The Beast Who Has Returned Obsesses Over Me - Chapter 14

She began wiping the sweat that was heavily soaking his face as he still wore a dazed expression. But the cold towel quickly became hot from his burning fever. She became frightened.

“We should call a doctor……”

“It’s fine.”

Was he determined to never show weakness even if it killed him? He was being stubborn about strange things.

With no choice, Yvonne began repeatedly rinsing the towel and wiping his face and uninjured areas. She continued without stopping until her arms ached.

Little by little, his labored breathing subsided. But his breath that reached her nearby still felt hot. Still, his expression gradually became more peaceful, perhaps as he escaped the nightmare and his fever slowly dropped. Though her arms ached, she continued wiping until the cold water became lukewarm.

Is this enough now?

As she checked Leon’s breathing which seemed more stable than before, she felt his piercing gaze.

When she raised her head, their gazes clashed strongly. His eyes were clearly visible in the dim light. But…

Though his fever seemed to have broken, a different heat could be felt in Leon’s eyes. His eyes were fixed on Yvonne without any movement as he stared at her intently. Whoosh, an overwhelming discomfort rushed over her like a wave. Again……

She was flustered by the heat that was even more intense than last time.

His hand moved slowly. She saw it approaching her hand that had stopped wiping his shoulder. Ah. Before she could avoid it, her hand was caught in his grip. She felt him gripping forcefully again.

“It…… hurts.”

Even though she frowned, Leon paid no attention and only moved his lips. It seemed like he was trying to say something.

The heat in his gaze intensified more and more.

“Never forget. That you are my fiancée.”

He’s doing this again. It was strange how he kept repeating it as if it was something tremendously important.

But suddenly that tremendous heat gradually cooled. This was…… Leon was cooling it down. He was holding himself back. These days he holds back many things.

Now it seemed like he was forcefully holding back because she was uncomfortable. As the strange atmosphere dissipated, her discomfort also disappeared. She steadied her voice.

“Should I…… bring you medicine?”

The doctor must have left some medicine. Even though the atmosphere had improved, she wanted to use that excuse to keep some distance.

“No. I’m fine now.”

Though his fever had only dropped a little, he didn’t look fine. Could it be…… he wasn’t taking his medicine?

Even though he said that, she got up and went to the shelf. Then she opened the drawer where the medicine was kept. As expected, he hadn’t taken any of it. The medicine received from the doctor was still there untouched.

“You’re sick like this because you’re not taking the medicine. Why haven’t you taken it?”

She couldn’t understand. Why he wasn’t taking the medicine.

“Can’t trust it.”

Hearing weak mumbling, Yvonne was the one who couldn’t believe it. Why was he saying such things? Why couldn’t he trust the medicine? Could this also be related to his war trauma?

It was a deeply worrying moment.

“I’m fine so go back up and rest.”

Though he said that, his eyes held onto her.

She couldn’t just leave right away someone who had just been burning with fever. She became anxious about what would happen if his fever rose again.

When she sat in the chair near the bed, Leon’s eyes flickered. It seemed he had hoped she wouldn’t leave. He used to be someone who would immediately order what he wanted, but was he holding this back too? His flickering gaze wasn’t uncomfortable like before.

She placed a wet cloth on his forehead and watched over him. She didn’t want to be cold-hearted even to someone who was sick. She too felt relieved as his condition gradually stabilized.

He gently held her hand again. As if confirming she was beside him, he firmly held her hand and softly closed his eyes. Whether he had fallen asleep or not was unclear, but his breathing became much more stable.

“Thank you…… Yvonne.”

His low whispered voice stuck in her ears. Her eyes couldn’t help but widen. To even hear words of thanks from Leon…… Had the world split in two? Impossible things kept increasing.

But…… it felt nice. It was good that he acknowledged her efforts. She heard another strange statement from this man who had been not just indifferent but dismissive.

The difficulty seemed to lighten a little. As she sat quietly listening to his soft breathing, drowsiness overcame her as well. Should she pull her hand away and return to her room……. After hesitating again and again, she began dozing off beside him.

Like that, alternating between dozing and waking beside Leon, she kept watch over him until dawn.

***

“It can’t be helped……”

The doctor, who had rushed over as soon as day broke, shook his head after removing all the bandages and carefully examining the stitched wounds and those that had reopened.

Yvonne stood far away, finding the sight horrifying.

But she couldn’t help but hear Leon’s groans of pain as he gritted his teeth. It felt like her own skin was being ripped and torn. It wasn’t that she was particularly worried about Leon. She would have reacted similarly even if it were a stranger making those sounds.

“Put two drops of this bottle’s contents in water and have him drink it. He needs to sleep soundly.”

