ORCA 26

Thinking that he really ought to apply the medicine instead of doing this, Niah suddenly tried to get up from the sofa. A shallow furrow appeared between Orca’s brows as the body that had been pressed against him pulled away. Reflexively, he reached out toward Niah. He wrapped his left arm behind Niah’s back, grabbed his waist, and pulled him back to himself.

Even that wasn’t enough to satisfy him, so he pulled the weightless body toward him forcefully. He had intended to ask who this servant named Harriet was, but he soon gave up. There was no way he would know who she was even if he heard the explanation. He decided to put that question off for later.

Niah, who had been plopped back down as soon as he tried to stand, ended up resting his head beneath Orca’s shoulder. He was completely engulfed in an embrace that almost felt like he was being crushed. When he looked up in surprise, the young master was looking down at him.

“Where do you keep trying to go?”

“Yes…? No, I was just…. I didn’t want the young master to be in pain….”

Orca bowed his head and bumped his forehead against Niah’s. The soft breath was felt completely.

“You have to listen well.”

“Yes….”

Niah answered obediently, even while being scolded for no fault of his own. He was just worried that he had made the young master angry again. He placed his own hand over the large hand resting on his waist and stroked it gently. He thought that if he did exactly what the young master had done for him, the young master’s mood might improve.

Orca pulled such a Niah even closer. It was obvious what he meant by this. To think that something like this could seem adorable—I was a fool myself. Taking his forehead away from the other, he picked up the medicine kit and the cloth from the table. Naturally, his injured hand reached out. Meanwhile, the uninjured hand remained where it was, occupying the space on Niah’s waist.

The goldfish applied the medicine quite skillfully, putting his own heart into it. He smeared on more than necessary, then checked meticulously to see if he had missed any spots. After wrapping the cloth with his clumsy skills and tying the final knot, he looked up at me slyly. His eyes were filled with anticipation. For some reason, he was so confident, leaning against me in hopes of being praised for having done something well. Orca swallowed a dry laugh.

“…Yes. You did well.”

Niah beamed and laughed, completely unraveled by his short words. He pushed everything else far away, save for the praise he had just received and the sensation of being held by the young master. If he didn’t, he might not be able to remember this current joy. The pleasant scent brushing his nose, the body heat they shared, the low voice, and the texture of his firm skin—he never wanted to forget any of it. He wanted to treasure them for a long, long time.

“Young master. You know… you must not disappear….”

Orca bumped his forehead against him just as he had before.

☀️🌊

As the sun fell into the forest, the room was hazily dyed in the color of Niah’s hair. The sunset-lit interior was as quiet as the night. As soon as Niah finished the treatment, he fell into a deep sleep. Between being very startled and crying so intensely, he couldn’t resist the pouring drowsiness. Only the regular sound of breathing rang softly from his slightly parted lips.

After admiring the goldfish in his arms for a while, Orca moved his arm gently. When he laid the body that had been leaning against him down onto the sofa, the goldfish rested his head on his thigh and curled his legs in. He slept soundly without tossing or turning even once. Muttering and talking in his sleep, there wasn’t a hint of him waking up. Orca took off Niah’s shoes and placed them softly on the floor.

“I hate high-maintenance things….”

Even while thinking it was bothersome, he turned his head to find a wet towel. He picked it up carefully so as not to wake Niah, then gently rubbed the corners of his eyes where traces of blood were stuck. Even as he blew softly on the skin that had become red and raw while cleaning it, Niah did not move a muscle. He only muttered or smacked his lips.

Having wiped away all the blood, Orca bent his back and watched him quietly. It was entertaining to watch him smile broadly and munch his lips while dreaming whatever he was dreaming.

How audacious of him.

He gently pressed his index finger against Niah’s plump lips. He suddenly felt a twinge of regret that he had made him clear away the broken glass and dirty carpet, and had even sent away the cold tea and tea food. He laughed silently at himself, feeling like a fool for regretting that he hadn’t saved the condensed milk.

Irritated for no reason, Orca pushed his finger into Niah’s mouth. Niah, who was half-asleep, gripped it tightly and twitched his tongue. Even while whimpering at the finger pestering his soft tongue, he did not wake up. Growing even more audacious, Orca stirred the inside of his mouth at will, pulled the finger out, and this time pushed in his middle finger as well. When he pressed firmly and rubbed, a wet, squelching sound was made.

Thinking it was about time he woke up, he brought his face closer and poked around inside the narrow mouth, listening to the whimpers that sounded like childish pouting. To think that I found the warm and wet sensation pleasant—this, too, felt foolish.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, Orca scowled at the sound of knocking that arrived without any sense of timing. He wondered if it was already time for a meal. When he had sent Niah out and called for a servant, he had instructed them to bring dinner to the room.

The goldfish was still fast asleep, munching on his finger. He was so focused on this act that he didn’t even notice someone approaching the room. Had an intruder not appeared, he wouldn’t have known when to stop and would have continued on.

Orca let out an annoyed sigh and pulled his finger out. He then woke Niah in a normal manner.

“Niah. Wake up now.”

His whisper reached right into Niah’s ear. The goldfish, who tossed and turned, dug into him and whined. Even after fluttering his eyes open at the hand patting his back, he couldn’t wake up properly.

Luan, standing outside, pressed her ear to the door. She was in a difficult spot as there was no answer from inside. There was too much other work left to just wait around indefinitely. She had originally intended to have Niah prepare the meal, but though she had checked the greenhouse, the garden, and even the room beneath the stairs, she couldn’t find him. There was only one reason she could think of.

A spark of curiosity arose, wondering if he had truly been harmed by the young master. She had already heard from many people that he had been roaming the mansion covered in blood. However, in reality, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Even the tough Adrian had trembled for days; that this “Niah” could be walking around perfectly fine made no sense.

In any case, even when she tried to order other servants to do it, everyone insisted they were too scared, so she had no choice but to come herself. She knocked repeatedly, asking again as if hesitating.

“Young master. If it is alright, shall I prepare the meal now?”

Only then did she hear an answer to enter. Luan took a deep breath and pulled the trolley into the room. Her throat was parched from tension. She kept her eyes cast down to the floor as much as possible and moved swiftly. It was to avoid doing anything that might offend him. However, this effort immediately went to waste.

“Niah…?”

That was because she discovered Niah, who was sitting stuck to the young master’s side, rubbing his swollen eyes. Niah was startled by the familiar voice calling his name and looked at her. His mind, which had been dazed from just waking up, quickly returned to reality. Luan was just as shocked.

Why is this idiot still here, with the young master—did he sleep here, right now?

“Oh… Lu, Luan…. Why, uh, I’m sorry…. Um, I was just…. I was going to go to work, I was going to go now….”

Her flustered feelings spilled out in a tangled mess. Without a second thought, Niah began by apologizing, avoiding Luan’s gaze. Niah struggled desperately to scramble off the sofa, terrified to a pitiful degree. But it wasn’t as easy as he wished.

His foot, clad in a white sock, was shoved into his shoe with great difficulty. Before he could even put it on properly, he tried to stand up, lost his balance, staggered, made a mess of it, and eventually fell over. Feeling aggrieved, tears welled up in his eyes.

Seeing that the room had grown dark, it must have been evening. He still had work left to do in the greenhouse; the thought of having fallen asleep like this made him panic. He was sure he would be scolded by Pepe.

Perhaps Luan, having seen him lazing about, would also scold him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had helped with the dishes in the kitchen. If he went to the kitchen, Adrian would be there, and he would definitely get angry at him; he didn’t even want to think about that.

“Luan. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll go quickly….”