Chapter 19
Starting tomorrow, I decided to formally learn from Tom for several days. Although the bloodhound followed me well, I knew nothing because I had never raised a puppy.
It was late at night when the investigation team returned, so Tom went to bed.
First, when the time came, I took the medicine to change my eye color and grabbed a few pills from the medicine management box for minor injuries.
And instead of heading to the bedroom, I went to find Laches.
Tap, Tap.
“Your Excellency, it’s Lea.”
Two polite knocks and a light introduction, Thinking there was a possibility he might have already fallen asleep due to the exhausting journey, I murmured in a small voice.
Thunk, Thud.
As if responding to my voice, there was a strange sound from beyond the door. Something softly landed on the carpet and then there was a rolling sound.
However, that was it; there was no response from Laches.
“Knock, knock.”
I lightly tapped the door with my clenched fist again. I sensed movement inside, so I thought the person might still be awake. Perhaps it was just my imagination?
“Uhh.”
Staring at the still closed door, I hesitated for a moment, then whispered as if greeting a sleeping baby.
“Sweet dreams…”
Click.
Before I could finish my whispered greeting, the door, which seemed stubbornly shut, suddenly swung open. Laches, wearing nothing but thin indoor clothing, looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Shouldn’t you at least check whether someone’s asleep or not before barging into a nobleman’s bedroom? Where did you learn your manners?”
“What else could I do?”
With his arms crossed against the doorframe, Laches leaned sideways with a smirk on his face. He was clad in a tight-fitting black indoor garment, accentuating the contours of his muscles.
It was the first time I’d seen such attire, but it suited him remarkably well.
“Are you not sleeping?”
“I was about to.”
As the door opened, I caught a glimpse of his bedroom. The candle on his desk was still lit.
“Do you mind if I come in for a moment?”
With a bold question, Laches straightened up from his leaning position. Despite his mischievous tone, the relaxed expression in his eyes felt somewhat dangerous.
After all, Laches was only human. He must have been exhausted from his journey.
“Would that be alright?”
It was my first time entering his bedroom, Stepping into his space alone in the late night felt daring. But there was no one else to help if things went south, no matter how capricious he might be.
“However, there were many opportunities for that.’’
Walking alone at night in places where nobody knows, sharing wine together in my room, helping out on laundry days. He had countless chances to kill me.
But he didn’t, So this was provocation, and I was confident once again that he wouldn’t kill me this time.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I don’t think you came here with that intention…”
“You seem to know what I’m thinking pretty well, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything, but you’re blushing all by yourself.”
As I gave him a sly look, La’ches chuckled quietly.
“Are you going to keep doing that?”
“Alright, I won’t.”
Laches stepped aside to let me in.
“Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”
Laches’ bedroom was tidy, It was distinctly different from my room, Dethor’s room, or Delia’s room.
The spacious bedroom had only the minimal furniture needed for living, And what filled the room was a considerable amount of books reminiscent of a study.
“…Do you like books?”
It was truly unexpected, A man who seemed like he had never read in his life had so many books in his bedroom.
“Just when I have some free time.”
There was hardly any time for Laches, the Guardian of the North, to have leisure.
Laches shyly pulled up his loungewear to cover his mouth.
It was refreshing to see Laches embarrassed because he was caught liking books.
“Come over here and sit at the desk for a moment.”
As I looked around the bedroom, I called La’ches to the bright desk where the lamp had not yet been turned off.
“Are you really trying to tame me since you asked me to come here and sit down?”
Even though he spoke sarcastically, Laches obediently complied with my instructions. He settled himself onto the desk. The constantly high eye level now aligned horizontally in a straight line.
“Why did you call me?”
He whispered, tilting the corner of his mouth upwards. His hot breath mingled indiscriminately, regardless of whose it was.
I held my breath, fearing it would become unbearably hot if he exhaled into me.
“Give me your hand.”
I extended my trembling palm, As Laches placed his slightly clenched fist onto my palm, he chuckled. It was like he was a well-trained dog obediently following his master’s command.
Without any explanation, I pulled up Laches’ sleeve, Despite the servant’s impertinent behavior, Laches simply watched me silently.
As I pulled up the sleeve, I saw the torn wounds on his skin.
“Of course, I thought you hadn’t treated them.”
I placed the brought medicines beside Laches and examined the wounds.
It was a memory I recalled when I stroked the head of the returned hunting dog.
Upon arriving at the fox’s den, Laches instructed the reconnaissance team to keep an eye on the fox’s movements and dispersed to search for the cubs.
Then, he followed the hunting dog.
After running for a while following the hunting dog, Laches found a trembling puppy waiting for its mother in the thicket.
The hunting dog, upon discovering the cub, scratched the ground with its front paws and whimpered. Although the thicket protected the puppy from the fox, it had blocked its way out.
