Chapter 98
It was a name he had repeated in his mind countless times, yet now that he spoke it, it felt unfamiliar on his tongue. Exion kept calling her name without pause.
He wanted to run to her right that moment, but he forced himself to calm down.
He couldn’t afford to make the same mistake twice.
“I’ll go when the sun comes up.”
He brushed his fingers lightly over the scar that remained on his arm. His heart was pounding.
The irritation he had suffered with for so long—its cause unknown—had changed into a pleasant impatience.
He glanced at the package sitting on the side table. The new clothes he hadn’t even had the chance to open somehow felt like they had been prepared just for this moment.
But things didn’t go according to plan. As was so often the case in life.
“Hello.”
Arzeletta turned her head at the sound of someone calling her.
She was holding a bundle of laundry. The apron and towels stained with blood and death from the beasts had been washed spotless in her hands, not a trace of a mark left behind.
Exion suddenly found her touch so striking. He thought about the tireless work her delicate hands accomplished.
Arzeletta seemed like the laundry she carried. No matter how dirty the stain, it felt like if it passed through her, it would be completely clean, without a trace left.
She tilted her head slightly in curiosity, then opened her eyes wide as if in mild surprise.
“……”
The man in front of her felt unfamiliar.
Arzeletta realized a little late that the man standing before her was that scoundrel, Exion.
He looked… far too neat and handsome.
More than the neatly arranged red hair in line with formality, more than the perfectly fitted uniform with not a trace of his usual unruliness, what felt most unfamiliar to Arzeletta was… his greeting.
Hello.
Hello?
“……”
It was the first time Arzeletta had ever heard such a greeting from anyone. So she looked around, believing he couldn’t possibly be speaking to her.
There was no one else.
“Ah…”
Arzeletta looked up at the scoundrel Exion with wide, surprised eyes, unable to hide her astonishment.
Seeing those eyes open so wide, Exion smiled slightly. This kind of awkward greeting was unfamiliar to him as well.
He was used to things going a certain way—calling out rudely, kicking something as he spoke. That was his usual pattern. The thought alone made Exion feel like biting his tongue.
It was because he had realized, far too clearly, just how he had treated Arzeletta until now—how rude, violent, and selfish he had been.
Exion looked at Arzeletta, a pressure pressing somewhere deep in his chest. Maybe it was just his mood, or maybe it was the feelings he had carried for so long that he’d forced to surface.
Even in the early morning, Arzeletta was beautiful.
She seemed more beautiful than usual. Her slightly swollen lips, the corners of her eyes flushed red—everything about her.
Even the black bustier, which should have felt like a symbol of disgrace, didn’t look shabby when draped over her figure.
His eyes stung as he looked at her slender neck. For some reason, through the loosely draped cloth like a scarf, a bruise was clearly visible. Exion furrowed his brows deeply.
It was rare for there to be a day when Arzeletta didn’t have a bruise. If there wasn’t a mark on her face or near her eyes, it was considered a relief.
The dark blue bruises that had long stained her skin, the abuse she had suffered and accepted as normal—none of it felt normal anymore. Exion reached out toward the faint bruise now visible.
The moment he did, Arzeletta tensed sharply and clutched her collar. It was the reflexive fear of someone who had learned, over time, to flinch at a man’s touch.
“……”
Exion pulled back his gloved fingertips. He had no intention of forcing anything on Arzeletta.
“Give it to me.”
Exion snatched the laundry basket from her arms. Arzeletta blinked, surprised at how quickly it was taken from her.
Tap, tap.
“……”
Arzeletta silently watched as Exion shook out and hung the laundry himself.
She didn’t know what to say. Everything about him felt unfamiliar.
It was strange… Exion was definitely different from usual.
His profile, as he hung the laundry, looked more refined and striking than before. Perhaps it was the sharp angles emphasized by his properly tailored uniform. Even the cleanly swept-back red hair gave his forehead a fresh, composed look.
“…The truth is, I had something I really wanted to say today.”
After he’d finished hanging everything, Exion handed back the empty basket and spoke.
“But a sudden mission came up, so I have to leave now.”
“Ah…”
Arzeletta replied softly. It was more of a casual, polite acknowledgment than a real response, but even that felt strangely tender to Exion.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.