IBVM 13

Chapter 13

We moved Levert from the bed to the sofa. Zenis insisted on it, saying she had changed the bedsheets that afternoon.

When we laid him down on the large, ornate sofa, Levert looked even smaller.
His bony arm dangled limply over the edge. I lifted it back onto the sofa properly and told Zenis to bring a basin of warm water.

Zenis prepared the basin and towels, then brought a blanket for Levert and a change of clothes as well.
In the meantime, I asked Cho how he had brought Levert here.

It hadn’t been especially dangerous, but it wasn’t easy either, so I expected Cho to demand extra payment.
However, after finishing his explanation, Cho merely watched Zenis move about in silence.

Zenis cleaned Levert with practiced hands. Her touch was gentle, but her mouth was not.

“He’s filthy. Did you pick him up out of a trash bin? Oh—this blood isn’t even his. Blood splattered everywhere… Was he involved in a murder?”

Every time Zenis discovered bloodstains or grime on Levert’s body, her imagination ran wild.

“Was she always this noisy?” Cho asked.

“She’s just overexcited. Normally she’s… not like this.”

Sorry, Zenis. I wavered just now.
It’s because so many exciting things have been happening around us lately. I can’t even remember the last time I saw you quiet.

“She does her job well, though.”

“That’s Zenis’s strength. When she gets excited, she works even better. Her efficiency probably triples.”

According to a paper I once read, excitement improves blood circulation, which clears the mind and speeds up work.

“Sounds like she needs stimulation from time to time.”

I nodded at Cho’s comment. While we chatted, Levert was soon cleaned up.

He was thin, but still taller than Zenis—how did she even manage to change his clothes? Impressive, really.

“The medicine should start wearing off soon.”

As soon as Cho said that, Levert’s fingers twitched. I stepped closer to the sofa and shook him gently.

“Levert, can you hear me? If you’re awake, open your eyes.”

“Ah…”

A thin groan escaped him—one filled with pain.

“Levert!”

His face was deathly pale, his eyelashes trembling, and his groan was heavy with suffering.

“Does something hurt—”

“…I’m hungry.”

Levert’s eyes snapped open. Since I had leaned in close to examine him, our eyes met.

“Something delicious… a good smell.”

His eyes gleamed. The moment I met that madness-filled gaze, he grabbed me. His red lips parted.

His fangs looked as big as fists. I tensed my shoulders, bracing myself for the pain I knew was coming.

“Aaaah!”

Zenis screamed.

Dallas, the Irnenver family’s personal physician, frowned and tightly grabbed Zenis’s wrist as she tried to pull away.

“Stop exaggerating,” he said sternly.

“Exaggerating? Can’t you see this? Look at these clear bite marks!”

Zenis shook the hand wrapped in bandages.

“I see them. Very clearly. Still, they’re not worth screaming over. There’s barely any blood. It’s an animal bite, and for that, it’s quite mild. But is there an animal in this estate that bites people?”

Dallas coolly assessed her condition as he spoke.

“Judging by the wound, it must have been a fairly large animal. Whatever it is, it should be caught and killed immediately. An animal that bites a person will do it again.”

Levert, who had been sitting quietly to the side, flinched.
After all, the ‘animal’ that bit Zenis was none other than Levert himself.

Here’s what happened.

As Levert woke from the drug, he was extremely hungry. Coincidentally, Zenis had brought dinner into my room.

Smelling the food, Levert mistook what was in front of him for food. Acting on pure instinct, he grabbed whatever was there.

That happened to be me.

Seeing Levert pull me toward him and open his mouth wide, Zenis thrust her arm in front of his mouth just before I was bitten. And so, Levert bit Zenis instead.

He chewed with such gusto that the bite marks were crushed and mangled, making it hard for Dallas to tell whether they were human teeth or an animal’s.

“I’ll handle it, Dallas. Is there anything we should be careful about?”

I hurriedly asked before Dallas could grow suspicious.

“She should avoid getting it wet. But that’ll be difficult for a maid, so she’ll be in for some trouble.”

After finishing the bandaging, Dallas packed up his medical bag. I almost asked whether he had found any information about Kassion’s illness, but stopped. Now that Levert was here, there was no need to burden Dallas further.

“Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t get infected.”

