[Even in his effort to convince Hayame that he didn't truly deserve to be called a good man, Liem hadn't been willing to be completely honest with her — about why the priests would never approve of him no matter how human he acted, and why he had been convinced to take on such a soul-staining job for his church when he was still just a young man. Because what use did a vampire's get have in worrying over the purity of his soul? Yet he hadn't spoken of that to her, because while Hayame might forgive him for committing low deeds in his Lord's name…
She is a sensible woman, with a healthy horror of the unnatural. Surely she would not forgive him that.
But although he did not speak it, he does know what it is to be saddled with a mark that cannot be washed away. He understands the struggle of finding a way to keep living in its shadow.]
Hayame…
[He does not relent in his quiet, steady regard of her, of her shame and her turmoil. Gently, he squeezes her hand.]
Forgiveness will not erase what you have done — and you do not need it to be a good person. You are not the property of your old master any longer; it is up to you to decide what to do with that freedom.
Becoming a good person isn't something that happens once you've finally atoned; it's something you need to do on your own first, while you're seeking redemption. And that means that you can be a good person and still be guilty of wrongs.
no subject
She is a sensible woman, with a healthy horror of the unnatural. Surely she would not forgive him that.
But although he did not speak it, he does know what it is to be saddled with a mark that cannot be washed away. He understands the struggle of finding a way to keep living in its shadow.]
Hayame…
[He does not relent in his quiet, steady regard of her, of her shame and her turmoil. Gently, he squeezes her hand.]
Forgiveness will not erase what you have done — and you do not need it to be a good person. You are not the property of your old master any longer; it is up to you to decide what to do with that freedom.
Becoming a good person isn't something that happens once you've finally atoned; it's something you need to do on your own first, while you're seeking redemption. And that means that you can be a good person and still be guilty of wrongs.