In a monastery on a cold winter afternoon.
The red-haired girl, who had arrived here with the help of the old blacksmith, found desolate figures in front of her.
"Sister Superior, please open up!"
A woman bangs on the monastery door, as firmly closed as on a cold winter afternoon.
"I'm Marcella! Please, open the door!"
Marcella's voice trembled as much as her unkempt black hair.
And behind her, girls trembling with cold and fear.
They were young girls, like Zemina, who were about to debut as prostitutes.
"······Marcella?"
The door, which seemed firmly closed, opened.
And the old nun, upon receiving an untimely visitor in the middle of the night, looked at her with uncomfortable eyes.
"What business brings you here at this hour?"
"Sister Superior!"
As if she had found light in the darkness, Marcella clung to the old nun.
"Please, take care of these children. They are unfortunate children."
"What is going on here?"
The Sister Superior frowned upon seeing Marcella, who not only arrived suddenly but also asked them to take care of the children.
It was more than a breach of etiquette; it was an excessive action.
"What are you doing here? Leave!"
Something must have happened in the alley.
Otherwise, the woman who always smiled effortlessly wouldn't be shouting so urgently.
"Mother Superior, please!"
"This is not a place for just anyone to enter!"
The Mother Superior looked at the children behind Marcela and showed her disgust.
They had been brought by a prostitute, so they must be girls who worked in dirty places.
This is one of the places closest to God.
It cannot contain such dirty children.
"It's not like that!"
A desperate thigh was wedged between the quickly closing door.
"These children are virgins. They are the children observed by the Bishop."
"······."
Virgin prostitutes.
A contradictory existence created by Bishop Soara, who abhorred impure acts.
The Mother Superior was also familiar with those children.
"Nevertheless, we cannot simply accept them all of a sudden..."
"Why not?! I've donated so much money here all this time!"
On an ambitious night, a threatening voice echoed in front of the quiet monastery.
Until recently, it was a pathetic sight, but upon seeing Marcella suddenly change, the Mother Superior was taken aback.
"Just with that money, they could feed the children here for ten years! Is what I'm asking for so difficult?"
Like a lion protecting her cubs, Marcella stared intently at the Mother Superior.
Overwhelmed by Marcella's desperation and determination, the Mother Superior retreated before her urgent and resolute demand.
"Move aside!"
With a desperate and firm shout, Marcella flung open the monastery door and addressed the girls behind her.
"Come in!"
"Ma'am."
"But why?"
"Stop worrying."
Marcella grabbed the shoulders of the girls who sobbed and hesitated, and pushed them inside the monastery.
"We can replace the lost wages with this."
One by one.
Through the touch of a prostitute, the girls entered into the embrace of God.
"Marcella..."
"It's okay. You did well."
Marcella smiled as she cupped Zemina's frozen face with both hands in the cold wind.
"We were destined for this. Men always leave things half done, you know?"
Even Zemina, who hesitated, was brought into the monastery by Marcella, who stood firm like a lion protecting her cubs.
"You cannot enter."
Although God's embrace was wide, qualification was needed to reach there.
Marcella, a greedy woman, was not a woman entitled to enter into God's embrace.
"...Anyway, I wasn't expecting to enter."
Faced with rules set by humans and not by God, Marcella halted.
However, after ensuring the children were safe in His embrace, Marcella took responsibility until the end.
"I'll leave it to you. You'll all be fine."
“...”
A woman left alone in the darkness with no other choice.
Someone's greedy hand reached even here.
And so, Marcella was dragged through the slowly closing door crack.
With her hair grasped.
"Marcella...!"
That was the last Zemina saw of the outside world.
***
"Today we are going to pray here with my children."
"The chapel is spacious and beautiful."
Following the guidance of the Mother Superior, Vlad continued to look around as he walked through the convent.
He knew it was rude, but he couldn't help but wonder if he would find the familiar redhead girl among the passing novices.
"And there are people waiting to pray with you, including the knights. Would you like to pray with them? Grace multiplies when shared."
But the girl he was looking for didn't appear, and there were only uncomfortable guests waiting for Vlad.
