Becoming the Serpent's Owner
Sua turned from the convent window where she had been gazing at the cathedral. The room was immaculate, so perfectly ordered it looked as though its occupant might return at any second. Her nun’s habit lay folded with reverence on the bed. She would never wear it again, so there was no reason to keep it.
The procedure for returning to secular life had been swift. Since she had not taken her final vows, the order responded at once. A meeting with the Mother Superior had been arranged, but because Sua was overseas, Father Vincenzo had sent a statement confirming he had stood in her place.
By now Sister Agnes would know she had left the convent. Late on the evening she had spoken with Father Vincenzo, Sua had sent her a message.
She hadn’t dared speak the words aloud over the phone. She was terrified of what Sister Agnes might say. The thought that even a single reproachful word would cause her to collapse entirely had kept her silent.
She had turned her phone off in case Sister Agnes tried to call. Her heart lay heavy, as though she had committed a grave sin.
It was the third day since she had confessed everything to Leroy. Her departure from the order was already decided, so she had to leave the church. Yet Tezman had not come.
After that day, even Leroy stopped visiting. All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind. She had given up being a nun, yet perhaps to him it had only been a game. Perhaps this was God’s test, and she was now receiving her punishment.
Even if Tezman never appeared, she could blame no one; the choice had been hers. A nun who had already returned to the world could not go back to the convent. She had nowhere to go, but she still had to leave. If she stayed here any longer, she would drown in her own thoughts.
She picked up her bag. The luggage was half what she had arrived with, and the lightness felt strangely awkward. Before leaving the room she stopped in front of the mirror. The pure white veil that had covered her hair every day was gone; only her black hair remained. It looked foreign. She had merely removed a piece of cloth, yet she felt utterly exposed.
“I should have bought a hat if I knew it would feel like this.”
She would buy one the moment she stepped outside, she decided, and left the room. When she reached the first floor, Father Vincenzo and Father Yohan were waiting.
Father Yohan had grown icy the moment he learned she was leaving the order. He clearly saw her as a traitor who had betrayed God. While his expressionless face watched her, Father Vincenzo pressed his palms together as though in prayer.
“May God’s grace be with you.”
Sua bowed her head quietly in reply.
She opened the convent door. The step she took as an ordinary person rather than a woman of the cloth felt like a child’s first unsteady footfall.
“Ha…”
Despite the turmoil in her heart, the weather was warm. A spring breeze heavy with the scent of flowers rushed past, tangling her uncovered hair. When the strands fell across her eyes, Sua lifted a hand and brushed them back.
And at that moment—
“I suppose I’m too late.”
The voice she had been waiting for reached her ear and her body reacted before her mind could.
“…Tezman?”
“I was preparing to welcome our little nun.”
Within her trembling pupils, Tezman’s figure was reflected. He must have paid attention to his clothes; the tie he usually left loose was neatly knotted.
Sua stared at him, her lips quivering.
“…I thought you weren’t coming.”
“That was never going to happen.”
“After you… after you made me like this…”
Her shaking voice gradually grew wet with tears. She had been afraid. She had abandoned even her life as a nun to take the hand he offered, yet she feared that to him it had been nothing more than a passing spring breeze.
“I kept wondering what I would do if you really didn’t come. How much I…”
Now that she had laid down her identity as a nun, the words she had held back poured out without restraint.
“How much I worried and waited with my heart in my throat…!”
Tezman stepped close in one stride and reached for her. He pulled her straight into his chest and whispered against her ear.
“How could I stay away when you’re this lovable?”
Lovable?
“I never thought the word ‘lovable’ would leave my own mouth. I simply couldn’t find any other expression that suited you better.”
He pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
“Just as you saved me, Sister, I intend to give you everything I have.”
For the first time, he smiled brightly in front of her.
“Congratulations on becoming the owner of the snake called Tezman.”
The owner of the snake. The creature that had once filled her with such unease no longer felt repulsive. It seemed almost like any other pet. No—far more special than that.
“Let’s go.”
His arm tightened around her waist as he continued.
“To our estate.”
Sitting side by side in the back seat, Sua’s face was colored with tension. Knowing she was nervous, Tezman kept her hand firmly in his, never once looking away.
“Um… are there any family members at home? I was wondering if it’s all right for me to come.”
