BID Chapter 115

Zachary pressed his body closer to mine.

He lowered his eyes and took another sip of wine from where my lips had touched, then raised his head. His moist lips captivated my gaze in a strange way.

“…”

The two of us, wet bodies huddled together on one side of the greenhouse floor, despite the ample space available.

In the darkness deepened by the rain, this situation of sharing a single cup to wet our lips felt strangely tingling.

Above all, the dark blue eyes that kept staring at me made me feel awkward, so I lowered my gaze slightly.

“When I was young,” Zachary’s low, subdued voice cut through the silence.

“I couldn’t even properly catch a single bug.”

…You?

I unconsciously opened my eyes wide. I couldn’t imagine his childhood where he couldn’t even catch bugs.

It was probably because my memories of the original work were so vivid. Although Zachary now shows a compliant attitude towards me, in the original work, he was a disastrous, destructive character. How could I forget him brutally massacring anyone in front of him as if killing bugs? Those blood-soaked scenes were still clear in my mind.

“Are you surprised?”

“It’s unexpected…”

I unintentionally showed my reaction due to those thoughts. To think that someone who could easily kill people couldn’t catch a single bug. It was so unexpected that a bewildered expression must have leaked out. I quickly composed my expression and looked at him casually. Finding it amusing himself, Zachary chuckled.

“I was even afraid of ants. Worried they might bite me.”

The more I heard, the rounder my eyes became.

He certainly didn’t look like he was lying. Well, who would bother to make up such a lie?

‘This is the first time I’ve heard this story.’

I always thought that Zachary’s memories might have returned to some extent, but this was the first time he had brought up stories from his past. We tended to bury stories from before he was kidnapped to Serpentine House.

Experiencing this situation for the first time, I didn’t know how to react. Zachary continued speaking calmly.

“Everyone always made fun of me. They all said I was pathetic for being afraid of mere bugs.”

I didn’t know how to react at all, so I couldn’t say anything. Zachary, who had taken his eyes off me, slowly looked ahead. At the end of his gaze was the burning candlestick.

“So… I often wonder if that’s why I did that back then.”

What could he have done back then?

Occasionally, Zachary’s gaze would linger on family portraits or the word ‘family’ in books. When I saw that, I thought there might be a story I didn’t know.

Most of the original content focused on the female protagonist after Zachary’s rampage, so I didn’t know the detailed past.

“…I see.”

But one thing was certain. That Zachary willingly showed me his past to comfort me. And that I disliked seeing Zachary’s sad face.

“That’s nothing.”

I reached out and grasped Zachary’s wrist. I rubbed his cold hand as if to melt it with the warmth of my hand, heated by the warm glass. Zachary’s gaze rested on my hand placed on the back of his.

“I’ll catch them for you.”

Drip, drip. Candle wax melted quickly, piling up at the base of the candlestick.

I spoke seriously.

“I’m less afraid of bugs.”

It’s true. Of course, creepy ones are a bit much, but I’ve studied curses from the start. I’ve encountered quite a few grotesque ingredients, and insects in particular are often used in curses.

Disliking something and not being able to do it are different. There was nothing I couldn’t do for Zachary. People can be afraid of bugs, why make fun of that?

Zachary chuckled at my serious response.

“Ha.”

It was a laugh that escaped between his teeth, as if in disbelief. But it was different from before. The lonely and sad profile disappeared, and vitality returned. Perhaps because my body temperature was higher than his. Zachary’s cheeks were slightly flushed as he softened his gaze.

Then he laughed as if he had heard an incredibly amusing story. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his dark blue eyes, whose thoughts I could never read. I was captivated by his face, smiling like a child.

“Then I will protect you, young master.”

He said to me, still smiling. Unlike Zachary, who looked quite pleased, I wondered about my own expression. What kind of face was I making? Unless I looked in a mirror, I wouldn’t know, but I could guarantee it was a dumbfounded look.

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

For some reason, my face felt hot at Zachary’s words about protecting me. It felt like the heat was rising up to my neck.

“Your face has turned bright red. Are you feeling ill?”

Zachary tilted his head towards me and reached out to touch my forehead. His hand was large and cold.

