TWLW 12

chapter 12

He said that as he gently took my hand.

Then, bringing my hand toward him, he lightly pressed his lips to the back of my hand.

My face immediately flushed red.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank, and I couldn’t say a word.

But my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest.

‘What…? What is this? Why… why a kiss on the hand…?’

Rudels didn’t lift his lips from my hand for a while, only slightly raising his head to meet my eyes.

Seeing the blue eyes hidden behind his silver hair made me feel like I couldn’t even breathe.

And a strange sensation spread through me, making my whole body warm with heat.

He noticed my eyes trembling and my inability to focus, and with a teasing expression, he slowly drew his lips away, arching his eyebrows like a bow.

No, wait—why the lips…? And why on the back of my hand…? And why so slowly…? It’s making me feel weird.

I just stared blankly at the back of my hand. Rudels nonchalantly licked his lips and said,

“This is a matter of etiquette. A gentleman should do this for a lady.”

‘No… sir, this seems way too forward. Is this really proper etiquette?’

I looked at him with distrust. He shrugged as if to say, “Believe it or not,” then took my hand and lightly guided me forward.

I stumbled awkwardly as I followed.

He skillfully steadied me by holding my waist with one hand while lifting the other hand that held mine, keeping me balanced.

I looked at him with a startled expression. He looked down at me calmly and smiled.

“Now, we should go take care of the patients. Looks like we’ve been a bit delayed. Let’s hurry.”

He checked his wristwatch and smiled at me.

It had been a moment that left me completely dazed. I was so drained that I couldn’t even speak; I just nodded absentmindedly and stared straight ahead. And so we began walking side by side.

Our employer isn’t slacking on purpose, right?

I fretted silently, worried over the delay. Honestly, the delay was due to a minor commotion, not intentional.

I glanced at Rudels, the cause of the commotion, and muttered to myself.

I instinctively bit my lower lip, recalling the embarrassing incident.

‘Ugh, I shouldn’t think about that anymore!’

Feeling too embarrassed to look at him, I kept my gaze forward. Seeing his face again would just remind me of earlier and make it impossible to focus.

We walked down a long corridor and came to a large wooden door that looked like a main entrance.

Carved into the door was an intricate wolf howling—perhaps an ancestor of the Ipin family.

Before opening it, Rudels said playfully,

“How does it feel to be examining the Ipin family for the first time?”

“I’m extremely nervous.”

My heart was pounding so violently I felt like it might leap out of my chest as I anxiously stared at the door.

Rudels looked at me steadily and asked,

“Were you this nervous when I treated you?”

“Of course,” I replied.

He chuckled, flashing a charming, flirtatious smile.

“So even though you were so nervous, you still saved the patient?”

“You can’t let hesitation show in front of a patient, no matter how nervous you are.”

I gave him a look that said, Isn’t that obvious?

Hearing the answer he wanted, he smiled, showing his teeth.

“Then I suppose you’ll succeed this time as well?”

“…It’s just a health checkup.”

“But through this checkup, we might discover illnesses that haven’t shown up yet.”

Rudels’ smooth talk was impressive enough to rival the most famous flirt in the continent.

His teasing relaxed my tension, and I let out a soft laugh. He saw this and opened the door with both hands.

“Mother, I’ve brought the therapist.”

The door opened with bright light, revealing Rudels’ family members gradually.

As the large door swung open, a room filled with plants came into view.

Inside were two elegant women and a dog chewing on a doll.

One was Rudels’ mother, Grand Duchess Penelope, whom I had met earlier during tea time, and the other was surely Rudels’ younger sister, Merina Ipin.

Penelope was wearing different clothes than earlier. Instead of the soft pastel outfit, she now wore a refined ensemble of white and deep blue, fitting her status as Grand Duchess.

She set down her teacup and turned her head toward the sound. I bowed to her, and she lightly nodded in recognition.

I felt deeply moved that at least one person here acknowledged me.

It made sense—beings like the beastfolk despise witches more than mosquitoes flying on a midsummer night!

I smiled brightly at her.

Then a voice came from the other side:

“Oh?”

I turned toward the eyes that had been staring at me sharply.

A confident-looking woman with her hair tied back was watching me with interest, resting her chin on her hand, and another figure…

Though not human, seemed to be a beastfolk.

A small white dog under the chair lifted its head, ears back, growling at me with hostile eyes, belly flat on the floor.

Though adorable, the stuffing between its teeth revealed it was unmistakably a wolf.

‘Right, right. It’s normal for witches to receive hostile stares like this.’

Even though I had prepared myself, seeing such direct hostility made my eyes sting.

The woman staring at me with interest was surely Merina, Rudels’ younger sister.

Her long hair tied back emphasized her confident and refreshing appearance. From her unrestrained manner, she seemed bold and spirited. And judging by her uniform and sword, she had likely just returned from work—it was a bit intimidating.

“Arururung.”

I glanced at Merina, and the white dog under her chair bared its teeth and growled continuously.

It seemed uncomfortable because I had invaded its territory, but the pink nose flaring suggested there might be more to it—perhaps sensing my magical aura.

In this space mixed with curiosity, hostility, and intrigue, I felt both pressure and survival instinct stirring within me.

If I made a mistake here, I imagined that dog could easily lunge and bite. Of course, Rudels promised to protect me for now, but who knows?

I forced a smile and greeted them again.

“I’m Iriel Lottis, the newly appointed magical therapist.”

“Oh my, a new magical therapist…”

She emphasized the word magical and scrutinized me.

Her sharp black eyes, different from Rudels’, scanned me up and down, almost suffocating me.

Rudels lowered his voice and warned his sister,

“Merina.”

“Don’t be so sensitive, brother. I was just curious.”

She gave a refined chuckle and calmly sipped her tea. Despite this, her gaze remained on me, leaving me uneasy.

The Grand Duchess clapped her hands to lighten the mood:

“Now, shall we begin the health checkups? Merina, look after your brother. Lewis will chew up all the furniture if left alone.”

“Oh mother, really. He’s just teething, that’s why he’s doing this.”

Merina scowled, picked up her brother in dog form, and placed him on her lap. Lewis growled, either upset about being forced or just in a bad mood.

Merina patted his head and said,

“Lewis, be a good boy, okay?”

Her tone was gentle, but it carried the weight of a command. The dog quieted down, tail lowered.

‘Beastfolk really have a clear sense of hierarchy.’

Merina smiled charmingly at me.

“So, therapist, who will we start examining first?”

Wow. That amazing sister just called me “unnie” (older sister)? Is she younger than me?

Flustered, I stammered,

“Uh… I… I thought we’d start with those recently exposed to magic. Among you here, has anyone been exposed recently…”

“In that case, I suppose it should be me, the recently injured one, Iriel.”

Rudels interrupted, bringing his face close to mine.

I blinked several times and stepped back slightly.

The reactions around varied:

“Hoho.”
“Is she crazy?”
“Woof! Woof!”