Chapter 84
“D-Dogs… Dogs?”
“There’s no time. If the manor doesn’t have any, go get some right away!”
Cedric, who had served Nox for a long time but had never encountered something like this, failed to carry out the command with his usual speed. Why was his master—who normally scorned anything to do with the wolf tribe—now ordering him to fetch books about them?
He couldn’t make sense of it, but he moved anyway, even if his arms and legs felt like they might tangle as he ran.
“Marie!”
At Nox’s shout, Marie, who had been waiting nearby, dashed forward.
“Yes, Master.”
“Go to Sia immediately and attend to her. Ah, and burn the bed covers as soon as you take them away.”
“Understood!”
“Ah, and bring drinking water and some fruit. She must be hungry…”
“Yes…”
Every time Marie took a step to carry out his orders, Nox added more. “Bring chocolate, too.” Then, “No, perhaps some warm tea to help her relax.” His instructions tumbled out one after another until Marie’s eyes wobbled like an earthquake.
His frantic behavior shocked the other servants as well. They couldn’t look away.
It was such a stark contrast to the usually composed, slightly intimidating master they knew. They even forgot the old superstition that looking at his black hair brought bad luck.
“…Still, she bled. Shouldn’t I call the doctor?”
Even though Sia had been adamant about not calling anyone, Nox couldn’t leave her unattended. He set out himself, intending at least to get some ointment to treat her wound if needed.
* * *
After making sure most of the bloodstains on the bedding were gone, Sia washed herself. She quickly tidied up before Marie could arrive and, relieved, put on a bathrobe.
Right on cue, there was a knock at the bedroom door as she stepped out of the bathroom.
“Milady, may I come in?”
“Mm, come in.”
With her permission, the door opened, and before Marie herself, a trolley rolled in first. It was loaded with fruit, an assortment of desserts and chocolates, pitchers of water, and even a teapot likely filled with something warm to drink.
“…What is all this?”
“Well… Master told me to bring it. If you prefer, shall I prepare it in the sitting room instead?”
Marie had assumed Sia would still be lying in bed and brought the refreshments to the bedroom, but seeing how much there was, she thought a table might be better. She glanced over Sia’s condition discreetly.
Contrary to the Duke’s worried tone earlier, Sia didn’t look particularly unwell. But there was something that had caught Marie’s attention from the start. The strong scent of blood. She was startled but, remembering Nox’s orders not to upset Sia, she simply spoke gently.
“If you’re more comfortable here, I’ll set everything up in the bedroom.”
“…Hmm, could you bring me some clean white cloth first?”
“White cloth?”
“Well…”
Sia fidgeted, pressing a finger against her lips. The idea of explaining everything to a feline beastkin, who didn’t have menstruation, was mortifying.
“What will it be for? If you tell me, I can bring the right size and type of fabric.”
Though embarrassed, Sia thought Marie—at least being another woman—would understand better than Nox, and so she explained briefly.
“Ah, you mean for menstruation.”
“…I heard felines don’t menstruate?”
“Generally, no, but we do have some discharge. It’s just not like what the wolf tribe experiences.”
Finally, someone she could actually talk to. Sia’s tightly wound nerves began to relax.
“Then… do you happen to have any sanitary pads?”
“…I’m sorry, I don’t know what those are.”
Sia, who had thought she’d found a solution, slumped back down, defeated. Ah, and her back hurt so much. Her whole body was sore and aching.
Feeling uneasy with nothing to protect her lower half, she staggered toward the bed. Sitting down, she pointed to a glass of water among the mountain of food on the trolley.
“Just give me the water and take everything else back. I don’t have an appetite…”
Marie’s eyes flew wide, nearly splitting apart in shock. The young miss who always ate so well… turning away all food?
She immediately understood why the master had been so worried. She quickly handed Sia the glass of water and hurried out to find clean white cloth, just as requested.
But Marie wasn’t the only one running around. Thanks to Nox’s relentless orders, Cedric, too, was racing back and forth until sweat beaded on his forehead.
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