Without hesitation, Laches reached into the thicket and carefully pulled out the small puppy to prevent it from getting hurt.
In the process, his sleeve tore, and he got wounded.
“If you don’t treat them properly, they could get infected.”
I couldn’t just leave it be, This was a memory only I could know.
“How could I have known I was injured? None of the other knights or servants noticed.”
“Because I have good eyes.”
“Better than the knights?”
As Laches received my treatment quietly, he playfully tilted his head. But the look in his eyes, as cold as it was, seemed to understand me perfectly.
“You said earlier that you would conclude that I noticed because of my good eyes.”
“Yeah, then shall we conclude it that way again this time?”
I cleaned the wound thoroughly and applied the ointment I brought.
Laches was watching attentively on the day of intensive treatment, Our hands were so close that they almost touched.
“You…”
Laches slowly opened his lips.
“It seems like it’s not healing properly.”
I bit my lip tightly and looked at Laches’ wound, The ointment was smeared thickly, and there were places where blood came out because I inadvertently touched the wound.
“…I’m sorry, I’m not actually in charge of treatment.”
I had only received treatment from Pesol, so I was inexperienced in treating others myself.
“…Should I call a doctor now?”
“A doctor might suspect something between us being in the bedroom together at this hour. Would that be okay?”
“Uh…”
“Of course, I don’t mind if rumors spread.”
Laches laughed weakly as he looked at the area where the ointment was too thick to allow proper healing.
Did I offer to treat him for nothing? My face turned red at his teasing laughter.
“I quite like it, Look at this thick layer of ointment here. I really appreciate the effort you put into treating the patient without sparing any medicine.”
“…I’ll wrap it with a bandage.”
It seemed easy to just wrap it up when looking at it, but when I wrapped it too tightly, it seemed like it would hurt, and when I wrapped it too loosely, it seemed like it would come off easily, so I repeated wrapping the bandage several times.
But Laches didn’t complain, Instead, he patiently and leisurely offered me his arm and waited.
“Stay here and work for a long time.”
“……Yes?”
Laches whispered softly to me as I was busy wrapping bandages.
“Don’t go anywhere else and work here for a long time, We’ll offer you good salary and working conditions.”
It sounded as if he was concerned about my departure.
I first came to the North to end the tedious cycle of being hunted down by killers.
And in the memories of others, Laches always seemed to behave as if he would kill me at any moment.
I searched for the Reperfentia without knowing their face, and I searched for the poison that might have been one of the reasons for my death in my previous life.
Furthermore, I was also pondering whether I should have killed the Reperentia.
But somehow, I found the courage.
Was it because of the memory of treating the hunting dog, which I had said I would discard when it was no longer needed, too preciously?
Or was it because of the kindness and goodwill I showed to the maid, Leah?
Or perhaps it was the hope that at the end of his remorse for wanting to kill me, there was a desire to keep me alive?
“Your Grace, I have a question.”
“I told you to work here for a long time, and yet you ask questions, What’s on your mind?”
The North was comfortable in this regard, I had never felt so at ease after experiencing so many cycles.
There were no soft beds or delicious food.
There were no fancy dresses or jewels for the maid serving me.
But this place allowed me to forget everything and live buried in the past as a maid named Leah.
The bandaged hand stopped. I was still holding the unyielding hand of Laches, unable to read anything from it.
I set out to find the murderer because ultimately, I wanted to live. And ironically, being by the side of that man who might kill me kept me more alive than ever.
So, this was my provocation.
“Why were you looking for Reparentia Nirel, Miss?”
Perhaps it was because of the flickering candlelight that his eyes, as black as obsidian, seemed to sway.
His inscrutable brow, revealing no hint of his thoughts, suddenly furrowed.
“I heard you’ve been asking other ladies about Lady Reparentia Nirele.”
Laches, tilting his head slightly, swept his unkempt hair back with an unsteady hand.
His posture, which had been inclined toward me, straightened abruptly.
The atmosphere seemed to shift subtly.
Though his gaze remained impassive, his expression unchanged, what remained after the natural tone of his speech was erased was an icy chill in his flesh, beyond his feigned nonchalance, a palpable wariness and hostility.
“Why do you ask?”
“…Just wondering if you liked Lady Reparentia.”
Laches replied languidly, lowering his gaze subtly, Following his gaze, I saw myself holding his hand.
‘Ah…’
In that moment when I thought I should let go of his hand.
Tap.
The tables turned.
As if afraid to release his hand, Laches grabbed mine.
This was a provocation, and I am confident he will not kill me.
“Do you think so?”
Laches opened his mouth as if in response to my thoughts.
His shadow, cast by the flickering candlelight, trembled. Darkness expanded its presence.
“You’re wrong.”
Laches smirked with crimson lips, his arrogance infecting mine.
Bowing his head, he whispered softly in my ear.
“I wanted to save Reperentia.”
