Chapter 72
The horse completely lost its balance and collapsed. Just as my body was flung forward, Danel grabbed my waist and leapt off the horse. His long arms wrapped desperately around my back.
I crashed into his arms as we fell, hitting the ground. Fortunately, we landed in a patch of grass, rolling several times before coming to a stop. Crushed leaves and broken twigs made harsh, cracking sounds as we tumbled through them.
When the noise finally ceased, Danel let out a long, exhausted breath.
“You truly… never let me lower my guard for even a moment.”
His arms tightened around my shoulders and back, locking me firmly in his embrace. I listened to the sound of his heartbeat pounding against my ear—deep and relentless, contrasting sharply with the calm voice that came from above.
“Tell me you’re not hurt.”
“What if I lie?”
“That’s fine. I’ll know soon enough anyway… but for now, I just want to hear something that will put me at ease.”
I wasn’t in the mood to say what he wanted to hear. Instead, I silently traced my fingers across his shoulders and arms. My palm came away wet with blood.
Half of his outer coat was already torn away; I could only feel the fabric of his shirt beneath my fingertips.
“…It’s horrible.”
“I know.”
His lips pressed gently against my forehead. I could smell blood on his breath—he must have a deep wound inside his mouth as well.
“If I rise, you break me. If I run, you catch me… isn’t it disgusting?”
His voice lowered, almost tender.
“You said you loved me because I could stand up on my own and knew how to run away.”
“……”
I was still searching for something to say when I heard the sound of hooves in the distance. It was the black horse Danel had ridden. It must have retraced its steps to where its rider had fallen.
Danel rose to his feet with me still cradled in his arms. He carefully placed me in the saddle, grabbed the reins, and started walking.
I realized that he intended to walk the horse all the way back to the estate. He was used to long walks, as befitted a former monk, skilled at enduring pain—and above all, he hated showing my disheveled state to others.
His precise, measured strides continued for what felt like an eternity. Drops of blood splattered onto the dry dirt path—*drip, drop, drip.* As the drops grew more frequent, his steps remained unnervingly steady.
Feeling utterly drained, I spoke.
“I just… want to stop.”
Danel’s gaze locked onto the side of my face.
“I’m so tired of this. Of everything. Of you… acting like this.”
At my words, Danel smiled softly.
Just as I hadn’t given him the answer he wanted, he offered no reply. He simply led the horse, walking steadily back toward the estate.
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