I Pray That You Forget Me - Chapter 116
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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I applied ointment to a rag I had taken out of the cleaning supply box. I had no intention of playing along with his schemes.
“It’s unused, so it’s clean.”
“Clean or not, it’s still a rag.”
“Then should I use a towel instead?”
“Just forget it.”
Following his orders, I put away the rag and the tube of ointment, then sat on a chair far from the bed.
“If you need anything else, just let me know.”
The Major, who had been watching me with his eyes, flashed a lewd smile and opened his mouth again, prompting me to set a boundary.
“Only what’s necessary, not what you want.”
He snickered softly but then continued.
“If you really want to ease my suffering… Ah, of course, you probably want me to suffer, but anyway, there is a way to lessen my pain.”
“Go ahead.”
I had a strong feeling this would be a trap, but I was used to it now, so I asked indifferently.
“Take it off.”
As expected, he didn’t deviate from my expectations. I simply stared at the Major with a blank expression, refusing to respond. Still, he insisted on me removing it, and I grew annoyed, finally speaking up.
“I refuse.”
He smirked maliciously, raising one corner of his mouth. That’s when I realized this was also a trap.
“What do you think I meant by ‘take it off’? I meant that damn mask covering that pretty face of yours.”
He insisted I remove my mask, claiming it would lift his spirits if he saw my face. There was no reason to hide a face I had shown to the world my whole life, but offering my face for his blatant visual pleasure felt repugnant.
I held my ground and refused to take it off, but the Major didn’t give up.
“You’ve already had it and recovered, so there’s no reason to wear a mask. Take it off before I do. I might take off more than just the mask.”
I still had a loaded revolver in his pocket. It wasn’t frightening, but it was irritating enough to drive me crazy. I didn’t want to hear him chatter incessantly, especially in that hoarse voice.
Eventually, I relented and took off my mask like I was waving a white flag.
“Ha…”
The Major finally looked relieved and shut his mouth. I felt somewhat relieved too, but that didn’t last long. He opened his mouth again.
“It’s a terrible plague. To think you suffered through something like this breaks my heart.”
Clearly, his brain had been eaten away by the virus…
“Has Johann Renner caught the flu too?”
The look in the Major’s eyes as he asked that question was sharper than before. I froze in place.
Johann had caught the flu too. After I had it for two days, he started coughing, but thankfully, he only had a mild case. We decided to keep this a secret between us.
‘If it gets out that he was fine even after catching it, Johan will be in danger.’
Although he didn’t die from the flu, he might still face death because of it. Just as I felt relieved that he wasn’t going to die from the flu, I had to fear for his life again.
But of all people, it was the Major asking. The one who had wished for Johann’s death and had been spreading all sorts of slanders and accusations against him.
‘What’s the intent behind the question?’
I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than just a meaningless question, especially with the hungry, predatory gaze he was directing at me.
‘Is he suspecting Johann not just as a deserter but also as a h–osexual?’
At that moment, chills ran down my spine. I realized I had narrowly escaped a dangerous situation without even realizing it.
“Someone who has had tuberculosis shouldn’t smoke. It could trigger a relapse.”
If I hadn’t intervened, the Major might have used that as an excuse to accuse Johann of faking his tuberculosis history. He would have taken him to a doctor for an examination, giving him the opportunity to prove his lies.
So the Major had deliberately offered Johann a cigarette. That meant he had figured out that Johann was a deserter and that the discharge papers were fake.
But how? I desperately hoped he was just floundering around with baseless suspicions, unable to grasp any evidence, and I responded as Johann had instructed.
“He hadn’t caught it yet.”
Maybe it was the flu dulling his senses. For a brief moment, he paused, and perhaps the Major missed any signs of suspicion, as he turned his gaze away from me.
“Aren’t you living with him?”
“I made sure he couldn’t enter the bedroom while I was sick.”
“Recently, then.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in our marital relationship.”
After I made a comment he wouldn’t want to hear, his expression twisted in displeasure.
“Don’t you kiss him?”
How could he ask such a direct question when he likely didn’t want to know? Even though I was aware of his intentions, I pretended not to notice, feeling uncomfortable about his intrusion into my personal life.
“I guess you don’t. Just don’t forget to kiss him today. I’ll even grant you special permission.”
“Are you wishing for my husband’s death, Major?”
Asking something I already knew was also an attempt to divert the conversation. I expected the Major to relentlessly pursue Johnan, but I got a completely unexpected answer.
“Your husband has probably already died.”
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Johann had warned me not to engage in pointless conversations with the Major. So even though I was curious, I had to keep my mouth shut and act uninterested.
“Since the wedding, you see.”
Meanwhile, the Major seemed fascinated, poking and prodding at Johann, regardless of my lack of response.