“See you in three days.”
To Satin, the High Priest’s words sounded more like: You’d better figure something out within three days—because that’s when all your lies will be exposed!
And he didn’t even get the full three days to himself. Between the royal banquet and the evening prayer service at the temple (which was reservation-only and quite expensive), two days had already been eaten up.
Tomorrow, he would have to enter the Chamber of Whispers with the High Priest. Strictly speaking, he had less than twelve hours left.
‘I need to come up with something fast.’
Satin rubbed the armrest of the chair so furiously it was a wonder his fingerprints weren’t wearing off. Then he finally spoke.
“Cain, hey…”
Cain was lying on the bed, nibbling on pickled apricots as he looked over at Satin. Satin blurted it out without thinking.
“You shouldn’t eat while lying down.”
“That’s not what you were about to say, is it?”
“Uh… no, it’s not…”
Satin mumbled, awkwardly looking away as he went back to rubbing the chair arm.
Satin and Cain were currently staying at a guest residence provided by the capital administration. It used to be a royal villa located a little ways outside the city, but as the population grew and the capital expanded, the villa had ended up inside city limits. Apparently, the royal family no longer felt the need for a villa inside the capital and handed it over to the administration.
‘They probably didn’t hand it over for free.’
In any case, since it was once a royal residence, the guesthouse was extravagantly furnished. There wasn’t a single empty space on the walls, floor, or even the ceiling. What seemed plain at a glance was, upon closer inspection, covered in intricate patterns. The curtains and bedding were no exception.
In this ornate room, Cain dozed off and snacked without a care in the world. Maybe it was thanks to his handsome face, but his presence didn’t get buried in the luxury. He’d taken off his drab black robe and dressed properly now—convincing enough to pass for a foreign prince. And judging by his demeanor, he knew it too.
Satin had seen more than a few maids stealing glances at Cain and exchanging looks with each other. It made him feel a little proud… but also strangely conflicted.
‘Don’t I kind of look like a servant next to him?’
No—on second thought, even that didn’t seem right. The attendants at the royal banquet had all looked like elite professionals. Satin might’ve become a Hero by some stroke of fate, but he probably wouldn’t have made the cut as a servant.
After letting his thoughts wander down that depressing path, Satin finally spoke the words he’d meant to say.
“About your wish…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re going to make a wish tomorrow, right?”
Even though it was his own question, Satin immediately thought it sounded stupid.
Cain didn’t respond right away. He just stared at Satin in silence. Feeling pressured by the look, Satin sprang to his feet.
The bedroom was so large that even with a bed the size of a sports field, there was still a ton of open space. There were chairs by the window, in the center of the room, and along the opposite wall.
Like someone playing a game of musical chairs, Satin wandered around the room before finally speaking in a slightly defensive tone.
“I was just curious, that’s all. You said before that you’d wish to get my memories back. And for me, that’s…”
“You don’t want to get your memories back?” Cain cut him off mid-sentence.
“It’s not that I don’t want it…”
The directness of the question left him at a loss for words. Saying he didn’t want to remember would definitely sound strange.
Satin sat down in the chair furthest from the bed, near the wall. Staring at the chrysanthemum pattern on the floor, he went on.
“Even if I get my memories back, maybe nothing will actually change. And if you end up feeling like your wish was wasted, I’d feel bad… like I ruined your reward.”
It came out a bit jumbled, but Cain seemed to get the gist. He furrowed his brows and sat up. Satin glanced sideways at the movement, then quickly looked away.
Cain sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling, and let out a sigh before asking, “What exactly is bothering you so much?”
“It’s not that something’s bothering me… I’m just worried you might be disappointed.”
“That you’ll be different after you get your memories back?”
When Satin stayed silent, Cain let out a short, derisive laugh. Was he thinking this was ridiculous? If Satin really had amnesia, he might’ve laughed along sheepishly at that moment.
But he didn’t—because it wasn’t true. And so, sweat began to bead on his forehead. His palms instantly went clammy.
“…It could happen, right? I mean, you might be overestimating me just because I helped you out.”
“Why would that be an overestimation?”
Cain suddenly cut in. Satin rubbed his hands against his thighs and gave a weak smile.
“I’m not saying I’m a bad person, just that I’m probably not as good as you think I am. It’s possible, right? What if I recover my memories and it turns out I’m exactly the same as I am now? Or I can’t even remember the past properly. Then, to you…”
Satin trailed off before finishing his sentence. The more he spoke, the more foolish he felt. Who talks about themselves like this, anyway?
