Chapter 3 – The Mysterious Appearance (Part 3)

Soon, Mollek brought the meal into the room. He set up the food naturally, as if used to this situation.

Fernan brought a spoonful of soft soup to her lips.

As the spoon approached her nose, Ellerdin alternated between looking at the spoon and Fernan with trembling pupils.

“Eat slowly.”

At his words, spoken with a bright smile, Ellerdin reluctantly opened her mouth.

The warm soup enveloped her tongue.

It was a heavenly taste, but she was so flustered by the situation that she could hardly taste it.

Fernan would scoop up more soup and feed it to her as she finished each spoonful.

She accepted the food absentmindedly, still not understanding the situation.

‘How is this possible?’

Whether he knew her confused thoughts or not, Fernan just smiled.

“Does it taste good?”

“Ah… yes. It’s very delicious.”

“That’s a relief.”

Fernan continued to feed her other dishes with a bright smile.

The awkwardness lasted only a moment, and soon Ellerdin’s eyes sparkled as she began to eat the various flavors he offered.

After the meal, as Fernan cleared the dishes, Ellerdin stared blankly at the ceiling.

She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She had never eaten so comfortably before.

Without the psychological stress, her stomach accepted more food than usual.

She touched her pleasantly full stomach and looked up. Her reflection in the mirror on the wall caught her eye.

‘Oh my…’

Ellerdin was horrified at her appearance in the mirror.

Her hair was unkempt, her skin was dry, and her clothes were damp with sweat, likely from a cold sweat.

‘To think I was like this.’

Embarrassed, she hurriedly got up.

As Fernan carried the dishes out, he said,

“Feel free to wash up.”

‘Feel free,’ he said.

As she got up, Ellerdin glanced at him. This was his room, and her room was next door.

She had intended to go to her room, but hesitated and moved towards the bathroom in his room.

‘My room is next door, so why is he telling me to wash here? Could he be thinking of spending the first night together now?’

Even though it was broad daylight, considering he had fed her on the bed without adhering to the rule of sitting face-to-face for meals, it seemed entirely possible.

Thinking she might need to take a longer bath than usual, Ellerdin entered the bathroom.

***

When she came out after washing, there were clothes prepared at the door. Ellerdin peeked out and quickly put on the clothes.

Fernan, who had left earlier, had not yet returned.

As she dressed, she looked at the scars covering her body.

‘…Have they faded a bit?’

There were marks from various beatings.

It felt like they had faded a little, but that would never happen in her lifetime.

‘These scars will never disappear until I die. He’ll dislike them if he sees them.’

Ellerdin wrapped herself carefully in the thick outer garment Fernan had prepared to hide the scars.

‘When will he come back?’

Ellerdin sat on the bed and stared into space. Being alone and quiet, the hallucination she had seen earlier came to mind.

‘He looked similar.’

To Fernan.

The man in the basement looked very much like Fernan. Although his hair was black unlike Fernan’s, his red eyes were just like his.

At that moment, the door opened and Fernan entered.

His shining red eyes stood out. Perhaps because she had just been thinking about it, she spoke without realizing it.

“Ah, Fernan. Is there someone in the basement…?”

Fernan’s body stiffened at her words.

Realizing her mistake, Ellerdin quickly covered her mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face and lowered her head.

She had promised herself not to ask him, especially since Mollek had warned her to be careful. She had just uncovered something everyone wanted to keep hidden.

“S-sorry. I misspoke…”

Fernan was briefly taken aback by her pale, apologetic expression, but soon he smiled helplessly.

He gently cupped her cheek. When their eyes met, Fernan smiled softly.

“It’s not your fault. It’s my fault for not telling you in advance.”

Fernan held her trembling hand tightly.

Her hand felt warm, probably because she had just washed.

Fernan knelt on one knee.

Holding her small, soft hand, he looked at her face, which was on the verge of tears.

When he tried to make eye contact, Ellerdin quickly looked away.

Fernan held her hand persistently, finally making eye contact with her red face.

“You finally looked at me.”

Fernan smiled with his eyes. But she quickly looked away again, showing she was still feeling guilty.

He seemed to have a vague idea of what she was worried about.

Fernan brushed the back of her hand with his thumb.

“I can’t tell you everything yet… but I can promise you this. One day, I will tell you everything.”