"Ah, so that's how it is."
It made sense, considering they had been postponing the visit to the convent until now.
Although Vlad remained just a weak figure in the world of nobles and knights, for those looking from below, he was a presence attractive enough.
Perhaps they had pressured the Mother Superior to establish a connection with Bayezid.
"So please, lead the way. It's an honor."
"We appreciate your consideration."
Although he didn't like the idea of being used, Vlad had no choice but to follow the Mother Superior.
"Damn bastard."
Vlad thought of Goethe and sighed.
He had insisted that he had requested a visit, but he had never mentioned planning to see Zemina.
"In the end, it seems like I have to do everything myself."
As a result, Vlad had to make sure to leave a good impression on the Mother Superior.
When it comes to asking for something unexpected, it's important to show a positive attitude.
"······."
While listening to the story of the convent from the Mother Superior, Vlad absentmindedly touched the sword he wore at his waist.
Enduring a bit of annoyance like this was a small price to pay for the girl who had gifted him the sword.
The sword that had accompanied him all this time had been bought by her with her tears.
***
An unusually busy morning at the convent.
Zemina silently immersed her hands in the dishwater as she observed the scene, which was not the same as usual but still felt familiar to her.
"Looks like someone's coming today."
There were days like this sometimes.
They prayed with people from the outside world.
"Oh my God, he's so handsome!"
"Blond hair and blue eyes, he looks like an aristocrat!"
The solitary nature of the convent made the rumors about the man visiting today fuel the girls' imaginations.
"······."
But they were completely irrelevant to Zemina.
Having grown up in the alleys, she knew the harsh reality better than anyone.
She didn't want to waste time with the fairy tales that girls dream about.
"Why are you still whispering, everyone get ready to go to the chapel!"
The apprentices quickly finished washing the dishes as the Mother Superior entered the kitchen.
But where Zemina was, the dishes remained piled up.
No one had helped her, and she had even been overlooked.
"······."
The exclamation of the Mother Superior caught the attention of Marcella's children, who had come with Zemina.
But while Zemina gritted her teeth, they did their best to survive in a strange place.
Even if it meant ignoring Zemina.
"Finish that."
"Yes..."
Zemina stood alone in front of the dishwasher while everyone else left, following the Mother Superior's instructions.
The kitchen was deserted, the only sound being the drip of water.
In this place, Zemina was terribly alone.
"…Now there's no one to complain about my eczema."
In the silent kitchen, with no one else around, the girl silently remembered someone.
The only thing that helped her get through the day was the image of Marcella, who had sacrificed herself for them, and the promise the boy had made to her before he left.
***
A chapel where everyone is gathered except one.
It's a sunny afternoon, and the girls whisper their excitement.
The rumored knight. Who caught Bayezid's attention.
Here would come a man who had everything a girl at her best could be interested in.
"Today we have a special guest. He comes from Bayezid's House and is endorsed by Priest Andreas."
The girls murmured the name the Mother Superior had mentioned.
No one in the North, let alone in Count Bayezid's territory, would be unaware of Andreas's name.
No matter how much he had worked, his squire status alone could not have brought him here.
The girls nodded to each other, agreeing that there was indeed a reason.
The man arriving now had a great presence behind him.
"Let's pray."
Everyone present bowed their heads as Mother Superior led the way.
Seeing the blond man praying so naturally, the girls once again let out a silent cheer.
Because the posture of prayer was so natural that one could discern his devotion just by watching.
At least, it seemed he wasn't someone uneducated just seeking luxury, which made the girls' hearts beat faster.
“Hurry up and come in!”
“I'm sorry.”
Finally finishing the remaining scrubbing, Zemina hurried to take a place in the corner, under the nuns' gaze.
“Phew.”
Luckily, she wasn't too late.
Zemina breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that being late or absent for something like this would have meant a harsh reprimand.
But the girl didn't know that the blond man pretending to pray from above was still looking for her.
And that he had also noticed the red-haired girl, who arrived later than anyone else.
After the prayer.
