Before Felix could even reach out, Charlotte had plunged into a pit beside the road. Instinctively, she clenched her eyes shut and braced for the pain that she expected to follow. However, no matter how much time passed, the pain didn’t come.
The ground was softer than she had anticipated. While she was wondering how that could be, the pressure that had been on the back of her head and shoulders lifted, and she heard a low voice near her ear.
“…Open your eyes.”
Charlotte’s eyes flew open, and she found herself looking directly into the violet pupils of Richard, who was sprawled beneath her like a carpet. Her heart sank.
“S-Sir…Richard?”
With eyes wide as a frightened rabbit, Charlotte looked up at Richard, who twisted his mouth into a wry expression. The sight of himself, haphazardly thrown into the pit, seemed utterly ridiculous.
It had always been like this. For some reason, just seeing this woman made irritation bubble up inside him. He disliked everything about her, starting with the flowery scent she seemed to carry around. Yet, the biggest problem was that he couldn’t just leave her alone.
Seeing Charlotte frozen, Richard spoke again.
“Do you intend to suffocate me?”
“Ah! I’m so sorry.”
Startled, Charlotte quickly scrambled off of him. Her hand that had touched his chest felt scorchingly hot. She felt as though all the blood in her body was rushing to that spot. Unable to lift her head, she could only look downward and breathe heavily. Just then, voices came from above.
“Richard! Miss Charlotte!”
“Are both of you alright?!”
It was Felix and Kiara. They peered down at them, lamps in hand. Felix raised his voice.
“Richard! It seems deeper than I thought. I can’t even reach you with my hand.”
As if he hadn’t been beneath Charlotte moments ago, Richard dusted himself off and calmly replied.
“I’ll escort Miss Kiara first, then send a servant for a rope or ladder.”
“Got it. We will just wait here!”
With a nod, Felix and the others left, and soon, only the two of them were left. Before Richard could turn towards her, Charlotte muttered softly.
“Thank you for saving me… Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
That ended the conversation. As usual, when it was just the two of them, an awkward silence filled with tension followed. The only sound was their regular breathing.
Charlotte’s heart beat faster and faster. She feared it might be heard. Just when she couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to speak again, something dropped onto Charlotte’s head. As she looked up, rain started to pour down heavily. A sudden downpour soaked her small head and slender neck, and the cold quickly followed.
“…Ah!”
A chill ran up from her fingertips, causing Charlotte to shiver. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close. Richard’s broad chest touched her back. As she instinctively tried to pull away, Richard, having shed his coat, draped it over her slender back and restrained her movements.
“Stop trying to escape.”
His voice was low, and his breath as damp as the weather. Charlotte shivered more from his strong scent than the cold.
“Calling a doctor would be quite bothersome.”
She was too shocked to reply. As Charlotte held her breath to suppress her hiccupping, Richard reached into the collar of her coat with his other hand and pulled out her hair. It was a very natural movement.
“Don’t move.”
The small girl in his arms flinched every time his hand touched her, much like a touch-me-not that recoils at human contact, pretending to wilt.
His patience was tested to the limit, yet he refrained from crushing her completely, despite feeling utterly foolish.
After a moment of silence, Charlotte spoke.
“…Sir.”
Her words dispersed with each breath. With her head bowed, Charlotte bit her lip in confusion and slowly said.
“I can’t tell if you dislike me or not.”
“Why?”
“Your words and actions are cold, but you still reach out when needed…”
Even now, he had done so, clearly sharing his coat to shield her from lying down in the rain.
“And…”
“And?”
His voice seemed unexpectedly gentle. Surely, she was mistaken. Charlotte stammered.
“…And you suggested I take secretarial work over maid duties.”
Basic tasks, which he could easily do alone or assign to middle-class boys eager to learn under him, were things he offered to her, who came from a far less privileged background.
Richard, seemingly collecting his thoughts, slowly spoke, “Miss Hegel.”
“Richard! Charlotte!”
Just then, as the rain grew heavier, a voice came from directly above. Their gazes simultaneously lifted. Felix, holding a ladder with the help of a servant under an umbrella, shouted down to them.
“I’m lowering the ladder! Come up right away!”
It was then that Charlotte felt the weight on her shoulders. He had fully draped his coat over her.
“Get on my back.”
“What?”
Charlotte, taken aback, saw Richard’s hand move towards her ankle.
“You’ve twisted your ankle.”
Following his gaze, she noticed her right ankle beginning to swell and felt a sharp pain. A small sigh escaped Richard as he spoke again.
“Get on. If you don’t want to be carried.”
“…”
Hesitating, Charlotte saw him reveal a smile, showing his teeth.
“Or perhaps, you prefer being in that bastard’s arms?”
Realizing it was her last chance to respond, her voice was tinged with exhaustion.
“I’ll get on your back.”
Quickly, Charlotte climbed onto his back.
***
While examining Charlotte’s swollen ankle, the young doctor said, “It looks like it’ll take about two days to heal. You should avoid walking quickly for the time being.”
