IRY 06

chapter 06…………………………………….

Before she was possessed, Alice had only ever seen Edwin once.

This was because she didn’t particularly like such musty and dark places.

The problem was the day Alice first saw Edwin.

That day was her sixth birthday.

Even though it was her birthday, she saw Karina heading to the spire without a single word of celebration.

Thinking that Karina had forgotten her birthday, Alice followed her mother up to the spire to make her aware that it was her special day.

But when she saw Karina focusing solely on Edwin right in front of her, jealousy overtook her.

While her mother had stepped out of the spire, she shouted at Edwin:

“I wish someone like you didn’t exist!”

At that time, Alice, scared of the rotting child, couldn’t bring herself to get close. She could only cry out with a flushed face from a distance.

She was consumed only by the thought that her mother had been taken from her. That was their first and last encounter.

“The worst meeting ever.”

She realized that staying quiet was the safest course.

After saying something so harsh, if she now offered help, it would only appear detestable to him.

“Evan, wake up quickly!”

At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a little resentment toward the fainted Evan.

“It would probably be better to go ahead and send a servant to bring him.”

Surely Edwin wouldn’t harm Evan, would he?

She couldn’t shake the thought that the chains, while a product of abuse, were at least a minimal protection for them.

It was because, for a seven-year-old, he had such an overwhelming presence that it was hard to believe he was just a child.

“Then, see you tomorrow, Edwin.”

Leaving the same parting words as before, Alice shuffled out of the room.

“Are you feeling okay?”

The next day, instead of greeting him, Alice asked Evan about his condition.

“Yes…”

Evan, understanding the meaning behind her words, gave an awkward smile. His cheeks reddened.

’Gasp.’

Seeing that, Alice sucked in a sharp breath.

Perhaps being a veterinarian’s brother made him naturally modest, and even his shy behavior was completely innocent.

And somehow, that stirred her chest and tugged at her emotions…

’Such a dangerously charming face.’

Alice struggled to suppress the mischievous smile that threatened to creep onto her lips.

“Eat evenly like this, and take frequent walks as well.”

After finishing the examination, Evan put away his medical kit in his bag. She thought he would leave the room as usual, but he spoke up.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“About Evan fainting? It’s okay. People can react like that when startled.”

Alice spoke with a small smile. Evan blushed, recalling the events of yesterday, but his gaze toward her became unusual.

’It feels like he’s looking at someone else.’

In fact, before coming here, she had even thought that showing her Edwin was just a prank to surprise her. But it was clear that wasn’t the case.

“And that person is…”

Edwin Estevan.

Evan knew who was there, but he didn’t mention the name. Alice quickly understood who he meant and spoke up.

“I’m sorry for taking him without a word. But he looked serious, so I wanted him to receive your examination.”

Evan’s face stiffened at her words. Was he dreaming? He even doubted his own ears.

He managed to ask:

“Then, the reason you changed the lock is…”

Alice nodded and replied:

“If it’s okay with Evan, would you like to go to the spire together again today?”

“I’d like to see his condition closely too, but I have to take care of Michael in the afternoons for the time being, so it’ll be difficult.”

“Is there no one else to take care of him?”

“The person who used to look after him has returned to their hometown. Until a replacement is found, I have to continue caring for him.”

Evan looked at her apologetically.

Hmm. Somehow, Alice felt that finding a replacement might be a challenging journey.

Knowing Michael’s finicky nature, she quietly offered him a small, internal comfort.

“You’re not worried he’ll faint again, are you?”

When Alice asked teasingly, Evan’s face turned bright red, like a tomato.

“Ah, no!”

Seeing him blush and deny it, he looked like a seventeen-year-old boy for the first time.

’If you go today as well, apply this medicine.’

Carrying the medicine Evan had given her, Alice arrived at the top floor of the spire again.

She also carried a lunch basket from the cook under the pretense of a picnic, filling both her hands.

Of course, this food was for Edwin.

“Looks delicious…”

Even though she had already eaten lunch, the buttery aroma coming from the basket teased her senses.

It must be the smell of freshly baked croissants.

’…Ah, my mouth waters.’

Should she sneak a bite? No. Better not.

Thinking of Edwin, emaciated to the point his bones were visible, she suppressed the sudden surge of hunger.

’Huff.’

Opening the lock and entering, the foul stench hit her immediately.

Even with a mask on, she doubted she’d ever get used to this odor.

As yesterday, red eyes tracked her persistently.

Alice deliberately ignored them and lit a lamp with a match. She had brought an extra candle, worried that Edwin would be alone in the dark room.

“He still hasn’t eaten…”

The bread she had placed remained hard from the cold air. The ointment was untouched as well.

She set the basket down where she usually did.

“Hello.”

This time, the greeting came more easily than before.

After all, leaving the room quickly would be better for Edwin’s peace of mind, so she didn’t intend to stay long.

“Edwin.”

Even at her call, he remained seated against the wall, watching her silently. Still intimidating, yet for this moment, he seemed content to focus solely on her.

“You’re watching well.”

Sitting in front of him, she rolled up her sleeves and twisted open the lid of the ointment.

Pop! The sound of the lid echoed in the room.

She scooped some ointment onto her fingers and began applying it to his arm.

“Like this.”

She wanted to do it herself, but Edwin, wary like a wild cat, stayed on guard. She couldn’t have someone else do it either.

’I have to do this properly to survive.’

This was strictly a survival strategy. She couldn’t just be a bystander.

“And then you wrap the bandage. To make sure it doesn’t worsen.”

Alice wrapped a bandage over the ointment, clumsily, since it was her first time doing it herself.

“There. This will make your arm as smooth as mine.”

’…It’ll be hard to completely heal due to the curse.’

Perhaps that’s why her actions seemed no different than a street vendor trying to sell medicine.

She carefully placed the ointment and bandage at his feet and quickly stepped back.

Then, without mentioning the curse, she smiled brightly.

“Want to try it now?”

“…”

For a moment, Edwin’s gaze landed on the ointment she placed, then returned to her, focusing on her blue eyes.

Meeting his gaze, Alice unconsciously looked at herself reflected in the lamp.

There was a composed young girl with little resemblance to Karina.

Yet her blue eyes, deeper than the sky and slightly lighter than lapis lazuli, were identical to Karina’s.

And Edwin had been staring intently at her eyes since earlier…

“…”

Clearly, his gaze was not kind.

Alice removed the bandage, rolled her sleeves back down, and stood up.

Her white skirt was now blackened with dirt from sitting on the filthy floor.

“I-I’ll be going now. See you next time, Edwin.”

It was probably better for her to be absent than present here.

She picked up the lamp and set it on the table, lighting one of the extra candles she had brought. The room brightened considerably.

If he was to remain alone, light was definitely better than darkness.

Just as she was about to leave, a small voice reached her ears:

“…No.”