CHAPTER 14…………………………

Perhaps he had just bathed—warm steam seemed to rise from the Hero’s body as he stepped closer. Yet unlike that warmth, his expression as he looked down at the blood on his palm was cold.

Even though his gaze wasn’t directed at her, Xenia’s body tensed instantly. When the sound of her swallowing echoed louder than expected, the Hero looked back at her.

The dark shadow cast over his blue eyes wasn’t just because they were standing so close. As if making an excuse, Xenia hurriedly spoke:

“It’s not my blo—”

“Whose is it?”

The question came out at the same time.

His cold, frozen gaze swept over her face, carefully checking for any other injuries. Then, as if demanding an answer, he tapped the corner of her lips with his index finger.

It was a gentle gesture—so light she could barely tell if he had actually touched her—but strangely, she couldn’t resist it.

Still dazed, Xenia answered:

“It’s not my blood. It got on me from Marquis Lerazier… he was protecting me…”

The Hero’s stiff expression showed no sign of softening. He grabbed her face and rubbed her cheek a little more firmly.

The dried blood slowly softened under the moisture on his hand, but his fingertips were rough enough to sting.

“You’ve got something filthy on you.”

There was a seething disgust in the way he said “filthy.” Not knowing how to respond, Xenia pressed her lips into a straight line.

She tried to process the situation, though it didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped.

After rubbing her face a few more times, apparently dissatisfied, the Hero looked around. Noticing his gaze briefly drop downward, Xenia quickly grabbed his wrist.

‘Are you crazy?’

That snapped her back to her senses. No matter how out of it she’d been, this was too much.

The Hero shook his hand as if telling her to let go. Xenia tightened her grip.

“Xenia, you need to clean your face.”

As if she didn’t know that. Did he really not understand what the issue was?

A surge of irritation rose—but thanks to that, she realized just how unusual this situation was.

‘He’s talking!’

Not just calling her name—he was speaking. Like the first time he had said her name, it was sudden, but now they were actually exchanging words, even if only briefly.

Xenia steadied her unfocused gaze and looked at him.

“You spoke?”

The Hero lowered his eyes to meet hers. Water dripped from his blond hair, running down his face.

Following the trail of droplets, Xenia’s gaze dropped to his lips, darker in color than usual.

“Will you keep talking from now on?”

Right on schedule, Lerazier called an end to the work. Xenia had thought he might keep Beris around all night, nitpicking endlessly, but surprisingly, it wrapped up cleanly.

At just the right time, a carriage from Duke Gremory’s estate arrived, allowing them to part even sooner.

It was then that Viscount Vine, who had been about to board the carriage with Count Beris, approached Xenia.

“Viscount?”

His sharp eyes—dark green like a swamp rather than a sunlit forest—looked down at her.

“Does it have to be you?”

Though abrupt, Xenia understood why he had come and replied with a faint smile.

“Because His Majesty ordered it.”

Clicking his tongue, unable to hide his displeasure, Vine said:

“What exactly is His Majesty thinking, sending someone like you who can’t even protect herself?”

That was exactly what Xenia herself wanted to ask.

“I honestly don’t know either.”

She meant it sincerely, but it must have sounded too carefree. Frowning as if to say she didn’t realize how close she had come to dying, Vine ran a rough hand through his short green hair.

“Stop getting in the way and being a nuisance. Just stick close to Lerazier like you did today.”

Despite his tone, his eyes, as they glanced at her cheek, were filled with concern. Today’s events clearly bothered him.

Xenia nodded obediently.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Viscount.”

“When did I ever—!”

“Viscount?”

Flustered, his face turning red as he raised his voice, Vine was interrupted by a retainer from the Gremory household calling him. With a long sigh, he left.

Once the two demons departed in the duke’s carriage, Lerazier approached her.

“Lord Lerazier.”

Wearing his usual smooth smile, he spoke in a cheerful, almost sing-song voice:

“As expected, moonlight suits you well. Your pale face seems to glow.”

