The First Letter (46)

Pale moonlight seeped through the crack in the window. The soft crimson lamplight flickered now and then as if tickled, casting shadows from the flames.

A woman resembling the sun sat there as part of that dreamlike scene. Her radiant golden hair and ruby-like red eyes shone even in the night, when everything else grew indistinct.

If anything, the word ‘sensual’ suited her better. Her presence seemed impossible to diminish anywhere, and she sipped fragrant wine with a suggestive smile.

Even the movement of her throat as she swallowed the wine was beautiful. There were only the two of us in the room, a man and a woman drinking together, so it would have been reasonable to assume that what came next was already decided.

Yet only the woman exuded that strange atmosphere.

My eyes remained fixed on her, frozen in place. My thoughts were a tangled mess.

What had I just heard?

I had suspected as much. If not for the inexplicable certainty that it might actually be true, I would never have broached the subject. It was an act that would offend the heir to House Yurdina. Naturally, I needed at least that much resolve before making a judgment.

Even so, I could not bring myself to speak for a while. My throat was parched, but the only glass of wine available was the one the woman had offered me.

So I decided to endure my thirst. A hoarse voice escaped my throat...