Mr. Kadan in the Deep Forest - Chapter 8

Luna rested her chin on the table and waited comfortably for him to finish writing his name.

The sound of the pencil scratching across the paper, the soft morning sunlight slanting through the window, and the gentle warmth of the hearth. The man, simply by his presence, was reassuring.

So, this is what the word ‘peace’ means. Luna turned her gaze toward the window and wiped her eyes. The peace she hadn’t felt in so long was so overwhelming that tears welled up in her eyes.

Kadan was a diligent man. From morning until night, he followed a routine. Luna wanted to help him, but Kadan refused. She could only stand a step behind and watch him.

When Kadan chopped wood, Luna sat by the window, watching him swing his axe. If she wiped the fogged-up window with a small towel, his figure became sharply defined against the blurry background.

When he fetched food supplies from the ice cellar he had built, Luna would wrap herself in his fur cloak and make snow ducks from the snow piled in the yard. Whenever her bandages got wet, Kadan would change them for fresh ones.

He would only advise her not to keep her hands too cold, but he never scolded her for playing in the snow.

When he started cooking, Luna would set the wooden dishes on the table, and when he cleaned the floor with a rag, Luna would open the window to let in some fresh air.

When he went out with a basket, Luna would squat by the bed and wait for him. When he returned with a basket full of vegetables and mushrooms, Luna greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hello, Mr. Kadan.”

Kadan never replied to her greetings. He would simply glance at her for a moment before going about his tasks in the kitchen.

But Luna instinctively knew that Kadan didn’t dislike greetings; he just wasn’t used to them. Every time she greeted him, his dark eyes, usually sharp, would soften slightly beneath his messy hair.

Ten days passed. Luna recovered quickly, and at last, she was able to remove her bandages. As she began to unwind the bandages wrapped around her arm, Kadan handed her a knife and then left the cabin to chop wood.

‘If it were a few days ago, Kadan would have helped me with the bandages himself.’

He had held her while she was naked and had slept beside her, but he never once seemed to view her as a woman. Yet, for some reason, he had been subtly distancing himself from her.

‘Am I being too sensitive? Maybe I’ve gotten too used to his kindness, and now I’m acting like a spoiled child.’

Luna slowly unwrapped the bandages from her arms and legs. But when she reached the bandage tied around a scratch on her side, she struggled.

‘The knot’s behind me, so it’s difficult to untie.’

After struggling for a while, Luna decided to ask Kadan for help. In the past, Luna would have tried to hide the tattoos etched into her skin, but since Kadan treated her without prejudice, she found the courage to show them in front of him.

She covered her chest with the shirt she had set aside, then opened the window and called out to him.

“Hey, Kadan!”

Thud, thwack! Kadan, who had been chopping wood with a large axe, wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to look at Luna.

“Could you come over here for a moment?”

Luna waved her hand, and he threw the axe aside, walking slowly toward her. When he saw her covering only her chest with the shirt, he hesitated for a moment but didn’t refuse her call.

“I’m really sorry to bother you. Could you help me with this knot?”

Luna stood with her back to the window, showing him the knot on her side. Kadan, using his large hands, tried to undo it, clenching and unclenching his fists before slowly raising his hands.

The back of Luna’s neck, visible through her long hair, was especially pale and delicate. His gaze slowly moved down her neck. The red tattoos, etched in ancient runes, stretched along her spine, making it stand out against her pale skin.

As he admired the contrast between her white skin and the red tattoos, his hands trembled. He didn’t understand why his lower abdomen tightened at the sight. Frowning, Kadan began to untie the knot carefully with both hands, even though it was something he could easily undo with one.

His gaze lingered on her white neck and the gentle curve of her shoulders. Slowly, it moved downward, stopping at her slender waist. He thought, If I apply enough force, her waist could break…

“Kadan? Is it difficult to untie? Do you need a knife?”

Noticing that it was taking longer than expected, Luna called out to Kadan and offered him a dagger.

“No.”

Startled, Kadan tightened his grip. Snap. The knot that had been loosening slowly suddenly snapped off in one quick motion. The bandage around her chest loosened and fell away.

“Thank you, Kadan. That feels much better.”

Luna smiled shyly and lowered her head. Kadan flapped his arms awkwardly, like a broken doll. Kadan? Luna raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior, and he took a couple of steps backward, away from the window.

“Are you okay, Kadan?”

Luna called out to him, but Kadan quickly returned to where he had been chopping wood. His steps were unsteady, like someone with a limp.