SALOME Ch 27

Though the bruising had faded by now, the bruises remaining deeper on his body still reminded him every now and then whenever he moved—of the memories of that day. Binding his flesh, committing acts close to torture while claiming they wanted to see him contort in pain… That wasn’t merely an unpleasant sensation that tickled his mind. That was—

“….”

That… which filled his mouth… Yuri’s face flushed red once again with heat creeping up, his brow furrowing ruthlessly.

I ended up remembering it again…

Should he tell him right now that he was a man? If he asked him not to do such things… In the middle of his agonizing thoughts, the sound of the heavy restroom door opening was heard from outside. At that sound, Yuri reflexively raised his feet—which had been resting on the floor—into the air.

Looking at the stall Yuri was inside from the outside, the door simply appeared closed with no one inside. Afterwards, Yuri clicked his tongue inwardly, calling it a terrible occupational disease. There was no need to go this far…

“Princess.”

“Jan.”

Yuri’s grumbling rapidly turned into self-praise the moment he heard the voices echoing along with the footsteps of the people who had entered. It was a moment where he felt fortunate to have a habit born of an occupational disease. The owners of the voices were not unfamiliar. No, they were familiar.

“Are we really… going?”

They were the voices of the Albanian Minister and the Italian Ambassador’s wife, whom he had closely marked about a week ago. Why were those two here…? Ah. The heat that had flushed his face moments ago vanished in an instant out of tension, replaced by a stark, icy dread. Through the gap beneath the cut-off bottom of the stall door, the legs of the man and woman were visible to Yuri’s eyes. Was it today?

“Everything is prepared. Are you still… hesitating?”

The day the two had decided to run away.

“If we get caught… my husband is a cruel man. There is no way he will leave you alone.”

The Ambassador’s wife sobbed in a slender voice. Her voice was so delicate it made one doubt how a woman with such frayed nerves could have ever conceived such an idea. Was it because she was once a princess? Yuri listened quietly to their conversation while his mind spun ceaselessly.

As if proving that his breathing was thoroughly trained, only the two of them could be heard breathing in that enclosed space. To be sure, someone of noble origin running away—such a thing would only be found in fairy tales. Now that she was actually about to do it, leaving her safe hothouse was bound to cause conflict. To her, the Albanian Minister spoke firmly:

“That will not happen. We are using fake passports, so tracking us will be difficult. As long as we reach Switzerland… Princess, I have waited only for this day.”

“….”

“If all of this isn’t with you… it holds no meaning for me.”

The Minister’s voice continued alongside the subtle movements of the two. Beneath the bottom of the restroom door, their closely entwined legs were visible—the Ambassador’s wife in her red silk dress, and the Minister’s legs clad in black tailcoat trousers and black patent leather pumps.

“Ever since I held you in my heart, I have always dreamed only of the day we would be together.”

“Jan…”

“Please allow it.”

Not long after the Albanian Minister spoke, the sound of a zipper coming down echoed as layers of the red dress fell and piled onto the floor. At that, Yuri thought, No way. They weren’t going to have a go at it like at the last Christmas party, were they? Recalling the unwanted nightmare from back then, Yuri squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

The sex I have to endure is annoying enough; I absolutely refuse to watch someone else’s sex scene. Especially for a second time. As if knowing or not knowing Yuri’s concern, the Albanian Minister was busy taking something out from across the stall Yuri was sitting in.

“Change into these clothes and come out. If we take the emergency stairs in the south hallway, no one will see us.”

Fortunately, it seemed she was changing her clothes, as the woman’s slender legs began pulling on ordinary garments. Rather than ordinary, it was a pair of wool trousers—something a factory worker might wear—that was quite crude for a woman to wear. The legs in the tailcoat moved slightly in a circle alongside the Ambassador’s wife’s legs, seemingly helping her disguise herself. At that moment, the restroom space—which had been quiet save for the breathing of the two—was softly permeated by a small laugh.

“…It feels like the old days.”

As if reminiscing about days they could never return to, the Ambassador’s wife murmured while lost in memories, looking at herself, the Albanian Minister, and Jan—her former manservant—reflected in the mirror by the sink. Though the Minister had grown into a full adult, in this moment right now, he overlapped with the image of the servant who used to tend to her when she was young.

However, if there was one thing that remained the same, it was that both back then and right now, they could not meet openly. Back then it was due to the difference in social status, and now… as a person from an enemy nation, and as someone’s wife. Her green eyes welled up with a gentle sorrow. If only we had been of ordinary status, if only we had met like that… At that, the Albanian Minister—buttoning her shirt—replied softly:

“I prefer right now.”

Recalling his former powerless self of humble origin, the Albanian Minister knelt down and swapped the Ambassador’s wife’s dress shoes for comfortable loafers. She was someone he couldn’t dare look up to from his place. Only when the monarchy was forcibly abolished and a lowly person like him gained status could he finally stand side by side with her and look at her, even if from afar.

Yet a person like a flower could not simply be gazed upon without wanting more, and greed gradually grew within him. In the end, their repeated trysts gave birth to a craving for a paradise where no one could disturb them, creating their present circumstances. However, he harbored no regrets. The Albanian Minister expertly tidied up the dress and slip scattered messily on the floor, stuffing them firmly into the trash can. Because he loved the princess—loved her—that much, he could endure anything.

“We must leave before intermission draws near. Let us hurry.”

With that, the two hurriedly left the restroom. Even after they departed and the heavy restroom door slowly closed to a stop, Yuri still didn’t know how to lower his feet raised in the air. Although he hadn’t directly aided their escape, the mere fact that he happened to be there made him feel like an accomplice.

∞ ∞ ∞

“….”

Crazy. Yuri slowly lowered his legs, repeating their conversation inside his head. Among their words, the Albanian Minister’s remark about heading to Switzerland—a neutral territory—stuck deeply with him. It was the only place where the invisible Iron Curtain dividing Europe could not penetrate. Other than that, surrounded by the sea, there was nowhere to come or go, making it the sole free zone in a chaotic region.

Unlike Berlin, which proclaimed itself a free zone in name only… When that thought reached his mind, it didn’t take long for Yuri’s face to cool down with rationality, transforming into the face of a secret agent belonging to the Intelligence Department.

His heart, which had been pounding from the kiss with Cedric, cooled down into rational thought after witnessing their secret meeting. Whether their escape was successful or a failure, it was bound to bring about turmoil. Knowing that, Yuri left the empty restroom with hasty steps.

If it’s already happened, it’s better if they get caught midway.

—Indeed. As long as there is nothing to offend the Allies, there is no reason we couldn’t lift the coastline restrictions. My wife was originally from over there, after all…—

If so, if there is something… that offends the Allies…

That might become the prelude to war.

Recalling the words of the Italian Ambassador who had violated him, Yuri hurriedly crossed the hallway of the Philharmonic Concert Hall.

“I’ll walk you home.”

“Forget it.”

“Are you angry? I’m sorry.”

Cedric didn’t even have time to feel puzzled as Yuri rushed out of the performance hall, grabbed his coat, and left immediately; he simply hurried after him. He could do nothing but blindly apologize for his action of crossing the line. Yuri tightly wrapped his scarf around his face, which was flushed from complex thoughts. He had to go to the embassy right away and report this. Before… things got any worse…

“I like you.”

Unaware of Yuri’s situation, Cedric, driven by urgency, grabbed Yuri’s arm and blurted out his feelings.

“….”

What—

“I like you, Daniela.”