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chapter 47
Are You Trembling? #2
“At this rate, I’ll probably still look like this when I wake up tomorrow morning.”
I hadn’t even brought sunglasses with me when I came here.
“How am I supposed to go out tomorrow?”
I was supposed to take a look around this place, right?
I stared blankly at my reflection in the mirror, utterly at a loss.
Ice. Yes, I needed ice.
‘If I pull the servant bell right now, can I ask someone to bring ice?’
In the Witch Kingdom, ice could be found anywhere.
But in human towns and cities outside, ice wasn’t something easily obtainable.
‘Isn’t ice a luxury item around here too?’
I grabbed the bell rope hanging near the bed and fell into deep thought.
Should I swallow my pride and pull it to ask for ice?
Or should I just preserve my dignity and stay locked in my room?
“Ughhhhhh!”
I clutched my head and screamed silently.
‘Magic! I want to use magic!’
Grrrgle—
To make matters worse, my stomach started growling.
I honestly felt like rolling on the floor and screaming.
My clueless, empty stomach kept crying out for food,
demanding to be fed.
Realizing I wouldn’t be able to think straight like this,
I decided to sneak out and head for the kitchen.
After all, people had to eat to live, right?
I slowly cracked open the door and quickly scanned the hallway.
Thankfully, there was no one in sight.
“Good…”
Just as I whispered that and opened the door wider, it stopped short —
blocked by something.
‘What’s this? There wasn’t anything here earlier…’
When I peeked out, I saw that a tray was sitting there, blocking the door.
“I didn’t… order anything.”
As I examined the tray with wide eyes, I noticed a small note
tucked under the edge of the lid.
I carefully took it out and read it.
[Make sure to eat your meals. — Rudels]
The neat, firm handwriting was so Rudels-like that I burst out laughing.
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Make sure to eat your meals, huh?
What a kind person.
‘Who even takes care of their subordinate’s meals like this?’
Giggling to myself, I dragged the tray inside.
When I lifted the lid, most of the food was soft and easy to swallow.
“Wow…”
And there was even a chilled drink—with ice!
“That’s… a bit luxurious, isn’t it?”
Still, the ice was perfect for placing over my swollen eyes.
There were plenty of spare towels in the room;
I could wrap some ice up and press it against my eyes—
by morning, the swelling should go down nicely.
I sat at the small tea table and began setting out the food.
“Bon appétit.”
Even though I was eating alone,
it somehow felt like I had company,
and I enjoyed the meal cheerfully.
Rudels, who had been watching Iriel drag the tray inside,
finally turned to leave.
‘She cried a lot, so I chose food that’s easy to swallow.’
Still, he worried whether she’d eat it all.
He glanced one last time toward her room,
but duty called, and he reluctantly turned away.
“Ah…”
And then—he ran into the last person he wanted to meet.
“Lord Iffin, isn’t it?”
The one known as the most aristocratic beastman—
Akin Radiance.
Rudels regarded him with a blank face and offered a slight bow.
“Ah, you’re the heir of the Radiance family.
You’re here as your family’s representative, I hear?”
“Indeed.
Funny we keep running into each other, isn’t it?”
Akin spoke with a pleasant smile.
Rudels nearly frowned at that expression.
Though both were sons of ducal houses and naturally compared to one another,
there was something about Akin that unsettled Rudels—
a slimy, creeping unease that crawled over his skin.
Maintaining a polite smile, Rudels asked:
“By the way, what brings Lord Radiance here?”
Akin’s lips curved as he replied.
“I wished to deliver a little something to the lady I met in the maze.”
He lifted the bouquet of flowers in his hands.
Rudels’ eyes narrowed slightly.
“Then please, give them to me.
I’ll make sure she receives them.”
Akin’s smile widened mischievously.
“I believe delivering them personally carries more meaning.”
“Whether delivered directly or indirectly,
it’s the sentiment that matters, isn’t it?
