Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

My heart pounded louder and louder.

I tucked my chin further down my chest and looked at him again.

Over his neatly closed eyes were long eyelashes that cast shadows over his cheeks.

I carefully tried to peel off the arm around my waist and the other arm over my shoulders. Now, all I needed to do was get up.

But at that moment—

“……!”

Both arms wrapped around my waist again and held me even tighter.

“Uck…”

It was an unimaginable power. His hold was so tight that I couldn’t breathe.

All the air I had in me was squeezed out, and it felt like my ribs had been crushed.

“Pl… Please.”

No way, was he awake? The face I was looking at was still tranquil.

I mean, considering that his expression was so peaceful, his grip was just too… he was too strong.

“Please let go, please…”

At this rate, I might die of suffocation. Or maybe my ribs would break first before that would happen.

‘Why is a patient so strong?’

I’ve thought about it before, but I really couldn’t figure it out.

Somehow, I tried to get out of his hold and pushed his chest away, but he wouldn’t budge at all.

I squirmed with all my might.

His dense, tightly woven muscles were right under my fingers, but there was no time for me to be distracted by them.

“Huh?”

While I was squirming, there was something soft I touched.

His lips.

The soft texture on my fingertips was Amoide’s lips.

Without realizing, I caressed his lips.

It was soft, tender. I couldn’t believe these lips were a part of his body when they were so soft…

At that moment, the steel-like arms that were wrapped around me slightly loosened.

“Huh?”

No way. No way.

I moved my hand from his lips and stroked Amoide’s cheek. As my fingertips touched his face, I felt that his breathing was even.

It was then that the strength in his arms, which coiled around me like immovable chains, was completely released.

“Haa.”

As my ribs, which were crushed, became loose, air poured in at once.

Cough… Gasp…

Taking in a deep breath that I couldn’t do earlier, my eyes were focused on his face.

The folds on his forehead became a deeper frown.

Fwick, Fwick.

I waved a few times in front of his face, but there was still no change.

I slipped and twisted away from him. When his hold on me loosened even more, I squirmed away inch by inch. Then, I finally escaped from his arms completely.

Throughout this all, my eyes were fixed on his closed eyes.

I didn’t know when those eyelids would open to reveal his blue irises. I imagined that happening, but I would very much like to be far away before that.

I barely pulled myself out of the sheets. Now as long as I can leave the room…

“……”

When I left the sheets, I felt breezy for some reason.

And it was only then that I realized I was completely naked.

Immediately, I turned this way and that to look for something to wear.

The haphazardly removed clothes were scattered here and there.

My dress was on that side, my underwear on that side, his underwear was over there…

When I saw them, last night’s memories flashed before my eyes again with such clarity.

‘Stop!’

I screamed inwardly and shook my head left and right.

I tried to shake off last night’s afterimages, but it was no use. Rather, the more I tried to get the memories out of my mind, the clearer they just became.

[ Selena. ]

The way he called me.

[ Look at me. ]

The way he touched me. His presence.

And the thing that was too big, Amoide’s… Amoide’s…

‘AAAAAACK!’

To shake off these memories, she had no choice but to get out of this room as soon as possible.

‘First, just get out of here quickly.’

I stepped carefully out of the bed.

“Nngh.”

But as soon as my bare feet hit the floor, I groaned.

When I hurriedly covered my mouth and looked back, what met my gaze still was his sleeping face.

‘What the hell…’

My back hurt so much that it felt like it was broken.

It was to the point that I couldn’t breathe properly. The pain climbed from my feet all the way to my waist.

“Hu… mmh…”

Even if I tried to hold them back, groans leaked out of my lips. I covered my mouth tightly so as not to wake him up.

While whimpering like that, I began to collect the clothes from the floor.

“How did this happen.”

My underwear, torn, hung by my fingertips. It didn’t look like I could still wear it, so it would be useless to still try it on.

Next, my dress.

