The Beast of the Albard Mansion - Chapter 31
Spring flowers fell to the ground, and new sprouts thickened. To harvest in the fall, now was the busiest time. The hardened winter ground needed to be plowed and sown with wheat and oats. Grass for livestock had to be planted. Broken and rusted farm tools stored in the barn over winter needed to be repaired. People had to wake from their winter lethargy and work diligently.
Around this time of year, Father always checked on the family’s fields, supervising the village workers. He said this period was the most crucial. A single day of idleness could ruin an entire year.
The villagers who lived on Father’s land had to work on his fields, but they often tried to slack off. Therefore, Father was even more vigilant, always keeping a close watch. He was too diligent for a nobleman.
But now, Father’s mind was elsewhere. He was preoccupied with finding Desi and hiring a hunter. However, hunters who heard about the werewolf ran away with their tails between their legs.
Father couldn’t ask for help from other families, fearing it would tarnish our family’s honor. So, he vented his frustration on us.
“Isn’t it you who bought the beast, Father? Why are you taking it out on me?!”
Eldest brother finally snapped after a long time of patience.
“Is this the time to argue about whose fault it is?! Don’t you realize it’s a matter for all of us? Do you think you’re the only one who will die if that beast comes back with its pack?”
Father’s face turned red with anger as he shouted, then stormed away from the table. As soon as he slammed the door and left the hall, Brother muttered under his breath.
“Father will be the only one to die. He’s the one who beat that thing.”
His eyes were cold, and I quickly lowered my head at his expression. He seemed to wish for the werewolves to come and kill Father.
The entire mansion felt submerged in gloom, but there was a different atmosphere in its corners. Only Father and my older brother wore expressions of doom. People who couldn’t live every day in sadness began to exude a brighter energy.
I went to the servants doing the laundry they had postponed all winter. The place where the women gathered was filled with cheerful chatter. Despite the hardships and crises, they refused to let it drag them down. Unlike the men who would get drunk and collapse by the roadside at the first sign of trouble.
“So, what’s he going to do?”
“What can he do if no hunters are willing to come? He’ll have to give up eventually.”
“But what if the werewolves really attack?”
“They wouldn’t, right?”
“Don’t say such scary things! You’ll make me drop my baby.”
“You’re not even pregnant, what baby?”
“I’m just saying.”
They shifted from serious discussions to joking around, bursting into laughter, temporarily forgetting their fears.
“By the way, isn’t it surprising that it turned out to be a werewolf?”
“I knew there was something special about it.”
“How would you know that?”
“Did you even look at its face! Did you see it after it was cleaned up? It was so handsome that I could hardly keep from drooling.”
“True. Even I thought, ‘How can a beast be so good-looking?'”
“Oh, don’t get me started! If I had a husband who looked like that, I wouldn’t mind if he were a beast!”
“I wonder what sin I committed to be stuck with a man who’s worse than a beast.”
“What are you talking about? We all live with husbands who are worse than beasts, don’t we?”
As they burst into laughter, my face turned bright red from listening to them. Angry, I marched over to the servants stomping on the laundry.
I couldn’t stand hearing them insult my dear Desi.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh my! Miss, you startled us.”
“When did you get here? Why are you here?”
With my hands on my hips and a furrowed brow, I scolded them.
“Don’t you know the current situation in the mansion? How can you joke about this!”
As I fumed, the servants rushed over, drying their hands.
“Our lady is angry. We were wrong. It’s just our old age making us babble.”
“Please forgive us.”
Their sweet smiles and gentle attitudes quickly soothed my anger.
“Don’t joke about such things anymore. And never talk about beasts again, understand?”
Because Desi is mine.
I gave the servants a warning and returned to my room. Desi was not visible, likely sleeping under the bed. He was usually out and about at night, so he slept during the day.
Even when I told him to come out and sleep on the bed, he preferred staying under it, saying it was bothersome if someone came in. He found the dark, cramped space comfortable after living in such conditions for so long.
I lifted the bedspread to check on Desi.
“Desi, are you sleeping?”
“Mmm.”
“Want some cookies?”
“Uh-uh. Later.”
He must have been tired from last night’s hunting, as his eyes drooped and he quickly fell back asleep.
Desi had been growing rapidly lately, becoming taller and more robust. His frame was thicker, and he was now taller than my second older brother. While I grew slowly, Desi seemed to shoot up, which made me a bit jealous.
Despite my pleas, Desi refused to sleep on the bed, saying it wasn’t appropriate because I was still young and immature, though he never explained what he meant.
I just wanted to cuddle with Desi while sleeping, but he looked horrified at the idea, claiming it would be torturous. When I asked why, he avoided giving a straight answer.
Since Desi started living under my bed, my nightmares had disappeared. The nights no longer scared me. Thinking about Desi sleeping peacefully beneath me made me feel at ease. It felt like he was protecting me from the terrors of the night. No matter how much scary thoughts tried to invade, Desi’s presence vanquished them all.
It was as if Desi was my guardian angel. He listened to me, looked at me, and smiled happily, making me feel safe and supported.
The space Desi occupied in my heart grew bigger each day, filling me completely. My precious friend, who only looked at me with obedient eyes, banished all my loneliness and took up that space instead.
I helplessly gravitated towards Desi, never considering rejecting or pushing him away. I liked Desi, and that was enough.
I was becoming more and more like someone who couldn’t live without Desi.