“There’s no one but the person who manages the estate. I live there alone.”
“Ah… then is there a room I can use?”
At her innocent question he let out a small chuckle.
“There are many rooms, but none for you to use alone.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’ll be living with me in my room.”
Sua’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Together…?”
“Yes. Together.”
He drew her captured hand close to his lips and went on.
“Weren’t you prepared for this when you came?”
His lips settled on the back of her hand.
“I’m going to keep you by my side for the rest of our lives, Sister.”
For the rest of their lives. Sua had not thought that far.
“W-wait a moment… Are you saying you want to marry me?”
“Marriage? Anything is fine. As long as you stay beside me.”
It was more dangerous than she had imagined. This redemption he spoke of meant remaining at his side forever.
“Tezman, I… I didn’t come with that kind of thought…”
“Sister.”
His low, sinking voice resonated in her ear.
“Even if you return to Korea, you have nowhere to go.”
He had already finished investigating her background. That she was an orphan, that she had grown up in a nursery run by nuns and dreamed of becoming one herself—he knew it all.
“Ah…”
Faced with an undeniable truth, Sua could not continue. He whispered to her.
“All you have to do is stay with me. Without a single worry.”
Even though the temptation was obvious, Sua nodded. She wanted to know more about him; living together seemed acceptable. She would organize her thoughts while they stayed together and then choose again.
Whether to return to Korea and live a new life as someone other than a nun, or remain here.
Tezman’s gaze as he watched the pensive Sua was relentless. She thought far too much. The moment she entered the estate, he intended to fill her mind with nothing but him.
When the estate came into view beyond the car window, the corner of his mouth curved faintly.
“We’re here.”
“Ah…”
Sua, who had been lost in thought, lifted her head and looked out the window. She could not close her mouth.
“Is this… some kind of castle…?”
It resembled the grand European estates or palaces she had only seen on television. She had never imagined that actual people lived in such a place.
“This is really your house, Tezman?”
“That’s right.”
“This whole place?!”
With an incredulous, dazed expression, she let him take her hand as he opened the car door.
“Come.”
He led her by the hand. Sua stepped out hesitantly and slowly scanned the magnificent estate that loomed before her with overwhelming dignity.
“Tezman… are you incredibly wealthy… or perhaps from a very high status…”
“Our little nun has become quite worldly now that she’s left the convent.”
“That’s not it!”
Watching her flare up, he gave a soft laugh.
“I have more than enough to provide for you, so you don’t need to worry.”
The words sounded so much like a proposal that her heart fluttered without reason. When had her heart begun to react so violently? The way it pounded every time she looked at Tezman had already gone beyond her control.
“Let’s go inside.”
Still holding her hand, he headed toward the estate. Normally hunting dogs would have been patrolling the garden, but not today.
Fearing she might be startled by the large hounds, he had moved not only the dogs but also the capos and soldiers guarding the estate out of sight.
He was pleased to see her looking around with open curiosity. He had ordered Cact once more to tend the garden and decorate the estate in a way that would please her. After all, this would be her home from now on.
He hoped with all his heart that she would like it here.
He led her by the hand. The moment the grand door opened, the elegant, old-fashioned interior filled her eyes. The entire mansion seemed like a single work of art.
While she stood speechless, letting out soft gasps of admiration, a voice greeted her.
“Hello.”
A deep, resonant voice. Cact stood there with a faint, gentle smile.
“Ah… hello.”
“Welcome to the estate. My name is Cact. I am Tezman’s secretary and the steward of this house.”
Sua bowed in greeting.
“I’ll be in your care from now on. If there’s anything I can help with, please let me know anytime. I can’t cook, but I’m confident with cleaning and laundry.”
Cleaning and laundry. The words were so absurd that Cact merely smiled instead of answering.
“Let’s go.”
Tezman began to walk. Sua, pulled along with him, turned her head and gave Cact one more bow.
“T-Tezman.”
“We can tour the estate slowly later. Right now I can’t wait any longer.”
What exactly couldn’t he wait for? As she looked up at him in confusion, he took her hand and pressed it against his own chest. Her face flushed crimson, as if a drop of red paint had fallen onto pure white canvas.
“I’ve been in this state ever since we were apart, Sister.”