“No, if I’m being a burden…”

“Absolutely not!”

Fernan suddenly stood up.

As the large man stood abruptly, Ellerdin naturally fell back onto the bed.

The soft bed sheets cushioned her fall, so it didn’t hurt, but Fernan panicked at the fact that he had knocked her over.

“A-are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

His previously serious demeanor was gone, replaced by a puppy-like panic, making Ellerdin relax and laugh quietly behind her hand.

Her laughter brought a relieved smile to Fernan’s face.

He carefully placed his hand over hers. His thick, strong fingers intertwined with her delicate ones.

‘Ah…’

Just holding hands made her face heat up. For a different reason than before, she avoided his gaze.

Unaware, Fernan stroked her fingers and spoke.

“I’m not telling you because I’m lacking. It’s absolutely not your fault. You won’t hate me for this, will you?”

He leaned in close, asking right in front of her nose.

His expression and tone were innocent, but his touch was still persistent. The contrast made Ellerdin clear her throat and pull her hand away.

“Of course not. How could I hate you?”

Fernan smiled brightly at her words.

***

Feeling it was impolite to stay in Fernan’s room indefinitely, Ellerdin returned to her own room.

She had documents to handle on behalf of the busy Fernan. But not long after she started, Fernan entered the room.

“Give them to me.”

With a look that seemed to question why she wasn’t resting, he held out his hand.

Ellerdin looked up at him in surprise.

“I’ve rested enough. I’ll just work a little.”

“No. You need to rest more.”

Fernan firmly took the documents from her.

With her work disappearing in an instant, Ellerdin looked at him with tearful eyes.

“No matter how you look at me, you must rest. Now.”

Fernan picked her up from the chair and carried her to the bed.

Before she could say anything, he carefully tucked her in and left the room, telling her to rest well.

He took all the other documents with him to ensure she couldn’t work.

Ellerdin blinked quietly under the blanket.

‘…I’ll just lie down for a bit and then go ask for the documents back.’

To pass the time, Ellerdin closed her eyes.

It felt like she had only closed her eyes briefly, but when she checked the time, over five hours had passed.

Startled, she sat up and heard arguing outside the window.

Recognizing the familiar voices, Ellerdin opened the window and looked down.

“See, it’s your fault!”

Celine shouted angrily. Mollek, who was arguing with him, shouted back.

“Then you do it! You don’t even know how much effort the great me is putting in!”

“Do I need to know? You call yourself great, but all you do is sneaky stuff.”

“What? Listen to this guy!”

Mollek grabbed his neck in frustration. They were barking at each other, oblivious to the fact that she was watching.

Since she first came here, she had felt that the two were like close childhood friends.

They fought almost every day, but there was a sense of mutual trust between them.

‘They sure know how to have fun.’

Ellerdin watched them quietly.

What would it feel like to have such a friend? Sometimes fighting, sometimes comforting each other, sometimes helping each other.

If such a person existed, it would probably feel like having the whole world.

Celine and Mollek approached Ellerdin without hesitation, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept them.

‘Since it’s a contractual relationship, it might be hard if we get too close.’

In three years, she would be leaving this place. She couldn’t even imagine herself not being here.

How should I live after three years?

She had only said that time was needed to escape the Earl’s suspicion, without ever thinking about what she would do afterward.

She didn’t have anything she wanted to do, nor did she know what she could do.

Even if she found something she wanted to do, she doubted whether her weak self could accomplish it.

More than anything, she might spend the rest of her life yearning for the warmth and kindness she felt here, only to die missing it.

‘Such an end wouldn’t be so bad…’

It was much better to die longing for spring than to die with winter in her heart.

Still, she was satisfied. She had experienced warmth she couldn’t even imagine in her past life.

‘Let’s not ask for too much.’

Ellerdin closed the window and turned around. And then.

“Ah… when did you come in?”

A mischievous face peeked through the slightly open door.

Yes, it’s all because of that person.

No, actually, it’s because she’s weak. Every morning when she wakes up, every time she feels this warmth, she makes a resolution. But every moment, especially in front of him, her resolve crumbles without a trace.

“I knocked, but there was no answer, so I thought you were already asleep.”

‘It’s not even six o’clock yet…’

But with him, it was entirely possible.

Such a free-spirited person. Maybe that’s why I relax more in front of him.