BID Chapter 69

I was flabbergasted. Why is he picking a fight with perfectly fine luggage?

If he had handled someone else’s belongings so roughly, I might have understood. But it wasn’t mine or the Duke and his wife’s—it was Erhan’s own luggage. To think he would throw his own belongings like that.

Although I was staring at Erhan as if he were crazy, dumbfounded, I was actually a bit scared.

‘That was quite heavy…’

When I first lifted it, I thought it was relatively light, but I realized as I carried it. It’s heavy. Much, much heavier than I expected. To toss such a weighty box without any effort, his face showing no strain at all…

Erhan’s thick arms caught my eye. They were truly thick. If I got hit by those arms, I might really die.

Unconsciously, I stiffened slightly as I looked at Erhan, and he let out a scoff in my direction.

“That’s what they’re for. I didn’t bring you here to move luggage.”

The servants who were passing by pounced on the luggage before Erhan even finished speaking. I blinked in confusion. If he was planning to have the servants unpack anyway, there was no reason to bring me all the way here.

When I looked at him with a questioning gaze, Erhan spoke indifferently and turned around to start walking again. That was it.

Erhan, walking swiftly, vanished from my sight in an instant. I stared at his back in dismay and opened my mouth.

‘Should I go after him?’

Seeing Erhan disappear so abruptly, it seemed like it wouldn’t matter if I just returned to my room. I paused for a moment, pondering.

‘Why did he come back?’

Erhan’s sudden appearance, becoming a variable, kept nagging at me.

After contemplating for a while, I decided to go see Erhan briefly before leaving since I had come this far anyway.

Erhan was a person I needed to be cautious of, just like Zachary. By identifying Erhan’s intentions and range of actions in advance, it would be more convenient in many ways.

‘I locked the door when I left.’

Even the servants who were cleaning wouldn’t bother entering if the door was locked. So, it should be fine to go assess Erhan for a bit.

While thinking that, I soon found myself near Erhan’s room.

It was my first time coming here. Previously, the location of Erhan’s room was quite far from mine. While Erhan was away from the mansion, I had no reason to come to this side, but I still knew its location. Studying the snake’s passages made me well-versed in the layout of the Serpentine mansion.

‘Is it right that Erhan went into this room?’

I cautiously approached the door, gauging the reactions. Even standing in front of the door, I hesitated about whether to knock or not.

It may sound cowardly, but honestly, I was afraid of Erhan. Of course, it was less than before, but the fear hadn’t completely disappeared.

However, the reason I was still trying to confront Erhan was to probe into the purpose of his return to the mansion.

‘It was too sudden.’

If the Duke or Mother had known about Erhan’s return, they would have informed me in advance.

There must be another reason why he had rushed back to the mansion without even notifying the Duke or Mother. Along with the reason he hadn’t returned to the mansion during the past years.

Suddenly, the story of the monster that Erhan had told me at the banquet hall came to mind.

‘It couldn’t be because of that…’

As I hesitated and was about to cautiously prepare to knock, at that moment—

“Ugh.”

What was that? I tilted my head at the strange sound, but then it became silent again.

Did I mishear? As I listened carefully once more—

“Ugh, ugh.”

The sound of vomiting echoed.

“Brother?”

It seemed like Erhan was vomiting. I hastily knocked. However, it must not have been audible from inside, as there was no response, and the firmly closed door didn’t open. Instead, the sound of vomiting only grew louder.

‘Did he eat something bad?’

Or did the atmosphere make him feel sick to his stomach too? The loud retching sounds were extremely worrying to hear. As I urgently knocked on the door, a sound like objects falling over was heard.

‘Did something really happen?’

In the end, I stopped knocking and abruptly opened the door, entering inside.

The scene revealed in the room was somewhat chaotic. A large box was open, and items were scattered here and there.

I immediately headed to the bathroom. The bathroom door was slightly ajar.

“…Haa.”

Goodness. Should I go in and check? However, the relationship between Erhan and me was too ambiguous to call it close. Moreover, Erhan seemed like the type who really disliked others meddling in his affairs.

‘But what if he collapsed?’

If it hadn’t been for the loud noise just now, I could have chosen to ignore it and walk away. But what if he had collapsed in the bathroom? What if he had hit something and gotten hurt while collapsing? How dangerous would that be?

It would be faster to open the door and check rather than hesitating, but since it was Erhan, my hesitation grew longer.

‘I don’t know.’

However, I soon reached out and grabbed the door handle to open it. If Erhan was truly in a critical situation, even the time spent pondering like this would be a luxury.

