Chapter 74
II-II. If I Call You By Your Name
The bathroom was filled with dense, hot steam. Dante gently lowered Hansel, his movements cautious, as if handling fragile ice that might shatter with the slightest misstep.
Drip. The sound of water droplets snapped Hansel back to her senses. The suffocating silence that filled the bathroom made it feel as if she had entered a vacuum.
Dante stood across from her, gazing down silently. Hansel averted her eyes, nervously glancing around.
“Uh…”
Hansel couldn’t ramble on like she usually did. She was a failed runaway, caught red-handed. And considering what she’d been caught in the middle of…
It felt like being caught cheating after running away from home.
“I’ll explain everything! I know it’ll sound like an excuse, but… you see, it’s not like I wanted to… I really didn’t want to, but he forced me…”
Dante said nothing in response. He simply removed the gray robe he had wrapped around her. His movements, as always, were methodical and deliberate, as if he intended to assist her with bathing. As he reached to unbutton her blouse, his gaze flickered.
“……”
Her white blouse was soaked through, thanks to the werewolf’s excessive attention. The fabric clung to her skin, making her fair complexion visible through the damp material. Her face and neck were a mess, sticky with the fluids the werewolf had left behind.
Only now did Hansel realize the state she was in. To make matters worse, under her skirt, she was bare—without even undergarments.
Hansel took a step back, avoiding his gaze.
“I-I’ll take it off myself. My clothes are a mess, and if you take them off, it’ll just make things awkward for both of us, right? I’ll clean myself up…”
“Come here.”
His voice was low—lower than it had ever been.
Hansel swallowed dryly and turned back to look at him. Meeting his unwavering crimson gaze, she had no choice but to edge closer. His gaze felt like it had bound her in place.
As she moved closer, Dante silently resumed removing her clothing. The wet fabric clung stubbornly to her skin before finally peeling away. When her bare body was revealed, the muscles in Dante’s jaw visibly tensed.
Hansel’s pale, ample chest was dotted with red marks, and her n*****s were swollen and red, showing how roughly the werewolf had tormented them.
The longer Dante’s silence stretched, the faster Hansel’s heart pounded. While he was not particularly expressive, it wasn’t difficult to gauge his emotions. He rarely bothered to hide them.
He was angry. Extremely angry.
As Hansel fidgeted nervously, a solution struck her like lightning. She remembered how she had soothed Dante’s temper before.
“Um, Dante.”
Hansel stepped closer to him, pressing her body against his. Dante’s shoulders stiffened at the contact. Hansel placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him.
“Do you… want to touch my chest?”
“……”
His gaze grew colder.
That’s not it, huh.
A cold sweat trickled down her spine. Then maybe…
“Do you want me to… uh, suck you off? Or maybe put it inside me like last time? You can—”
“You said you hated it.”
Dante opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly clenched his jaw. He reached up and gently brushed Hansel’s tear-stained cheek with the back of his hand.
“You cried because you were scared and hated it.”
“……”
“Don’t. Not now.”
A lump formed in Hansel’s throat, hot and heavy. Despite all the tears she had already shed, her eyes began to sting again. She lowered her head, ashamed.
As she sniffled faintly, Dante’s crimson eyes briefly flashed with killing intent. His woman had been made to cry—again—because of that beast.
Dante shut his eyes briefly, suppressing the murderous urge. Now wasn’t the time.
Without warning, Dante scooped Hansel into his arms. She let out a small yelp and clung to him, her heart pounding as she stammered.
“W-Why are you picking me up again?”
“To bathe you.”
Still holding her naked body, Dante strode toward the bathtub. He carefully lowered her into the warm water, starting with her feet.
The water rippled as Hansel sank slowly into the tub. The temperature was perfect—not too hot, not too cold—just comfortably warm as it embraced her body.
Dante sat on a chair he had summoned with magic, rolling up his sleeves in silence. He dipped his hand into the water to check the temperature, muttering quietly.
“How did you leave?”
Discussion
4 CommentsPeony.
Mimiverde
Her entire life has been disregarded and she was going to be married off to an old man just for her body/to have kids. I hope Dante can make her realize her worth is well beyond what her body can offer.
Gnfjfjfj
Er_amaral26@
1. He didn’t think of his own pl*asure, and decided it wasn’t the time after what happened to her
And 2. He was enraged because the “beast” made “HIS WOMAN” cry!
Love it 😍 Can’t wait for the next chapter❤️