26 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)
Chapter 26
"What I came for... it was just a matter of timing. Even if it hadn't been me, Major, you probably would have been fine."
"Don't be ridiculous. Didn't Ezekiel say anything? Even if he doesn't show it, he must think of Rose as his benefactor. You're a soldier, aren't you? Someone who clearly distinguishes between merit and fault."
The more Madam Serva praised his achievements, the heavier the unspoken debt of gratitude became. It was not something for which she deserved thanks. It was merely a struggle to atone for her sins, however late.
There were too many secrets she had to carry alone.
Just then, a report came from afar that the bath was ready. Rose turned away, feigning busyness, and escaped the thorny situation.
Leaning back in the warm tub, Ezekiel heard Rose’s rustling presence nearby. Even after arranging all the necessary items in their designated places, she lingered near the bathroom. It was likely out of concern that an accident might happen if he took his eyes off her. Rose had not left his side for a moment during his suffering from withdrawal symptoms. She was a woman of delicate consideration.
He opened his mouth towards the sound that tickled his ears.
"Come in, Rose."
"...Yes?"
Her voice, questioning him, clearly held surprise.
"You were confined to the room with me the whole time."
When he couldn't eat, she starved with him; when he couldn't sleep, she stayed up with him through the night. Moreover, when he writhed in agony, she bore the brunt of it, pressing her entire body against him. Naturally, Rose's body must have been equally stained with sweat and wounds.
"I can use the communal bathroom later."
The communal bathroom? Where was there a communal bathroom in this mansion?
Ezekiel tried to recall, his memory hazy. But he hadn't seen this cold Derosa villa with his own eyes for so long, and as the owner, he had no need to inspect the servants' quarters, so nothing came to mind.
However, compared to the Valdemara mansion in the capital, the servants' common areas were not only cramped, but if they didn't time it well, whether it was for cooking or preparing the master's bath, it was difficult to get hot water.
"It'll be cold?"
"It's not cold."
"Do you boil water separately? Then you'd leave me alone during that time?"
"No, it doesn't take me long."
Ever since she had lied about her hair color to him, Rose had developed a habit of quickly washing up at dawn or during times when no one was around. Her laundry and personal attendant duties didn't start at the same time as other employees, so she could find the time.
"Was there hot water prepared in the laundry room? But at this late hour, the laundry room would be finished with its work too."
The barrage of questions was quite unexpected. He was a man who had never paid any attention to the household affairs of the mansion. Furthermore, a master had no need to consider the circumstances of his employees.
Rose decided not to reveal that the laundry room and the communal bathroom were far apart. And even if there was hot water in the laundry room, carrying heavy water in buckets and going back and forth was cumbersome. She had never even considered it.
Moreover, the employees had no leisure to enjoy a leisurely bath. They were all hired solely for Ezekiel's convenience. Except for Madam Serva, who was of high rank and needed to be careful about her health due to her age, Rose and the other employees were all busy preparing for the day by quickly washing up in cold water.
"It's fine. Please don't worry about me."
Rose's answer was brief. Only then did Ezekiel's ears reinterpret her "It's not cold" as "I can endure it."
She was already frail, and her hardships had made her even weaker. And now, she was determined to catch a cold by washing in cold water and fall ill.
"Come here, Rose."
He beckoned with his hand.
"Is something wrong?"
Rose walked over with soft steps. He sensed her hand on the edge of the tub like a ghost and snatched it.
"Come in."
"..."
But this time, too, she did not yield easily. He felt her stubbornness as she clung to the tub, resisting.
Ezekiel tilted his head.
Last time, she had tried to slip away mid-kiss, and today, her hesitation was prolonged.
After seeing everything, was there still something left to be shy about?
Ezekiel deliberately threw in a joke that he knew would shock Rose.
"Why the reserve now? You've already seen me completely stripped, haven't you? And I know you as much as I can."
"Seen you stripped? Me?"
As he expected, Rose flinched in surprise.