After the courteous greetings and laughter.
When all that was left was networking with those pretending to lunch.
“Huh?”
After finishing the prayer, Zemina finally lifted her head and seemed to meet the gaze of the blond man standing in front of the altar.
“…?”
And from the moment she felt their gazes meet, Zemina couldn't look away from him.
Though his naturally shiny hair naturally caught people's attention, Zemina wasn't looking at him for that.
It was because he resembled someone she knew.
“…..”
When Mother Superior and the guest she had brought joined the procession to step down from the altar, Vlad, who had noticed something, began to frown.
“Is there a problem?”
Asked Mother Superior with a smile as Vlad clicked his tongue, showing his discomfort.
“…They're too thin. Are they feeding the children here properly?”
“What?”
In the face of a tone that sounded almost reproachful, Mother Superior was momentarily taken aback.
“Huh?”
“No…”
Vlad had barely finished saying that when he got up and quickly walked to the altar.
Different from before, he showed a rude attitude, which left both the guests and the present girls perplexed.
Zemina was confused too.
Although the feeling of confusion was a bit different.
“What...what?”
The figure of the blond man slowly approaching.
As her vision cleared, Zemina felt increasingly puzzled by the feeling that someone she knew was approaching.
It was someone who shouldn't be here.
“…”
Vlad stood in front of her, frowning.
Though all eyes were on him, the boy didn't seem to mind.
No matter who saw him.
He had come here alone for this moment alone.
“Hey.”
Even when Vlad called her brusquely, Zemina just blinked her eyes, not moving at all.
She stood there, as if she couldn't accept what was happening.
“I'm Vlad.”
The words echoed in her head over and over, but her heart refused to accept them.
“Vlad?”
Zemina stared at the man who was Vlad but didn't look like him.
His shiny dark cloak, silver-gray leather armor that looked expensive.
And his shiny blond hair and round face were clearly different from the extremely thin boy she knew.
“I can't believe it.”
However, there was a fundamental reason why Zemina didn't recognize Vlad.
The Vlad in Zemina's mind was a boy, but the Vlad in front of her now was a man.
His shoulders were broader, and his height taller.
And the blue eyes looking down at her...
“Is there not enough food or proper washing for the children here?”
“Huh?”
Zemina was surprised to see the boy who had suddenly disappeared in front of her.
“...Damn.”
Vlad made a noise that didn't make it clear if he was angry or annoyed, and kneeling down, he began to clean the dirt that was on Zemina's front.
They were the dirt stains that Zemina hadn't cleaned yet.
“...What's going on?”
“Did you know each other?”
Everyone present was dumbfounded to see the promising knight Bayezid had set his eye on kneeling before a somewhat unattractive girl.
Especially the girls who had been harassing Zemina for a long time were so surprised that they almost lost their breath.
“What's this, it's like you're in the streets? Aren't you going to answer me?”
“...Yes!”
Only after feeling the warm touch of the boy, Zemina could realize who was in front of her.
“Ugh! Sob!”
Seeing the girl with big tears in her eyes, Vlad slightly furrowed his brow.
“...Let's go out today.”
Zemina stroked the head of Vlad, who was kneeling in front of her.
It wasn't a conscious action, but it seemed necessary.
Because she had to feel it.
The feeling on her fingertips.
Though a bit shinier, it was the same feeling as the boy from back then.
"Let's go home."
“…!”
Though she tried to bear it, Vlad's last words hit her chest hard.
“Hu-hu-!”
In front of everyone.
The red-haired girl couldn't help but burst into tears continuously even though she tried to stop herself.
Let's go home.
For the girl who had no home, those were words she had never heard before.
Without a home, parents, or anything to eat, street kids were each other's home and parents.
The girl broke into tears as she remembered that winter day when they wrapped each other in a single blanket.
In the silent sanctuary, only the girl's sobs echoed.
But...
No matter how loud the sound was.
Today, even God would have to hear the girl's cry.
Because the girl was more grateful to God than any other priest in this world.
The boy who had once been discarded with the trash had kept his promise.
It was a promise to return without fail.
