Chapter 48. I’m Really Upset

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Theo walked aimlessly after leaving the temple.

The magnificent flowers and fresh trees, even the gentle sound of water from the fountain — he saw none of it.

He was furious.

Even knowing Asarim’s sharp words were provocations, knowing they were meant to anger him, he couldn’t control himself.

Above all, he couldn’t stand his own reaction to Asarim’s words.

He couldn’t refute any of Asarim’s crude and filthy words.

Because he thought none of them were wrong.

There were times he felt momentary elation when cutting down enemy soldiers in war.

Several times, he had lost his reason and swung his sword, intoxicated by the heat of flowing blood.

He thought it was right for people to fear him.

But his chest tightened at the thought of Yuelina fearing him and becoming unhappy because of him.

Perhaps he had been deliberately turning a blind eye.

To the obvious fact that Yuelina would be unhappy by his side.

That she couldn’t be happy being next to him.

Theo was certain. That certainty wouldn’t easily change.

Because no one had ever told him they were happy by his side, that they wanted to stay beside him.

Theo took a deep breath.

What would Yuelina think?

She had witnessed him trying to strangle her friend.

Her face had turned pale, and her body trembled with fear.

Yuelina might always see Theo that way from now on.

Theo’s eyelids drooped heavily.

Yes.

What was bound to happen had simply happened.

That’s what Theo thought.

It was strange how Yuelina had always smiled at him with that clear and gentle expression.

There would no longer be a Yuelina who asked to go for walks, to eat together, to do things together.

But that was fine.

Such relationships were never permitted for him in the first place.

He had intended to confine Yuelina in the tower from the beginning, so he just needed to carry that out.

If she cried out wanting to leave, wanting to run away, he would simply plug his ears.

He had only one desire.

Having Yuelina by his side for life. That was the one thing he couldn’t give up.

“Theo!”

Even with his eyes closed, Theo could tell who was calling him.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A deep, rich floral scent wafted through the elaborate flowers.

Yuelina stood before him.

Yuelina, who always carried that warm, heart-fluttering scent.

Her flower-like eyes were wet with tears.

It seemed as if anger might burst forth at any moment from between her tightly pressed lips.

Her small, delicate body kept trembling as if she couldn’t contain herself.

Theo felt as if his legs were constantly sinking into the ground.

Though his feet were standing firmly on the ground, he kept falling down, further down.

Though what was bound to happen had simply happened.

Though he thought it was for the best.

Seeing Yuelina with one eye twitching in irritation made his blood run cold.

Yuelina opened her tightly closed lips while clenching both hands.

“What are you doing right now!”

“!”

She was clearly angry at Theo.

But Yuelina’s fragile arm suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.

Theo blankly looked down to watch her actions.

Yuelina’s brow furrowed deeply, making her straight eyebrows rise.

“You’re bleeding, what are you doing here! You should have called a physician for treatment!”

“……”

Yuelina examined Theo’s hand from all angles while sobbing.

The part Theo had injured by striking the wall was the back of his hand.

But blood had dripped from there between his fingers and nails, making everything bright red.

“Why did you hit the wall! Why! You should have just hit him instead!”

“What?”

“I’m really, really upset…”

Yuelina muttered softly.

But Theo heard Yuelina’s words clearly.

She said she was upset.

So, because he hit the wall. Because he got hurt. Seeing the wound, she muttered that she was upset.

Theo’s heart ached.

Though the wound was on the back of his hand, he couldn’t understand why his heart hurt so much.

It wasn’t just his heart.

His whole body tingled. The sensation made everything sting.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

“Where?”

“To the physician, of course. It might leave a scar.”

Yuelina held Theo’s hand firmly.

Theo looked down at her hand holding his.

“Does it hurt because I’m holding it?”

At Yuelina’s worried voice, Theo shook his head slightly.

“It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“That’s a lie. How can it not hurt when you’re injured like this?”

“It’s true though.”

“Are you perhaps afraid of doctors? Is that why?”

“What?”

“I know. I was really scared of doctors too. But you need courage to heal quickly.”

Theo burst out laughing at Yuelina’s innocent question.

Him being afraid of doctors? Who could think such a thing?

She tilted her head, not understanding why he was laughing.

Beautiful.

Every time Yuelina tilted her head in confusion, Theo felt like he would go mad.

A small, white crow-tit.

He wanted to embrace his one precious crow-tit until his body broke.

But Theo couldn’t act on it. To him, Yuelina seemed too small and fragile.

Though she seemed to be holding his hand firmly, even that grip was too weak.

“We need to go quickly…”

Yuelina was frustrated by Theo’s leisurely manner.

She stamped her feet, wanting to take Theo to the physician quickly.

“We can show it to the priest. It’ll be faster than a physician.”

“That’s good! Then let’s go in quickly!”

Yuelina led the way, holding Theo’s hand while making small grunting noises.

Theo docilely followed her lead.

Even while leading the way while holding Theo’s hand, Yuelina kept looking back.

She was checking if he was following well.

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

Theo nodded at Yuelina’s anxious voice.

Her hair swayed pleasantly every time she turned back.

Her mysterious pink eyes were focused solely on him.

He even liked how her moist, smooth lips quivered with anxiety.

After entering the temple, Yuelina’s quick pace significantly slowed.

She was wandering because she didn’t know where the priest was.

Theo, who had been following behind Yuelina, moved in front of her in half a step.

Theo adjusted his grip on her hand.

His fingers intertwined with hers.

Yuelina let out a short, excited breath as she looked at Theo’s hand firmly holding hers.

She thought she was used to Theo’s towering physique and his large hands that seemed able to engulf her, but that had been a misconception.

Theo opened a door at the end of the temple’s first floor with Yuelina.

Instead of High Priest Lambros, it was a small space where a junior priest handled matters related to medicines.

The priest jumped up in surprise at seeing Theo and Yuelina.

“I’d like you to leave for a moment.”

“P-pardon?!”

“I said leave.”

“Ah, yes!”

The priest left with a bewildered expression.

Yuelina grabbed Theo’s sleeve. Theo’s head tilted towards her.

“How can you send the priest away?”

“The medicine does the healing, not the priest.”

Theo naturally took out a blue medicine from the cabinet.

It was a medicine mixed with holy power that could heal open wounds.

Whenever Theo had business at the temple, he would come straight to this room to get medicine.

He was used to treating himself rather than having others do it.

Theo opened the lid to pour the medicine on the wound.

“Wait a moment, we need to clean the blood first.”

Yuelina looked around.

Fortunately, there was a white handkerchief and a kettle of water on the table.

She wet the handkerchief with water from the kettle.

The water was warm thanks to the magic stone keeping the kettle heated.

“Sit here.”

Theo sat on the sofa Yuelina pointed to.

“Even if it hurts, please bear with it for a moment.”

Yuelina pulled Theo’s hand toward her.

She carefully cleaned his blood-soaked hand with the handkerchief.

Yuelina’s lips moved as she concentrated.

Her warm breath touched and left the back of Theo’s hand.

When she cleaned the blood from the back of his hand, the open wound became even more prominent.

Yuelina let out a deep sigh, upset.

Her hot breath soon moved to the back of Theo’s hand,

and Theo kept fidgeting.