Chapter 9
“You shouldn’t be here, my lady.”
“It’s too noisy. Don’t hurt Desi.”
“What if His Lordship finds out? Please, just leave quickly.”
“Pour some warm water for him first, then I’ll leave.”
Uncharacteristically, I stood my ground until the maid sighed deeply. However, I didn’t give in. To my amazement, Desi suddenly calmed down as soon as he saw me. He sat quietly, drenched in the cold water. The servants found this surprising.
Because of the muzzle and his long, uncut hair, I couldn’t see Desi’s expression, but I imagined he was showing the gentle face he sometimes showed me.
With Desi much calmer, the servants’ touches became gentler. I watched as warm water was poured into the basin before finally turning to leave.
I then sneaked towards the kitchen, intending to steal some food. I had never stolen anything before. The law stated that a thief would face severe punishment. If the stolen item was valuable, the thief could even become the slave of the person they stole from.
However, not all thefts resulted in harsh punishment. Minors who stole could be forgiven because it was believed that everyone might steal at least once in their childhood. But in exchange for forgiveness, they had to endure a whipping to ensure they wouldn’t repeat the act.
Remembering the fact that I might get whipped, I felt a little scared. But I steeled myself and entered the kitchen. Desi endured countless beatings from my father. I couldn’t abandon my friendship like a coward.
The kitchen was quiet since it wasn’t mealtime. Silently, I entered the pantry and filled a large sack with potatoes, pumpkins, raw meat, and anything else I could find.
“Ugh, it’s too heavy.”
The real challenge came after filling the sack to the brim. I had to deliver it to Desi without being caught.
Even though the weather was still chilly, I was sweating from fear and tension. I carefully left the pantry and moved along the garden wall, hiding my body as best I could against the rough surface.
I didn’t enter the mansion’s main building right away. Instead, I sat still, waiting for a time when the servants wouldn’t be around. Running into them on my way to the dungeon would ruin everything.
I spent the time pulling grass at my feet. When the sun was high in the sky, it was lunchtime for the servants. I headed to the dungeon. To my surprise, someone unfamiliar was tied up there.
“Who are you?!”
Goodness! I screamed inwardly, thinking it wasn’t Desi. The person had short, jet-black hair and clean skin. There was no foul smell.
“…Hello. Do you know where Desi is? Have you seen him? Desi smells bad, has dark skin, and hair so long and dirty it covers his face.”
“…”
“You really don’t know Desi? He lives here. You didn’t throw him out because he’s ugly, did you? No? Please say no! He may have a bad temper and growl often, but he’s my only friend.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, thinking Desi was gone. Then the person who had been staring at me opened their mouth.
“…Get out.”
It was only upon hearing Desi’s voice that I realized it was indeed him. Desi had a voice similar to my younger brother’s viola. I hadn’t heard it often, but I remembered Desi’s voice clearly.
“Is it really you, Desi? Oh my goodness!”
I had thought his skin was grayish-brown, but it was actually a well-tanned wheat color. I thought his skin was mottled like tree bark, but it was not. Only a few old scars remained here and there. His bright yellow eyes that once peeked through his tangled black hair now shone clearly. His nose was angular, his slightly upturned eyes looked playful, and his autumn-leaf red lips were like a painted picture.
And instead of his tattered clothes, he was wearing clean white cotton clothes. No one would recognize him as Desi if he went outside like this.
“Is this a dream? It’s not real, right?”
I put down the heavy sack and approached Desi. I touched his hair and face. I thought it wasn’t him, but seeing his bright yellow eyes like the center of a daisy confirmed it was Desi.
“Desi, look at this.”
I grinned and marveled at the transformed Desi before unpacking the sack.
“What’s this?”
Desi looked astonished at the endless pile of food.
“I brought this for you. You must have been very hungry.”
Eating only one serving when he needed eight must have been tough. I handed a potato to Desi.
“Eat quickly.”
Desi frowned at the raw potato.
“It’s raw.”
“Is this the time to be picky? Do you want to starve to death?!”
Not eating properly could weaken him to the point of starvation. Yet, Desi seemed unconcerned, while I was worried sick.
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