After carefully explaining the precautions to Zenis, he tucked the bag under his arm, bowed politely to me, and left the room.

Once the door closed, Levert cautiously looked at Zenis and pushed himself up. Zenis reflexively stepped in front of me.

“I—I won’t bite. But… where is this?”

Embarrassed that he had mistaken a human arm for food, Levert glanced around, trying to understand the situation—like a meerkat standing guard.

He must have been terrified.

“This is the Irnenver estate.”

I spoke as gently as I could. Levert muttered softly, “Irnenver… Irnenver…”

“The House of Duke Irnenver. You know it, don’t you?”

“I… I do.”

Good. At least I didn’t have to introduce my family from scratch.

“Then why am I here? I was definitely—”

Levert suddenly stopped mid-sentence and stiffened. His face turned pale with fear as he stepped back. Since he’d been caught during an illegal trade, his thoughts were easy to guess.

“Relax. I have no intention of handing you over to the guards. For now, sit down and eat this.”

I slid a plate of food toward him. Levert stayed frozen, his guard still up.

“Sit down and I’ll explain why you’re here. Eat while you’re at it.”

Only then did Levert move. He perched on the very edge of the sofa. I pushed the plate closer and placed the fork where he could easily grab it.

“That’s the young lady’s food!”

Zenis glared at Levert with a pitiful expression.

“He looks hungrier than I do. And did you write my name on the food?”

As I scolded Zenis, Levert spoke.

“I don’t eat children’s food.”

He turned his gaze away from the plate.

Judging by the way his throat bobbed, he clearly wanted it badly—enough for his mouth to water.

Incredible restraint. And the reason for it was unusual.

The age difference between Levert and me was only three years. On top of that, he’d grown up malnourished, while I’d been well-fed and carefully raised, so we didn’t look that different.

Of course, Levert was taller than me. But his build…

Should I be offended by this?

‘So because I look younger than him, he won’t eat my food?’
Was he trying to protect me?

If we were ordinary acquaintances, that might’ve felt nice. But Levert and I were not ordinary—and must never be.

‘Levert is someone I’ll use. At the very least, someone I’ll do business with.’

“Do you think I’m weaker than you?”

“You’re smaller… and younger than me…”

Levert muttered. He sensed the chill in my voice and shrank back.

Why would you get intimidated by someone you think is small and young enough to protect?

Either way, it was a touching sentiment—but troublesome.

I wanted Levert to fear me. Even better, to believe I was useful to him.

“This is the House of Duke Irnenver. And I’m the one who will become its head. Do you understand what that means?”

Levert’s eyes clouded with conflicting thoughts.

“If you’re curious about something, ask.”

“Um… can you really become the head?”

He raised his hand as if to point at me, then awkwardly lowered it, seemingly remembering that it was rude to point at a noble.

“Yes. I can.”

There had never been a single case in the kingdom’s history of someone my age becoming head of a ducal house.
But I intended to be the first.

“You don’t need the details. Just know this: I have more money and more power than you. So you don’t need to protect me. I’ll protect you.”

“Protect… me?”

Levert’s eyes trembled.

“That’s right. You can eat what you want here, do what you want. There is something you want to do, isn’t there?”

I knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to make cheap, effective medicine. And he wanted to become a proper surgeon.

‘Because treatment that relies on magic or divine power isn’t something everyone can receive.’

Levert looked at me as if asking why I would even ask such a question. Suspicion filled his gaze.

If I were in his position, I’d be suspicious too. A kidnapper telling the kidnapped person to do whatever they want.

“Well. You don’t need to understand complicated things right now. Eat first.”

Would he burst into tears of gratitude? That would be awkward.

I was just about to tell Zenis to prepare a handkerchief when I heard an entirely unexpected answer.

“I don’t accept kindness without compensation.”

His voice was solemn.

I had failed to entice Levert. A sigh escaped me at the unexpected refusal.

‘Nothing about him is easy, is it.’

Still, I didn’t give up. From the moment I kidnapped him, returning Levert to where he came from was never an option.

‘He was under a smuggler—sending him back knowingly would be abandonment and abuse.’

“Then you can give me compensation.”

If he disliked free charity, he could pay for it. A simple solution. And Levert had something he could give me.

I never intended this to be charity in the first place.

Perhaps because I said it too easily, Levert frowned.

“I… have nothing to give…”