“No, it’s just from drinking.”

I was startled and put down the warm glass I was holding. Then I burrowed into the blanket as if crawling in. Although I knew there was hardly any alcohol in the heated wine… I just wanted to make an excuse. My face kept getting hotter, so I hid half of it.

“…”

Why am I acting like this?

I buried my entire face in the blanket, as if trying to hide it completely. My heart was beating unusually fast. It was pounding so hard that I worried it might be audible outside.

Whoosh… Fortunately, the sound of pouring rain masked my concern. Still, I curled up my body.

“Young master.”

Zachary called out, gently grasping my arm. Why did I feel so embarrassed? I had shown many unseemly sides to Zachary before, but I had never felt this level of embarrassment. I felt too shy and awkward to even look at his face properly…

“Young master?”

“Ah, yes…”

I couldn’t stay like this forever, so I mumbled a response. As I barely lifted my head slightly, my eyes met Zachary’s right in front of me.

“…Oh.”

Too close.

I flinched involuntarily. He seemed to sense my discomfort and moved back slightly. Then he gestured somewhere with his chin. Come to think of it, the facial features that had been only dimly visible in the candlelight were now clearer than before.

“Look up.”

I opened my mouth as I raised my head, following Zachary’s gaze.

The plants and vines that were said to glow at night were starting to light up one by one. Unlike the outside where not a single star was visible due to the rain clouds, countless stars were rising inside the greenhouse. The scene of innumerable point-like lights connecting into one was truly beautiful.

It was mesmerizing to see the entire greenhouse filled with bright light. As I stood up entranced, Zachary grabbed my slipping blanket. Then he wrapped me up tightly again.

“Young master.”

Amidst the brightly glowing plants, Zachary gently pulled the blanket towards himself. The moment I was drawn to him as if we were one body.

“I like you.”

Zachary said.

A dull thud hit my heart, which had just barely calmed down. It beat so fast that I felt as if the sound of my heartbeat might be louder than the rain.

Contrary to my racing heart, I froze as Zachary slowly approached me. He lowered his head towards me and opened his mouth. Then his lips touched mine. A hot flesh entered through the parted gap, and his dark blue eyes in his narrowed gaze looked straight at me.

At the moment I felt his blue eyes were more beautiful than the countless stars here, I realized.

‘I must like you.’

That I liked Zachary.

‘Unlike you who likes me because of the curse, I truly…’

The thrill and an unidentifiable tingling sensation that one might feel when doing something wrong came simultaneously. Wandering between guilt and excitement, I tightly closed my eyes, trying to escape my confused feelings. Zachary held me close.

Although we had shared many skinship moments before, it felt like everything was happening for the first time. It was different from simply intertwining lips. It was intense enough to be called a first kiss. The flesh that entered through my parted lips dug in deeply, as if scraping the roof of my mouth.

I could no longer hear the sound of rain falling on the greenhouse ceiling. Because the sound of my heart was louder.

***

The remaining leaves all fell to the ground due to the heavy rain. The suddenly cooled temperature seemed to herald the harshness of winter at Serpentine House. At the onset of winter, only cold air filled the garden, except for the green conifers.

Amidst the continuing silence, the servants suddenly became busy. Servants and knights gathered at the mansion’s main gate, and the Duke and Marchioness of Serpentine stared out the window at the sudden commotion.

The Duke and Marchioness widened their eyes in surprise, as if discovering something. The Marchioness, seeming to have noticed something, immediately prepared herself and headed out to the garden. The Duke remained in the mansion, narrowing his eyes as if trying to assess the situation.

Even at a glance, there was more than one or two carriages. A considerable number of carriages were lined up in front of Serpentine House’s main gate. A woman alighted from the largest and most ornate carriage.

While all the eerily dressed servants were on guard, she alone remained composed. Disregarding the eerie atmosphere, she spoke.

“Would you please inform them that Genevieve Raven, the eldest daughter of the Raven family, has come to visit?”

The Raven family’s servants began to unload various gifts from the carriages.

“Purpose of visit?”

As numerous luggage items piled up one by one at the entrance, Genevieve, standing in front, smiled brightly.

“To receive permission for marriage with Oscar Serpentine.”