Chapter 14
Finally, it seemed the bleeding had stopped, because Lumi released the hand that had been pinching his nose. It had taken roughly seven minutes for the bleeding to cease.
That meant… if we ever found ourselves in a situation where he couldn’t leave, he’d have to endure the smell of blood and suppress his instincts for seven whole minutes.
“Haah…”
A sigh slipped out of me.
As long as we were trapped in this fortress, I was bound to run into him again and again. But if he started bleeding at random times, it would really be troublesome.
Just then, I spotted Lumi, who had been sitting by the well, getting up in the distance.
When I saw him heading toward the fortress, I quickly left my room and went out to meet him alone. As soon as he stepped inside, I approached and subtly caught his scent.
It seemed he had thoroughly washed off the blood—there was no smell left.
“Are you alright?”
Lumi gave a small nod.
“I heard His Highness often gets nosebleeds.”
I needed to learn everything—how often, why, and under what circumstances.
“Yes. It happens sometimes when I’m tired.”
“When you’re tired?”
“I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days.”
Now that I thought about it, he had spent several nights perched in a tree to avoid zombies—no wonder he hadn’t slept properly. His explanation gave me a glimmer of hope, and I asked with an almost desperate tone:
“Then… if you just sleep well, you’ll be fine?”
Please, please say yes.
And then, he nodded.
When he did, I almost wanted to grab his hand and thank him right there.
So it was just a matter of making sure he slept properly! If he could rest well, there wouldn’t be a problem at all!
“You should go get some sleep right away. You must be exhausted.”
I nudged him gently toward his room. Then I wet a towel and went to knock on his door.
“Lumi, can I come in for a second?”
“Yes.”
“No, don’t get up.”
I stopped him as he started to rise from the bed and hung the damp towel over a chair.
“It’s not good if the air’s too dry.”
“…Thank you.”
“Do you usually sleep well? I mean—are you sensitive to things like light or noise?”
Sunlight was pouring into the room through the uncovered window. Not exactly ideal for a good rest.
When I pointed toward the bright window, Lumi only nodded as if to say it didn’t bother him.
Still…
He might say he was fine, but I could tell this room needed curtains. At the very least, I’d feel better giving him a sleep mask or something.
“Well then, you must be tired from the trip here. Rest as much as you can.”
I left his room and went to find Lillia. With her help, I got a needle and thread and was about to return to my own room when—
“Penelope.”
Idorian caught me by the arm—right in front of Lumi’s door, of all places.
The walls weren’t exactly soundproof, so I worried Lumi might wake up if we made noise.
“I told you I’d bring something to wipe with,” he said.
“Oh, I ran into Lumi on the way out,” I replied quickly.
“…Lumi, huh? Seems the two of you are already calling each other by name.”
Now that he mentioned it, it was strange. Penelope Lloyd was a noblewoman, and Lumi was a commoner. The real Penelope Lloyd would never have permitted such familiarity—especially with someone she’d only met a day ago.
“Then… may I call you Penelope?”
Maybe I had just forgotten myself for a moment, but what kind of commoner spoke so casually to a noble?
“You can call me Lumi, too.”
Was that just his nature? Or did the collapse of the world make him think social rules no longer mattered? He’d done it so naturally I hadn’t even realized how odd it was.
…And now, because of that, I was getting another one of Idorian’s suspicious looks.
He must have been wondering what made Penelope—who normally wouldn’t even associate with commoners—allow Lumi to call her by name. It wasn’t mere curiosity in his eyes, but suspicion.
“…Lumi suggested it,” I explained quickly. “He seems to be a close friend of His Highness, anyway.”
I rushed to explain before his suspicion grew.
It must have sounded plausible enough, because he simply studied me quietly for a moment before changing the subject.
“Why were you washing dishes?”
Not exactly a favorable topic for me either.
“…Lillia hurt her hand,” I said.
And of course, that meant he’d soon bring up the matter of her injury and the blood all over again.
“We’ll talk about this when we get back.”
He’d warned me sternly before dropping the issue—so I had thought I was in the clear. But now I’d gone and reminded him myself.
I couldn’t think of a good excuse this time. Why would Penelope Lloyd ever volunteer to do the dishes?
‘We shouldn’t make noise here,’ I thought anxiously.
So instead, I bowed my head as if in remorse.
“That blood before—it was only because I wasn’t feeling well, so I asked Lillia for help. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Then, repeating what Lillia had said when she defended me before the Duke, I added:
“I didn’t mean to hurt Lillia Swiddy on purpose.”
“……”
“Next time, I’ll handle any dangerous tasks myself.”
When I glanced up at him, he was staring at me for a long moment before his gaze finally dropped.
Once his eyes lowered, they didn’t rise again.
When Penelope had brought him Lillia’s blood—
Of course, Idorian had thought. She hasn’t changed.
Penelope Lloyd, the woman who despised dirt beneath her feet yet could be so cruel to others.
He could guess how she’d ended up holding Lillia’s blood.
What kind of expression had she worn then? Not the slightest hint of guilt. As if it were only natural.
Well, perhaps it was only natural to dislike pain, or to be afraid of bleeding. Idorian had never wanted her to do such a thing anyway.
But if the blood was Lillia’s, then Lillia should have been the one to give it. Penelope should never have taken it from her.
Even though Lillia insisted it hadn’t been forced, Idorian hadn’t believed it. If Penelope had truly wanted Lillia to give it herself, she would have let her.
Still, after hearing Lillia’s explanation, Idorian decided not to press the matter any further. Lillia had said she was fine, after all.
Besides, thanks to the method Penelope had taught them, they’d managed to return safely.
He had even intended to thank her for that.
But Penelope never once showed her face.
…As if she hadn’t been worried at all.
And yet, not long after, she’d come to him—her eyes trembling with tears—fretfully saying Lumi was bleeding.
He had assumed the situation was dire from how panicked she was… but it turned out to be nothing serious.
She had begged him to come along—and then hadn’t even shown up herself. The most shocking part, though, was finding her washing dishes.
Idorian felt a headache coming on.
What on earth was Penelope Lloyd doing?
Nothing about her matched who she used to be. She had once been such an easy person to read—her thoughts, her feelings, everything was visible.
But now, he couldn’t read her at all.
“Why were you washing dishes?”
He’d finally asked her, realizing he’d get no answers by wondering alone.
Her pupils had trembled slightly before she lowered her head.
“Lillia hurt her hand.”
Her voice was small, subdued.
“I wasn’t feeling well, so I asked Lillia for help. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Her lashes fluttered weakly as she murmured the words, looking as if she might cry at any moment.
Idorian found he couldn’t look her in the eyes.
The proud, imperious Penelope Lloyd—
was now speaking as if she had given up everything, as if even her pride had been stripped away.
He didn’t know what to say.
That proud woman… was watching his reaction.
He had to admit it—Penelope Lloyd had changed. And the one who had driven her to this point… was likely himself.
That had never been his intention.
But it seemed his words and actions had come across as favoritism—an unfairness that had pushed her away.
“Penelope, I didn’t mean you should be the one to get hurt. I just…”
“Yes, I understand.”
But his attempt at an explanation ended there.
Her expression said she didn’t care anymore. She clearly wanted the conversation to be over.
And in the face of that, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
