Chapter 79
Chanellica slapped Derwin’s hand away and, as if to make a point, flung aside the edge of his cape that had been draped over her legs.
Rrrrip.
Then she tore off the hem of her own blouse. A clear statement that she had no intention of stopping her bleeding using his clothes.
Chanellica was furious—at Lord, for showing the face of “human Derwin,” and at herself, for wavering at the sight of it even for a moment.
What now? What’s this supposed to be? Some kind of joke?
She tightly wrapped the most heavily bleeding part with the cloth. Rather than properly staunching the bleeding, it looked more like she was just suppressing it so it wouldn’t leak out—like forcibly pressing down emotions that shouldn’t be allowed to escape.
Even as she pressed hard on the wound, she barely felt any pain. All of her awareness was focused solely on the Derwin sitting in front of her.
Chanellica deliberately avoided looking at him. As if the wound was the only thing she could see, she ignored Derwin with absolute perfection. Perhaps that was why—Derwin said nothing the entire time she fumbled together a messy knot.
Once the knot was finally secured, Chanellica stood up. The injured area stung, but she didn’t care. The only thought in her mind was to get away as fast as possible—before the man in front of her was still wearing the face of “human Derwin.”
She limped toward her horse, planning to climb onto it again, when Derwin spoke.
“Why do you think I’m next to you?”
His voice and tone were ice-cold. The feverish tremor in Chanellica’s chest instantly cooled.
Right. That’s who you are, Lord.
“It’s obviously not because you’re planning to treat a wound of this level.”
She snapped sharply.
“I know full well you’re here to protect the hatchling. And you and I both know this level of injury isn’t enough to cause real trouble.”
“Quite something, saying that while bleeding that much.”
Chanellica glanced at the roughly wrapped wound. The cloth was now even redder than before.
“This is nothing compared to what I’ve gone through before. You should’ve come to save me then.”
Her emotional state unstable, her words came out dripping with sarcasm. She didn’t want to hear even a hint of concern. That tone reminded her of human Derwin.
“Where is Sir Wils?”
She changed the subject. She hated being left alone with him like this. But Derwin didn’t answer.
Fine. Ignore me, then.
She made another attempt to mount her horse.
Neigh—
But as she tried to climb up, the horse backed away.
“What’s wrong?”
She approached again, but the horse retreated once more. Just like when she had tried to mount with Eleusis earlier.
Why now, of all times…
She was already in a terrible mood, and now even the horse wouldn’t cooperate. She couldn’t possibly walk on this leg. And asking Derwin for a ride? Absolutely not.
Then I’ll just steal Lord’s horse…
She was just thinking that when something brushed past her head.
Chanellica whipped around. Derwin had moved far away to the edge of the lake. He was tearing another piece from his cape and soaking it in water. Chanellica stared at him.
No way…
Soon, Derwin approached her, gripping the soaked cloth tightly.
“Sit. Let me treat it properly before you go.”
He said it expressionlessly, as if the horse rejecting Chanellica was the most natural thing in the world.
It seemed her suspicion was right. Ignoring him, she strode toward his black horse.
Neigh!
But even that horse shrilled and backed away.
At that point, it was no longer suspicion—it was certainty.
“You’re scaring the horses, aren’t you?”
There was no need to sugarcoat it. She stared straight at the distant-standing Derwin and asked with conviction.
She had no concrete proof, but she was sure she was right.
The horses had refused whenever she tried to ride with Eleusis. But earlier, they had behaved fine—until she tried to leave. Now they rejected her again.
Earlier and now alike—Derwin had been beside her. And he was none other than the Dragon Lord, the strongest of all dragons.
“If Lord puts his mind to it, he can do anything,” Chel had once said. There wasn’t much known about Lord, but if he was that powerful, then controlling animals at will wasn’t far-fetched.
“If I answer, will you let me treat the wound properly?”
After a brief silence, Derwin replied. He started approaching Chanellica, eyes filled with wariness.
“As Lord, I’ll say this: your body hasn’t fully healed yet. If you bleed like this in that state, it could strain your dragon heart. That would make my appearing in the human world as Lord a pointless endeavor.”
His black eyes flashed. Chanellica froze under the sudden pressure. It felt like her entire body had turned to stone.
Is… this Lord’s power?
In that moment, the Lord wearing the face of human Derwin felt like an overwhelmingly colossal being.
