Shioana trembled all over for a moment, but she tried hard not to show it.
“What’s going on?”
The man said something in Siamese, but there was no way they could understand each other. However, judging by his sinister smile and gleaming eyes, she could tell he had bad intentions.
Shioana first shouted loudly to ask for help from those around her.
"Help!"
However, because of the festival, instruments were being played, and firecrackers were being set off here and there, so her voice ended up being drowned out.
Just then, a man grabbed Shioana by the arm and dragged her into a not-too-distant alley. As they entered the narrow alley where almost no light entered, Shioana put on earrings and a necklace.
"If you want this, I'll give you everything."
Since they couldn't communicate verbally, she conveyed her earnest feelings through her eyes.
"If you just let me go, I will never blame you."
However, the assailant showed little interest in the jewel she offered. At that moment, Shioana recalled the self-defense technique Raul had taught her a long time ago.
Since she lived in such a rough neighborhood, every day on her way home, drunkards and men were hitting on her everywhere. That is why Raul said she absolutely had to learn at least one self-defense skill.
As she retrace my steps, the assailant reached out his arm to hug Shioana.
"..."
Shioana quickly ducked to avoid his arm, then headbutted the assailant's jaw with all her might.
“Ahh!”
The man, startled by Shioana's sudden counterattack, rolled on the floor.
And as she was about to run away immediately, the fallen assailant grabbed Shioana's ankle.
“Let go of this!”
She tried to shake her foot to get away, but it was difficult to withstand the man's physical strength.
She tried her best not to cry, but before she knew it, Shioana's face was soaked with tears.
"Etienne! Etienne!"
And she shouted the single name that came to mind with all jer might.
Suddenly, someone embraced Shioana. She knew who it was without even checking the face. Her fear vanished in an instant at the familiar body temperature and scent.
Holding Shioana tightly in his arms, Etienne stomped on the back of the assailant's hand and stabbed him several times in the shoulder with a dagger he took from his bosom.
“Ugh."
The man let out a short scream and slumped limply. As the startled Shioana trembled, Etienne covered her eyes.
"You just fainted. Let's go."
Etienne lifted Shioana up high and walked out of the alley.
"Shioana, you were really surprised, weren't you?"
"That person suddenly appeared..."
Etienne lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
“Everything is okay now.”
"Etienne, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine, Shioana. I should have come with you, even if I had to carry you on my back. It's my fault for leaving you alone."
At Etienne's self-reproach, Shioana stroked his cheek with trembling hands.
"The bad guy is at fault."
"Right. You're absolutely right."
Shioana hugged his neck tightly, and they were able to reach the carriage in no time.
Simon, seeing that the two were disheveled, came running in a panic.
"What happened?"
"I just hurt my foot a little because I fell."
"Please get on the carriage."
Simon hurriedly opened the carriage door.
The roofless ox-drawn carriage began to move slowly, and Shioana and Etienne arrived safely at their lodging.
Etienne sat Shioana on the bed and checked her wounds first.
"Etienne, I'm fine."
He disinfected the wound with clean water and dried it. Then, he sprinkled powder medicine and wrapped it tightly with a bandage.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"... Yes."
Etienne, who had slumped onto the floor and was leaning against Shioana's leg, remained silent for a long time.
"Etienne, I'm not in pain at all."
She was so startled by the appearance of the assailant earlier that she didn't even remember that her foot was injured.
When Etienne still didn't respond, Shioana also got out of bed.
"Etienne, look at me."
Realizing that his body was on fire, Shioana hurriedly removed his cloak, jacket, and vest one by one.
"Why are you running such a fever?"
She spoke in a worried voice as she watched Etienne sweating profusely.
"Shioana, I'm fine."
Etienne's face was pale as he spoke in a cracked voice, looking as if he were about to collapse.
The moment Etienne realized that Shioana had disappeared earlier, his mind went completely blank.
Even though he knew it wasn't true, he thought that Shioana might have abandoned him.
Consumed by terrible self-loathing, Etienne wandered around.
He couldn't even breathe until he heard Shioana's voice calling his name from afar.
And now Siona was by his side.
"I'm sorry, Shioana."
Etienne, holding her tightly, trembled slightly.
“What are you sorry about?”
"I'm just sorry for everything."
Etienne, speaking in a tearful voice, burrowed even deeper into Shioana's embrace.
"You came to save me. Besides, I even got a punch off of that guy. A bad guy like that can't do anything to us."
"Yeah, you've always been very brave."
However, Etienne's voice still trembled, and his body was only hot.
“Why are you anxious again?”
In response to Shioana's worried question, Etienne merely buried his lips in the nape of her neck.
"..."
Shioana gently brushed back Etienne's sweat-soaked bangs.
She knew that he occasionally suffered from severe anxiety. Etienne suffered from a mental illness due to the grief of their separation and the poisoning of his family.
Shioana, holding him tightly, whispered.
"Etienne, look at me."
As Etienne raised his head, Shioana opened her mouth, her blue eyes shining.
“I am here.”
She took Etienne's hand and had him touch her cheek, neck, shoulder, and hand in turn.
"I will never leave you again. Even if you say you hate me, I won't go. Never."
Only then did Etienne feel his stiff body loosen up after hearing Shioana's promise.
"There's no way that could be true, Miss."
It was he who first fell for Shioana, and she was Etienne's first and only love.
"You only call me 'Miss' at times like this. How petty."
As she spoke playfully, Etienne's gaze deepened. Noticing the warmth in his eyes, Shioana appeared slightly flustered.
"Etienne, I heard Simon prepared a bath with flower petals. Why don't you take a bath?"
Etienne simply nodded at Shioana's efforts to get out of the situation.
Shioana used the bathroom inside the room, and Etienne decided to wash in the bathroom attached outside.
Shioana let out a deep sigh after taking off her traditional dress. It was a truly beautiful dress, but the wind was so tight that it was incredibly difficult to breathe.
Shioana, who had lightly washed her body with water outside, entered the bathtub filled with flower petals.
"This is the flower Etienne gave me."
Shioana, who had been lightly splashing the water in the bathtub filled with fragrant plumerias, leaned back quietly.
Thinking about the assailant from earlier still made her feel unpleasant and disgusted.
"I tell you, there are bad guys like that everywhere you go."
Shioana, who had been muttering to herself, punched the water several times. She pretended to be fine, but if Etienne hadn't saved her, something terrible would have happened.
Just then, the bathroom door opened. It seemed like an employee who assists with bathing had entered.
"Could you help me wash my hair?"
Thinking that the other person might not be able to speak Urcheka, Shioana pointed to her head with her hand.
The maid silently took a seat behind the bathtub and poured lukewarm water over the hair. Then, she applied perfumed oil and gently stroked the hair.
“Ah. It’s cool.”
Perhaps because she was quite tired today, Shioana let out a small sound without realizing it.
As the employee who had sprinkled water again stood up, Shioana signaled that it was done.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel much better."
However, even with her words, the shadow covering Shioana did not lift.
"...?"
Shioana opened her eyes with a puzzled feeling, and she could see an unexpected face.
“Why you?”
It was not an employee, but Etienne, who had taken off his shirt, attending to the bath.
"I came to help with the bath."
"Hey, hurry up and get out."
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment