Chapter 6

“Mire? Are you all right?” Deedee gave me a puzzled look as I stood grinding the herbs, lost in thought.

I came back to my senses. “Oh, yes. I’m all done. Lift your shirt so I can see your wound,” I said, with a wave of my hand.

He did just as I asked. The wound, which was on his left side, looked pretty serious. It seemed too large for a piece of gauze to fully cover it. I would have to bandage his entire torso.

“Maybe you should take it off completely. Can you do that?”

A peculiar expression came over the man’s face. His fingers hovered over his shirt placket as though he was deliberating on what to do.

“Do you need me to help?” Maybe he was shy in these situations because he was a noble, but I certainly wasn’t. He should be grateful I’m even helping him.

I urged him with a look, to which he forced a laugh. “Fine, fine... You’re the only one who has spoken to me like that and lived to see another day, you know.”

“What an honor.”

He started to unbutton the shirt with long, beautiful fingers. As the last button came undone, the billowy shirt hung open to reveal the firm chest that had been hidden underneath. The sight of his bare skin made me pause.

I thought he was a nobleman. When he was fully clothed, his visible skin looked smooth. But the fabric had been hiding nasty scars.

They couldn’t be wounds from training. He didn’t seem to have undergone rigorous physical conditioning, nor did he seem to be skilled in combat. Could these all be from assassination attempts? Seeing how the scars were located near vital points, it was clear that they had been strikes intended to kill. I suppose a nobleman’s life isn’t as easy and carefree as I thought.

I held myself back from clicking my tongue and sat on the bed next to him. I understood now why he was so hesitant to take off his clothes.

“First, I’ll clean it.” Feeling empathetic, I avoided bringing up the scars. It seemed like he was reluctant to have them seen, at least.

Deedee lightly bit his lip and nodded. “Okay...”

I started by gently wiping the wound. He flinched at the cold, damp towel. “Ugh...” As I applied disinfectant, he seemed to be steeling himself against the pain.

I could hardly focus on treating him. His face was just too beautiful.

That was when I reflected on exactly the situation I was in: A gorgeous man, with his bloodstained shirt completely undone, was lying defenseless on my bed. From the way he batted his long eyelashes and lowered his eyes, I could see that he was struggling.

His lean yet muscular upper body wasn’t especially honed from combat or training. Still, my scrawny body—even with the muscle I’d built on top of it—couldn’t compare. His seemed to be the result of proper nutrition and exercise.

Remember, he’s a patient. I cleared my mind of my wandering thoughts and continued treating his wound with a straight face. It felt strange to feel so flustered toward a man who was on the brink of death.

“I’ll wrap up your injury now.”

Deedee sat up straight. The shirt that barely clung to his shoulders slowly slid down his arms.

“Pardon the intrusion...” I wrapped my arms around the man’s waist. I had to basically hug him to get the bandages around his large form.

Well, now I know he smells like vanilla... Not that that’s a useful piece of information. Whether it came from perfume or the soap used on his clothes, the scent of vanilla emanated from his entire body. It was a deep and slightly pungent scent, nothing like the cheap sweet smell of ice cream sold in the streets. It made me feel even stranger.

This is so awkward. In the uncomfortable silence, I sighed to myself. I couldn’t stand awkward tension. I preferred things to be succinct and wrapped up quickly. That made me especially vulnerable in these kinds of situations.

“There are three kinds of people who approach me.” Deedee, who had been staring down at me, broke the silence with a stern look. “First, admirers who expect more from me than I can give. Second, enemies who are waiting for me to slip up. And third...”

As we made eye contact, I saw traces of the life he had likely led in his dark and sunken blue gaze.

“There are the rats who are hoping I’ll drop a scrap for them.”

His dismal voice dug into my eardrums. Funnily enough, I felt empathetic toward this nobleman, though I was sure he wouldn’t know anything about my grimy back alley life.

“Everyone has always fallen into one of these three categories. When I meet someone, it’s easy to tell which one they are. I can see it in their eyes.”

He grabbed my chin and firmly tugged it forward. I quickly placed my hand on the bed to steady myself before we bumped heads. Our faces were much too close.

“But I can’t see anything in your eyes. I can’t tell what you want.” Deedee tilted his head ever so slightly. His sweet aroma entered my nostrils as his soft brown curls grazed my face.

His red lips parted again slowly. “I’ll ask you again. What do you want? Why did you save me?”

His eyes were full of distrust. From his perspective, it was understandable. A complete stranger had saved him from assassination and was treating his wounds without demanding anything in return. If that wasn’t enough, the person who had saved him was Mire the mercenary.

Seems like he has trust issues... But while his suspicions were rational, I felt like I had peeked into a life full of inner struggle. A lifelong distrust of others will leave permanent scars, after all. This man’s distrust ran deep, so I knew he would believe nothing I said.

“If I tell you what I want, will you give it to me?” I slowly answered.

He smiled bitterly. “If I didn’t, a Sword Master like yourself could just threaten it out of me.”

Jerk. Swatting his hand away from my face, I rose to my feet. I ignored his stare and began digging through a drawer. “You were lucky to meet a Sword Master who hates the sight of blood.”

I tossed a shirt at him, the biggest one I owned. To me, it was more of a large and comfortable blanket than a shirt, but it still seemed a bit small for Deedee. “Cut the nonsense and change your clothes.”

He pulled on the shirt and chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Mire the mercenary is a hero who saves people from beasts. The Dark Disaster, the King of Mercenaries—that’s what people call you.” His face was expressionless. “But I don’t believe in heroes. Believing that there’s such a thing as a favor without a price is as absurd as believing in Prince Charming. Unfortunately, I’m past the age for such fairytales.”

His quips didn’t warrant a response.

“So, you’re really not going to tell me why you saved me?” he asked.

I closed my eyes. The reason why I hadn’t answered him was pretty simple.

I had no reason to save you. Indeed, I’d acted purely on instinct. I had helped him because he’d been in danger, without rhyme or reason. It was nothing more than a simple act of kindness. But since he insisted on an answer, I had no choice but to give him one.

“People may call me a hero, but I’m not.”

Deedee frowned at my reply. “And...?”

“I didn’t do it to be heroic. I just figured it’s what a person should do.” I already knew most people didn’t live that way. Rather than help a stranger, most would prioritize their own safety.

“Nothing comes before the life of a human being. Don’t forget that.”

But to me, nothing was more precious than human life.

“I see. So this is how you’re going to be.” Deedee stared at me fiercely. His voice was cold, as if he was interrogating a criminal.

I shrugged. “Yes. Unfortunately, that’s the truth.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“What?”

Everything has its price. I had no intention of denying that fact. Still... His distrusting eyes reminded me of someone. Someone I always saw in the mirror.

I continued. “You can keep doubting me, or be anxious about what I might ask from you later. I don’t mind if you stay suspicious until you leave and can travel safely by yourself. You can believe me once you get home.”

I knew it was futile to ask someone like him to trust me. I was the same way. I had no choice but to let him go through it firsthand and find out for himself.

“Now, get some sleep,” I told him. “Patients need rest.”

“Why should I?”

He’s so persistent. Seeing how he sounded a bit groggy, the medicine seemed to be working. I walked up to him and put my index finger to his forehead, pushing him down. He wobbled before helplessly collapsing onto the bed.

I gave him a slight smirk. “Does a person really need a reason to keep another living person alive?” Of course, I had been taught that they didn’t.

His eyes momentarily trembled, just slightly.

“Now shush, or I’ll wrap a bandage around your mouth too.”

I pulled a blanket up over the man’s face as if to tell him to shut up and sleep. For some reason, he was still for a while. Finally, he pulled the blanket back down.

“You’re odd...” he said groggily. His skin was so pale that his slightly flushed ears popped out noticeably. He looked rather dazed.

He seems to be getting sleepy. It was already the middle of the night. The forest had darkened as if someone had covered it with a veil.

I started to rise to my feet. “Well, I’ll be on my way now.”

“You’re leaving?” Deedee’s cold hand reached out and touched my wrist. I stopped, awkwardly stooped over.

“You’ll be more comfortable if you sleep alone. I’ll go somewhere else and come back in the morning. You can leave before I come back if you want.” I was trying to be considerate since he was uncomfortable with my presence.

The man looked confused for a moment. He suddenly grabbed my hand with a determined look. “Don’t go.”

“Why? Don’t tell me you can’t sleep alone at your age.”

“You’re right, I can’t.”

“What?”

“I’m scared.”

I frowned. His voice was oddly confident. He didn’t seem scared at all.

“What if an assassin comes looking for me?”

“Uh-huh...”

“My wound could open and I could go into shock, or a wild animal might break in and attack. We are in the woods.” His eyes pitifully drooped as he continued to make excuses. “Stay with me tonight.”

Well, I would feel uneasy leaving a patient by himself... Convinced, I looked around. I actually didn’t care where I slept. I had only planned to leave because I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “Then... I’ll sleep on this chair.”

His face brightened. He was so blinding that I had to avert my eyes. “You can sleep in the bed.”

What was my patient even talking about? “Nonsense.” Dismissing him flatly, I took a few steps and flipped a switch next to the door, extinguishing the lights in the cabin.

The glow of the moonlight was all we had to see now. Even in the dark, I had no difficulty finding my way back to the chair. I felt Deedee toss and turn in the bed beside me.

“Mire... I mean, Cass. Are you there?”

“I am.”

I saw Deedee’s blue eyes glowing in the dark like a nocturnal beast. He was groping around with his hands.

“Do you need something?”

He reached toward the sound of my voice. “My hand...”

“Your hand?”

I heard a soft chuckle. “Would you hold my hand?” He looked straight toward me, his eyes having adjusted to the darkness. “I’m scared.”

I rolled my eyes. It seemed more like he was enjoying this. Though I thought it was ridiculous, I moved toward him.

“Scaredy-cat,” I said, dragging my chair to the bed to hold his hand. He took my small, callused, and scarred hand in his large and unblemished one.

Maybe I did miss human warmth, just a little bit. The heat of his hand didn’t feel bad at all.

“Good night, Cass,” he whispered toward me.

“Good night.”

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, Deedee was gone.