Codename Vestia

Chapter 21: Joonie

Gamal, gradually becoming more excited, tightened her arms around Doyeong. At that, Doyeong slightly pulled back his lips and spoke.

“I told you not to get excited.”

If Gamal got too excited and hugged him too tightly, it would be like a bear playfully swatting a human—Doyeong’s life could be in danger.

“Sorry…”

Gamal mumbled. Doyeong moved in to kiss her again… but then lowered his head and sighed as if he had lost his country.

“Alright, alright.”

Without leaving any time to react, he went to the bed and lay down, turning his back to Gamal.

“Doyeong, are you okay?”

Gamal approached from behind and asked. Somehow, Doyeong seemed to lack energy. He appeared to be more dejected than Gamal had ever seen him.

“I’m fine.”

Doyeong answered without turning around.

Sure. Being treated like a living Buddha was fine, and even though he could reluctantly accept having a grown son without even being married, accepting this reality was difficult.

The reality that what he could do with Gamal was limited.

He was a man. A young and very healthy man.

Moreover, every night, he could hear faint sounds from afar. That guy Tora seemed to be using his vampire stamina in a strange way.

In fact, on this island where there weren’t any dangerous beasts, there wasn’t much else to use that great stamina on, but every night he seemed to be making a woman—recently, that woman Akira—happy. And having to just lie there in the same bed as Gamal, listening to that…

If Doyeong ever became an inquisitor in the Middle Ages, he would invent a form of torture where a beautiful, even lovely, woman was placed before someone, but they could only watch. He knew better than anyone how cruel such torture could be.

Suddenly, Gamal hugged Doyeong from behind.

“Doyeong, you’re warm.”

Strangely, the tension that had been running through his body instantly melted away. It felt as if the desire fled his body, like a demon retreating after hearing the roar of a great monk.

Doyeong changed his mind.

Yes, come to think of it, the idea that love had to be expressed physically was just a prejudice. After all, the ultimate form of love was platonic…

Doyeong suddenly turned around to face Gamal.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not Johannes.”

To hell with refined spiritual communion.

Of course, that was fiction, but still.

“Yeah. You’re not.”

Gamal accepted his words at face value, and she answered with a look that suggested she had no idea why Doyeong had brought up Johannes. Doyeong felt a wave of futility as he wondered what he was even doing with this woman.

Then, after sneaking a glance, Gamal spoke up.

“You’re really good at this, Doyeong.”

Doyeong looked at Gamal, unsure of what she meant.

“Have you been with many women?”

And before Doyeong could respond, Gamal added.

“I’ve been with a lot of men, too.”

Doyeong let out a small hum.

“You?”

“I’m older than you think.”

Which meant she had plenty of time to meet them.

Doyeong propped his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on the bed, and asked with an intrigued tone.

“Really? How many?”

“Can’t count.”

Gamal said it confidently. It wasn’t exactly a lie. In situations where she had to hide, physical intimacy was the quickest and least risky way to stave off loneliness. But that wasn’t why she said she couldn’t count.

She genuinely couldn’t. Over the long span of three thousand years, those encounters were like scattered dots along a line, many of them already fading from memory. And those were only the ones that happened before she arrived on this island.

“I actually have a kid.”

Doyeong’s sudden statement made Gamal’s eyes widen.

“What?”

Doyeong tilted his head slightly to the side.

“Since we each told a lie, it’s even now, right?”

Gamal’s face puffed up in annoyance.

“How do you know I was lying?”

“So it wasn’t a lie?”

Creak.

As Doyeong pushed himself up off the bed, the mattress made a small sound. Gamal, instinctively stretching out her previously bent legs, recoiled a bit.

Doyeong moved closer, placing his hand on the bed next to her.

“Well, that’s perfect.”

For some reason, Gamal’s heart began to race, shrouded in the shadow cast by Doyeong as he leaned in. The faintly flickering fire behind them, the low sound of his breath, and the warmth radiating from his body as he drew near… It felt like heat was spreading from her chest, enveloping her in a secretive atmosphere, like a whisper in the night.

What could she say about the way Doyeong was looking at her…

He looked more like a vampire.

But not the kind tortured by a destructive thirst for blood, something more…

“Perfect?”

Gamal suddenly remembered that Doyeong had said something earlier and asked.

Doyeong, now with her hair twisted around his fingers, gently cupped her face with the same hand.

A whisper approached.

“The one with more experience should be the one to teach.”

—

“Marti.”

Tora placed a hand on her shoulder. Gamal stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open. Tora spoke in a sweet voice, as if addressing a lover.

“It’s morning.”

But Doyeong wasn’t beside her. Gamal quickly pushed herself up and asked.

“Where’s Doyeong?”

“He’s outside. I guess being a soldier means he never skips morning exercise.”

Gamal blushed slightly as the memories of last night came back to her. It was just… of course Doyeong was skilled; he must’ve had some kind of degree in those sorts of things.

“Why’s your face red?”

Tora teased her playfully.

“It’s nothing.”

Gamal, like a child waking up on Christmas morning, was about to run outside when she paused, turned back to Tora, and asked.

“Am I pretty?”

It was the first time Gamal had ever asked something like that, so Tora was taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled and replied.

“Yes, you’re pretty.”

Gamal scurried outside. In the morning sunlight, the village landscape was washed clean, and she could see people scattered around. Doyeong, who had already finished his exercise and shower, was sitting and braiding a rope.

“You’re up?”

Doyeong asked as he saw Gamal. She casually sat down next to him and asked,

“What are you doing?”

“Tora taught me how to do this.”

Doyeong glanced at Gamal before returning his gaze to the rope he was working on.

