Chapter 53
Maybe it was the aftermath of the punishment cleaning, but the day felt unusually long. She sat at her desk and tried to write a few lines, but her focus scattered every time.
Today, she missed Hitaon’s broad embrace. She wanted to be held tight, to bury her face in the warm hollow between his firm neck and collarbone and breathe quietly. She wanted to drown utterly in the scent of him—a scent no one else knew, one only she could recognize.
The more she thought, the deeper her sighs grew. A lover she couldn’t see whenever she wanted. How had she stepped onto such a cruel path? Luirene tapped the nib of her quill against the paper, then gave up when her head only grew heavier.
She washed, changed into her nightgown, and was about to lie down when a knock sounded at the window. It was too dark to see outside clearly.
She lit the lamp and approached—and nearly screamed. The figure standing outside noticed immediately and gestured for her to be quiet.
“Um, so…”
“Good evening. My name is Linjo.”
When she opened the window, a knight with a fresh tangerine-colored ponytail and a mischievous look bowed his head. He was one of the knights who had followed behind Hitaon on the way to the ball.
“I know. You’re the young master’s knight. What brings you here at this hour…”
“If you know, then this’ll be quick. Let’s go. I’m here to escort you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m here on the young master’s orders.”
At his urging, Luirene grabbed a shawl and wrapped it around herself, then climbed out the window with his help. With a quick word of apology, Linjo’s arm reached over. He lifted her effortlessly despite his lean frame, then ran lightly through the dark corners, seeking only the shadows.
Everything happened so fast that Luirene only came to her senses when he’d crossed the back gate of the mansion and set her down on the ground. His hands had already left her, so she couldn’t even manage a scream.
“You can head to the carriage over there.”
In a tone that already seemed accustomed, with a drawl at the end of his words, Linjo pointed to a carriage. It sat alone on a quiet stretch of road on the Marquisate’s land—not a single passerby, not a single horse in sight.
She stepped up onto the footboard and opened the door. He was sitting near the window where moonlight poured in dazzlingly. He was still in his formal uniform—maybe he’d come straight after his outing. When their eyes met, Hitaon smiled, exactly the way she’d been aching for.
“Hi.”
“…….”
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other at night, hasn’t it?”
“You’ve been busy, young master.”
“If you know that, then hurry up and come here.”
She flew into his open arms as if drawn by gravity.
“Your knight showed up so suddenly—I was startled.”
“Linjo didn’t do anything rude, did he?”
“Not exactly, but he appeared at my window out of nowhere, introduced himself, and then picked me up and ran with me.”
“…I told him to bring you here politely. Looks like that’s how he interpreted it. Forgive him. The boy’s bursting with mischief by nature.”
Hitaon pulled her into his arms from behind and bit off his gloves with his teeth. Luirene tried them on. The knuckles and the span across the back of the hand were far too large—they hung loosely, flopping around. Hitaon rested his chin on her shoulder and threaded his fingers through the gaps in the loose gloves.
“Your wound?”
“My wound?”
“Your cheek was swollen the other day.”
“Ah.”
“Let me see.”
He turned Luirene around to face him.
“And the ointment?”
“I got it from the Nanny.”
“The scar’s lingering quite a while.”
“It seems it cut deep. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Who did this?”
“It was a petty scuffle. As you saw that day, it wasn’t just one or two people tangled up in it.”
“This nail mark—that would belong to one of them.”
“…You ordered everyone punished and left right away that day.”
He sighed, his face full of things unsaid.
“I didn’t want to leave you standing there like that in front of everyone, and I was worried that if the commotion somehow originated from you, you’d face an even harsher punishment. That’s all it was. Any more than that and I’d draw suspicion, so I kept it measured.”
“…Do I seem like the type to go around stirring up trouble?”
“That’s not it. I’d received a report that the maid you’ve been friendly with lately gets bullied often. One look and I figured the problem had festered until it finally burst.”
Luirene, who’d been leaning against him, straightened up with a jolt.
“…Did you actually have someone watching?”
“I wonder.”
“Young master.”
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