If anyone heard, they'd think I attacked him. A mere maid daring to... the master of the mansion.
Good heavens. Her face was burning. She looked around unnecessarily, trying to calm her flushed cheeks.
The man, who had been leaning back with his body submerged in the water, suddenly sat up straight. As the glistening water droplets rolled off, the cruel scars that asserted their presence even in the dim shadows were temporarily hidden.
Even though they were both naked, the feeling was different from when she was nursing him.
Back then, she had no room for other emotions, consumed by the urgency to cool his fever that clouded his consciousness, to stop the impact that felt like he was about to shatter something, to stop him from scratching his skin as if catching invisible bugs, to stop him from tearing at his flesh and bleeding, to calm his sensory disorder that was only satisfied by such actions. So, she had simply accepted him as a patient.
But now...
"The situation is different."
It was the silhouette of a complete man. Fundamentally different from hers.
"What's different? Haven't we rolled around naked dozens of times?"
"..."
"Ah, is it because my body is unsightly? It is a bit rough-looking."
"That's not it, never."
Rose quickly denied it. She disliked such misunderstandings. While she had thought his body, returned from war covered in scars, was tragic, she had never considered it grotesque.
"Or? Are you afraid I'll do something to you?"
Ezekiel asked in a low voice.
For a moment, she was speechless. Rose stood still for a while, then gazed at Ezekiel, who held her hand tightly so she wouldn't run away.
"...Are you going to?"
To her returning question, Ezekiel tilted the corner of his mouth upwards. His expression already held the answer.
"That's what I intend to do."
Suddenly, her heartbeat thudded. The blood flow throughout her body began to rush rapidly.
"So come in."
It was strange. Just moments ago, she had been fine, but now the air grew thin, and she found herself breathless. Bewildered, she couldn't bring herself to speak. She was confused.
"How..."
"How is my problem to solve."
Ezekiel found Rose, who had lost her composure for once, adorable. He leisurely pulled her towards him.
"Just don't be scared."
A dizzying sensation washed over her, accompanied by the rich scent of flowers. The bathwater, filled with dried floral oil, exuded a fragrance as potent as fresh blossoms. But it was unlikely that this dizziness was solely due to the floral oil.
It was because of this man.
She was almost pulled in completely, but she pleaded to be allowed to take off her clothes and tidy them, managing to break free for a brief moment. After neatly folding her clothes, she tried to sit a little further away, feeling the heavy tension in the air, but failed immediately. He pinpointed her location by her presence.
"Rose."
The man's low voice suddenly brushed against her ear. Rose looked down at the man's arm muscles, which had reached out from behind her and gently encircled her waist, then raised her head.
"You are quite peculiar."
The water rippled, transmitting vibrations.
"You act so boldly at times, then suddenly become very cautious. You are incredibly kind, then you suddenly create distance."
This was bad. Her pounding heartbeat, which had been growing stronger since earlier, showed no signs of subsiding. She held her breath and tightened her chest.
"So if I'm not touching you like this, you feel further away than I think."
Her heart skipped a beat. Even while missing one of her most crucial senses, he had subtly detected her contradictions. He pointed out this confusion, this internal conflict where she would summon courage enough to be called bold, only to retreat due to the checks of her conscience, without knowing anything. She wondered if this was the intuition built from years of traversing battlefields.
"Rose, you came to this mansion for me, didn't you?"
She sensed an intention behind his question.
Rose mulled over the sentence he had thrown at her.
Her own intentions, which had not been purely for him, left a slightly bitter aftertaste. Still, even if the motivation wasn't born of pure goodwill, this man was the reason she had abandoned her studies, set foot on this unfamiliar land of Derosa, and resolved to make this place her second home.
Was this anxiety, or was it trembling?
Rose pressed down her wildly surging heart and replied,
"Yes, I came here to meet the Major."
"Then don't stray from me."
Ezekiel's arm tightened. His chest pressed firmly against her lower back.
For a moment, Rose gasped silently.