“Clean the sleep out of your eyes.”

Startled, Gamal quickly touched her eyes and realized Doyeong wasn’t joking. She shot a glare at Tora.

“Tora.”

Tora burst out laughing and walked away. Doyeong watched the two of them before speaking to Gamal, who had just finished cleaning her eyes.

“You get along well with the Clientes.”

“Of course, right?”

Gamal replied as if it was the most natural thing. While peeling bark from the tree to make the rope, Doyeong said,

“Well, there are even Clientes who marry their Patronesses.”

“I raised Tora and Rato. Since they were five.”

“What happened to their parents?”

“Tora and Rato’s ‘Marti’ abandoned them. In the woods.”

Doyeong paused and looked at Gamal. She spoke calmly, without any particular expression.

“Twins are considered bad luck.”

Among some primitive tribes, twins were seen as ominous, and it seemed the Satadi Tribe felt the same way. But…

“Twins…?”

Something was starting to click in his mind, but at that moment, Tora called out from a distance under the pavilion.

“Breakfast is ready.”

Doyeong glanced over, then tidied up his things and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Gamal cheerfully followed. As they walked, Doyeong glanced at her and asked,

“By the way, aren’t you going to wash up?”

“I’ll wash after I eat.”

“Gross.”

Gamal looked shocked, as if she had just heard the most outrageous thing in the world.

“I’m not gross!”

With that, she ran off to the well. Doyeong went ahead and took a seat. While setting the table, Tora asked,

“Tawa, are you going to keep wearing that outfit?”

Doyeong was still dressed in his military uniform.

“Stop calling me Tawa. And this is my last shred of dignity as a civilized man.”

“It’s going to wear out soon, and then you won’t be able to wear it anymore.”

“Just let it be.”

Tora licked his thumb, which had a bit of sauce on it, and said,

“It’s symbolic. When your last bit of dignity as a civilized man wears out, you’ll end up shedding it, and that’s when you’ll gain a new identity as a tribesman.”

Doyeong let out a small laugh.

“That’s unnecessarily poetic.”

Tora, still wearing an outfit that would be considered excessively revealing by outside standards, smiled as he held a wooden bowl.

“I have a lot of books at home, so if you’d like, you can borrow some. I kept buying them over time.”

Just then, Doyeong noticed that Tora was sitting with his legs spread apart, unintentionally revealing something.

“Are you even wearing underwear right now?”

Indeed, under the cloth wrapped around Tora’s waist, he was wearing a pair of black drawers. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t noticed while they were fighting, but even when Tora swung his legs around, there hadn’t been any indecent glimpses.

Tora spoke nonchalantly.

“The outside world makes some fantastic underwear, you know. They’re snug, and once you try them on, you can’t go back.”

“Why are you even dressed like that?”

Doyeong, genuinely baffled, asked. Tora responded with a wink.

“It’s a statement of identity.”

Doyeong rolled his eyes. This guy had more than a touch of eccentricity, which explained why he was Gamal’s Cliente.

At that moment, Gamal came over and sat next to Doyeong. Tora handed her a bowl, teasing her.

“Marti doesn’t even sit next to me anymore.”

“Huh?”

Gamal looked back and forth between the two, then shifted her position so she was sitting between Doyeong and Tora.

“In the middle. Right in the middle.”

Tora burst out laughing.

“Ah, isn’t our Marti just adorable?”

Gamal’s face puffed up in annoyance.

“Stop teasing me.”

Doyeong had met many vampires, but this kind of Patroness-Cliente relationship was a first for him.

For reference, a “Patroness” was the vampire who provided blood.

Patronesses and Clientes were closely bonded, and since they weren’t true blood relatives, their relationships often developed romantically. However, in this case, it felt like Gamal was truly family to Tora—and the twins—because she had raised them.

In any case, if Tora had any romantic feelings for Gamal, it would have been obvious in his words or actions. Yet Tora treated Gamal as a mix between a mother and a younger sister.

Tora seemed to be the kind of person who would never forgive anyone who tried to harm Gamal. From what Doyeong had observed, he had the skills to back it up.

“Marti, are you upset? Here, take this and cheer up.”

As he spoke, Tora handed over a piece of green vegetable, the likes of which Doyeong couldn’t identify. Gamal shook her head.

“I don’t like this.”

Tora grinned mischievously.

“I know. That’s why I’m giving it to you.”

“Tora, you’re mean.”

Gamal grimaced, and Tora burst out laughing.

Despite having someone like Tora by her side, Doyeong couldn’t quite grasp the true nature of Gamal’s deep-seated loneliness and fear.

Then Gamal pointed at Doyeong and said,

“Give it to Doyeong.”

Doyeong was taken aback.

“Why are you giving me something you don’t like?”

Still, he took the vegetable from Tora and ate it. Thanks to his sturdy stomach, which could digest even mild toxins, he wasn’t a picky eater as long as it wasn’t outright poisonous.

Tora seemed to have an epiphany.

“Ah, so that’s why.”

“What is?”

Doyeong asked.

“The reason Marti fell for you, Major. You may seem cold, but you’re actually a kind guy. Major, you’re quite the charming man.”

“I’m starting to dislike you.”

Doyeong grimaced, but Tora just smiled brightly.

“Come on. Nobody dislikes me.”

Doyeong rolled his eyes. He thought Tora was a strange one, but in truth, he didn’t actually dislike him. There was something about Tora that made it hard to be annoyed with him.

Gamal chimed in.

“Yeah, everyone likes Tora.”

“And I like Marti.”

The two of them looked at each other and laughed. Doyeong felt a headache coming on.

“Now you’re just being sappy. Can you tone it down?”