Shadows Over the Eternal City
Taein had arrived well before the appointed time and was waiting for Sua. The thought of seeing her again had kept him up the night before, tossing and turning. With a face tight with nerves, he kept checking his watch and glancing around anxiously when a sleek black luxury sedan pulled up in front of him.
The driver’s door opened, and a man sprang out as if shot from a cannon, immediately opening the rear door. Taein wondered who could possibly be inside to warrant such urgency. Maybe some celebrity? His gaze naturally drifted toward the rear passenger door.
“The meal should be wrapping up around the time Lord Tezman arrives.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Taein couldn’t believe his eyes. The person stepping out of the back seat was none other than Sua. Today she wasn’t wearing an elegant dress. Instead, she had on a simple t-shirt and jeans—the perfect outfit for sightseeing.
As Sua awkwardly bowed her head in response to the driver’s polite farewell, her eyes caught sight of Taein.
“Taein?”
The dazed look on Taein’s face cleared at the sound of her voice.
“Hey, Sua.”
“You’re early. Were you waiting long?”
Seeing her bright, sunny smile, Taein’s lips faltered. Who exactly was she meeting that she’d arrived in a car like that? As he struggled to find the right words, Sua tilted her head at him.
“Taein?”
“Yeah. I came early because I wanted to see you.”
Noticing his awkward smile, Sua held something out to him. It was a sheet of paper listing Rome’s major tourist attractions.
“You said you wanted to go sightseeing. Then we should do it properly.”
Looking at her pure, unclouded face, a sharp ache pierced Taein’s chest. He had been the only one imagining this as a date. To Sua, it really was just about touring the city.
But it didn’t matter. Being with her was what counted.
“Can we really see all of these?”
“I think so. They’re all pretty close to each other. Let’s go!”
Sua took the lead, and Taein quickly fell into step beside her. Someone was discreetly taking photos of the two walking side by side with a phone. It was the driver who had just dropped Sua off. His job today was to keep watch over Sua and Taein—and to send the photos to Tezman at regular intervals.
After sending the latest picture of the pair, the man quietly slipped his phone back into his jacket. His gaze returned once more to Sua and Taein.
Oblivious to the fact that the driver who had brought her was now monitoring her every move, Sua was bubbling with excitement. It had been so long since she’d seen her childhood friend, and now they were going sightseeing together.
When Sua had first come to Italy, aside from a trip to the Vatican, she had spent nearly all her time at the church and the convent. Even after leaving the convent and moving into Tezman’s estate, she had never thought about going out. She had been too busy strolling through the mansion’s garden and decorating the Greenhouse Church that Tezman had built just for her.
Having lived a monastic life from a young age, Sua was accustomed to a closed-off existence. She never felt stifled by staying indoors, nor did she feel any particular urge to leave.
But last night, after looking up Rome’s tourist spots to visit with Taein, her perspective had shifted. There were so many beautiful, magnificent, and fascinating things here—why had she never thought to see them before?
She felt a twinge of bitterness at how quickly she seemed to have turned secular the moment she left the convent, but she soon let the feeling go. Now that she had returned to the secular world, dwelling on such thoughts would only make her miserable.
“This is my first time. Sightseeing, I mean.”
Taein looked at her, puzzled.
“What? Haven’t you been in Italy for a while now?”
“I went to the Vatican with Father Vincenzo. There was church business. I got to look around a bit while I was there. Other than that, I haven’t really gone anywhere on my own.”
She hadn’t gone anywhere on her own? So they had just left her cooped up all this time? Taein’s jaw tightened, teeth grinding together.
“That guy…”
“Hmm?”
“He says he likes you, but he never even took you out to see places like this? If it were me…!”
Taein caught himself and clamped his mouth shut. He hadn’t meant to let his emotions spill out so childishly. As he inwardly scolded himself for saying too much, Sua’s gentle voice reached his ears.
“Taein, don’t misunderstand. He’s the kind of person who would give me anything I wanted.”
He was the one who had turned an entire greenhouse into her own private church. All because he hoped she wouldn’t have to give up everything.
“I just never thought about going out. I’d lived in the convent for so long that it never even crossed my mind. But when you suggested sightseeing, I started looking things up and realized… I actually like this kind of thing.”
Worried that Taein might feel awkward, Sua carefully softened her words.