The thin silk dress was also ripped by his merciless grasp.

He peeled off the top part skillfully, but after that, as though he had lost his patience, the frills and laces were completely ragged.

But I had to wear this. It was the last one of my clothes that could at least still cover me up.

The piece of clothing that looked to be in the most normal condition was his dress shirt.

It was tailored to fit his body, so it would be big enough to act as something like a shawl over me since it was wide.

I recalled the time he caught the snake, when he ripped my clothes and took off his own shirt. In an instant, my face heated up—but the situation now was even worse than back then.

I took the shirt from the floor and put it on roughly. Then, I stood up.

While walking carefully on my tiptoes, I glanced behind me.

Without a care in the world, he was still asleep.

I desperately prayed to heaven for him to continue sleeping just like that.

Tak.

But I had barely taken a step when I bumped into something.

Looking down, I saw a huge chunk of wood that was on the floor. Inlaid with roses and vines, this piece of wood somehow felt familiar.

As if it had fallen from somewhere, one side was rougher than the other. And when I turned my head, I could see that, over Amoide’s head as he slept, the bed’s headboard was absolutely shattered at his side.

‘Oh my gosh.’

Was that the ‘cracking’ sound I heard yesterday?

‘His strength is just…’

I looked alternately at the bed, the piece of the headboard on the floor and back again. After which, I barely moved my feet.

It felt like the door was far, far away.

“……”

Creeeeak.

Even the very small sound of the door opening was loud right now.

Don’t stir, don’t hear this. Please don’t wake up.

I prayed earnestly as I pushed the door.

“Sleep tight—please.”

I whispered oh so quietly through the slightly opened door, then I closed it shut.

“Phew.”

It was only after I’d stepped on the marble floor of the hallway did I finally feel like I couldn’t breathe out a sigh of relief.

Gasp—

But as soon as I turned around, I was faced with Emma’s cold gaze.

“Hi, Emma.”

I smiled awkwardly and said hello.

“…Good morning, Madam.¹”

Emma slowly looked at me up and down and greeted me back.

It was evident in her expression that she wasn’t glad to see me. It was Emma’s special talent to greet politely with her mouth yet curse at you with her eyes.

“……”

And her gaze stopped exactly at a spot near my neck.

She was looking at a spot between my neck and chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I could see one corner of her mouth quivering downwards.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

Was it just my feeling that the way she looked at me was colder than usual?

“Then, I’ll be organizing the Master’s bedding…”

But as she was about to pass me and enter Amoide’s room, I blocked Emma from going in.

“Amoide’s still sleeping. Don’t go in.”

“Is that so?”

Emma asked in a very stiff tone. She was so especially pointed right now that I wondered why she was being like this.

At the same time, her gaze still wouldn’t leave the spot near my neck and chest.

“If you understand, then do it later.”

“Yes, of course.”

Emma backed down without any qualms.

“Then I shall wait for the Master to wake up.”

“Yes, today…”

But I recalled his condition right now, the sight of Amoide’s body in the state in which he had been born in—completely butt naked.

“…Don’t go in until Amoide calls for you.”

“Pardon?”

Emma’s eyes furrowed to express her displeasure.

“Anyway, just do as I say.”

“Why?”

Emma’s expression looked worse.

“He’ll be… tired, I think.”

“That could be the case.”

“Huh?”

Did she know what happened? No, she hasn’t even entered the room yet.

‘She won’t know, she shouldn’t know.’

Please, I really hope this hunch isn’t right.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes.”

Emma looked at me with a grouchy smile.

Step, step, step.

I walked briskly to the point that I was almost running, but after turning around, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head.

What I wanted to do was run recklessly, but I couldn’t. And it wasn’t because I was afraid that Emma would suspect me.

I was because I felt a prickling pain covering my entire body.

——

¹ I belatedly realized that Selena should be called ‘Madam’, so from here on out, that’s how she’ll be addressed by the household’s employees.