Chapter 9
The sight of Helia mercilessly trampling on the gaping wound was like that of a demon itself.
‘How can she do it without even batting an eye…
How can one look upon the suffering of others with such indifference and insensitivity.
I’d rather understand if it were joy. If it were, I could assert that she’s insane, not in her right mind.
There are plenty of people in the world who take pleasure in the suffering of others.
But Helia was different. Her eyes were like death itself.
“What on earth…!”
“Screaaam! Heeugh! Heuuug, huff, help, I-I’m sorry, please, please spare me. Spare me, please.”
The sight of the maid kneeling on the ground was more pitiful than a dying caterpillar.
Seeing the maid crawling towards him, Caligo frowned.
Looking at a human kneeling on the ground made him tremble.
The flowing blood, the foul smell of blood, none of it was pleasant to him, his stomach churned.
“Helia, that’s enough!”
Caligo reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Unlike usual, she wasn’t wearing the long gloves, yet she remained still when his bare hand touched her.
Caligo thought she would immediately strike back, but even after a while, she showed no reaction.
“Let go…”
Helia’s face, turned pale, chewed on her lower lip.
‘Hot.’
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Caligo’s hand, touching her skin devoid of warmth, felt hot as if it had been thrown into a fire.
“Let go.”
Emotions flickered in her indifferent gaze. A sharp, purple-eyed gaze pierced Caligo.
With his lips tightly pressed, he slowly let go of her hand. As Helia’s hand moved away, she spoke.
“You always…”
Helia’s lips trembled.
‘Always like this, hypocritically…’
With her unfinished words, Helia turned away without concluding the conversation.
Caligo raised his hand and firmly pressed it over her mouth. The smell of blood penetrated his nostrils, repulsing him.
A scene of endless corpses piled up on the ruined ground appeared before his eyes. It felt as if the smell of iron and decay was piercing his nose.
“Dennis, get rid of this.”
Annoyance crept into Caligo’s red eyes.
“Please, spare me… Perhaps.”
The maid who crawled towards him was met with a glare.
“She’s not the type to fool around. If you’ve committed a sin, be prepared for something worse than that.”
Caligo turned away.
“Are you okay, Your Highness? Surely, you’re not…”
“Don’t talk nonsense and take appropriate measures to confine her. Call for help immediately, given the situation.”
“Yes.”
Without a word, Dennis took the maid and descended the stairs.
Caligo raised his hand and plugged his ears.
A ringing sound echoed. The horrifying sound of screams and clashes of black and screams, the terrible hours where life was threatened dozens or hundreds of times a day.
“Apologies… might be necessary.”
Even though it was a bit harsh.
Caligo shook off his heavy steps that wouldn’t leave.
Shoo-shoo-shoo—.
The pouring cold water filled the bathtub. The winter water felt like ice.
She hastily put her right hand into the bathtub and quickly tore off her clothes as if tearing them apart.
“It’s hot…
It was hot. It felt like it would drive her crazy where his hand touched. If she didn’t cool it down, the pain would come again.
Hot, hot…
While tapping her lips with her pale lips, she rubbed her wrist roughly.
“Why…
She twisted her face as if she were about to cry. Her rough movements made her body stiffen white.
“I was wrong…”
Meaningless words kept pouring out between her trembling lips. The pouring cold water overflowed without stopping outside the bathtub.
She raised her nails and scratched her arms.
“Helia!”
In an instant, the arms that wrapped around her waist lifted her out of the bathtub.
Whether it was because her mind was elsewhere, Helia didn’t resist as she usually did.
“Are you crazy?!”
Shocked, Caligo quickly wrapped her body with a large towel and shouted.
He bit down hard on the chill of the marble left outside in the middle of winter.
He urgently lay her down on the bed, wiped her body, and pulled thick blankets over her.
As her body was covered with a heavy sensation, Helia blinked her eyes continuously, trying to focus.
As the hot hand touched her forehead, Helia trembled even more violently.
“I don’t want to…”
Caligo narrowed his eyebrows and withdrew his hand coldly.
“The room is cold.”
Familiar and somewhat annoying voice could be heard. It was the voice she hated the most, yet at the same time, the most familiar and recognizable.
“Since the door wasn’t closed.”
Movements could be felt here and there.
Despite wanting to leave immediately, her fingers were as immobile as if they had been soaked in salt.
Helia couldn’t stand anything hot. She disliked warm and hot things equally. The coldness that was icy and piercing to the bone was the most familiar sensation to her.
“Who left the window open…”
Thud.
As the end of the sentence blurred, the sound of the window being nervously closed was heard.
Tap-tap.
Following that, a neat knocking sound rang twice.
“Come in.”
“I heard you calling.”
“Yeah, there’s a problem. Go and find the chief physician.”
At the words that came faintly in and out of consciousness, Helia’s eyes flickered, and she grabbed Caligo’s wrist.
Caligo’s forehead slightly furrowed at the touch of her hand, colder than ice.
‘Come to think of it, she didn’t eat particularly warm food.’
Even the tea was always cooled down, and meals were always focused on cold food.
“…Helia?”
“I’m fine.”
Her hoarse voice flowed out weakly.
She slowly raised her head.
“Don’t call me.”
“If you’re not well…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Once again, a clear line was drawn, and the power went into Caligo’s eyes.
She was always like this, her sweat cold, her lips trembling with fear, even now.
That sight always scratched at Caligo’s heart.
“If you don’t want to worry, then don’t cause problems. Every time you cause trouble, you’re the one who always…”
Helia’s eyes, widened for a moment, slowly cooled down.
“Yes. Just like you.”
“Why do you always treat me like this? Do you really dislike me that much?”
“…Who asked you to come?”
The endlessly cold voice flowed calmly. There was not a single trace of emotion in the chilly response.
“If you’re going to be like this, why did you bother coming to me that day…”
As Caligo turned his body away, his lips quivered.
“Do as you please.”
Following his movement, a worried-faced servant could be seen behind the door.
She had been a maid familiar to the Halros Mansion for four years.
Seeing her fidgeting, it was clear she was worried.
‘All of them are good people.’
They were incomparable to the servants of the Viscount.
The maid, after rolling her feet, bent her waist and quietly closed the door.
‘I’m thirsty.’
As she tried to get up, she noticed the bedside table next to the bed. On top of it were a paper bag, a teapot, and a cup.
‘A paper bag?’
She cautiously reached out and opened the bag. Inside, she saw well-packaged sandwiches and bread.
The teapot also looked like it had just been filled with water, like water droplets floating above.
Suddenly, the image of the man who had left without getting off the carriage and leaving the mansion came to mind. It wasn’t difficult to guess who had filled the water.
“My head hurts…”
It had always been like this. Since the first time she set foot in this beautiful and ancient mansion, Helia had a premonition. They and she were different from the world.
It was impossible for her to genuinely worry and care for someone.
Helia hated this kindness the most in the world.
Yes, perhaps now she was feeling ugly jealousy.
She tilted the teapot and poured water. It wasn’t hot or cold, just lukewarm.
Even amidst that, her gaze remained fixed on the paper bag.
Helia stared at the bag for a long time before lying back on the bed.
The paper bag, placed there with its mouth gaping open, spent the night in the same spot.
