Chapter 28
“Haa, haa…”
She’d lost so much blood that her vision blurred.
Everything before her eyes was hazy, shrouded in a fog.
Lichesia, newly awakened as a fairy, was young and unrefined.
A fairy who couldn’t wield her powers properly was nothing but tempting prey, a plaything for hunters.
The hunters had easily cornered her.
She’d survived this long on sheer luck, but now a grim certainty gripped her.
Today, she would die.
Tears, held back until now, welled up uncontrollably.
Why?
How could this happen?
Why did it have to be me?
She never wanted to be a fairy.
Not once had she wished for it.
All she wanted was a normal life.
Blood-tinged tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping steadily.
Lichesia kept running, refusing to stop.
Her foot caught on a jagged stone.
“Agh!”
Her stumbling body finally collapsed.
She crashed to the ground.
Her already battered frame slammed into the earth.
A searing pain stole her breath.
The agony was so intense she couldn’t even groan.
Trembling, she tried to pull herself together, thinking desperately.
I have to get up.
But all she managed was a feeble twitch of her fingers.
Her body refused to move.
Her strength drained away.
One thought consumed her mind.
Lichesia stared blankly ahead.
I’m really going to die.
Her final moment, in the filthy back alleys of the slums.
It was utterly wretched.
Blood pooled slowly, soaking the grimy dirt path.
As the metallic scent of blood filled the air, she awaited her approaching death.
“…”
Lichesia’s lips parted.
A pristine white hand had appeared before her.
The hand was strikingly beautiful, with long, delicate fingers.
Who could have such a lovely hand?
Even as she lay dying, curiosity drove her to raise her gaze.
Through her blurred vision, she saw a flash of blue.
Eyes like the sea and sky.
The moment she met those clear blue eyes, a thought struck her.
If I have to die, better by this person than the hunters.
At least my body wouldn’t be desecrated.
Mustering her last ounce of strength, she reached out.
Her fingers barely grazed the tips of his white hand as she pleaded, “Kill me…”
With those words, Lichesia lost consciousness.
She didn’t stay unconscious the entire time.
Though her memory was hazy, she drifted in and out of awareness.
It wasn’t full lucidity.
Her eyes would open, and she’d babble all sorts of nonsense.
She begged for her life, called for her mother.
Fragments of memory revealed her shameful behavior.
When she truly came to, it was the dead of night.
“…!”
Lichesia jolted upright in bed, startled.
The soft texture of the blanket clutched in her hands made her flinch, and she cautiously lifted it, trembling.
She let out a shaky sigh of relief.
“Haa…”
Her body was intact.
She’d thought the hunters might have hacked off an arm or leg.
Her wounds were neatly bandaged.
The bitter scent of herbs lingered, suggesting proper treatment.
Dazed, she checked her condition, glancing at her ankle.
Thankfully, no shackles or chains bound her.
But Lichesia didn’t let her guard down.
She’d been through too much to believe this was purely an act of kindness.
Scanning for a weapon, she spotted a fork on the floor beside the bed and picked it up.
*Creak.*
The old wooden door opened with a grating sound.
Lichesia gripped the fork tightly.
She glared at the figure entering, then relaxed slightly.
It was a boy, his face still carrying traces of youth.
He seemed close to her own age, sixteen, or perhaps younger.
His features were strikingly refined.
Silvery hair and vivid blue eyes lent him an air of pristine elegance.
In his hands, he carried a basin of water and a dry towel.
Seeing her wary expression, he set the basin and towel on the floor.
He didn’t approach recklessly, pausing at the door to think before speaking.
“…It’s a full moon tonight.”
He nodded toward the window.
“Perfect for moon-gazing.”
It felt like he was grasping for something to say, blurting out whatever came to mind.
She stared at him, bemused, and he hesitated before adding, “You must be hungry. I’ll bring some food.”
He closed the door and left.
Only then did Lichesia’s tension ease, and she dropped the fork.
Her hands trembled, likely from the strain of waking so abruptly.
She took slow, steady breaths.
Her heart still pounded from the lingering anxiety.
As she calmed herself, her gaze drifted to the window.
“…Oh.”
A large, beautiful moon hung in the night sky.
A perfect, radiant full moon.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from its graceful silver light.
She stared at it until the boy returned.
He came back with a bowl of soup and a chunk of bread.
He placed the tray on her lap.
Lichesia stared at the food.
Thin soup and a small piece of wheat bread.
Her starving stomach ached painfully.
She wanted to shove it all in her mouth, but she hesitated.
Memories of nearly being poisoned by tainted food held her back.
The boy, sitting by the bed, noticed her reluctance.
With a small sigh, he picked up the soup bowl.
Meeting her eyes, he brought it to his lips.
*Gulp.*
His throat moved distinctly.
After swallowing a mouthful of soup, he tore off a piece of bread and ate it.
Only after watching him chew and swallow did Lichesia pick up her spoon.
The moment the warm soup touched her tongue, tears welled up.
They spilled over before she could stop them.
She didn’t want to cry, but the tears flowed like a broken dam.
Relief at surviving.
Gratitude for eating without fear.
The emotions tangled together.
“…”
The boy quietly looked away.
Lichesia sniffled, eating the soup and tearing into the bread.
She cleaned the bowl, not leaving a single crumb, and a wave of satisfaction brought on drowsiness.
The release of tension must have caused it.
Blinking slowly, she looked at the boy.
“I don’t know what happened to you,” he said, taking the tray, “but I’m an apprentice knight of the Holy Empire. I don’t mean you any harm, so you can relax.”
His words hit her like a blow.
An apprentice knight of the Holy Empire.
Most people would find comfort in that title, trusting it implicitly.
But for Lichesia, a heretic, it was one of the last things she wanted to hear.
Thankfully, he seemed unaware that she was a fairy with forbidden powers.
If he knew, he wouldn’t have saved her—he’d have swung his sword on the spot.
No wonder he looked like a holy knight.
Still, she hadn’t been found out yet.
Maybe it was okay to stay a little longer.
In her current state, she wouldn’t make it far if she tried to escape.
Her body was in shambles.
And I’m so sleepy…
Overwhelmed by an unstoppable wave of exhaustion, her consciousness was already half-gone.
She blinked slowly a few times, and the boy, after a moment’s hesitation, reached out.
She watched him hazily.
He gently laid her down.
He pulled the blanket over her and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a tender touch.
His voice was gruff as he said, “Get some sleep.”
Like a spell, his words sent her plunging into sleep instantly.
As she drifted off, she thought, I’ll escape as soon as I wake tomorrow.