But the door seemed to open too wide when I pulled it…

“…Oh.”

I faltered in front of the wide-open door. Despite the large and thick door, it opened too easily, unexpectedly causing my body to lurch forward. As a result, half of my body was thrust into the bathroom. A fragrant herbal scent and an artificial sweetness assaulted my nose.

It was an unfamiliar yet familiar smell. The distinct, artificial, and intense fruity scent I had detected from Erhan when I saw him before.

Drip. A cold water droplet falls on my head. Then, feeling a shadow cast over my face, I abruptly lifted my head to look.

“Why.”

That’s right. I wasn’t the only one who had opened the door. Erhan must have pulled the door from the inside as well, as he was standing right in front of me, looking down at me.

Drip, drip. Water droplets from his hair fell to the floor. It seemed he had washed his face, as it was damp and wet. Judging by the redness around his eyes, the vomiting sounds I had heard from outside were correct.

However, his gray gaze seemed to reproach me. His unpleasant eyes, as if asking why I was crossing the line he had drawn, made me slowly back away.

“I knew it was rude and tried not to come in, but there was a loud noise…”

I looked around the bathroom. Bathroom items were strewn across the floor, and sure enough, a foul odor mixed with the sickening sweetness, confirming he had been vomiting. However, Erhan’s expression was ambiguous.

‘He looks too composed.’

Judging solely by his expression, it was hard to believe he had been retching just moments ago.

Although the atmosphere was heavy as if someone should speak, I couldn’t find the right words amidst the ensuing silence.

In that situation, Erhan merely stared at me intently. As I looked around and eventually met his eyes, I unconsciously shrunk back. Erhan’s gaze was as sharp as a well-honed blade, making it difficult to maintain eye contact.

Erhan glared at me with a mix of irritation and sensitivity in his eyes, gritting out his words.

“Why did you follow me?”

“…”

I had come to probe Erhan… No excuse came to mind at that moment, leaving my mind blank. Seeing that, Erhan must have misunderstood something, as he scowled fiercely and continued.

“Do you think I’m a moron too?”

Calling me a moron out of the blue. For a moment, I couldn’t hide my dumbfounded expression as I stared at Erhan, taken aback by his rough and sharp tone.

Is he joking? But his face was too fierce for it to be a joke. His face was so harshly contorted that it made me wonder if his constant smiling since arriving at the mansion had been a dream.

Seeing that raw expression reminded me of the first time I met him when I was around five years old. I was so young that the memories were hazy. But if there was one vivid memory, it was Erhan’s expression.

“Disgusting…”

The day I discovered that Erhan couldn’t bear contact with others.

In a very chilling voice, Erhan had muttered that I was disgusting. Those words must have been quite hurtful, as they were still vivid in my memory.

And today, I finally realized that the word “disgusting” wasn’t directed at me.

Back then, I naturally assumed Erhan was talking about me. Just like the royal servants who found me precocious and avoided me, calling me disgusting.

‘But was he actually saying that to himself?’

Judging by his tone, it sounds like he’s just picking a fight, but upon closer listening, there’s also a hint of self-loathing.

What on earth had happened to Erhan? Not remembering the original story in detail and knowing nothing about Erhan’s story, I felt a bit frustrated.

“That’s not it. So don’t say things like that.”

I spoke firmly to Erhan. He stared at me without a word. This time, I didn’t avert my gaze either. I had said something obvious, so I didn’t see why I should look away as if I had something to hide.

Of course, Erhan’s intensity was so fierce that my fingertips trembled involuntarily, but I endured it resolutely.

“…Get out.”

After the silence, Erhan seemed to have made up his mind to kick me out. He grabbed my collar as if seizing a young animal by the scruff of its neck. Then he began dragging me towards the door.

‘Ha, go ahead and try to push me out.’

Ending the conversation so unsatisfactorily like this?

Erhan is difficult and frightening. However, to get along well in the same mansion from now on, we shouldn’t end the conversation so ambiguously.

I stood my ground with a determined face. Unlike my past self, I had gained quite a bit of strength. If I plant my feet firmly and resist…

“Ah, wait. Wait a second!”

In a flash, Erhan lifted me up.

With a single action from him, my confidence vanished in an instant. My body, lifted effortlessly like a plucked radish, was being dragged outside.

My feet flailing in the air seemed like a scene from a dream. As I gaped in disbelief, he moved with ease as if carrying a light piece of luggage.

Trying to somehow escape Erhan’s grip, I finally closed my eyes tightly and spoke as if pleading.

“Can’t we talk this out?!”

It was the epitome of humiliation.