“And as your mate, I’ll also say this.”
Before she realized it, Derwin had knelt before her and was untying the sloppy knot she had made.
“One of your dragon hearts is connected to mine. Don’t strain yourself. Remember—it’s not yours alone.”
“……”
“Stay still. Once I’m done treating you, you can move.”
Derwin set her down on the ground. His hands moved efficiently, without any wasted motion. The wound on her leg, now exposed again, continued to pulse blood relentlessly.
Derwin gently wiped the wound with the freshly soaked cape cloth, then pulled a vial of powder from his pocket and sprinkled it over the injury. He tore another strip of fabric and pressed it firmly against the wound.
Chanellica, unable to move or speak, could only watch him silently.
Derwin’s appearance as he focused solely on treating her felt strangely unfamiliar. And the act of receiving treatment… also felt strange. Something warm… a feeling she knew all too well.
Once the bleeding stopped, Chanellica’s body began to move again. The pain in her leg had already lessened.
Derwin climbed onto his black horse as if nothing had happened. Chanellica approached her white horse as well.
“Hah.”
This time, the horse didn’t resist. Chanellica let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Before mounting, she asked Derwin:
“Why did you interrupt me and His Majesty earlier?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Earlier—and now—you’ve been controlling the horses.”
For the horse to suddenly be docile right after treatment? Yeah, right. This is Lord’s doing.
But Derwin replied casually:
“Why would I need to?”
“How should I know? Maybe you didn’t like me riding with another man?”
Derwin approached her, still standing beside the horse.
“You still think I’m the human who lost his memories, don’t you? Hearing you say things like that.”
It was a mocking tone. Humiliation pricked her chest, and she bit her lip.
“Such a naïve hatchling.”
Derwin whispered that into her ear before mounting and riding off. At the same time, Wils came galloping from afar.
“Lady Chanel! There you are! The horse wouldn’t listen, so I went—gasp! What happened to your leg?!”
His frantic voice barely registered in her ears.
Whatever. Doesn’t matter.
Chanellica mounted the white horse. Whether or not the horses acted strange was no longer important. Soon enough, she would stay in the human world, and Lord would no longer be by her side.
No pointless thoughts. I’ll just live happily with His Majesty. What happened today with Lord—I’ll pretend it never happened.
She knew full well that this was avoidance, born from a defensive instinct not to feel more pathetic—or shaken.
But there was no helping it. This was the best she could do for herself.
Her gaze lingered for a long time on Derwin’s black hair ahead of her.
Ten days later, Siret Mountain.
It was the day of the hunting festival. Surrounded by heavy escort, Chanellica shuddered as she rode up the mountain.
The Kingdom of Campton was warm, with long summers and mild winters. Even in autumn, the midday sun usually made it hard to feel cold.
But here in Siret Mountain, likely due to its altitude, it was piercingly frigid. The wind, intensified by riding on horseback, made it even colder. Eleusis had handed her a thick fur coat—something that didn’t match the Campton Kingdom at all—but the biting wind brushing against her face was unavoidable.
The hunting base was located halfway up the mountain. It was a wide clearing, unlike the narrow path they had ascended. Tents were pitched here and there, and attendants who had arrived earlier were busily moving about.
One attendant spotted Chanellica’s arrival and rushed over.
“My lady Chanel. Thank you for braving the climb. You must be cold?”
“I’m fine.”
She said so, but her entire body was feeling the drastic temperature difference from below the mountain.
“Where is His Majesty?”
“He arrived at dawn and set off onto the hunting trail.”
She had known they wouldn’t be able to go together. That was the whole reason she learned to ride horses, after all. But at dawn?
Seeing her puzzled expression, the attendant smiled.
“His Majesty said there is a beast he absolutely must catch today. He likely went deep into the mountain.”
“What kind of beast?”
“You’ll find out later.”
It sounded ominous, but the attendants said it cheerfully.
Chanellica tilted her head and entered the warm tent.
Derwin and Wils stood guard outside, keeping their distance.
“Heh. It seems His Majesty plans to propose today. You know too, right, Sir Derwin?”
Wils whispered quietly—just loud enough for Derwin to hear—grinning like a fool.
“In the royal tradition of Campton, you offer a blue bear when proposing. Since His Majesty went hunting so early, he’ll probably bring one back soon!”
