Chapter 029
The soft, fluffy texture of his gray hair felt comforting under her touch. The girl carefully patted his head.
“…Still, you’re probably in more pain than I am. I’m sorry for crying.”
For some reason, she misunderstood, thinking it was her crying that bothered him. Dedrick didn’t bother correcting her.
“I’m fine now, Didi,” she said softly.
Dedrick pulled away from her embrace and looked at her.
Her eyes and nose were red, and she was still sniffling, despite claiming she was fine. Gently, he wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. Even though the tears didn’t seem to stop, he comforted her with patience.
He didn’t mind.
No, in fact, he liked it—a lot.
I struggled to carry a full-length mirror and set it up in front of me.
Lately, unexpected visitors were showing up more often, which made me nervous.
If I set it up like this, they’d probably assume Didi was treating himself in front of the mirror.
I hid the medicine under the couch, deciding only to take out what was necessary. Leaving too many bottles on the table might raise suspicion.
The sound of the bathroom door opening caught my attention. Dedrick, freshly washed, stepped out.
His appearance was slightly better than earlier, but not too much. If anything, his injuries stood out even more, making my nose sting with tears again.
As I sniffled, Dedrick came over and rubbed my face with a damp towel.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Cleaning your face.”
Well, I figured that much.
Still, he looked satisfied, so I let him continue. The warmth and stinging on my face faded thanks to the towel.
“Won’t your eyes swell tomorrow?” He asked cautiously, then quickly added, “Though I think it’d look cute—like a little goldfish.”
“I don’t swell. Monsters don’t have that kind of problem.”
His expression dropped slightly in disappointment, but that wasn’t the point.
Something important suddenly came to mind.
“That’s right. I’m a monster!”
“…?”
Dedrick gave me a puzzled look, confused by my random declaration. I didn’t bother explaining.
‘I’m a closet monster that torments humans, after all,’ I thought, clenching my fists as I looked at the confused Dedrick.
There was no way I’d let this slide.
I couldn’t fight back as hard as he’d been hurt, but I had to do something to feel better.
‘First, let’s take care of Didi,’ I decided.
I pulled him to the couch, made him sit, and carefully examined his face.
“What should you do if you’re in pain?” I asked.
“What?!” he replied.
“That’s right. This will sting a bit.”
Dipping a cotton ball in antiseptic, I put it on his face. His eyebrows furrowed slightly in discomfort.
“It’s okay to scrunch up your face,” I told him.
“…”
He simply nodded.
The wounds on his head were the worst, which made my tears well up again.
“Just to be safe, let’s get a doctor to check you out after I finish treating you. Head injuries can be serious. You need to get this looked at properly. Okay?”
“I’m fine. I already saw the doctor before coming here. They said nothing was seriously wrong. I’ll keep an eye on it for another day and go back if it gets worse.”
“Well, that’s a relief…”
I focused on applying ointment to his wounds. Watching me, Dedrick murmured apologetically,
“…I haven’t done anything for you. I’m sorry for always relying on you.”
His unexpected apology froze my hands in mid-air.
I hadn’t expected him to think that way.
“Didi.”
Reaching out slowly, I cupped his cheek, looking him in the eye. I spoke clearly, making sure he understood.
“Don’t say things like that. You’ve already given me the one thing I wanted most.”
“I have?”
“You saw me.”
He was the only one who ever truly saw me when no one else did. That was more than enough.
“Just don’t leave my side, and I’ll be happy,” I told him.
Don’t go to the academy.
They’ll burn me alive.
At my heartfelt words, he stared at me intently, his blue eyes like a restless ocean.
Finally, he gripped my hand tightly, threading his fingers through mine.
“…I promise I won’t.”
He brought my hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss into my palm. His long lashes brushed against my skin, sending a strange, ticklish feeling through me.
My heart felt odd, like it was tingling.
Maybe it was because my hand felt ticklish?
I let him hold it for a while as he pleased. When he finally released me, smiling softly, I went back to treating his wounds.
I disinfected his wounds, applied ointment, and carefully placed bandages on each wound.
“You’ve got bruises on your neck too,” I muttered, grinding my teeth as I cursed Somerset under my breath.