In a monastery on a cold winter afternoon.
The red-haired girl, who had arrived here with the help of the old blacksmith, found desolate figures in front of her.
"Sister Superior, please open up!"
A woman bangs on the monastery door, as firmly closed as on a cold winter afternoon.
"I'm Marcella! Please, open the door!"
Marcella's voice trembled as much as her unkempt black hair.
And behind her, girls trembling with cold and fear.
They were young girls, like Zemina, who were about to debut as prostitutes.
"······Marcella?"
The door, which seemed firmly closed, opened.
And the old nun, upon receiving an untimely visitor in the middle of the night, looked at her with uncomfortable eyes.
"What business brings you here at this hour?"
"Sister Superior!"
As if she had found light in the darkness, Marcella clung to the old nun.
"Please, take care of these children. They are unfortunate children."
"What is going on here?"
The Sister Superior frowned upon seeing Marcella, who not only arrived suddenly but also asked them to take care of the children.
It was more than a breach of etiquette; it was an excessive action.
"What are you doing here? Leave!"
Something must have happened in the alley.
Otherwise, the woman who always smiled effortlessly wouldn't be shouting so urgently.
"Mother Superior, please!"
"This is not a place for just anyone to enter!"
The Mother Superior looked at the children behind Marcela and showed her disgust.
They had been brought by a prostitute, so they must be girls who worked in dirty places.
This is one of the places closest to God.
It cannot contain such dirty children.
"It's not like that!"
A desperate thigh was wedged between the quickly closing door.
"These children are virgins. They are the children observed by the Bishop."
"······."
Virgin prostitutes.
A contradictory existence created by Bishop Soara, who abhorred impure acts.
The Mother Superior was also familiar with those children.
"Nevertheless, we cannot simply accept them all of a sudden..."
"Why not?! I've donated so much money here all this time!"
On an ambitious night, a threatening voice echoed in front of the quiet monastery.
Until recently, it was a pathetic sight, but upon seeing Marcella suddenly change, the Mother Superior was taken aback.
"Just with that money, they could feed the children here for ten years! Is what I'm asking for so difficult?"
Like a lion protecting her cubs, Marcella stared intently at the Mother Superior.
Overwhelmed by Marcella's desperation and determination, the Mother Superior retreated before her urgent and resolute demand.
"Move aside!"
With a desperate and firm shout, Marcella flung open the monastery door and addressed the girls behind her.
"Come in!"
"Ma'am."
"But why?"
"Stop worrying."
Marcella grabbed the shoulders of the girls who sobbed and hesitated, and pushed them inside the monastery.
"We can replace the lost wages with this."
One by one.
Through the touch of a prostitute, the girls entered into the embrace of God.
"Marcella..."
"It's okay. You did well."
Marcella smiled as she cupped Zemina's frozen face with both hands in the cold wind.
"We were destined for this. Men always leave things half done, you know?"
Even Zemina, who hesitated, was brought into the monastery by Marcella, who stood firm like a lion protecting her cubs.
"You cannot enter."
Although God's embrace was wide, qualification was needed to reach there.
Marcella, a greedy woman, was not a woman entitled to enter into God's embrace.
"...Anyway, I wasn't expecting to enter."
Faced with rules set by humans and not by God, Marcella halted.
However, after ensuring the children were safe in His embrace, Marcella took responsibility until the end.
"I'll leave it to you. You'll all be fine."
“...”
A woman left alone in the darkness with no other choice.
Someone's greedy hand reached even here.
And so, Marcella was dragged through the slowly closing door crack.
With her hair grasped.
"Marcella...!"
That was the last Zemina saw of the outside world.
***
"Today we are going to pray here with my children."
"The chapel is spacious and beautiful."
Following the guidance of the Mother Superior, Vlad continued to look around as he walked through the convent.
He knew it was rude, but he couldn't help but wonder if he would find the familiar redhead girl among the passing novices.
"And there are people waiting to pray with you, including the knights. Would you like to pray with them? Grace multiplies when shared."
But the girl he was looking for didn't appear, and there were only uncomfortable guests waiting for Vlad.