He snuck a glance at Cain, who leaned back slightly. While Cain sat like he was in his own home, Satin looked like someone awaiting punishment—stiff and rigid. Even though they were sitting a fair distance apart, Satin couldn’t relax.
Cain stared at him in silence, then finally spoke.
“Do you think you’re different from how you used to be?”
Cain’s voice was subtly different from usual. It felt softer—was he imagining it? Satin glanced at him again and gave a hesitant nod. Cain’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“You don’t need to worry. Whether then or now, you’re the same.”
“No, that might just be your mistake. We haven’t even known each other that long. Memories fade over time…”
Cain simply smiled gently and listened as Satin spoke. But Satin stopped mid-sentence.
He realized—Cain wouldn’t take his words seriously, no matter what he said. That unwavering belief was what made Satin feel so suffocated.
And yet, along with the frustration came a strange sense of satisfaction.
If Cain didn’t make a wish—if they could just stay like this—then that trust would belong to Satin, and only Satin.
‘How pathetic.’
Ashamed of his own selfishness, Satin hung his head.
“Come here.”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t just sit there by yourself. Come over here.”
Cain nodded toward the bed. It was so wide that even with Cain sitting comfortably at the edge, there was enough space for several more people.
Satin didn’t know why he was being called over, but he hesitantly approached the bed. He sat down, leaving about a handspan’s distance between them. Cain reached for the plate of snacks he’d set aside earlier.
The pickled apricots were beautifully arranged. Cain speared one with a fork and held it out.
“Stop overthinking. Just eat some apricot.”
“Apricots aren’t exactly the priority right now—”
“You like them, don’t you?”
The apricot was so sweet it made his tongue tingle. But to Satin, it tasted bitter—like poison.
***
“You don’t look well. Has something been bothering you during your stay here?”
It was Edward, whom Satin had seen earlier at the evening prayer. He had mentioned that the priests had additional duties at the Grand Temple after the prayer, so it seemed that had finally wrapped up.
“No, nothing’s wrong. Why would there be?” Satin forced a smile.
“But what brings you here now?”
They had already met earlier, and were supposed to see each other again tomorrow. Why come by this late at night?
Edward handed over a large bundle. It was roughly the size of a 3kg box of tangerines.
“I wanted to deliver this to you.”
“What is it?”
Satin didn’t take it right away and just stared at it. Edward unwrapped the bundle for him.
“They’re your clothes for tomorrow. The tailoring only just finished, since we were on a tight schedule.”
“Clothes?”
“There’s a set for Mr. Cain as well. Speaking of which, where is he?”
“Oh, he went for a bath. There’s a public bath area here, and we could’ve gone together, but… yeah, I wasn’t comfortable with that.”
Satin scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
Edward replied with a drawn-out “I see,” then gave him a strange look.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just find the two of you fascinating, that’s all.”
Satin didn’t ask what he meant. He figured he didn’t need to. Actually, he might already know.
Edward didn’t press the issue and instead took out the clothes from the bundle, laying them out on the table.
“These were provided by the temple. I hear they were made by the same tailor who crafts the High Priest’s robes.”
They certainly looked like they were made by a master. Not particularly flashy, but the quality showed in the cuffs and collar. A closer look revealed subtle embroidery hidden throughout.
As Satin admired the garment and ran his fingers over the fabric, he muttered belatedly,
“Why go to all this trouble? I already have plenty of clothes here.”
Whoever was managing the guesthouse clearly had a sharp eye—every outfit he’d worn over the past two days had fit him perfectly, like they were custom-made. There were still several he hadn’t even tried on yet, all of them exquisite.
There’d been no need to worry about what to wear tomorrow.
But Edward’s expression turned serious. He hadn’t come out of concern that Satin lacked clothes.
“Where you’re going tomorrow is the innermost sanctum of the Grand Temple. It’s where the voice of God is delivered directly. Naturally, your attire must be appropriate for such a place.”
Only then did Satin understand what Edward meant. There was a dress code.
“Oh… I didn’t realize there were clothing requirements. I really don’t know anything, do I?”
Satin laughed awkwardly. Edward chuckled.
“No need to be nervous. Just follow the procedure, and everything will be fine. And even if you make a mistake, who’s going to blame you, Mr. Satin?”
Despite the light-hearted tone, Satin couldn’t quite relax.
Edward’s smile faded as he looked at him seriously.
“…Is there something else you’re worried about?”
The feeling that a person is looking at you but not really looking AT you… is really sad.