The Beast of the Albard Mansion - Chapter 30

“Hurry up, hurry up.”

I urged Desi like a strict supervisor. My plan was to take his wet clothes and wrap him in a blanket. As I approached him with the blanket, I hesitated for a moment. I had seen the scars covering Desi’s back.

His back was riddled with long, protruding scars. There were also burn marks where the flesh had puckered. His body looked as if it had been shredded by sharp, pointed, and hot objects. The scars were deep, not easily forgotten.

I quickly averted my eyes upon seeing them. With my head turned, I handed the blanket to Desi. He took it and quickly wrapped himself, as if wanting to hide his scarred body.

“Take off your pants and sleep.”

“Don’t look.”

“I won’t.”

Desi gave me a wary glance. I frowned, feeling misunderstood. I only wanted to help.

“You peek at me every night.”

Being a light sleeper, he knew. He knew that I would often peek under the bed out of curiosity to see him sleeping.

“That was just to make sure you were sleeping well.”

I replied shamelessly and climbed back into bed, turning my back to him.

My face felt hot. I couldn’t help but look at Desi because I never grew tired of watching him. I constantly wanted to check if he was sleeping well, if he was okay, if he was quietly lying under my bed. Once I started looking, it was hard to stop.

I loved seeing his glossy black hair, smooth forehead, angular nose, and strong jawline. His red lips looked like petals.

The fluttery feeling in my chest when I watched Desi was delightful. It felt like basking in the warm spring sun with my eyes closed or feeling a cool breeze carrying the scent of flowers. I felt satisfied only after thoroughly admiring him. I wanted Desi to stay right by my side so I could look at him often.

“Desi, how did you end up getting caught by the slave trader?”

Seeing Desi’s scars made me want to know.

Desi didn’t answer for a long time. I worried that I had pried too much and tried to change the subject.

“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”

“I was left behind by my siblings. I don’t have a tail, and I didn’t turn into a wolf on the full moon. It wasn’t my family’s fault. I was the problem, so I was abandoned.”

Desi explained nonchalantly. But I could sense the deep pain behind his words.

“But you’ve grown up fine, Desi. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not a problem at all.”

“We’ll see.”

My heart ached, and I felt compelled to hug him. I got up and looked down at Desi, who was still wearing his damp pants. As soon as he saw me, he raised an eyebrow.

“You said you wouldn’t look.”

Ignoring his words, I climbed under the bed and hugged him tightly. He smelled like rain. With my eyes closed, I hugged him even tighter and made a promise.

“Desi, you’re precious to me. I will never abandon you.”

“…”

“I promise I won’t look again. Just take off your clothes and let them dry.”

“…Okay.”

Desi’s face turned bright red. For the sake of my bashful friend, I promised myself not to peek tonight.

I climbed back into bed and tossed and turned for a while. The darkness made me want to check under the bed. Despite my two promises, I wanted to see if Desi was doing okay. The room felt cold and lonely.

If I could just see Desi was there, I would feel reassured. I wouldn’t be afraid of the long night. Just as I was about to break my promise and peek under the bed, Desi’s voice stopped me.

“Don’t look.”

He must have heard me shifting. I pouted and lay back down.

“I just wanted to check if you were sleeping well.”

Feeling embarrassed, I tried to justify myself.

“I’m fine. Just go to sleep.”

“Okay. Good night, Desi.”

Even though I didn’t see him, hearing Desi’s voice calmed my fears. Listening to his faint breathing, I soon fell into a deep sleep.

***

Without the hunter, dinner time became more difficult. Father didn’t eat but instead kept asking my eldest brother how to overcome the family’s crisis. When Brother didn’t give satisfactory answers, Father got irritated and asked again. Mother, tired of the repetitive argument, left the table early.

“We just need to find another hunter.”

“That’s the problem! There are no hunters willing to come! You idiot!”

“Haah,” my older brother sighed, weary of the endless arguments.

As Father’s anxiety grew, he snapped at everyone around him. The family and servants all tried to avoid his sight.