Chapter 91
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91
The moment she saw Oscar climbing the stairs, the heart that had remained numb through everything suddenly felt swollen and fragile, ready to burst. It churned, softening against her will. Even as a nobleman rushed toward her, threatening to catch her, she was plagued by an utterly absurd thought.
How do I look to you right now?
That single question swirled in her head, even as she bowed to greet Sabine. It was why she couldn’t bring herself to look up and meet his eyes. Her heart, so tender it felt like it would tear at the slightest touch, pounded so violently she thought it might explode.
Seo-ah rubbed her tear-filled eyes hard, not stopping until they stung. Then, lifting a limp hand, she grabbed the doorknob.
Click.
The sound of the door opening echoed unnaturally loud in the silent hallway. The moment she stepped inside, greeted by the scent of old books, she felt his presence. With every step she took, her mind went completely blank.
Click.
The sound of the door latching shut behind her was as loud as thunder. In the uniform darkness, his distinct scent drifted toward her.
He had been waiting for her.
“You’re an eyesore.”
At his low, irritated voice, her churning, fragile heart felt as though it had finally shattered.
“And of all the ways to be an eyesore, you just had to go snooping around in the strangest place.”
After that annoyed murmur, Oscar asked bluntly, “Why don’t you just go to Traun?”
“……”
“Why the silence?”
A low chuckle vibrated through the darkness. After laughing softly for a moment, he stepped toward her. His scent, reminiscent of damp wood, washed over her. With nowhere left to retreat, Seo-ah’s back pressed against the door. Emerging from the shadows, Oscar leaned down, his shoulders casting a shadow over her.
“You should tell me you want to stay by my side again.”
His languid, mocking tone made the fine hairs on her arms stand on end.
“Or come and throw yourself into my arms.”
Seo-ah quickly lowered her head. She forced her eyes wide, trying to make the tears fall straight to the floor instead of streaking down her cheeks. Oscar stepped right onto the spot where her tears had fallen.
“Or, if not that, kiss me.”
A crushing weight settled on her chest, yet at the same time, she felt completely hollow, as if her heart had been ripped clean from her body.
“Well? Seo-ah?”
“Sabine.”
She had no idea why the memory of calling Sabine’s name surfaced, or why her throat was suddenly so tight.
Oscar stared down at the back of her bowed head, his gaze intense, before cupping her cheek and forcing her face up. The tears pooling in her eyes spilled over, tracing paths down her smooth cheeks as if they had been waiting for that exact moment.
Seeing that made today feel even more like absolute shit.
“Didn’t you ask when I was coming back?”
“……”
“Then you should have been waiting for me. How dare you show up later than I did?”
Her bitten, tattered lips trembled. He could feel her breath escaping through their slight parting.
His deep blue eyes darkened completely.
He wanted to suck on those wounded lips with all his might, rub against them slowly, and then greedily devour her, monopolizing every single breath she drew.
He had no reason to hold back, nor did he want to.
He raised his other hand. He intended to trap her, to pin her down so she couldn’t escape while he greedily consumed her.
But just as his hand reached her shoulder, he felt the slick wetness of blood. The metallic scent of it cut through the air. As he hesitated, Seo-ah turned her head. The hand cupping her cheek slipped away, losing all its strength as if it had never possessed any to begin with.
Just as the brief silence began to stretch uncomfortably long, she asked, “Are you hurt?”
Her startled voice sparked a sudden, sharp irritation in him.
And what if I am?
As he lowered his hand, her gaze followed the movement.
Drip. The sound of blood soaking into the carpet was barely audible—a sound only he could possibly hear. There was no way she had heard it. Yet, perhaps having caught the scent of blood, she asked urgently, “You’re bleeding quite a bit. Are you badly hurt?”
Oscar stared at her without blinking. “What if I am?”
Her slender silhouette froze. Blinking, she leaned slightly closer to his lowered hand. Drip, drip. More blood fell. It was too dark for her to see, but Seo-ah let out a sharp gasp. It was a tiny sound, but Oscar heard it clearly.
Though he was the one injured, he remained perfectly calm, while she panicked as if she had no idea what to do. Ultimately, she chose the most sensible option.
“I’ll go call Lady Barbara.”
“Don’t bother.”
Seo-ah, who had been about to turn with firm resolve, froze at Oscar’s instant refusal.
“Has it been treated?”
“No.”
He could see her eyes darting around anxiously, even in the dark.
“...Are you alright?”
Oscar stroked his jaw and chuckled.
“No.”
Her neat eyebrows twitched.
