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Chapter 03
“He’s handsome…”
When I was living as the adopted daughter of the Marquis Devore, I sometimes attended banquets.
But I had never seen a face as beautiful as his.
Sharp nose. Masculine jawline. Dark, intense eyes. Everything about him seemed unreal.
For a moment, I wondered if he was a character from the original story—but no. The novel never mentioned a man with black hair and black eyes like this.
Still, he had an aura that made him untouchable, almost intimidating.
I felt my breath catch. Had I made a mistake by approaching him? I instantly regretted it.
Then, a gust of wind carried a strange metallic scent to my nose.
Human blood… no, it was different. Where had I smelled this before?
“Ah! Wait!”
Finally recognizing it, I grabbed him.
“Could this be monster blood?”
“If so?”
He answered casually, as if saying “1+1=2.” His indifferent attitude made my eyes widen.
“Now is not the time to act casual! You have a scratch on your hand!”
I couldn’t just stand there. Monster blood seeping into a wound could rot flesh!
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have any serious injuries, but even a small scratch soaking up the blood could be dangerous.
‘Quick, antiseptic and ointment…’
I blocked his path and hurriedly took out the supplies from my pouch.
He, however, didn’t seem to understand the urgency, trying to pull his hand away.
‘He’s not a child… he’s a grown man!’
“Stay still! If monster blood gets in, you could really get hurt! Do you want it to fester? You’d just end up crying later.”
“Crying? I don’t need it. It won’t affect me—”
Zing. I gave him my strictest glare. Even the children in my village obeyed instantly when I looked like this.
As expected,
“…Huh.”
He chuckled, then obediently let me tend to him. His eyes seemed to silently say, “What’s all this fuss about?”
‘No time to worry about that now.’
I treated the scratch quickly so he wouldn’t feel pain, like dealing with a stubborn child.
Good. Finally, I felt relieved.
When I let go of his hand, he noticed something and looked down at it.
“Not bad, right? I made this ointment myself.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I’m a pharmacist.”
The swelling had already gone down, and the pain surely eased.
He continued inspecting his hand, clearly surprised.
A quiet sense of pride crept up. My medicines were effective—I had always been proud of that.
‘…Maybe I was being a bit too meddlesome.’
Once calm, embarrassment hit me. I was treating an adult like a child…
‘Sigh. But it’s instinct. My job.’
I had always had a hard time leaving injured people alone, but lately, it had gotten worse because of the village children.
If they got hurt, they wouldn’t say anything and try to hide it. That just made things worse!
‘Though he acts fine…’
I looked up at him. Despite monster blood on his robe, he seemed calm.
‘A monster hunter, perhaps?’
I had heard Winterwald had many monsters. The original story had episodes where the duke or his knights fought monsters.
This man was probably the same. That explained his unusual presence earlier.
“Here, take it. This ointment works well.”
“No need.”
I offered the ointment, but he tried to refuse, pulling something from his pouch.
“Don’t worry about thanking me. Just be more careful next time.”
“I don’t like owing favors.”
I waved my hands.
“It’s really fine. You hunt monsters for a living, right?”
He hesitated, then nodded. Just as expected.
“Think of this as a small gesture. Our village was in danger from monsters a few months ago too.”
Though quiet now, Winterwald had been plagued by waves of monsters over the past three years. Without hunters, the village couldn’t have been safe.
I handed the ointment back to him with a small smile.
“We’re always grateful. Thank you.”
“Are you from another region?”
“Ah, yes! I had some business here.”
“What kind?”
“Hmm… job hunting, I guess?”
Of course, a convenient lie.
“Do you know the way to the duke’s estate?”
“Go up that hill.”
I followed his gaze and saw a massive mansion. I couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Thank you for letting me know!”
He simply nodded slightly.
‘An unusual man,’ I thought. He seemed unfriendly, yet answered questions. Most striking was his calmness.
‘Monster blood on him, and he doesn’t even flinch.’
Even a monster hunter would usually react.
Ah, I almost forgot the most important part:
“Never take even a small wound lightly! Infection could rot it. This time was okay, but next time it could be serious!”
I made my scariest face.
“Hah.”
He only smirked. Hmph. My secret weapon wasn’t scary—children obeyed this, but adults? Not so much.
‘But laughing is unnecessary.’
I swallowed my embarrassment and said goodbye.
“Anyway, take care!”
He paused, then seemed to remember something.
“The duke’s estate will soon be hiring a healer.”
Before I could ask more, he disappeared quickly.
I stood there, thinking over his words.
‘This is it! A way to meet Cain!’
Far away, the man murmured to himself.
“Interesting.”
Such a small ointment had such a strong effect.
He looked at his hand.
This man, Cain, was the head of the Ashlern Ducal House.
A family of immense power and wealth, comparable to royalty.
But their greatest trait was Dragon Blood.
They were the only people in the empire with dragon blood—different in body and constitution from ordinary humans.
Even royal physicians couldn’t achieve this effect.
‘Who is she?’
Unaware he was watching, I wandered the street, mesmerized. My pink, curly hair blew in the wind.
“…Huh.”
She was strange, fearless, and didn’t treat me like a child. Not just cheerful—something else.
Cain looked at his hand again. The scratch was fully healed. His dragon blood enhanced recovery—still, extraordinary.
‘I should take her to the estate immediately. It’ll help Jayden.’
Even without a sick nephew, the ointment alone was reason enough.
“What’s this, Melody? Are you here with Auntie to find me?”
“Uu!”
The small child clung to her.
‘Her brother? They look so alike.’
Pink hair, sprout-like eyes—like a mold.
Cain finally stopped approaching her.
‘She’ll come since I sent word.’
He watched them a moment, then returned home.
At the estate, Conrad hurried over.
“Your Grace! You’re back!”
Cain handed over his robe, usually worn when hunting monsters. He removed his disguise—the hair turned silver, eyes red.
Unbelievable, inhumanly perfect.
He walked into the office, but paused at the door.
“Master? Why stop?”
“Post a notice. We’re hiring a healer.”