"Ah, so that's how it is."
It made sense, considering they had been postponing the visit to the convent until now.
Although Vlad remained just a weak figure in the world of nobles and knights, for those looking from below, he was a presence attractive enough.
Perhaps they had pressured the Mother Superior to establish a connection with Bayezid.
"So please, lead the way. It's an honor."
"We appreciate your consideration."
Although he didn't like the idea of being used, Vlad had no choice but to follow the Mother Superior.
"Damn bastard."
Vlad thought of Goethe and sighed.
He had insisted that he had requested a visit, but he had never mentioned planning to see Zemina.
"In the end, it seems like I have to do everything myself."
As a result, Vlad had to make sure to leave a good impression on the Mother Superior.
When it comes to asking for something unexpected, it's important to show a positive attitude.
"······."
While listening to the story of the convent from the Mother Superior, Vlad absentmindedly touched the sword he wore at his waist.
Enduring a bit of annoyance like this was a small price to pay for the girl who had gifted him the sword.
The sword that had accompanied him all this time had been bought by her with her tears.
***
An unusually busy morning at the convent.
Zemina silently immersed her hands in the dishwater as she observed the scene, which was not the same as usual but still felt familiar to her.
"Looks like someone's coming today."
There were days like this sometimes.
They prayed with people from the outside world.
"Oh my God, he's so handsome!"
"Blond hair and blue eyes, he looks like an aristocrat!"
The solitary nature of the convent made the rumors about the man visiting today fuel the girls' imaginations.
"······."
But they were completely irrelevant to Zemina.
Having grown up in the alleys, she knew the harsh reality better than anyone.
She didn't want to waste time with the fairy tales that girls dream about.
"Why are you still whispering, everyone get ready to go to the chapel!"
The apprentices quickly finished washing the dishes as the Mother Superior entered the kitchen.
But where Zemina was, the dishes remained piled up.
No one had helped her, and she had even been overlooked.
"······."
The exclamation of the Mother Superior caught the attention of Marcella's children, who had come with Zemina.
But while Zemina gritted her teeth, they did their best to survive in a strange place.
Even if it meant ignoring Zemina.
"Finish that."
"Yes..."
Zemina stood alone in front of the dishwasher while everyone else left, following the Mother Superior's instructions.
The kitchen was deserted, the only sound being the drip of water.
In this place, Zemina was terribly alone.
"…Now there's no one to complain about my eczema."
In the silent kitchen, with no one else around, the girl silently remembered someone.
The only thing that helped her get through the day was the image of Marcella, who had sacrificed herself for them, and the promise the boy had made to her before he left.
***
A chapel where everyone is gathered except one.
It's a sunny afternoon, and the girls whisper their excitement.
The rumored knight. Who caught Bayezid's attention.
Here would come a man who had everything a girl at her best could be interested in.
"Today we have a special guest. He comes from Bayezid's House and is endorsed by Priest Andreas."
The girls murmured the name the Mother Superior had mentioned.
No one in the North, let alone in Count Bayezid's territory, would be unaware of Andreas's name.
No matter how much he had worked, his squire status alone could not have brought him here.
The girls nodded to each other, agreeing that there was indeed a reason.
The man arriving now had a great presence behind him.
"Let's pray."
Everyone present bowed their heads as Mother Superior led the way.
Seeing the blond man praying so naturally, the girls once again let out a silent cheer.
Because the posture of prayer was so natural that one could discern his devotion just by watching.
At least, it seemed he wasn't someone uneducated just seeking luxury, which made the girls' hearts beat faster.
“Hurry up and come in!”
“I'm sorry.”
Finally finishing the remaining scrubbing, Zemina hurried to take a place in the corner, under the nuns' gaze.
“Phew.”
Luckily, she wasn't too late.
Zemina breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that being late or absent for something like this would have meant a harsh reprimand.
But the girl didn't know that the blond man pretending to pray from above was still looking for her.
And that he had also noticed the red-haired girl, who arrived later than anyone else.
After the prayer.