“Yes, thank you, Doctor.”
Fortunately, the ankle she had twisted the night before was not seriously damaged. After applying ointment to Charlotte’s ankle, the doctor skillfully wrapped it with a bandage.
“How is Cynthia’s condition?”
Her mother, Cynthia, was already in a state beyond help, so they had not called for a house visit. It would have been a waste of time. Thus, Janice had sent her to the clinic on the outskirts of Gretel Hill, coincidentally when she was due to pick up Cynthia’s medication. The visit also served to treat her sprained ankle.
“She has improved quite a bit. Recently, she hardly tosses and turns at night.”
“That’s good to hear. Then I should prescribe a milder pain reliever.”
After finishing the treatment, the doctor got up and turned his back, rummaging through a shelf. Failing to find what he was looking for, he turned around empty-handed.
“By the way, how are you planning to get back? It will be difficult to walk.”
“Hans will be back in about ten minutes. He’s just finishing some errands nearby.”
The doctor nodded and responded, “That’s fortunate. I’ll go get your medication from outside. Just a moment, please.”
“Okay.”
After the door closed, Charlotte was left alone. She slowly lowered her leg, which had been resting on the console, and looked around.
The rural doctor’s office and clinic was a simple space, unremarkably furnished with a modest desk and chairs, starkly different from the office in Richard’s house. A bookcase filled one wall behind the desk.
Sitting in front of the fireplace on a bench, Charlotte slowly stood up. The bookcase packed with unnamed medical texts intrigued her. It reminded her of her brief time at school where only the upperclassmen’s much-read books were available, some so worn it was hard to read the text.
Approaching the bookshelf, Charlotte ran her fingers over the spines of the books. Anatomy, neurology, psychology… Her gaze stopped at one particular book.
“…What is this?”
She carefully pulled out a bound volume.
<Study on Abnormal Blood-Drinking Impulses and Blood Dependency Disorders>
Unlike the other books, this one was unusually thick and vividly red. The cover was worn, and there were signs of mildew on some pages, indicating it had been published some time ago. The book felt heavy in her hands, so she placed it on the desk and flipped through a few pages.
[The experimenters in this study have hypothesized that ‘Abnormal Blood-Drinking Impulses and Blood Dependency Disorders’ are caused by a hereditary metabolic disorder affecting blood and tissue… First, I will describe the characteristics of the subjects. They exhibit severe aversions to sunlight and garlic, complaining of anemia and headaches when exposed directly to them. However, individual differences exist.]
Her hands trembled as she turned the pages. A chilly sensation seemed to pass over her skin, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up. Taking a deep breath, Charlotte slowly continued reading.
[One of the most notable findings is that these subjects’ blood, when kept at room temperature, undergoes rapid self-destruction. If injected with animal blood, they absorb it frenziedly to maintain volume, but this does not last long. Human blood, on the other hand, sustains them longer, but it also has its limits. Ultimately, they require the blood of other living beings to survive, and not in small quantities.]
A noise caught her attention as she was reading the last line.
Thump.
As the door opened, the book on the desk fell with a thud. Charlotte hastily turned her head.
“Miss Charlotte? What were you doing?”
The doctor, holding a bag of prescribed medicine, looked puzzled. With a flushed face, Charlotte bent down to pick up the dropped book.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have without permission…”
“Oh, you were looking at the book.”
The doctor took the book from Charlotte, quickly flipped through it, and then placed it back on the shelf.
“It’s certainly an interesting book. It was quite difficult to obtain.”
Blood. Vampirism. Dead animals.
The images that flashed through Charlotte’s mind made her hands tremble uncontrollably. It seemed like a ridiculous notion even to her, yet her lips moved independently of her thoughts.
“…Do people like this really exist?”
“Well, opinions vary in the academic field. I tend to believe they exist.”
“Why is that?”
“My professor, who guided me, claimed to have seen them. He said they are incredibly beautiful, both men and women. Perhaps it’s an adaptation for survival. It would make sense to attract prey.”
Prey. He was clearly referring to people. Charlotte shrank her shoulders. The doctor chuckled playfully, his tone more like that of an uncle telling a scary story to a niece than his earlier serious belief.
“It’s chilling to think about, but I’d be curious to see one.”
“…”
“Ah, was that too gloomy for broad daylight?”
Seeming to think he had frightened her too much, the doctor apologized and handed her the bag of medicine.
“They are said to be active at night, so as long as you don’t go out then, you don’t have to worry. Besides, it’s unlikely they’d be in a rural area like this. Here, take your medicine.”
“Thank you.”
Charlotte quickly nodded and took the medicine bag, eager to leave the room. Her mind was troubled, and she wanted to get away as soon as possible. Just as she was about to open the door, the doctor placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Take this too. It’s the medication the Earl ordered; it just got finished.”
The doctor handed her a palm-sized bottle of dark glass, difficult to see inside.
“It seems the Earl has gotten a new hunting dog. Must be quite a fierce one, huh? There aren’t many occasions to use a sedative this strong.”
🍉🍉🍉
