NOVEL WEB Chapter 226
“If Lapiz hadn’t wisely overcome the wounds of her heart—this is the story.”
(There are yuri elements. Readers who dislike such things should proceed with caution.)
“Did it hurt again today, Blanca?”
As she applied disinfectants and healing ointment to my back, the lady asked sweetly. Her gestures were full of care and attention, hoping my wounds wouldn’t leave scars.
The disinfectant seeped into my raw skin, bringing a pain that made my body tremble involuntarily, but I bit my lip to suppress any moans.
…Now wasn’t the time to be in pain. Gripping my palms tightly to keep my nails from digging in, I replied to the lady with a shaky voice.
“…It’s bearable, my lady. Still, it hurts.”
“Oh really? Hmmm… Maybe I’m getting used to the wires… Hmm, how about we try barbed wire next time?”
I didn’t have the courage to meet her gaze as she murmured to herself, but my ears folded back, and my tail involuntarily tucked in.
“Ahaha! No need to tremble like that, Blanca. It was just a joke. But now that I see your reaction, maybe I should give it a try?”
She chuckled, but… probably, based on experience, her eyes weren’t laughing at all. That was not laughter borne of genuine joy.
That was laughter for revenge, for the joy of payback.
“Because then… you’ll feel as much pain as I did. Don’t you think so too, Blanca?”
Though her expression didn’t show it, if I saw it, it would make my hair stand on end, so I avoided looking.
As she embraced me from behind and pressured me gently, I gave her the answer she wanted to hear.
“…Yes, indeed.”
“Okay, I thought so too. Since you agreed, let’s try the barbed wire tomorrow. You better endure it, got it? It’s a promise!”
With a voice that momentarily sounded like her old cheerful self, she spoke, but the content was anything but cheerful. Back then, while she was timid, such childish cruelty was nowhere to be found.
“I promise…”
If she wanted to smile like she did before… it would take a long time and effort… I thought about how long it might take for her to smile like that again, but soon stopped.
Only she would know that.
The lady held me tightly for a while. It made it hard to breathe slightly, but that was probably what the lady wanted, so I kept quiet.
I was her pet cat. Pets should not defy their owners.
Even if it was chokehold-worthy… it was still a bit scary.
Even if I could produce oxygen in my body, instinctively, I would resist. Ah, of course, I wasn’t scared of dying. I wouldn’t die from that, and if it did happen that way, it would be rather a peaceful end.
What scared me more was the possibility of accidentally scratching the lady.
I had already left irremediable wounds on her, and I was afraid, even by mistake, of hurting her again.
The lady, tapping my thigh with her tail, mentioned that it was probably enough for today, turned off the lights in the room, and wished me goodnight.
“Yes, goodnight to you too, my lady. I will clean up afterward.”
“Yeah, I’ll leave the barbed wire with you, so you take care of the mess.”
I bid my goodnight to the lady who left with a smile, picking up the bloody barbed wire that had fallen on the floor.
…It’s a constant question, but the barbed wire that dug into my flesh surely had my blood on it. I wondered how that would be dealt with.
Not that I could see or ask about it, so unless the lady told me directly, I wouldn’t know.
Letting out a small sigh and stretching, I wiped away the bodily fluids and blood droplets scattered around.
– – – –
The next morning, while I was making breakfast for everyone, the little lady came over to me.
“Did you sleep well, Blanca?”
“Yes. It’s all thanks to you and the lady.”
Then, out of nowhere, she asked what happened last night, so I fibbed that there was nothing, wanting to protect the lady.
However, seeing the little lady’s wry smile, it seemed she had figured out that the lady had been harsh with me again.
“I’m sorry for having my daughter…”
“What do you have to apologize for, little lady? It’s all my great fault.”
The lady only expressed her sadness, understanding the lady’s feelings, so she didn’t interfere further. She merely mumbled about how the psychiatry department should ideally present some substantive measures.
“I’m sure things will get better someday, someday… surely…”
That was partly to flatter the little lady, but I also truly wished that the lady would return to her old innocent self.
You cannot piece broken pottery back together… but still.
People’s hearts are not pottery, so can’t we hope for a mere chance to mend them again?
After the little lady said that and left the kitchen, it was like they had been waiting for it— the lady and the master came to find me.
“Do you still think you need to atone?”
The lady was much more straightforward than the little lady. After all, thinking back, she knew from the beginning. There’s no way she wouldn’t.
It was as if she were watching me perform on the palm of her hand.
So I tossed aside any pretense and spoke my most honest thoughts.
“Yes. I will do that until the lady’s heart is healed. If it never heals, then I shall do it for a lifetime. I’m not in a position to tell her to stop.”
“You foolish girl. How could someone so soft-hearted and guilty find the courage to betray?”
Though the lady’s words were harsh, her expression was filled with pity, not knowing how to handle this pitiful and stubborn girl.
“You keep acting like this, and your granddaughter becomes more assertive. You’re the one destroying Lapiz. You must not do just what eases your own heart. If you truly care, you should also tell her the bitter truth, even if it’s unpleasant.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The lady sighed in frustration and said if Lapiz seemed to go off-track, I was to step in and intervene, so I should keep that in mind as she left.
As the lady left, the master told me to speak up whenever I wanted to fix anything.
“People’s hearts can be resolved much more simply than you think. No need to suffer alone, my girl.”
“I know. For you, it would be the simplest thing. However, for now, it’s still bearable.”
The master seemed to realize I wouldn’t listen no matter how much he said, so he told me to seek him out when I found myself in an unbearable situation before going off to find the lady.
…I know this is having a negative impact on Lapiz.
But ah, how can I endure this? To shake off this heavy guilt, I need to dig into my flesh and carve it out.
– – – –
Today too, I waited for the lady to finish her consultation at the psychiatry department, and soon she came out.
“How was the counseling, my lady?”
“Well, it’s the same as always. Face the emotions, accept them, move on… blah blah blah. Same old story.”
“Is that so.”
“Seems like you have something to say?”
“I was just worried about you, my lady.”
The lady seemed to be about to ask what I was worried about, but then she seemed to remember something and clapped her hands, stating to go to the convenience store.
“A convenience store…?”
“Yes! I have something to buy!”
I didn’t know what she meant, but seeing her bounce like that, I couldn’t help but be curious.
So I followed her, and she ended up buying snack sticks to hand to me.
“This is… a snack stick.”
“Yep! Grandpa said on November 11th, they give these to the people nearby. I bought some for the kids, but almost forgot to buy you some.”
This world had no such commemorative days. After all, Heros Company was doing just fine without that kind of marketing nonsense.
However… special cases like returnees might be a bit different.
Their descendants might pay attention to meaningless commemorative days.
“…Thank you, my lady.”
I wondered if I deserved to receive something like this, but since it was given to me by the lady, I accepted it gladly.
It was nice to think that the lady cared for me in her own way.
“Hmm, and then I was supposed to do something else… what was it?”
The lady seemed to ponder for a moment, and finally remembered what it was, ripping open a snack stick and munching on it.
That… that’s what it was. Doing it slowly with each other… in that manner.
“Is this something you want to do with me…?”
With a question in mind, I asked the lady if she indeed wanted to do this with me, to which she said there was no one else but me, and we were not that awkward with each other.
“If it’s what you want… I understand.”
Thus, as the lady took another bite of the snack stick, I leaned down slowly and began to nibble the end, just as she wished.
Slowly. Leisurely. Only at the pace she was eating.
As I approached just close enough to connect yet still teasingly cut off, she suddenly gobbled the last bit, and our lips collided.
I jumped back in surprise, only to find the lady sporting a mischievous smile.