After the courteous greetings and laughter.
When all that was left was networking with those pretending to lunch.
“Huh?”
After finishing the prayer, Zemina finally lifted her head and seemed to meet the gaze of the blond man standing in front of the altar.
“…?”
And from the moment she felt their gazes meet, Zemina couldn't look away from him.
Though his naturally shiny hair naturally caught people's attention, Zemina wasn't looking at him for that.
It was because he resembled someone she knew.
“…..”
When Mother Superior and the guest she had brought joined the procession to step down from the altar, Vlad, who had noticed something, began to frown.
“Is there a problem?”
Asked Mother Superior with a smile as Vlad clicked his tongue, showing his discomfort.
“…They're too thin. Are they feeding the children here properly?”
“What?”
In the face of a tone that sounded almost reproachful, Mother Superior was momentarily taken aback.
“Huh?”
“No…”
Vlad had barely finished saying that when he got up and quickly walked to the altar.
Different from before, he showed a rude attitude, which left both the guests and the present girls perplexed.
Zemina was confused too.
Although the feeling of confusion was a bit different.
“What...what?”
The figure of the blond man slowly approaching.
As her vision cleared, Zemina felt increasingly puzzled by the feeling that someone she knew was approaching.
It was someone who shouldn't be here.
“…”
Vlad stood in front of her, frowning.
Though all eyes were on him, the boy didn't seem to mind.
No matter who saw him.
He had come here alone for this moment alone.
“Hey.”
Even when Vlad called her brusquely, Zemina just blinked her eyes, not moving at all.
She stood there, as if she couldn't accept what was happening.
“I'm Vlad.”
The words echoed in her head over and over, but her heart refused to accept them.
“Vlad?”
Zemina stared at the man who was Vlad but didn't look like him.
His shiny dark cloak, silver-gray leather armor that looked expensive.
And his shiny blond hair and round face were clearly different from the extremely thin boy she knew.
“I can't believe it.”
However, there was a fundamental reason why Zemina didn't recognize Vlad.
The Vlad in Zemina's mind was a boy, but the Vlad in front of her now was a man.
His shoulders were broader, and his height taller.
And the blue eyes looking down at her...
“Is there not enough food or proper washing for the children here?”
“Huh?”
Zemina was surprised to see the boy who had suddenly disappeared in front of her.
“...Damn.”
Vlad made a noise that didn't make it clear if he was angry or annoyed, and kneeling down, he began to clean the dirt that was on Zemina's front.
They were the dirt stains that Zemina hadn't cleaned yet.
“...What's going on?”
“Did you know each other?”
Everyone present was dumbfounded to see the promising knight Bayezid had set his eye on kneeling before a somewhat unattractive girl.
Especially the girls who had been harassing Zemina for a long time were so surprised that they almost lost their breath.
“What's this, it's like you're in the streets? Aren't you going to answer me?”
“...Yes!”
Only after feeling the warm touch of the boy, Zemina could realize who was in front of her.
“Ugh! Sob!”
Seeing the girl with big tears in her eyes, Vlad slightly furrowed his brow.
“...Let's go out today.”
Zemina stroked the head of Vlad, who was kneeling in front of her.
It wasn't a conscious action, but it seemed necessary.
Because she had to feel it.
The feeling on her fingertips.
Though a bit shinier, it was the same feeling as the boy from back then.
"Let's go home."
“…!”
Though she tried to bear it, Vlad's last words hit her chest hard.
“Hu-hu-!”
In front of everyone.
The red-haired girl couldn't help but burst into tears continuously even though she tried to stop herself.
Let's go home.
For the girl who had no home, those were words she had never heard before.
Without a home, parents, or anything to eat, street kids were each other's home and parents.
The girl broke into tears as she remembered that winter day when they wrapped each other in a single blanket.
In the silent sanctuary, only the girl's sobs echoed.
But...
No matter how loud the sound was.
Today, even God would have to hear the girl's cry.
Because the girl was more grateful to God than any other priest in this world.
The boy who had once been discarded with the trash had kept his promise.
It was a promise to return without fail.
