many people and many situations. Because everyone was telling her that she was her vampire.
“Does it hurt…?”
“Put, no. I said it doesn’t hurt. Really…”
The trembling of Philia’s hand, which was holding her tightly, stopped. She slowly approaches and meets her eyes. The red eyes contained a strange anticipation. Before she knew it, her tiny hand, which she had lost track of, stroked her cheek, touched her surroundings, and carefully traced the tip of the button on her shirt.
“Isn’t it scary?”
“I believe in Philia. It won’t hurt…?”
The first button is undone. As the breath of her Philia touched her collar, she began to feel strange. She wanted to kiss her pale pink cheeks. But do you think she’s being vampiric? Strangely, her body trembles slowly.
“It sounds like you’re very afraid to say that…”
“Cheer, it’s the first time.”
The words whispered in my ear were like sugar, and I patted my earlobes and melted them slowly.
