Unfamiliar World
Lilia went into the kitchen room closest to the banquet hall.
The busy chefs stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
“Miss?”
“I need a lot of cold water.”
At Lilia’s words, the cook brought a water jar.
“Take off your coat and put your arm in it.”
While Karhan was cooling his arm in the cold water, Lilia asked the servant who made eye contact for a favor.
“Could you call the doctor?”
“Yes, My Lady.”
After moderately cooling his arm with the cold water, Lilia and Karhan left the kitchen and moved to another room to take their seats and wait for the doctor’s arrival.
Lilia entered the empty room and sat Karhan on a chair.
Looking at his wet sleeves, Lilia muttered an apology.
“……Sorry.”
She was responsible for the mistakes of her employees.
And, because he was hurt — so as to protect her, her heart was heavy with guilt.
“I am not sick.” Karhan whispered softly and looked into Lilia’s face.
“You look sicker.”
Lilia couldn’t tell what expression she was making. So, she licked her lips, and the door swung open as the doctor with a bag rushed in.
“My Lady, where are you hurt? Since when have you been sick, what symptoms are…!” The doctor spoke in a rush.
“This is the person who got hurt.”
“Hik.”
The doctor turned his head belatedly and inhaled sharply.
Karhan was at least three times bigger than the doctor who was as thin as a dry branch.
“I think he got burns.”
“That… Please take off all your clothes, first.” The doctor did not even make eye contact with Karhan.
When Lilia turned around, Karhan, who had only rolled up his sleeves, began to take off his clothes.
The clothes he was wearing disappeared one by one. Finally, when a thin shirt fell to the floor, his body was completely exposed.
His muscular body was both beautiful and full of life, as if a sculptor had sculptured it with all his might.
He had a great body with no blemishes. In fact,if there was one problem, it was that he looked more wild after taking off his clothes.
The doctor shivered, examining his reddened skin and he made a diagnosis.
“It looks like a light burn. Fortunately, there will be no scars left…”
The doctor glanced at Karhan’s body.
Even if the burn left a scar, there were already many serious wounds on his body, so it would not be noticeable.
“…I’ll give you some medicine right away.”
The doctor pulled out a can of ointment from his bag. However, even opening the lid of the ointment seemed difficult for him.
He had a hand tremor that he usually didn’t have.
Karhan, who was looking at the swaying doctor, said.
“I’ll apply it myself.”
At his words, Lilia, who had turned around, exclaimed quickly.
“No. I will do it for you.”
It might be difficult for Karhan to apply the medicine meticulously by himself.
He got hurt because of her, so she wanted to take responsibility.
Belatedly, Lilia realized that he had taken his clothes off but she couldn’t take back the words she had already said.
“…May I?”
At Lilia’s question, Karhan was silent for a moment.
“….If you don’t mind.” His answer came back after a while in a small voice.
Turning around, Lilia received the medicine from the doctor.
“Good job. I’ll do the rest myself, so just go back.”
“Yes, miss!”
The doctor who gave the ointment left the room.
In an instant, the room became quiet, and Lilia saw Karhan’s naked body.
‘The wound……’
The scars engraved on the skin of his body came into view. Numerous scars were connected like constellations.
There was not a single corner that was intact, and it looked like a stone statue with many scratches rather than a body.
“It may sting.”
As Lilia opened the ointment lid, Karhan turned his back and sat down. A bitter smell of the medicine passed the tip of her nose.
Lilia grabbed his wrist and gently applied the medicine to his wounds. Every time her fingers touched his skin, his arm muscles would twitch.
“Are you sick? I’m done now.”
His broad shoulders kept flinching.
Lilia let go of his hand to make sure the medication was applied meticulously.
And at the same time, Karhan turned his head. In an instant, the distance between the two narrowed and their eyes met.
Their clear eyes reflected each other’s faces. It continued endlessly, as if they were facing a mirror.
Like cogs in a tight fit, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.
And, it was Karhan who turned his head first.
“Thank you.”
He briefly expressed his gratitude to her.
His earlobe that was exposed through the short black hair was red.
Karhan looked at his wrist that had been treated and picked up the shirt that had fallen to the floor.
When he tried to get dressed again, Lilia stopped him.
“I’ll ask them to bring you some new clothes. And, we can’t go back to the dinning hall… Why don’t we have a quick meal here?”
Karhan nodded his head.
He didn’t want to go back to the banquet hall because he was already relaxed.
Lilia summoned the employee and presented various demands. While waiting for the employee to bring clothes and food, Karhan asked, “…Are you okay with what happened today?”
Lilia lifted her head and looked at Karhan.
He seemed a bit anxious or worried.
“Did I make a mistake? I think I might be hated by the Young Lady’s family…”
It seemed like he was still concerned.
Lilia looked at Karhan and she smiled.
“No. On the contrary, my family was overbearing, weren’t they? I’m so sorry.”
She expected Richard to make them sensitive, but it was still too much.
“It is fine. It wasn’t uncomfortable… And it seemed like everyone was worried about the Young Lady.”
‘Are you an angel…?’
When she heard his answer, she swore to herself that she would warn her family, to make sure they won’t do this again in the future.
“But thanks to you, I think I passed without a doubt.”
Fortunately, her family didn’t seem to notice that it was a contractual relationship.
At Lilia’s praise, Karhan’s furrowed forehead slowly loosened. His eyes, which were raised fiercely, lowered as Lilia spoke.
