Chapter 22.1 December 24, 2024
by AfuhfuihgsAcademy’s Pure Love Dark Knight – Chapter 22.1
Chapter 22: 6-4. Misunderstandings and Understandings Are a Letter Apart
According to Chartines, the first time she met Nex was several years ago in the courtyard of a high-society gathering.
“It’s so boring. Even if this is for the Church of Light…”
Invited to the gathering by Cardinal Beatrice’s recommendation, Chartines found herself unable to blend in with the nobles and left the event early.
“No one wants to talk to me because I’m a vampire. All I have here is Mr. Kitty.”
“Meow.”
Petting the stray cat that had come to her side, she sank into a somber mood.
Even though she introduced herself as “the newly chosen saintess from the Church of Light,” all she got in return were disdainful or suspicious glances. She said she had felt like crying.
The fact that the successor to the First Saintess was a vampire caused quite a stir. Some nobles even murmured about blasphemy.
“It’s so unfair. I haven’t done anything wrong…”
As she spoke to the cat, feeling the loneliness weighing on her, a sudden shout rang out.
“You’re trash, can’t even summon your spirit!”
— *Crash.*
The sound of shattering glass broke the quiet atmosphere.
Startled, the cream-colored cat that had been nestled in her arms bolted away.
“Meoooow!!”
“Ahh! Mr. Kitty, don’t run away!”
She chased after the frightened cat, her long nun’s robes making it difficult to move.
“Oof!”
In her haste, she tripped over a stone and fell, her face hitting the ground hard, a burning sensation spreading over her skin.
“Ow… it hurts…”
“What’s going on here, girl?”
She looked up instinctively at the voice.
A man with purple hair, adorned with the insignia of a phoenix, stood before her.
“…Count Nex Aureus?”
It was Nex, the son of Asha Aureus, one of the Ten Greats.
He was a descendant of a legendary figure in the Spirit World, known as the Living Sun. Chartines had heard he was attending the gathering, but now seeing him in person, it felt unreal.
A dull sound echoed in the grass.
“Hmph, wipe your nosebleed.”
“Ah, thank you.”
He had noticed her nose bleeding from the fall and handed her a handkerchief.
At that moment, Chartines thought he was different from the rumors she’d heard.
“Meow.”
“There’s that pesky thing clinging to you,” Nex muttered, gently petting the cat that had crept back to his feet. His touch seemed to heal the creature, which made Chartines feel a strange sense of surprise.
“This kind of person as the Second Saintess? The Cardinal must have lost his mind.”
“…”
The harsh words were spoken through the strong scent of alcohol, which lingered on Nex.
‘He doesn’t seem angry—he looks more sad,’ she thought, observing his downcast expression, though his words were sharp.
When Nex, looking sorrowful, threw insults her way, Chartines realized that deep down, he wasn’t a bad person. After all, someone cruel wouldn’t bother healing a wounded animal.
“Why don’t you get mad, vampire?” he asked.
“…Because it’s true. People don’t welcome me,” she responded.
“Is that why you’re out here in the garden?”
“Yes.”
Nex only sighed and smiled faintly at her reply, touching his forehead as if amused. Perhaps he sensed something different about her compared to the noblewomen at the gathering.
“…Do you see me as trash, too?” he asked suddenly.
“Huh? Why would I?”
“I’m asking because I feel like we’re both outcasts, vampire.”
His attitude was distant, as though he was purposefully pushing people away.
With his face twisted into a mask of annoyance, the purple-haired man seemed to be trying to intimidate her.
“I don’t know.”
“Hah, then why haven’t you left?” he pressed.
“Because you don’t seem like someone who says hurtful things with sincerity.”
“…How ridiculous.”
Having endured countless barbs from the noblewomen, Chartines could sense that Nex wasn’t being genuine. It was a gut feeling that this was just another facade.
“I’m the bastard son of my family. Don’t you think I’m pathetic?”
“Uh? No, not at all.”
“…”
Nex stared into her crimson eyes for a few moments before speaking again.
“Judging by your expression, I believe you. You’re really a saintess.”
“Is something wrong?” she asked gently.
“Hmm.”
Hearing her response, Nex’s demeanor shifted. It was as though a wave of clarity washed over him, dispelling the fog of alcohol. His eyes, previously dull, regained a sharp, clear focus.
“…Saintess, do you take confessions?”
“Uh, well… since you healed the cat, I suppose I could?”
‘This man… I heard from the Cardinal that I should never get involved with him,’ she thought.
Nex had suddenly grown calm and asked for her to listen to him. Though she wanted to refuse, there was something broken about him that tugged at her sympathy.
Running a hand through his purple hair, Nex began to speak.
“I’ve received 23 marriage proposals already. None of them have worked out, and when they don’t get their way, they even throw glasses at me.”
“Ah… so that’s why…”
“They know I’m the heir to a dukedom, but even so, they treat me like dirt because they know nothing will happen if they do.”
He laughed bitterly, the lingering effects of alcohol apparent in his slurred words.
“The family of that lady is powerful, but this is wrong, don’t you think? Saintess?”
“It sounds like a terrible place full of awful people,” she replied.
“You’re right. The worst people gather at these events. I’m here, after all.”
Chartines noticed a small cut on Nex’s cheek, likely from a shard of the glass that had been thrown at him.
‘…Oh?’
Was the earlier commotion because of this? She couldn’t believe someone would dare throw a glass at the child of one of the Ten Greats without fear of repercussions.
“Aren’t you going to heal that?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s better this way.”
Looking at him, she felt a sense of pity. It was like looking in a mirror, seeing someone who wore their pain just as she did.
“I saw their faces, and a few were happy to see me hurt. They probably thought, ‘Serves him right, that bastard!’”
“That sounds more like you’re imagining things…”
“You’re too naive, Saintess.”
His violet eyes gleamed like a crescent moon, giving him the look of a sly fox. His eyes were slightly red, as if he had been crying earlier.
“This world is full of people lying and being lied to. Fools, all of them. They’re probably relieved I’m not in the ballroom right now.”
With a loud voice, Nex spread his arms wide, his voice echoing with bitterness.
“Ah, they think nothing will happen because my family won’t protect me! They say I can’t even summon my spirit!”
“I don’t see things that way…”
Chartines, in her innocent perspective, saw Nex as someone who built lies around himself to appear strong, not because he enjoyed it, but because he didn’t want to appear weak.
He seemed more like a wounded animal that lashed out as soon as someone got too close.
“Then what do you think, Second Saintess?”
“…I think you’re like a cute fox.”
“W-What…?”
For a moment, Chartines looked up at his face, studying it closely.
“…Don’t you think I’m more of a monster?”
“Yes. I just think you’re quite handsome,” Chartines replied casually.
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