Chapter 028
The table was piled high with ointments and bandages, all taken from the infirmary.
“Did I take too much?”
After neatly organizing the medical supplies, I worked on the homework Dedrick had given me while waiting for him.
By now, I’d improved enough to write a few words without looking them up. My handwriting even seemed to be resembling Dedrick’s.
‘Of course, that’s natural since he’s teaching me.’
Dedrick’s writing was so neat and elegant that I couldn’t help but want to imitate it.
While I was busy copying letters and lost in thought, the door clicked open.
I quickly put down my pen, jumped up, and ran to the door.
“Didi! You’re back—”
My voice, raised in excitement, abruptly stopped. I couldn’t greet him properly and froze in place.
“Didi…”
There wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t injured.
His black hair was dusty and matted with blood from a wound on his forehead. His lips were split, his cheek swollen, and his clothes torn. He was even limping.
‘This is too much!’
He’s still just a boy—how could anyone hurt him this badly? My eyes burned as tears welled up.
Dedrick, standing there quietly like someone guilty, flinched at my reaction.
“You’re… crying?”
At his question, I shook my head and gently pulled him inside by the hand.
He smiled faintly at me.
“I’m fine.”
Fine? What part of this is fine?
I held back the urge to yell and bit my lip.
I knew from the novel how much Somerset tormented him.
But seeing him like this in person for the first time was a completely different experience.
I’d thought things would be better now that I was here. Dedrick had also told me not to worry too much, so I stupidly believed everything would be okay.
That’s why I’d happily gathered all those bandages.
But my breathing started to shake on its own.
“…Sorry, did I scare you?”
“…”
“I’m sorry for showing up like this.”
He apologized even though he’d done nothing wrong. Seeing him like that made me bite my lip harder.
Taking a deep breath, I shook my head.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“It doesn’t hurt that much. I’m used to this kind of thing.”
His voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact, but his words were heartbreaking.
At that moment, tears that had been welling up spilled over.
It was clear this wasn’t unusual for him, and that made it even harder to hold back my emotions.
Dedrick looked flustered by my tears, but I couldn’t stop crying.
“…Why are you crying?”
Why am I crying?
Frustrated, I shouted back at him.
“Because you’re hurt!”
And yet, like a fool, you keep saying you’re fine…!
“Because you’re injured…!”
Because it hurts to see you accept all of this so calmly, as if it’s normal.
“Huuuuaaaah!”
Unable to say anything more, I broke down, sobbing loudly.
30 minutes earlier.
“Joanna!”
Somerset immediately chased after Joanna as she left.
In the training grounds, Dedrick lay battered and bruised, surrounded by the White Hawk knights. Jacob rushed to him.
“Young master!”
He helped Dedrick to his feet and was momentarily at a loss for words.
“How could they… do this…?”
“…I’m fine,” Dedrick said.
“We need to get you to the infirmary…”
“No.”
Dedrick firmly shook his head, letting Jacob help him stand.
“Just check if anything’s broken.”
“…Alright.”
Fighting back tears, Jacob carefully examined Dedrick’s injuries.
Thankfully, there were no broken bones. Dedrick hadn’t just taken the blows—he had blocked most of them with his sword.
Still, that didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt.
“There’s no fractures,” Jacob said, his voice trembling slightly.
“That’s a relief. It’s thanks to you that nothing broke.”
Jacob’s lips pressed into a thin line.
‘So before I told him, broken bones were just a regular occurrence?’
Once again, Somerset had gone too far. Jacob picked up Somerset’s wooden training sword from the ground.
He slammed it against the floor with a loud crack, breaking it in two and revealing the metal rod hidden inside.
Dedrick glanced at the broken sword and then at the knights around him.
“You’ve all abandoned the honor of a knight,” he said coldly.
“…”
“Then again…” He let out a bitter laugh.
“I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Turning his back on them, Dedrick limped away. Jacob tried to stop him, but Dedrick gently pushed him away.
“I want to be alone. Thank you for your concern, Jacob.”
Dedrick limped out of the training grounds, and Jacob, picking up the broken sword, said,
“You’ve not only forgotten your duties as knights, but also your loyalty to your master. I won’t let this go.”
He quickly followed Dedrick.
“At least have a doctor look at your head. It could become serious!”
Eventually, Jacob’s persistence convinced Dedrick to visit the infirmary, where he was told nothing was seriously wrong. However, Dedrick refused further treatment, much to Jacob’s frustration.
“I’ll carry you to your room at least,” Jacob insisted. “You won’t make it there on your own with that leg.”
Finally, Dedrick let Jacob carry him to his door.
“Make sure you get treated,” Jacob said firmly.
“Don’t worry.”
With a frustrated look, Jacob bowed and left. Dedrick stood outside the door, hesitating.
‘Can I go in? What if she gets upset?’
But he’d made a promise—to return immediately after training and not hide his injuries.
It was the first promise he’d ever made with her, and they’d even pinky-sworn on it.
He didn’t want to break it.
After brushing some dust off his clothes, he placed his hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and carefully opened the door.
Inside, he heard the sound of a chair moving and her cheerful voice.
“Didi! You’re back—!”
She greeted him with a bright smile, but her expression quickly froze.
Her smile vanished, and her wide eyes filled with shock. She stood frozen like a statue, staring at him.
‘Guess I overdid it this time.’
He spoke softly, as if to comfort her.
“I’m fine.”
“…”
She didn’t respond, but her shaky breathing betrayed her emotions.
Still, Dedrick couldn’t stop the faint smile tugging at his lips.
Even though he felt bad for upsetting her, he couldn’t help but feel happy.
It was comforting to know that someone cared so much about him.
“…Sorry, did I scare you?”
“…”
“I’m sorry for showing up like this.”
He added softly, “It doesn’t hurt that much. I’m used to it.”
At that, her face turned pale as if she’d heard something she never should have.
Her body trembled, and tears began to fall from her large eyes. Big drops of tears fell like rain as her gray eyelashes grew wet, and her flushed cheeks turned redder.
Seeing her cry so openly made Dedrick’s chest tighten.
“…Why are you crying?”
“Because you’re hurt!” she shouted, clenching her fists. Her voice trembled as she burst into tears.
“Because you’re injured…!”
“Huuuuaaaah!”
As she sobbed uncontrollably, Dedrick smiled gently, his nose tingling.
‘I have someone who cries for me.’
Every day, she reminded him that he wasn’t alone.
At the sudden burst of a curse, Dedrick almost broke into laughter in this otherwise serious moment but managed to hold it back.
After hesitating, he finally reached out and embraced the girl. Her warmth seeped into him, grounding him in a way that words couldn’t.
“It’s okay,” he said gently.
“Stop saying it’s okay!” she snapped, her frustration breaking through.
The girl, now squirming in his arms, started to lash out at him directly. Afraid she might wriggle free, Dedrick tightened his hold on her.
“You’re supposed to say when it hurts! You promised you’d tell me!”
“…It hurts a lot,” he mumbled into her shoulder, his voice muffled and soft.
At his words, her screaming stopped abruptly.
“I… I brought a lot of medicine,” she said, her voice shaky, still wet with tears.
Dedrick, now hiding his grin, buried his face deeper into her shoulder, doing his best to stifle his amusement at her stubborn, yet endearing, resolve.