I applied the ointment firmly, then moved to his wrist. As expected, his right wrist was badly swollen.
“…Is it broken?”
“The doctor said it’s not.”
“Are you absolutely sure nothing’s broken?”
“I’m sure.”
In that case…
I handed him some medicine for the swelling. Luckily, the labels on the bottles were clear about their effects.
After spreading the ointment on his wrist, I carefully wrapped it with a compression bandage. He swallowed the medicine as I worked.
Throughout the process, I noticed his gaze lingering on my horns.
Unable to ignore it, I raised my head to meet his eyes.
“What? If you’re in pain and need to grab something, you can hold onto my horns.”
“That’s not it… They just seemed to shine a little.”
“What? My horns can do that?”
I reached up to touch them but didn’t notice anything different.
They felt a little warm, but that could’ve been because I was focusing on them.
‘Maybe it’s because I cried this much for the first time,’ I thought.
Dedrick hesitated, then cautiously asked,
“Can I touch them?”
“Hmm… Sure!”
Since they didn’t feel dangerous, I leaned forward slightly to make it easier. At the same time, I grabbed his leg without warning.
“W-Wait!” he stammered.
“This way, I can treat your leg too. Don’t worry.”
Placing his leg on my lap, I stopped him from covering his embarrassed face.
“You’ve got medicine on your hands. Don’t touch your face. You can hold my horns instead. Do they still shine?”
His hand brushed against my horn.
“How is it?” I asked while wrapping his swollen ankle in a bandage. I was so angry at how badly it was swollen that I almost let out a string of curses.
“Not really… It just feels a little warm.”
“Well, at least your hands won’t be cold in winter if you hold onto my horns.!”
I wiggled excitedly, joking about being a personal heater.
“Like a little heater on top of your head,” Dedrick said, chuckling.
His laughter felt nice and warm.
But then he stared at his hand, puzzled.
“…The wounds on my hand seem to have healed a bit.”
“What? Let me see.”
I had applied the ointment myself, so I could tell. Sure enough, the wounds were less visible in the area I treated.
“…But this isn’t healing ointment,” I muttered.
I hadn’t been able to find the one infused with healing stones earlier.
“Could it be… because of your horns?”
“My horns have that kind of power? Touch them again.”
He reached out and touched them, but nothing happened this time.
“…Guess it wasn’t the horns.”
“That’s strange… Maybe we should look into closet monsters at the library?”
“About me?”
“Yeah, don’t you want to know more about yourself?”
I hesitated, then shook my head.
“No, don’t.”
“Why not?”
“If they find out you’re researching me, Somerset or the duchess might get suspicious. Let’s wait until I turn 19. We’ll look then.”
“Why nineteen?”
“Because it’ll be okay then.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re an adult! Once you’re 19, no matter what the Duchess does, you’ll be able to handle it.”
I carefully applied the ointment, ensuring every area was covered.
“All done. Take some rest now.”
“Where are you going?”
“To do something bad.”
At my blunt response, Dedrick’s face turned blank with confusion.
“Something bad?”
“Yup, something bad. You focus on doing good things. I’ll handle all the wicked stuff.”
My cryptic words made him give me a puzzled look, silently demanding an explanation. But I didn’t answer. Instead, I patted his head reassuringly, escaped from his grasp before he could grab me, and quickly disappeared into the wardrobe to transport myself elsewhere.
When I arrived, Somerset’s room was empty—he hadn’t returned yet.
Then, I heard a commotion outside. Rushing to the hallway, I recognized Somerset’s voice booming loudly.
“Joanna! Where do you think you’re going?!”
“The Duchess gave me permission! Let me go!”
“If you leave now, do you think your family will stay safe?! My mother won’t let this slide! And then the Marquis won’t leave you alone either!”
“This is my business, so stay out of it!”
Hurried footsteps echoed as someone ran away, followed by the sound of a door slamming. Somerset’s enraged voice bellowed again, echoing through the halls.
“Why is she acting so sensitive just because I beat up that brat?!”
His shouts, filled with frustration, seemed utterly clueless. I silently trailed the source of the voice, finding him at the bottom of the stairs, seething with anger.
