A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 24 | Requiem (4)

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They were lucky there was still water left in the bathroom. Rienne took the dampened cloth and started using it to clean the wound.

The candle's wick was short, the flame itself nearly going out several times as it flickered.

But Rienne's eyes already adjusted to the darkness, so she could easily see things if they were close enough.

[Rienne] "It must have hurt."

And now she could see the wound was no small thing.

The severity of it was hard to realize because his hands were so big but if Rienne had the same injury, no one would question how serious it was.

[Black] "I didn't notice."

[Rienne] "How could you not notice something like this?"

[Black] ".....I must've been in a hurry."

It was hard to imagine such a man actually in a hurry.

He looked like he was built like a boulder or a tree. No matter the conditions, rain or wind, he seemed like he would never be shaken.

I didn't think there was anything in this world that would actually make him rush like that.

[Rienne] "It'd be for the best if you applied Tiwakan medicine to this wound. It would work better."

After carefully cleaning the wound of all dirt and blood, Rienne thought for a moment before asking.

[Rienne] "Would you like to wash your face as well?"

Once his hands were cleared of all dirt, his face only appeared like more of a mess.

[Black] "..............Yes."

Black took a deep breath before finally answering.

[Rienne] "Then come a little closer."

His face was much farther away than his hand. Black quickly got closer and stuck out his face to her.

[Rienne] "That's too...."

Too... too close.

While Rienne's voice barely escaped her, Black settle down with his knees on the floor.

[Black] "Is this good?"

....He's still really close.

[Rienne] "I'll do it quickly."

Then, Rienne started gently wiping his face, starting with somewhere that wasn't that dirty to avoid staining the cloth.

....I shouldn't have offered to do it for him.

Maybe it would've been better if she told him to step back a little. Was it because the candle was burning too bright? For some reason, Rienne could see him crystal clearly.

......He really is handsome.

[Rienne] "Close your eyes, please."

The second Rienne realized she was looking at him closely, she realized that he was looking at her too. From this distance, his ice-like gaze felt like all too much.

And he didn't even look like he was blinking.

[Black] "Why?"

[Rienne] "You're.....too close."

[Black] "Even if I wasn't, you'd still look the same."

No, it was different.

When they're this close, nothing could ever be safely hidden.