Mr. Kadan in the Deep Forest - Chapter 41
Although she was called a saint, Luna was no different from the forest’s sacrificial offering. She knew that if the war didn’t go well, her life would be the first to be forfeit.
‘Even though my tattoo is gone, my life remains the same, Kadan.’
It was bitter to realize that she had become the scapegoat for someone else’s actions, placed before the public. The fact that, despite being alive, she couldn’t reunite with Kadan only deepened Luna’s emptiness.
What made it even harder for Luna was the commander. Under the pretense of proposing marriage, he came to her every night to pressure her.
“Become my wife, Luna Dheheim.”
“I already have someone I love. Please leave.”
“How long are you going to keep rejecting me? I’ve been waiting like a man!”
“I never asked you to wait. I will keep rejecting you. Please stop!”
“Stop, you say? Have you already forgotten? The time when you had those cursed tattoos all over your body?”
“…”
“You should be grateful for the position I’m offering you, the Madam of the Mecham family! How dare you mock me after crawling around as a filthy slave?”
The commander could no longer hide his anger, and he grabbed both of Luna’s hands tightly. The respectful and dignified commander she had seen in public was nowhere to be found now.
He pushed Luna against the wall and hurriedly licked her cheek and neck.
“Ha, as expected.”
It was delicious. The sweetness of her flesh was incomparable to that of the Viscountess Camille. The commander shivered with excitement.
Luna, Luna. The commander eagerly grabbed Luna’s chest and called her name. Despite Luna’s resistance, his tongue slid down her neck and reached her shoulder.
The scar from the bite mark the king had left came into the commander’s view. He flinched, suddenly lifting his head. The king’s mark. The commander, who had ignored Luna’s rejection and resistance, halted his actions at the sight of that bite mark.
At that moment, Ruth, who had been awakened by the noise, charged at the commander.
“Get off, you bastard!”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the saint’s errand boy. And you, what kind of rapist bastard are you!”
“You, a commoner, dare challenge the commander? Do you want to die that badly?!”
Thud! The commander’s powerful fist slammed into Ruth’s solar plexus. Ruth gasped and collapsed to the floor.
“Ruth!”
“Count Dheim, is that commoner your concubine?”
The commander kicked Ruth in the cheek with his foot. With a loud crack, Ruth’s head twisted violently, and Luna stepped in front of him.
“Whether he is or not, what does that have to do with you? Leave before this disturbance grows worse!”
Luna glared fiercely and pointed toward the temple doors. The priests, who had been woken by the noise in the middle of the night, came out into the hallway, peering at the commander.
“Damn it!”
The commander, his face hidden by a hood, fled the temple. Luna watched him leave, tail between his legs, and then turned her attention to the groaning Ruth.
“Are you okay?”
Despite becoming a noble, Luna still spoke to Ruth as she had before, using the casual tone. There was no special reason for it—she simply wanted to hold onto the time she had spent with Kadan.
Ruth, understanding her intent, responded casually as he always did.
“I’m not okay. Ugh, it hurts less than when Kadan hit me, though.”
“Kadan hit you?”
“Yes, twice. One time was probably because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“It was the day Kadan came down to the village with his sword…”
Ruth rubbed his chest as he started to recount the story. It wasn’t a cheerful tale, but Luna smiled brightly as if it was a fond memory.
-
- Reunion
Time passed like the heavy snow falling on a winter night. The quiet drifting of time accumulated over the past moments shared with Kadan.
‘Kadan, are you well?’
Even today, Luna stood on the balcony, blankly searching for him in the cheering crowd below.
“The saint is here!”
“The one who sealed the beast gate is here! With her, we will surely win the war!”
Despite all the adulation, Luna’s eyes remained empty. She once longed for the warmth of people so much that she didn’t mind living as a slave. But even with the crowd’s praise, her heart felt alone.
‘Kadan.’
Luna stared at the empty ring finger of her left hand and murmured his name again.
“Heey, the great saint!”
Ruth interrupted her brief moment of recollection. He was waving excitedly at the balcony entrance after having been away for a few days running errands.
After finishing her greeting to the crowd, Luna returned inside.
“Stop calling me a saint.”
“Well, it’s not a lie, is it?”
“Did you have a good trip up north?”
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s the same result as before. The cabin was empty again.”
Ruth visited Kadan’s cabin and the village once every half month, as Luna had asked him to do.
“…Thank you for your efforts.”
Luna handed him a gold coin as she had before.
“You’re generous as always. I’ll use it well, Count.
“Please take care of things again next time.”
“Well, Luna… I think it’s going to be hard next time.”
“Why?”
“The atmosphere in the northern forest is bad because of the war. The villagers couldn’t hold out and have all fled.”
Since the war started, the northern forest was now filled with human screams instead of the roars of beasts. If things continued this way, there wouldn’t be a next time.
