Dirty Heart - Chapter 21

Courtney, stepping into the confessional, deliberately hunched her shoulders as if hesitating.

“Welcome, sister.”

Seeing her lower her head and struggle to begin, the priest spoke in a gentle voice.

“God shows mercy to those who sincerely repent. Don’t be afraid. Confess your sins.”

“You’re very kind, Father… Then I’ll gather my courage.”

After taking a deep breath, she carefully began to speak.

“I… while being in a relationship with one man, had an improper relationship with another.”

“Oh dear.”

“I know it’s a sin worthy of death. How could I dare betray my lover!”

Like someone tormented by long-standing guilt, a deep tremor even rippled through her voice.

“Anyone can make mistakes and grow. So in life, at least once—”

“No! That’s not the issue because it wasn’t just one!”

Courtney snapped and cut him off. Her booming voice echoed loudly, making the people lined up outside the door flinch.

“Father. I betrayed my lover and slept with multiple men! I’m a sinner who deserves to die!”

“Multiple… how many…?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe around a hundred?”

Oh, God. From beyond the partition came the priest’s stifled groan. Though he heard hundreds of confessions a day, it seemed this kind of utter disaster of a story was a first for him, and he fell silent for quite a while.

“Hello, Father? Are you listening to me?”

“…Yes, sister. Please continue.”

The priest answered Courtney’s urging with difficulty. His voice was hoarse, as if he’d been greatly shocked.

“At first, it was just curiosity. I wondered what it would be like to have a secret affair with a man who wasn’t my lover. Then it became pleasure, and later… I found myself enjoying it more and more. Even though I had someone I loved, I simply couldn’t stop having sex.”

As he listened to her story, the priest swallowed hard while gripping his rosary. Cold sweat was already running down his forehead.

“Eventually, every morning when I woke up, I even started thinking this.”

Like an actor reaching the climax of a play, Courtney’s voice, confessing her sins, grew more and more impassioned.

“Ah! I want to have sex with every man in this world, I want to have sex. I want sex! Sex, sex, sex!”

“Alright! Let us pray!”

A sharp shout burst from the priest’s mouth. He frantically made the sign of the cross, as if he were witnessing the return of Satan itself.

“Oh God, please have mercy on this poor soul. Extinguish the flames of greed and lust that have burrowed into this woman’s body, and purify her filthy heart. Silence the whispers of Satan and cut away this false pleasure.”

“Ha…. Thank you, Father. I think I’ve calmed down a bit now.”

Courtney wiped her tears with trembling hands. She even wore a gentle smile, as if sincerely repenting for her sins.

“Father. From today on, I want to be reborn. I don’t want to betray my lover anymore.”

“If that resolve is sincere, God will surely answer.”

Thinking a normal conversation had finally been restored, the tension eased slightly from the priest’s hand gripping the rosary.

“But Father. At the same time, I’m very afraid. I’m terrified.”

“What… makes you afraid, sister?”

“What if he becomes furious when he finds out he’s been betrayed? My lover holds tremendous power!”

But that relief lasted only a moment, as the voice coming from beyond the partition began to fill with madness once more.

“Blinded by revenge, he might strip me naked and drag me out before his subordinates.”

“H-How could he do such a thing…?”

“No! He’s more than capable of it. In front of all his men, he’ll say something like this. Now! I’ll reward the one who makes my woman come first!”

At last, the priest bent down beneath the altar and began searching for holy water used for exorcisms. This was no ordinary situation.

“Several of his subordinates will rush at me. One will suck on my breasts, another will spread my legs and shove his cock inside me. I’ll be gasping, my entire body drenched in their hot cum. Ah, just thinking about it is so thrilling!”

“Silence, you satanic demon!”

In the end, the priest flung open the partition and began splashing holy water at Courtney.

But Courtney’s expression, as the holy water touched her, was rather strange. As the clear droplets trickled down the back of her neck, her gaze grew even more seductive.

“Ah… this is… a different kind of feeling. I’m completely soaked now.”

Breathing heavily, she cast a sultry look at the priest.

“Father… to be honest, I’ve always been curious. What does it feel like to have sex with a clergyman like you?”

At the insulting remark, the priest’s face flushed bright red. As the church fell into an uproar in an instant, even the nuns rushed over, whispering about what was happening.

“Y-You filthy demon! Begone at once…!”

“Maybe I got a bit too heated. It’s a little warm. Father, I’ll see you again next time.”

Casually pulling open the front of her dress, she left the confessional with her cleavage blatantly exposed.

“Th-that shameless….”

“How could a grown woman behave so frivolously in a church….”

The expressions of the believers waiting outside were no different, filled with shock. They all looked at Courtney as if she were a filthy insect.

“My, it’s already this late. Our frail Young Duke must be looking for me.”

She paid no attention whatsoever to the gazes of others, emphasizing the word frail in particular. Among the few young dukes in the empire, there was only one known for being frail, and that was Lionel Erhardt.

“A lover with power… could it be?”

“It is. They say Young Duke Erhardt’s been completely obsessed with a maid lately. That must be her!”

“How could his taste in women be so terrible? Duke Erhardt must be shedding tears of blood.”

“Of all people to fall for, why a prostitute like that!”

The disgust directed at Courtney grew stronger, but she merely lifted her chin high. Just as everyone clicked their tongues at her brazen behavior, a man stepped forward from the crowd and handed her a business card.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Herald. I’m a reporter for the Imperial Daily.”

Courtney raised her eyebrows as if puzzled. “Oh my, what brings a reporter to me?”

“I happened to overhear while waiting… it was quite interesting. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask for a brief interview?”

At that moment, the corner of Courtney’s lips curled in a peculiar way. Things were unfolding smoothly. The more the rumors spread, the more they would become a powerful weapon for her.

“N-No! Absolutely not!”

Yet she waved her hands and took a step back for now. After all, the more tightly a secret was hidden, the more enticing it became.

“If word of this reaches my lover, I might die. Please, just pretend you didn’t hear it!”

Herald gave a sly smile and gently reassured her.

“Please don’t worry. I was simply moved by the beautiful repentance of a soul. Wouldn’t a story like this give people hope?”

“But….”

“I guarantee complete anonymity. I promise you on a reporter’s conscience.”

As Herald politely repeated his request, Courtney nodded as if she couldn’t refuse.

“You mean that… you’re sincere, right? You really have to keep it a secret.”

“Thank you very much. Your story will surely serve as an example to many.”

“I don’t even know where to begin….”

Courtney wore a pitiful expression and wiped the corners of her eyes. Then, as if mustering tremendous courage, she carefully began to tell her story.

The sin of betraying her lover, her relationships with countless men, and her desperate wish to be reborn.

Confessions that could stir a reporter’s soul flowed on one after another, and his notebook quickly filled with her words.

The next morning, every newsstand lining the streets was crowded with people trying to buy newspapers.

Thanks to a trash reporter doing what trash reporters do, the front page of the Imperial Daily carried a raw, sensational headline.

『The Shocking Confession of Rising Sex Symbol “Courtney Balkan”! I Had Relationships with 100 Men!』