Chapter 45
Because of that, it seemed he misunderstood her actions as pushing him away and distancing herself.
So Floria was blaming herself.
In the midst of that, what if something had happened to him? She didn’t even want to imagine it.
“I was sleeping. But…”
You’re back. At Floria’s slightly choked voice, Aidan furrowed his brow slightly.
“Did I wake you when I came in? Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
He smiled faintly and stroked her face with his exposed left hand.
Even though it was a summer night, his hand was cold, perhaps because of the rain.
It had only been eight days. But seeing his face made her feel like crying.
Floria carefully opened her mouth, wary of saying something foolish again.
“Your hand… It’s cold. Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m not tired. More importantly…”
Aidan’s words trailed off.
“I have something for you.”
“Something for me?”
Without answering, Aidan extended his right hand, still wrapped in his cloak.
There was something bulging beneath it.
“What is it?”
Could it be a snack? Since coming to this castle, the attendants and Aidan had persistently tried to feed her.
Maybe he found out she skipped meals while he was away.
But contrary to her thoughts, Aidan shook his head.
“A deer.”
“A deer?”
A deer… The recent event came vividly to mind.
On the way back from the village, she had seen a deer grazing in the distance.
She still clearly remembered Aidan knocking an arrow to catch it.
Floria opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.
Did he kill the deer and bring it?
Or perhaps injured it?
The feet that had eagerly run to greet him now felt weak.
She appreciated his intention to do something for her.
But now that he said he brought a deer… She didn’t know how to react.
As she stepped back in surprise, he held out the object in his right hand.
“Here.”
As the cloak slid to the floor, a creature with soft, light brown fur lifted its head.
A fawn with perky ears. Its large, dark eyes blinked and looked around, startled by the sudden brightness.
It was still alive.
Then was it injured? Maybe it was hit by an arrow.
“Is it hurt?”
“No, just frightened.”
“Did you catch it? With an arrow?”
At her question, Aidan narrowed his brows.
“No. What would I do with a young fawn?”
“I thought maybe you caught it to give to me.”
“You told me not to, so there’s no reason to.”
The man holding the deer looked quite uncomfortable.
As Floria stared at the fawn, he gave a wry smile.
“I’ve never held such a delicate animal before. It feels awkward.”
“…Where did you find it?”
“While running across the field, I saw a fawn curled up alone, having lost its mother.
That area has many wolves. I thought it would die if left alone, so I brought it.”
Worried she might be concerned, the man continued.
“I’m telling you I didn’t catch it with an arrow. Such a small fawn wouldn’t survive on its own.”
The deer she had seen in the mountains before was half its size, but the one in his arms was only as big as his forearm.
To think such a tiny fawn was abandoned without its mother.
Perhaps the mother had died.
“Poor thing, it might have just been weaned.”
Its trembling figure looked pitiful. A sigh escaped Floria’s lips.
“What do you plan to do with it?”
Surely he didn’t intend to eat such a young fawn.
At her question, the man frowned slightly and shrugged his shoulders.
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