The Beast That Licks Me - Chapter 4.12

***

Rosette woke up at dawn. Even before opening her eyes, she could tell she was in a cabin from the musty wood smell and the feel of the sheets against her skin. Her eyes were swollen and difficult to open. When she finally managed to lift her eyelids, she saw the two blue flames she had seen in the darkness before fainting, now looking at her. Unlike earlier, when they were filled with anger, now they were full of concern. Rosette reached out with a hand that was difficult to raise. Her fingertips felt Evan’s wet cheek. Evan was crying.

“Why are you crying?”

She thought she had spoken properly, but her voice was extremely hoarse. Evan silently rubbed his face against Rosette’s palm. The contours of his forehead, nose, cheekbones, and the sensation of his wet eyelashes felt particularly vivid.

“I’m sorry, Rosette. I’m sorry…”

Evan cried sorrowfully, repeatedly apologizing.

“….”

Rosette stared blankly at the sight of a man much larger than herself breaking down in tears before her.

“Levit and… Ariel…?”

Even saying these short words hurt her throat. But it was a question she had to ask.

“They’re fine. Both are safe without any injuries. Ariel’s neck isn’t serious either.”

At those words, Rosette let out a long sigh of relief. As the tension released, drowsiness washed over her again. In her sleepy state, Rosette mumbled a question.

“Evan, have you… come to dislike me?”

Evan looked surprised at Rosette’s question. He held her hand in both of his and shook his head.

“Why would you think that?”

“Just…”

“How could I dislike you? You’re the most precious person in the world to me.”

“Then why did you… avoid me?”

Just remembering it brought tears to her eyes. Tears rolled down Rosette’s temples. Evan wiped her tears, looking even more pained himself.

“I was afraid… you might get hurt like this. But it was useless. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Rosette.”

With his sincere apology, the hurt feelings of the past few days subsided a bit. Thank goodness. So it wasn’t because he disliked me. Despite her tears, Rosette smiled broadly at that realization. As her eyes crinkled, tears fell below her temples. Seeing her smile, Evan looked even more pained.

“Rosette, I’ll tell you everything when you wake up.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, so for now, don’t think about anything and get some rest. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

Rosette clutched Evan’s sleeve.

“Don’t go anywhere.”

Evan pulled Rosette’s hand to his lips and kissed it. His lips felt hot against her skin. Rosette nestled into Evan’s arms. Evan embraced her and patted her back.

***

It would have been nice to sleep soundly, but Rosette woke up dozens of times, startled like someone who had received a great shock. Whenever Rosette woke up with a jolt, Evan would hold her tightly and pat her back to sleep. Despite repeating this process throughout the night, Evan didn’t complain once and continued to hold and comfort Rosette.

It was late afternoon when Rosette finally woke up properly. Her torn arm and bruises had been treated, but her whole body ached as if she had exercised too much. I need to tutor Silvia today, too. As Rosette was struggling to get up, Evan, who had been standing by the door, hurriedly approached her.

“Rose, are you okay?”

Evan sat in front of the bed with a worried look and met Rosette’s eyes. His blue eyes were filled with concern. Rosette looked at him and slowly nodded.

“Yes, I’m much better.”

“There’s a visitor who wants to talk to you for a moment. Do you think you can get up?”

“Hmm?”

Rosette glanced outside the door. Over Evan’s shoulder, she could see a woman in uniform. Rosette hurriedly adjusted her clothes.

“But I’m in my indoor clothes, and I haven’t even washed…”

Rosette said worriedly, smoothing her disheveled hair.

“You don’t need to worry about that. She’s here to apologize to you.”

“To apologize…?”

Rosette asked with wide eyes. Evan nodded. What could she possibly have done wrong to me? Did she try to seduce Evan or something…? While entertaining these strange thoughts, Rosette struggled to get up.

“Still, I’d like to change clothes and wash up before meeting her.”

“Alright, I’ll go talk to her.”

After kissing Rosette’s forehead, Evan approached the door again. Through her blurry vision, Rosette could see the woman nodding understandingly. The door closed, and Evan brought her washing water. Rosette touched the dried, rough tear stains on her face and thought it was good that she had decided to wash. Fortunately, her body was already fresh, probably because Evan had wiped her down at dawn. After putting on her best clothes, Rosette sat back against the bed’s headboard. She had tried to sit in a chair, but her body hadn’t fully recovered, making it difficult to maintain balance.