“Thank you.”

Even as she expressed her gratitude, Xenia wondered how much longer she would be kept with him. But unexpectedly, Lerazier didn’t linger and instead said his goodbye.

“You must be quite tired today, so though it’s a pity, I’ll be going now.”

Xenia didn’t bother with polite refusal and quickly bowed her head.

“Thank you for today.”

She didn’t ignore the help she had received. At that, Lerazier waved it off.

“No need for thanks… rather, it was an honor to see a new side of you.”

With a gentle smile in his gray eyes, he added:

“I do hope I’ll get to see that beautiful side of you again someday.”

“If the opportunity arises, I’d be glad to, Lord Lerazier.”

But even after he left, Xenia couldn’t return to her room right away. The servants surrounded her, their expressions mixed with sympathy and curiosity.

“There was a fight today—were you caught up in it?”

“I heard you were covered in blood?”

“Maybe it’s best to stay away from the basement for a while?”

Xenia chose her words carefully.

“I was caught up in it, but I wasn’t hurt. And yes—it’s best to avoid the basement.”

After briefly answering their questions, she slipped back to her room before more could gather.

As always, her eyes met the Hero sitting on the bed.

Naturally, the question she had asked him earlier came to mind—and his reaction afterward.

‘…’

It was clear that the Hero, who had spoken with such disgust when he said “filthy,” hated demons intensely. But then why wasn’t he defeating the Demon King immediately—or leaving the castle?

Could there be some plan she didn’t know about?

Xenia recalled how he had suddenly called her name after she started working, how he smiled at her as if being friendly.

‘He wants something from me.’

If she thought of it that way, all of his behavior made sense. He needed her help to carry out his plan. That’s why he was trying to win her favor like this.

Even without acting this way, if he asked, she would do her best to help him.

It was all just her speculation—but thinking that way made her feel at ease.

No matter his condition, he was still the Hero, and he would save her.

All Xenia had to do was keep watching him as if she knew nothing—and help him when he wanted.

So what if he didn’t speak? So what if he hid things? As long as he defeated the Demon King, that was enough for her.

Looking at the Hero blinking at her, Xenia smiled.

“I’m back.”

The next morning.

Once suspicion took root, everything the Hero did seemed to carry a different meaning.

The way he stared at her while calmly accepting her touch… the way he smiled brightly yet seemed to hide something behind it…

Still, Xenia acted as if she noticed nothing and continued attending to him—preparing his meals, setting times for bathing, choosing his clothes, and fixing his appearance.

“That should do.”

Before leaving, she dressed him in muted, colorless clothing so he wouldn’t stand out if he left the room while she was gone.

Though, with that radiant face, people would notice him anyway. But he had lived his whole life with that face.

‘He’ll figure out how to hide it.’

If there were a better way to conceal it, she wouldn’t have needed to choose dark clothing—but this was just her own way of feeling like she was helping him.

Before leaving the room, she repeated the same precautions as the day before.

“I’ll be in the underground storage again today. With Lord Lerazier.”

In other words: avoid that place if you’re going to move around—Lerazier knows your face.

“There are a lot of dangerous items down there. With three nobles around, it should be fine—but…”

Meaning: it’s actually a terrible idea.

“…It might get noisy like yesterday. Count Beris and Viscount Vine fight often, and it seems Lord Lerazier and Count Beris don’t get along either.”

She even explained the relationships between the nobles.

“So don’t be too startled if you hear loud noises. When fights break out, even the servants gather around pretending not to—it gets even louder.”

And she didn’t forget to emphasize: if you’re going to move, use that chaos.

After speaking, Xenia briefly wondered if she had sounded suspicious—but then nodded to herself in satisfaction.

It had been a bit long-winded, but considering his behavior yesterday, acting slightly differently today was understandable.

The Hero simply smiled brightly and nodded. Maybe it was her imagination, but his smile seemed a little deeper than the day before.