Chapter 36
“Young Master, you’re back?”
Ah, was that too much? Startled by my own voice, which was pitched much higher than usual, I cleared my throat.
For some reason, Claude remained perched on the windowsill, just watching me.
“You were startled to find me in your bedroom without permission, weren’t you? I wanted to surprise you.”
It would’ve been nice if he’d just come inside, so why was he just sitting there like that? It was embarrassing…
“I’ve been quite neglectful toward you lately, haven’t I? It wasn’t on purpose. Things at the estate have just been so busy these days…”
I tried speaking to him again, this time with a softer voice, but there was no response.
In that instant, my heart sank.
After all this time, pushing him away and saying cold things, had he finally lost interest in me altogether?
No, that couldn’t be. There’s no way… But if it were true…
“How was your day? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“……?”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You know I waited for you for a long time.”
“……”
“…Should I just go, then?”
The moment I let out those last words, Claude, who’d been frozen like a statue, suddenly stood up, and I flinched in surprise.
He still didn’t say a word, but seeing his desperate hand grasp my wrist gave me hope. Somehow, I felt I could finally read his expression, even through his mask.
“Oh dear, you’re a mess again today. Let me take this off you first.”
When I reached out carefully, the young master instinctively leaned down towards me. As I removed the cumbersome piece of metal protecting his head, those slightly unfocused crimson eyes stared right at me, as always.
“Come here. I prepared bathwater earlier… I’ll warm it up for you right away.”
As I whispered gently and pulled him in, a faint light seemed to return to his eyes, which had previously looked as if nothing at all reflected in them.
So I led him to the bathroom, slowly undressed his bloodstained clothes, carefully washed his large body, and even made a fuss over the tiniest wounds as I took care of Claude.
Even then, he only stared at me blankly, fixing his gaze solely on me.
“My goodness, look at this red scrape. It must have hurt a lot, right?”
Remembering how I had acted just yesterday, I found myself repulsive, but survival left me no other choice.
Doesn’t everyone put on at least this much of an act? If not, well, it couldn’t be helped.
“If I treat you, you’ll feel better in no time.”
I even forced a rare eye-smile as I comforted him. It was a small ritual we hadn’t performed in a long while.
It wasn’t only Claude who’d been forcing himself to endure all this time. I, too, had long suppressed my desire to take care of him like a mother hen.
So, what I had to do from now on was simply to let that desire flow out, like drawing poison from a well.
“What are we going to do with you, always getting hurt like this, our young master… My heart aches so much.”
It was a bit frightening to witness, in real time, his eyes, which had just started to regain focus, grow blurry again.
To keep him from losing his senses, I absentmindedly played with his still-damp hair, then hugged his neck tightly, and, as if he’d been waiting for it, his strong arms wrapped around my waist.
“…I missed you, Ayla.”
With a satisfied sigh, a low voice tickled my ear. I was so glad to be held by him again, it nearly brought me to tears.
“I missed you too, Young Master.”
“You missed me too?”
My face was buried in his shoulder, but I could picture his frown.
…Liar.
Maybe all his pent-up hurt came rushing in at my blithe answer, because his voice—always so sweet to hear—was damp with emotion.
“How could you call it a lie? It’s the honest truth, not a speck of shame before the heavens.”
“But you kept avoiding me. Said you didn’t even want to see me…”
Had I said something like that? Well, it didn’t matter now.
If I started getting defensive, I’d only end up in a losing position, so, once again, I showed the boldness I could only display toward him.
“Hmph… So what, are you displeased with me right now? Then I’ll just go. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this at all.”
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