“Thanks to you, I get to see Rome today. It’s wonderful. Come on, let’s go.”
Seeing her make such an effort, Taein let out a short sigh. He had let his jealousy flare up and made her uncomfortable.
“Sorry. I messed up.”
“What are you talking about? I never told you, so of course you wouldn’t know. Whoa! Taein, they say if we turn this corner we’ll see the Pantheon!”
Sua smiled brightly as if nothing had happened, raising her voice with excitement. Taein simply stared at her. This was exactly like the old days. The way she changed the subject whenever tension arose, the way she always considered the other person’s feelings.
He knew he was supposed to play along and act like nothing was wrong.
“…The Trevi Fountain is near the Pantheon too. We can stop by there as well.”
Taein spoke mechanically. It looked like they were just going to keep touring like this. All his plans to use sightseeing as an excuse to bring up old memories and stir her emotions had crumbled. Even though he hadn’t been officially rejected, the feeling of having been cast aside sat heavy and sticky at his feet.
His first love. His unrequited love. For the girl who had dreamed of becoming a nun, he had forced down the feelings that rose all the way to his throat. Because she was someone no one could ever have, he had been able to suppress them.
But not anymore. Sua was no longer someone who dreamed of becoming a nun. Even so, Taein still couldn’t open his heart to her.
“Yeah… sounds good.”
The bond they shared—as family, as childhood friends—was stronger than he had realized, and Sua didn’t see him as a man at all.
“Taein! It’s the Pantheon!”
While his eyes had been fixed on her ever since they met, her gaze was now locked on the massive, majestic building.
“…Wow, it’s really incredible.”
Sua pulled out her phone. As she lifted it to take a picture of the Pantheon, she muttered quietly to herself.
“It’s not coming out well. I wanted to send him a photo… Maybe he’s seen it so many times it doesn’t impress him anymore.”
Even without a subject, he knew exactly who she was talking about. The moment he saw something beautiful, Taein thought of Sua. But she was thinking of someone else. Not him.
He had to correct himself. This wasn’t unrequited love. It was a one-sided love that didn’t even allow him the slightest bit of hope.
“Taein, want me to take your picture?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Taein stood in front of the Pantheon. Only then did Sua’s eyes, which had been fixed elsewhere, turn toward him.
“Smile!”
If this was the only way he could hold her attention, even for a moment—
“Okay.”
Taein forced the corners of his mouth upward into a smile.
His soles and calves were aching. How long had they been walking? Without even thinking about sitting down, Sua had dragged him all over Rome.
When the sun that had been high overhead began to set, Sua remembered the restaurant Tezman had reserved for her. He had said he would come pick her up after she finished dinner with her friend.
Sua hurried with Taein toward the restaurant Tezman had booked. The moment they stepped inside, a man in a black suit approached and asked for her name. Only after hearing it did he politely guide them further into the restaurant.
Through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, the romantic scenery of Rome stretched out below. Under the darkening sky, soft lights illuminated the buildings in a truly romantic glow. With the beautiful view of Rome as its backdrop and gentle classical music playing, the restaurant should have been filled with couples on proposal dates. Strangely, however, it was completely empty.
Before Sua could wonder about it for long, a staff member approached her.
“Lord Tezman will be arriving shortly.”
Only then did Sua understand why the restaurant was empty.
“Ah… thank you.”
An awkward silence settled between them. Taein, who had been quietly watching her, finally spoke the name.
“Tezman.”
Looking into her wide, round eyes, he continued.
“That’s him, right?”
The short question carried layers of meaning. Was this the man she had given her heart to—the one she had abandoned her life as a nun for? Sua’s lips parted, but no sound came out at first. Eventually, she gave a small nod.
“Yes. That’s him.”
Taein mulled over the name. Tezman. It wasn’t unfamiliar. It felt like something he had heard many times before. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember where.
And then it happened.
In the quiet restaurant where only soft classical music had been playing, the sound of footsteps approached. The steady, deliberate steps were heading straight for the table where Sua and Taein sat. Sua’s gaze shifted past Taein. Seeing the flush rise in her face, Taein instinctively knew who was walking up behind him.
“Sua.”
A low, deep, commanding voice fell over the table where Sua and Taein were seated.
“I’m here.”