An inexplicable laugh bubbled up from deep within his chest. Between the State Council Meeting and Sabine’s exhibition, today had been the most exhausting, wretched day of the entire past year. Just minutes ago, his stomach had been churning so violently he felt like he was going mad. Yet now, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Her bead-like eyes, which had been darting around restlessly, finally locked onto him.
What his instincts had warned him to cover up was, in truth, already laid bare and raw, with nothing left to hide.
‘When are you coming back?’
He had been swayed by such a pathetic question. He had been on edge at the news that she was with Sabine, and he had nearly lost his mind seeing her chased by that worm of a man. He hadn’t wanted to grab that bastard’s shoulder—he had wanted to crush his throat. When he saw her red ribbon fluttering precariously over the railing, he had wanted to hurl the bastard over the edge.
He hadn’t understood his own reactions at all. But just now, Oscar finally realized.
It was a wound that had appeared one day, unbidden and unexpected. A wound that, until fully healed, would split open and bleed at the slightest touch.
Han Seo-ah was exactly like this wound on his palm.
Something he had never asked for, yet was carved into him like fate. Something that would sting at the slightest touch and throb at the gentlest friction, until the day it finally healed and was completely forgotten.
So, until it healed completely and faded from memory, there was no covering it up. It shouldn't be touched or chafed. Yet ever since Han Seo-ah had become the key, he hadn't wanted to forget. On the contrary, he was consumed by the urge to deliberately rip the wound wide open.
After laughing for a long while, Oscar decided to say whatever the hell he wanted. He decided to do exactly as he pleased.
“You do it.”
“Pardon?”
“Treat my wound.”
“……”
“I said, you do it.”
Since you’re the one who caused the wound, it’s only right that you treat it.
Right?
Staring at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes, as if she had suddenly lost the ability to understand language, she slightly furrowed her brow. “Are you asking me to treat you, Your Excellency?”
“Why? You don’t want to?”
His arrogant, mocking question was a clear challenge. Seo-ah shook her head, looking troubled.
“I cannot do that.”
But Oscar had no intention of arguing. Without even asking why, he turned and walked toward his bedroom without a backward glance. His leisurely, unhurried stride—like someone taking a peaceful stroll on a moonlit night—did not belong to a man bleeding from a severe injury.
Seo-ah glanced down at the floor where his blood had dripped. It was hard to see in the darkness, but one of his hands was undoubtedly a mangled mess. Pushing aside the misery and helplessness that cluttered her mind, she quickly hurried after him.
“I will go call Lady Barbara. The wound looks quite deep, and if I try to treat it, it might only get infected.”
Oscar didn’t even bother to reply. A single stride of his was equal to two or three of hers. Paying no heed to her scurrying to keep up, he walked casually and switched on the lights. As the room brightened, the outline of his injury became starkly clear. One of his hands was completely covered in blood.
“Your Excellency, your hand…”
Seo-ah gasped and froze in shock. Ignoring her reaction entirely, Oscar walked over to a black cabinet and pulled out a medical kit. He tossed it onto the table beside the sofa, under the glow of the lamp, and threw himself onto the cushions. Rather than sitting properly, he reclined halfway, draping his right arm along the backrest and resting his head back. Staring up at the ceiling, he finally rolled his eyes to look at Seo-ah, who was standing beside him.
“……”
“……”
He was a man who possessed the uncanny ability to take one’s breath away with his posture alone.
Feeling as though she had run into an insurmountable wall, Seo-ah couldn’t bear to meet those piercing blue eyes and averted her gaze. Unfortunately, her eyes landed right on his injured hand. He was wearing only a shirt, and the sleeve of his right arm, draped carelessly over the backrest, was heavily stained with blood.
Seeing this, Seo-ah spoke with even greater urgency.
“I am going to call Lady Barbara.”
“If I wanted her, I would have called her myself. It’s just applying some salve and wrapping a bandage. There’s no need to drag Barbara into something so trivial.”
His languidly spoken words carried such stubborn authority that, under normal circumstances, Seo-ah would have simply obeyed. But this felt different. It was just like that time with the pill she was supposed to swallow whole; she had chewed it instead, and her stomach had churned in protest.
“I’m saying this because I don’t even know which medicine to use.”
“They all heal wounds anyway.”
When her hard-won courage was met with such a dismissive response, Seo-ah raised her voice slightly.
“How could that possibly be true?”
“……”
“Medicines to stop bleeding, medicines to prevent infection, medicines to close wounds… Even where I used to live, there were countless different types! How can you say they’re all the same—”
“As long as it heals, it doesn’t matter.”
“What if it gets infected? What will you do then?”