“I’ll call her in then.” “Okay.”

Rosette swallowed nervously. Soon, the woman entered. Despite being made to wait for quite some time, she didn’t seem to mind. As the woman sat in the chair placed by the bed, Rosette finally recognized who she was.

Claire. The security officer who had taken her report when she lost her wallet. She was also the one who had recommended good items when Rosette was trying to buy a notebook and pencil. Just recognizing a familiar face eased her tension a bit. At the same time, she became curious about why this person had come.

“Hello, Ms. Rose. We’ve met before.”

“Yes, we have. Have you been well? I’m sorry for greeting you from bed. I’m not feeling well yet.”

Claire’s expression darkened upon hearing Rosette’s words. What’s wrong? Was it that bad to receive her while in bed? But I’m really sick. Should I suggest moving to the table? While she was pondering this, Claire bowed her head to Rosette.

“I’m truly sorry, Ms. Rose.”

“…Pardon?”

Rosette asked with a bewildered expression.

“Your injuries are all because of us.”

Unable to understand, Rosette tilted her head. Claire quickly explained the situation.

Evanium and Claire had met again in the first-class cabin area. Evanium was part of the workforce reorganizing the first-class furniture, and Claire was a security officer tracking traces of d***s.

“During that process, I discovered by chance that Evanium could find d***s.”

“Evanium?”

Rosette looked at Evan in disbelief. Evan shrugged.

“How?”

“By smell. Evanium has an extraordinary sense of smell, almost unbelievable for a human.”

“…Ah.”

Rosette recalled that Evan was formerly a wolf divine beast. In other words, he had a dog’s nose. Rosette didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“So I shamelessly asked for help. Even knowing that civilian Evanium and Ms. Rose, who shared the cabin with him, could be in danger.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why I offered a room used by security officers before, but he refused, saying Ms. Rose wouldn’t like it. It wasn’t even that bad a room, being first class.”

That made sense. Rosette was a runaway. She wouldn’t welcome creating connections with security officers. Rosette nodded understandingly.

“Still, I was worried, so I assigned someone to protect you. According to him, you almost noticed his presence, is that right?”

“Don’t tell me that the gaze I’ve been feeling these past few days…”

Rosette’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Claire made an apologetic expression and said.

“That’s right. We assigned him for protection, but it seems to have made you more anxious instead. He was going to come apologize with me, but we thought you might not want to meet a dark-looking man in your current state. He’ll formally apologize another time.”

Claire spoke without hesitation. Everything she said made perfect sense, which somehow made it more frustrating. To think that what had made her so nervous wasn’t surveillance but protection. Rosette frowned and held her forehead.

“Yesterday afternoon, there was an all-out battle with the d**g dealers, and during that process, the person assigned to protect you was seriously injured, leaving that position temporarily vacant. When Evanium learned about this, he ran out during treatment after the battle.”

Rosette recalled the blood splattered in the corridor. The bloodstained sheets and pillows, too. So that’s why he had run out during treatment. Thinking about Evan’s injuries, Rosette quickly looked at him. Evan smiled brightly, appearing completely recovered. It was a smile that made her feel relieved.

“Evanium is truly remarkable. Outstanding combat skills and monstrous recovery ability. He was a great help to our officers.”

“Evan…?”

Rosette asked in disbelief. You were just lounging around at home every day…? Looking at Evan with disapproval, Rosette suddenly remembered the amazing physical abilities he had shown during their journey from the Count’s mansion to the harbor. So he was good at fighting, too. Somehow, Evan felt a little unfamiliar to her now.

“Particularly helpful were his exceptional sense of smell and vision. He could move through darkness like it was daylight. His blue eyes glowed like flames, which is why his nickname among our officers was ‘Blue Wolf.'”

“Ah, I see…”

Feeling somewhat guilty, Rosette avoided eye contact and laughed awkwardly.

“Without Evanium, this operation wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. Even if it had succeeded, there would have been many more injuries. It was fortunate that the main battle took place in a dark warehouse. Because we had Evanium.”

“…That’s fortunate.”

“But it’s also true that we put civilians like Evanium and you in danger. We went too far, obsessed with the need to eradicate the problem when we had the chance. I apologize on behalf of all security officers.”

“….”

Rosette hesitated to accept the apology. Claire seemed to understand and spoke again.