Chapter 12

“Does it hurt?”

His cold hands contrasted with the heat of his breath, which brushed against her neck as he spoke. The warmth rose from her neck, spreading to her cheeks, making them flush.

The contrast between cold and hot confused her senses. Her heart, unable to keep up with the disparity, pounded heavily, as if someone was squeezing it in their hand.

It wasn’t just the sensation of a fast heartbeat. The area beneath her left rib cage ached, making it hard to even breathe.

“…Does it hurt?”

“No! I’m fine!”

Elena quickly shook off Felix’s hand, which had been pulling at her arm. He looked at her, startled, his eyes and eyebrows raised like a surprised cat.

Without even taking the time to assess whether her neck hurt or not, Elena instinctively touched it. Her action was more about removing Felix’s hand, which still rested on her neck.

His cold fingertips brushed against her fingers, making her flinch again. She hurriedly added,

“My neck! It’s fine!”

Realizing her reaction was a bit excessive, she lowered her voice slightly.

“So there’s no need to check anymore. It’s just that I lost some blood, so I feel a little dizzy. I’ll be fine after some rest. Right, Little One?”

“Auh.”

Little One, who had been holding onto the bed and standing, let out a weak murmur.

Normally, he would have shown his happiness by bouncing up and down whenever their eyes met and she smiled at him.

‘Could he have been traumatized?’

Elena wondered how Little One had perceived the earlier situation.

She didn’t know much about an infant’s ability to understand events, nor could she tell what he was thinking.

But she figured he must have been terrified by the man’s menacing presence.

Even a baby could distinguish between someone who showed affection and someone who harbored hostility.

In fact, because infants were so instinct-driven, perhaps he was even more attuned to the man’s murderous intent.

‘I hope he forgets about today. I don’t want this to leave a scar on him.’

Elena picked up Little One and patted his back gently.

“Come here, Little One. It’s okay now. We’re back at the inn.”

“Huh…”

Little One nestled into her arms as she comforted him. Seeing this, Felix handed over the rabbit doll Little One liked so much.

Holding the doll, Little One alternated his gaze between Elena and Felix, his eyes still filled with unease.

“Really, it’s fine. Look, it’s just me and Felix here. You know we’d never hurt you.”

Elena carefully laid Little One down on her lap, soothing him. Felix, sitting beside her, muttered,

“Not only would we not hurt him, but we’re practically his servants.”

Unlike his usual grumbling tone, his voice sounded oddly drained.

Elena looked at him curiously for a moment. But when their eyes met, Felix turned his head away.

He was entirely different from how he had been earlier when treating her injuries. Now, he clenched his fists tightly and let out a deep sigh, as if trying to suppress his anger.

‘What’s gotten into him now?’

Elena patted Little One’s warm belly while keeping her eyes on Felix’s back.

“I would’ve ignored him as usual, but since he helped us today, let’s let it slide. You can’t talk yet, but you should at least feel grateful to Felix, okay?”

“Eub.”

Little One, looking slightly more at ease, began chewing on the rabbit’s ear.

After glancing up at Elena for a moment, he stretched out his free hand, as if wanting to play with her hair.

Elena, who had tied her hair neatly to one side like a fairytale Rapunzel, let it down for Little One.

“This is just for today, okay? You can’t do it on other days. And don’t pull too hard.”

“Ah, ah!”

But Little One seemed to have something else in mind. Without sparing her hair a glance, he continued to stretch his arm upward.

“Abuh!”

His arm trembled from the effort, and he even lifted his upper body slightly. But lacking the strength, he soon flopped back down.

Still, he didn’t give up. After lying down and catching his breath, he stretched his arm out again.

“Habuh!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

Elena bent her head closer to Little One, trying to figure out what he wanted.

His small, saliva-coated hand lightly touched her neck. Right where she had been injured earlier.

Did he somehow know I was hurt? Or was he just curious because I and Felix had been paying attention to my neck? Or was it simply a coincidence?

Elena didn’t know. But when their eyes met and Little One finally smiled, she felt an odd sense of comfort.

‘What’s so cute about you drooling all over my lap?’

“I’m fine too. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Felix treated me perfectly. Not that you’d understand that.”

“Euh.”

Elena impulsively kissed Little One’s saliva-slicked palm.

“So don’t worry and take a nap. It’s nap time. Once you’ve slept, you’ll forget all the bad memories.”

This time, she gently nibbled on his fingertips, just enough not to hurt him. He seemed to enjoy it, letting out a sound similar to a purring cat.

“And even though I hope nothing like this happens again, if it does, I’ll protect you, Little One.”

“With what means?”

Felix, who had been sitting with his back to her, turned to face her.

Elena couldn’t understand why, but one thing was clear—he was angry. And his anger was directed at her.