As the atmosphere became softer, he seemed to have changed from a wild beast to a large, gentle puppy.
Lilia unknowingly tried to pat him on the shoulder, but she paused.
She almost acted so naturally.
Shortly after, employees came in with clothes and food.
While Karhan was changing clothes, Lilia rearranged the dishes left by the servants.
The meat and wine, to accompany the meal, was moved in front of her, and the vegetables were moved to the Karhan’s side.
Karhan did not drink alcohol, so a sweet fruit drink was placed in front of him, instead of wine.
The two of them sat facing each other, and started eating again.
Lilia looked at Karhan eating a salad and asked what she was curious about.
“Can you maintain your body by eating only vegetables?”
“I usually eat what I’m given….” Karhan replied that he didn’t eat much meat because he was only given vegetables.
That’s why Karhan, who ate the salad, looked somewhat happy.
It felt strange to see him rejoice over such little things.
Richard had liked it when she said she would give him a house.…
Looking at his simplicity, she wondered if Evantheon was really a little duke.
When the satisfactory meal was over, an employee came to inform the two that Lilia’s family had said that they wanted to express their gratitude.
Seeing Karhan feeling uncomfortable, Lilia said it was fine and that they didn’t have to come, before sending the employee back.
Lilia and Karhan decided to take a walk around the mansion. As they were walking down the hallway, Tesion hurriedly walked up to them from afar.
The two who had completely forgotten him, stopped for a moment.
Tession approached with tears in his eyes.
“The mansion is so big, I had to ask around for directions and had just happened to find you both.”
“Sorry.”
Earlier, she had been so embarrassed that she had no time to take care of him.
“I was going to go to the back garden with the young duke, but I’m glad we ran into each other.”
At the mention of the back garden, Tession flinched because he saw an enormous garden during the day.
“The mansion is so spacious, it’s amazing that everyone doesn’t get lost.”
“Well…… That’s not it.”
Lilia explained that everyone carries emergency flares.
If you get lost inside the mansion, you can grab anyone and ask for directions, but if you get lost outside the building, there will be no answer. So, the flares are used in case someone has gotten lost in the garden or if in distress because the carriage broke down.
“There are employees who collect lost employees.”
Tession was at a loss for words.
Lilia and Karhan started to walk again.
Tession followed them at a distance so that the two of them
could have a conversation in private.
When they left the building, it was already dusk.
The dark evening sky was drawing darkness.
It was unexpectedly Karhan who opened his mouth first as silence enveloped them softly like a cotton blanket.
“……A few days ago, the young lady Delotta came to my house.”
“Yes? What excuse did she use?”
“She asked about us.”
Lilia paused for a moment.
Come to think of it, Stella Delotta had no information, so she might have heard the rumor.
“So what did you say?”
Considering Karhan’s personality, it seems that Delotta had been the one to bring up the topic.
Maybe he couldn’t say anything because of the momentum…
She was guessing so Karhan answered.
“I told her to leave the engagement story as something that never happened.”
Lilia was startled and reflexively raised her head.
The person, who ran away because Stella was scary, could say something like that?
“Of course, I did not accept the young lady Delotta.”
“It is important that you speak out!”
Lilia praised him for doing a good job.
Frankly, if Stella had convinced herself that she knew, it would have been weird.
“And…I haven’t spoken to my family yet.”
“Just mention it naturally. I’m going to say hello.”
Now, it was Lilia’s turn.
She was going to meet Karhan’s family and invite them to her side.
It will be easier to deal with Richard once she was recognized by his family.
While Lilia was alone in her thoughts, Karhan muttered.
“Young Lady’s family seems to be on good terms with each other.”
Karhan lowered his eyes as if thinking back to what had happened before.
“It seems like you all trust each other very much… It looked very good.”
Today, Karhan entered an unfamiliar world.
He was in a harmonious family. It had been something he had never experienced before.
Families who don’t fight but respect each other. Being between them was like stepping into a warm bonfire.
He was cold like angular ice, but it was so warm that he felt like he was about to melt.
Karhan knew it wasn’t a place he belonged to. This was a different world from his, and it was a landscape that he should never get used to.
If you take a step back and turn around, the cold snow wind will blow again.
Lilia looked at him carefully without saying a word.
At first glance, his image reflected in the darkness felt somewhat lonely.
Lilia guessed that it had something to do with his family.
In fact, Lilia was not always on good terms with her family.
Lilia disappointed everyone while dating Richard.
At that time, she resented her family for not understanding her.
It was only now, after that she regretted and reflected, had they become closer.
The two walked silently for a moment.
As they headed to the back of the annex, a pond with water lilies spread out.
The gloomy moonlight and the light of lamp lights reflected on the surface of the water.
Karhan and Tession admired the picturesque scenery.
“It’s one of my favorite places.”
Lilia approached the pond.
Her beauty and the light shining on the pond were in harmony with the blooming water lilies. It was like a scene from a masterpiece.
Karhan watched the scene silently.
He thought it was absolutely beautiful.
He didn’t know if the scenery was beautiful or if it was Lilia that was beautiful.
Lilia, who looked down at the pond, quietly opened her mouth.
“I’m fine now, but… There were times when I was scared just by looking at the water.”
Lilia raised her head.
And, as she met Karhan’s eyes, she whispered.
“I used to be, I fell into the pond and almost died.”