Chapter 39
Seeing my expression, Desi was startled.
Desi, who had been looking elsewhere, was startled when he saw my face.
“Se, Seli…”
A tear dropped. My heart throbbed painfully. Was Desi going to leave me too? Did he find something more important than me, just like Ellie did? Was I being pushed aside again? These thoughts filled my mind.
“Why are you crying, Seli? Huh? It’s really nothing.”
Desi was completely mine. But it felt like he was slipping away, and I couldn’t bear the lonely and hollow feeling that overwhelmed me.
“Why aren’t you talking? Why?”
As I slumped to the ground, Desi approached and put his arm around my shoulder. I pushed him away.
“Go away!”
I was mad at Desi. It was the first time I felt anger toward him.
“I’ll tell you everything. Don’t be mad. Please.”
Desi hugged me tightly, even as I struggled. The familiar scent of Desi enveloped me, pulling me out of the abyss of fear that felt like the ground was falling away.
Desi held me close and explained everything, one by one.
What he had been doing outside and where he had been going.
Ever since he found out that I wanted to go to the academy, Desi realized that he needed to earn money—it would take money to stay in the capital where the academy was.
There was a large store in a nearby village where he occasionally worked as a handyman. But he knew that being a handyman wouldn’t earn enough, so he registered as a mercenary. Mercenary work could bring in good money but took a lot of time.
Because I waited up for him and couldn’t sleep, Desi quit the mercenary work. Then he became a hunter. Hunting suited him perfectly.
He sold the animals he caught, and if he managed to catch large, rare beasts, he could earn a fortune.
The red hair was from the shopkeeper he bought things from. It probably got on him when he handed over the game he was carrying on his shoulder.
Hearing about the money he earned, I looked at Desi’s clothes. Finally, the mystery of his frequently changing outfits was solved.
“I thought you were always stealing clothes off the laundry line.”
“How could I steal clothes that fit me so perfectly every time?”
Desi was wearing a linen shirt that fit him well. His pants were thick, black wool. Even though the clothes were plain in color, they looked neat and clean on Desi.
And they weren’t cheap materials that commoners would wear. Why hadn’t I noticed this before? I was astonished.
I must have been too focused on Desi’s face to notice his clothes.
“But isn’t it dangerous? What if people find out you’re a werewolf?”
“I haven’t been caught. And even if I am, I can escape with my strength.”
Now I understood how Desi knew so much about the world. I had thought he suffered a lot in his childhood, but he had been living in a much larger world than I had.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you worry too much. And I wanted to surprise you when everything was ready.”
“But how could you keep it a secret for years! Am I not important to you, Desi? I… I…”
In my world, Desi was incredibly significant, filling my heart completely.
“You are my everything.”
Desi knelt before me, holding my hands and looking up at me with a submissive expression. He then rested his face on my lap.
“You know you’re like the sun to me.”
Desi spoke in a low, resonant voice. When he said things like this, it was as if he was struggling to get the words out, as if it was a great effort.
I kind of understood that feeling. It’s tough to speak thoughts that have been kept in one’s heart, and when they are finally spoken, it causes a big ripple.
My heart raced, my face heated up, and a smile spread across my face.
I cradled Desi’s cheeks, lifting his head and slowly bending down.
Desi’s yellow eyes grew larger in surprise as I closed the distance between us.
Our lips met.
If Desi occupied a large part of my world, and if I meant the same to Desi, I decided to be greedy without hesitation.
Desi’s lips were warm. Just touching them made warmth spread throughout my body. I felt a tingling sensation like tiny electric shocks, making my body tingle and my shoulders hunch.
When I slowly straightened up with my eyes open, I saw Desi’s face frozen in shock. Then he melted, like sugar in hot water, his eyes sparkling and smiling.
“Seli, Seli…”
Desi hugged my waist, clinging to me, calling my name like a child. His voice was tinged with tears.
“I love you, Seli. I love you so much.”
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