“Do you think this child is really yours? If you dote on him like this, do you think he’ll call you ‘Mom’ someday? Don’t delude yourself. You’re just a passing stranger.”

Felix’s voice was sharp, almost biting.

“No, not even a stranger. No matter how well you treat him, he won’t remember you. Once he goes back to where he belongs, he’ll forget everything in a matter of days.”

“What are you even talking about all of a sudden?”

“What am I talking about? That’s what I want to ask you. What were you thinking earlier when you said that?”

His voice, which had been gradually rising, exploded at the end.

It didn’t feel like a question—it felt more like he was venting his frustration.

Little One, who had been chewing on his doll with half-closed eyes, began to squirm like a fish and whimpered.

“Ah-uh…”

Felix paid no attention to his tears.

“You said you’d be the hostage if they let Little One go? Do you even know what that means? Do you have nine lives or something? Or do you just not care if you die?”

Elena had no words to counter Felix’s argument. After all, she herself hadn’t fully understood her actions at the time.

It had been purely impulsive.

As Felix continued to berate her, Elena cradled the frightened Little One in her arms, trying to calm him down while carefully choosing her words.

“What does it matter whose child he is? He’s a baby. A baby so young he can’t even walk yet. Anyone would’ve done the same. You would’ve done the same.”

At first, her tone was calm, but as her emotions welled up, her words quickened, and her voice grew louder.

Felix tried to interject, but Elena shook her head and continued.

“And who said I was trying to die? Once I handed Little One over safely, I would’ve had an easier time acting on my own. Without needing to protect him, I could’ve found a chance to escape more easily!”

“And how exactly would you have done that?”

Felix’s face turned beet red in a matter of seconds.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have let it get to that point in the first place. Even if I were taken hostage, I would’ve escaped immediately—with Little One. But you? How exactly would you have managed that?”

His voice, now low and icy, was colder than his hands. It felt like icy needles piercing her chest.

Elena could only stare at him blankly, forgetting even to pat Little One’s back.

The aftereffects of the blood loss seemed to be catching up to her now, as Elena’s mind grew hazy.

“If you couldn’t just sit still in that situation, why did you provoke him? What if he really had slit your throat? And before that, didn’t you learn magic in class to prepare for such ambushes? Why couldn’t you use even a single spell with that brilliant mind of yours?”

Felix’s words were sharp and cutting, and for once, Elena had no response. He was entirely right.

“If you’re going to be completely useless in a situation like that, then why are you even attending the academy?”

Felix didn’t just trample on her last shred of pride—he shredded it to pieces, leaving it unrecognizable.

He knew better than anyone how much she hated hearing those words. Even as she bit her lips tightly and took deep breaths through her nose, her vision kept blurring.

Her lips trembled despite her effort to keep them still.

After saying his piece, Felix didn’t speak further. Perhaps he was trying to collect his thoughts, as he turned his back to her again and stared at the ceiling, letting out several deep sighs.

Elena lowered her head and looked at the now calm Little One in her arms.

‘Why couldn’t I use magic?’

Felix’s words rang in her ears. It was true—she had learned magic in class to prepare for ambushes.

But while she excelled in theory, she was terrible in practice. To her dismay, she had never successfully cast a counterattack spell in a real situation.

And in that moment, she had Little One to protect. If she had clumsily attempted to use magic, the worst-case scenario could have been Little One getting hurt.

‘Of course, it’s all because I’m lacking.’

Felix was right. If she had been as skilled as he was, she could have escaped without a hitch, without any worries.

So, there wasn’t a single thing wrong with what Felix said.

‘But why did he have to say it like that?’

I understood what he meant, but did he really have to phrase it that way?

Did Felix see me as someone who attended the academy out of boredom, with nothing better to do?

Or had he been mocking me all along for struggling so much with my lack of magical talent?

Had all my desperate efforts appeared laughable to him?

If the roles had been reversed, and Felix had been in my place, would he have dared to say such things to me?

‘No, that’s a pointless thought.’

Felix would never have ended up in such a situation in the first place.

The fear and anxiety she had felt were emotions Felix, who had been hailed as a magical prodigy since birth, could never understand—even in his wildest dreams.

“Elena, what I mean is…”

It seemed Felix had calmed down, as his voice was much gentler now. But Elena wasn’t ready to let it go.

“Why? Do you still have more to say?”

Her voice came out sharp, like shards of broken glass, before she could stop herself.

“Even if you do, don’t. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”

“Elena, listen. That’s not what I meant—”

“You’re right. Everything you said is true, and I don’t disagree.”

Elena raised her head to look at Felix. His face appeared blurry, as though frost had formed on a windowpane, making it impossible to discern his expression.

“But did you really have to say it like that?”

Deep down, Elena knew. She knew Felix had said those things out of concern for her.