The doctor handed her a small bottle and, gathering his bag, headed outside. She realized once again that treating such severe wounds wasn’t something just anyone could do. Even changing a single bandage made her hands tremble in horror.

A maid hurried in, gathered the blood and pus-soaked bandages from the finished treatment, and quickly left as if fleeing. Everyone seemed to be cautious and leave in a hurry after entering this room. It was probably because Leon’s gaze was so intimidating.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air, stinging her nostrils. Her head throbbed. If she had been the one disinfecting the wounds, she would have fainted from the pain.

Silently, she mixed the medicine with water and offered him the cup. He just stared blankly at it. He looked utterly exhausted, unable to even move a finger.

Heaving a sigh, Yvonne cautiously approached Leon, who was sitting up with difficulty, his chest heaving. She supported his head and brought the cup to his lips.

At first, Leon stubbornly refused to open his mouth, but after a moment, he forced his lips open and drank the water.

“Yvonne.”

He called out to her as she turned to leave after laying him back down. His voice was completely devoid of strength.

Looking down at him again, Yvonne felt puzzled. Leon’s eyes were trembling slightly. Was it from the pain of the disinfectant?

It was impressive that he had endured that horrible disinfection process to such an extent. If their relationship were better, she would have praised him for it.

But the emotion she saw in his eyes was anxiety. There was also a hint of helplessness within them. Why……

“Stay with me until I wake up.”

Yvonne’s head slowly tilted to the side. It seemed like he had a phobia of medicine. He was acting as if he had swallowed poison, not medicine.

She thought she should ask the doctor to treat his war trauma once his wounds had healed to some extent. It seemed he sometimes still hallucinated that he was on the battlefield.

Perhaps due to the medicine’s effect, Leon fell asleep. Whew…… Finally, she had some time to rest.

She should have given him the medicine sooner. It seemed quite effective. Seeing him sleep so peacefully, it looked like he would sleep for a long time. She was also exhausted from lack of sleep.

Since he asked her to stay until he woke up, returning to her room was out of the question. Resigned, she slowly turned and headed towards the sofa. She wanted to get at least a little more sleep. There was still some time left before sunset, but she was overcome with drowsiness. With Leon sleeping so quietly, the bedroom seemed peaceful. She lay down her tired body.

Could it be that Leon had nightmares because of Luke’s visit? He needed to calm his temper. His wounds had worsened from tossing and turning so much. She let out a deep sigh and pulled the blanket over herself.

***

Her expectation that she could sleep well now that Leon was sound asleep proved to be wrong. This time, she was the one having a nightmare.

Leon transformed into a werewolf and chased after her. She ran frantically through a dark forest shrouded in fog. She ran endlessly through the path enveloped in darkness. Trembling with fear. Hearing the strange growls of the beast behind her, she ran forward, tears streaming down her face. Thud.

She bumped into something, a person. To meet someone in a place like this. As the person protectively wrapped their arms around her, she began to feel a sense of relief. Whew…… Somehow, she felt a sense of reassurance that this person could defeat the werewolf. She lifted her head to look up at the person, wanting to thank them.

Gasp.

The person holding her tightly…… This man…… His face……

It was Leon. She had run away, only to be caught by him again. Eek.

Yvonne abruptly sat up on the sofa. Ugh…… Her body was still trembling. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized it was a dream, but the chills didn’t subside. It felt so real. Phew…… She let out a genuine sigh of relief this time. It had been a very unsettling dream.

It was already getting dark outside. With everything so quiet, it felt as if she was all alone. But as she listened closely, she could hear the steady breathing of another person. It seemed he had woken up first.

She felt somewhat refreshed after her long nap. Looking towards the bed, Leon was still asleep. That was good. Stretching widely, Yvonne slowly approached him.

[Yvonne. Stay with me until I wake up.]

He needed to overcome this symptom. Through Leon, she could see more clearly how horrible war could be.

“I’m hungry.”

She was startled by Leon’s low voice, which suddenly reached her ears. She thought he was asleep…… Looking back, she saw his eyelids slowly fluttering open. It seemed he had just woken up because of her. And she moved so quietly……

He was still highly sensitive to people approaching him.

He seemed peaceful, at least in his face, perhaps from sleeping well. If only he had taken the medicine earlier, he wouldn’t have suffered so much. Still, it was a relief that he took the medicine she gave him.

The potion the doctor had given him was very useful.

He had slept well after taking the medicine once and waking up. So, after he finished his meal, when she gave him the potion again, he obediently drank it and fell back asleep. It seemed like he would sleep soundly until morning.

After watching over him for a while, she headed to her room.

***