The Serpent's Temptation
Tesman emerged from the bathroom with his nerves razor-sharp. Roughly tying the belt of his robe, he headed not for the bed but for his study. His head throbbed, perhaps from days spent tearing through the Tianpu district. He opened the study door, intending to soothe the headache with a glass of wine, only to narrow his eyes at the sight of Leroy waiting for him.
“Leroy.”
Leroy spoke as he watched Tesman sweep back his damp hair.
“My apologies. It seemed urgent enough to deliver immediately.”
Tesman moved toward the wine cellar, giving Leroy a look that said continue.
“The sister has—”
At the word sister, Tesman’s steps halted abruptly. What followed was enough to banish his headache in an instant.
“—announced she is returning to Korea.”
Returning to Korea? Who? Sua?
“Say that again.”
It was a sight Leroy had never witnessed before—Tesman visibly shaken. Leroy repeated the words with calm precision.
“The sister said she is returning to Korea…”
Leroy never finished the sentence. Tesman had already turned on his heel and was striding back toward his room. His destination was unmistakable. He went straight to the dressing room and grabbed the first garment that caught his eye.
Just because he had been busy for a few days. In that fleeting moment, she had already begun plotting her escape with that pretty little head of hers.
He should have done this from the beginning. Never mind her feelings—he should have brought her to the estate, locked her away, and made her see only him.
Leroy watched as Tesman dressed and spoke.
“I will drive you.”
A sudden chill made Sua shiver. Perhaps it was because the children were leaving tomorrow. Her restless heart refused to let her sleep.
Deciding she had already rested enough, Sua rose from the bed and headed to the chapel early. She wanted to stay beside the sleeping children, just as Sister Agnes had once done for her.
It was full spring. The scent of flowers blooming thickly along the stone path mingled with the crisp dawn air, creating a fragrance so lovely it nearly brought a hum to her lips.
As she walked along the path, humming softly, a low, deep voice called from behind her.
“Sister.”
Sua’s steps froze. Her head turned reflexively. Golden eyes gleamed like a beast’s amid the sea of black.
“…Tesman?”
His slow approach felt strangely threatening.
“I thought I must have misheard.”
Only then did his face, previously half-hidden in shadow, come into full view. Rage writhed across his domineering features.
“I came to ask you myself.”
“Ask… what?”
“You’re leaving, I hear.”
How could he know? She had told no one except Father Vincenzo. At the sight of Sua flinching as if caught in a lie, a deep crease formed between Tesman’s straight brows.
“So it’s true.”
“Ah…”
The dangerously low timbre of his voice made Sua instinctively step backward. In the next instant, he closed the distance and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“T-Tesman…!”
“How could you even think of leaving?”
She could feel the strength in the hand braced against her back.
“I have no intention of letting you go.”
Leave? On the contrary, it would never be enough to chain her to his side and force her to look only at him for the rest of her life.
“Did you want to run from me that badly?”
Behind the fierce expression directed at her, a trace of bitterness surfaced. Looking at that face, Sua felt as though she were the one committing a sin.
“That’s…”
His unwavering gaze bore down on her, demanding an answer. Those eyes left her red lips trembling, words failing her. How should she explain it? How could she make him understand her heart? While Sua agonized, Tesman’s patience had already run dry.
“It seems my sincerity meant very little to our dear sister.”
Should he simply take her here? If he claimed her in front of the very chapel she revered so deeply, she would have no choice but to abandon everything. He had tried not to earn her hatred, but now he was willing to risk it if it meant keeping her by his side.
As if reading his thoughts, Sua cautiously placed her hand on his chest, as though urging him to calm down and listen.
“…I was scared.”
Scared? He tilted his head back and let out a short, hollow laugh. Ah, perhaps he shouldn’t have shown her blood from the start. Instead of driving that cross into her head, he should have buried it somewhere unseen. He had thought he had been gentle with her. Rather than spiraling through every possible thought—unlike himself—he decided it would be faster to simply ask. What exactly had frightened her so much? His gaze slanted toward her.
“What could possibly scare you so, my sister?”
At his mocking tone, Sua bit her lip hard.
“…Do you know the story of Adam and Eve?”
Adam and Eve. Even a man who did not believe in God knew that tale—the first man and woman created by the divine. When Tesman nodded, Sua continued slowly.
“It is the story of two people who lived happily, only to be tempted by a serpent, eat the forbidden fruit, receive God’s punishment, and be cast out of Eden.”
Her clear eyes reflected him like a mirror.
“Tesman, you are that to me. A serpent offering the forbidden fruit and whispering temptation.”
A serpent capable of shattering everything she had built. She knew all too well that yielding to his seduction meant she would never be forgiven by God, that she would have to walk the path of corruption. That was why it terrified her even more.
“I am a serpent to you?”
Unlike her desperate tone, he let out a leisurely chuckle.
“How fitting. That happens to be my nickname.”
“…Nickname?”
“The Serpent of the Pavard family. That’s what everyone calls me.”
Whether it was because of the black serpent tattoo coiled around his left arm, or because he manipulated every situation with cunning precision to suit his tastes, Tesman’s nickname was the Serpent. The infamous Serpent of Pavard. And he had always despised that name.
“What should I do? For the first time, I think I might actually like it.”
If the being who could corrupt her was a serpent, then Tesman was more than willing to become that serpent.
“…Ha.”
The faint breath that slipped from her red lips scattered into the air before it could reach him. As if even that small thing disappointed him, he lowered his head closer.
“So, Sister.”
He whispered as though he meant to devour even her breath.
“Prepare yourself to fall obediently.”
His hot breath brushed her lips. It carried every ounce of the desire he had been suppressing. Like a serpent, his tongue slowly traced her tightly sealed lips. Crawling. Languid.
She dared not even breathe. If she parted her lips even slightly, he would surely invade.
The moment he saw her staring up at him with tightly pressed lips and flushed, trembling eyes, blood surged to his lower body. In truth, the one doing the tempting had never been him—it was Sua. She had no idea how maddening those innocent eyes could be. Tesman fought to contain the boiling lust within him.
“I’m sorry, Sister. But you will have to stay here after all.”
Instead, he intended to shake her just as deeply as she shook him. Since the serpent was said to be so skilled at temptation, he would live up to every expectation. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered softly.
“Otherwise, I might just follow you all the way to that tiny country of yours.”
The urge to bite the reddened tip of her ear nearly overwhelmed him, but he knew that would only make her run for real.
“If I go myself, I will drag you back and lock you in my estate. For the rest of your life. So that you can see no one but me.”
Instead, he grazed the corner of her flushed lips with his own before pulling away. He felt her body tense sharply. Finding the reaction adorable, he could not resist pressing another kiss to her ear.
“Is that… a threat?”
“Yes. So think very carefully.”
And I hope that at the end of those thoughts, you find me. The corner of Tesman’s mouth curved elegantly.
“If merely looking at you makes me go into heat like a dog, then I ought to take responsibility, shouldn’t I?”
The hand that had been gripping her waist slowly withdrew.
“See you tomorrow, Sister.”
With those final words, Tesman turned away without hesitation. Sua’s eyes trembled as she watched his retreating back. It was as if she were the one left with lingering attachment.
Her waist, which had felt his warmth only moments ago, now felt unbearably empty. As though his hand had always belonged there.
“Ha.”
The small sigh scattered into the air. Only now did Sua realize she had already accepted the forbidden fruit from his hand. With a look of surrender, she closed her eyes.