The Fear I Loved

chapter 22.

As much as Ailiseu wants to demand an apology from the remorseless Jimin, she remains seated next to the sleeping Jaehyun. The lad was already treated for his injuries, to which Ailiseu pointed out was no incident at all. She was hesitant to reach out to his hand to hold them, wanting to reassure Jaehyun that everything is alright. 

She tries to count the passing minutes after he got treated. She counted up to a minute before her mind dozed off somewhere else. Without a pocket watch, it was quite a challenge to notice the time ticking. 

The lass clenches her fists tightly, creasing the satin material of her pants. She prays that Haru was safe and sound with Caspar. She hoped that some of her colleagues and neighbours took notice of her absence. 

What was Ailiseu going to do?

She has no idea at the moment. She could not think of anything to get out of here faster. Keeping Jaehyun alive and healthy was her first priority. The second is to investigate further about the strange dungeon. She'd have to do everything discreetly.

If anyone finds out, she'd only be digging a deeper grave. 

"Jaehyun ..." Ailiseu sighs.

She grabs his hand and gently rubs the back of the palm. Unable to do anything much to help him at this time, she hopes that he recovers fast and comes back healthy. 

Jaehyun grumbles under the influence of sleep. He bears the agonising pain subsiding on his stomach. He tolerates the spiking heat crawling around his limbs and body. It was a pain so uncomfortable that he wouldn't mind getting a bucket of cold water thrown above him. His head is also spinning from the sudden loss of blood. 

"Jaehyun?" Ailiseu called out to him, as tenderly yet loud as possible. 

He continues to moan and groan in his rest. Jaehyun squeezes her hand in return, but the pain does not register through Ailiseu.

A thin layer of sweat was beginning to form on his forehead. His breaths were heavy, short and uneven.

"Jaehyun." Ailiseu calls him again, more sternly this time. 

He releases the grip from Ailiseu's hand. She grabs for the cold soaked compress in the small basin and wrings out the excess water. She cleans the sweat beading down and around Jaehyun's face, taking note to be delicate when cleaning. She repeats the process once more before settling the compress on his burning forehead. 

Jaehyun's breathing eases into steady and lighter exhales. His eyes remained closed. Returning back to his deep sleep, Ailiseu could only stare at him and their serene surrounding. 

She could not stop remembering the shock when she saw him injured in the toilet. By now, all the pieces of glass from the wine bottle were already cleaned up. Some small fragments stuck to Jaehyun's flesh were also taken out with ease. It was quite a fleeting task for the doctor, but Ailiseu couldn't imagine what Jaehyun had to bear through. 

Ailiseu sits back cross-legged on the edge of the bed. 

The door creaks rather loudly, announcing Taehyung's appearance in the chamber. The strong scent of musk wafts up her nostrils. She was slightly disturbed by the rich perfume, but most royalties are like that. 

She should've gotten used to it during the ball night last time. 

Ailiseu glances up at the man with hidden contempt. It was customary for servants to stand up and bow at their served master. However, she did not feel obedient at all. She remains rooted to her seat and she averts her attention back to Jaehyun. 

"I spoke to Jimin about his improper behaviour. It was one of his rebellious acts. You can expect some heavy compensation from him later on."

She doesn't say anything. The muscles on Jaehyun's face were stagnant from further wrinkling. He isn't twitching. His chest was rising up and down steadily.