Now that I think about it…
you don’t seem to be delivering these out of pure sentiment, do you?”
The two smiled at each other—
smiles sharp enough to cut glass.
Akin was the first to break the silence, his tone silky.
“Lord Iffin, you really have no sense of romance.
You guard her like a fortress.”
“I simply don’t wish to indulge someone
who doesn’t even know common decency—
touching what isn’t his.”
“Harsh words.
To call me indecent—really, my lord.”
Akin stepped closer, eyes glinting.
“But in our world, isn’t it the lady who holds the right to choose?”
Rudels merely looked down at him silently.
Unlike ordinary lion beastmen,
Akin Radiance possessed a cunning darkness
that twisted every word he spoke.
Each line he uttered was technically correct—
and yet each one corroded the air like poison.
‘Damn lion bastard.’
Rudels forced himself to keep his expression neutral.
Seeing no reaction, Akin’s amusement faded,
and he took a small step back.
“Anyway, now may not be the best time to visit Lady Iriel.”
He shrugged casually.
“I’ll have to postpone our meeting, then.”
With his usual polite smile, he offered a parting nod.
“Until next time, Lord Iffin.”
He turned and began to walk away.
“Ah, right.”
Stopping mid-step, Akin looked back over his shoulder.
“I’ve come to realize something about you, my lord.
You’re quite… open-minded.”
Rudels’ hand twitched at that.
Akin smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“After all, it’s rare for someone to hire a non-beastwoman
as their healer.
I can’t help but wonder what makes that lady so… special.”
Leaving those words hanging, Akin disappeared down the hall.
Rudels stood staring after him,
a spark of fury burning in his eyes.
He clenched and unclenched his fists,
breathing harshly—his pulse thundering.
He could feel his instincts surging,
threatening to drag him into his wolf form.
‘Calm down, Rudels Iffin.’
‘Don’t forget why you’re here.’
He bit his lip.
‘Don’t let that lion’s words make you forget
the person you need to protect.’
Yes—
the person he needed to protect.
Though the circumstances were tangled in lies and half-truths,
he had brought her here only because
it was the safest place for her.
Rudels had to accomplish both his king’s command
and his own mission.
“My lord.”
A voice came from behind—Lucel’s.
“What is it?”
Rudels didn’t turn around.
Lucel swallowed hard, feeling the tension radiating from him.
“His Majesty wishes to see you.”
Suppressing the killing aura that had begun to leak from him,
Rudels finally turned his head.
“Very well. I’ll go at once.”
“Phew. All done.”
I patted my full stomach,
moving the empty dishes back onto the tray.
I hadn’t expected such light food to be so filling.
“It’s a bit too luxurious, though.”
But it had tasted too good to refuse.
‘And it’d be rude to reject something made with such care, right?’
I smiled at the thought and gathered the leftover ice
from my drink onto a towel.
Wrapping it up tightly, I pressed it against my swollen eyes.
“Ahh… so cold.”
Even so, I didn’t remove it.
The cold would help the swelling go down faster.
After pulling the bell to have the tray taken away,
I washed up and flopped down onto the bed.
“Weird… I didn’t even do much, but I’m exhausted.”
Maybe it was the tension from earlier,
or the drain from the treatment,
or maybe just crying so much—
my body felt heavy and sluggish.
The clock beside my bed read 7 o’clock.
It was a little early to sleep,
but my eyelids drooped,
and I let out a soft yawn.
‘Still, I couldn’t find any trace of magic in the backyard.’
Even when I stretched my senses to their limit,
there had been no magic energy,
no magical beings,
no enchanted objects among the servants or nobles I’d met.
‘But… don’t beastmen usually have magic items?’
That fleeting thought faded as my consciousness drifted away.
“I’ll… think about it… later…”
Murmuring to myself, I closed my eyes.
The ice had already melted,
soaking into the towel—
and the towel, damp and heavy,
rested in a small dish beside me.
