The Beast of the Albard Mansion - Chapter 7
Desi still endured regular beatings from my father, but he didn’t seem as weakened as before. Maybe he was getting used to it, but I believed it was because he was growing stronger from the meat and bread I brought him.
The day after I brought Desi the meat, the servants dragged him to the backyard. They beat his knees and shoulders with long sticks to keep him from standing upright.
Tied to a corner of the backyard, Desi waited as my father approached with his hands behind his back, circling him as if choosing a weapon. Then, suddenly, he began beating Desi, who was lying on the ground, with a club the servant had brought.
The sound of blows and Desi’s body jerking filled the air. It was so painful to watch that I squeezed my eyes shut. Even with my ears covered, the harsh sound of the beating still reached me.
As my father struck Desi with a club covered in cowhide, he panted heavily, out of breath.
“Huff, huff. Does this species normally grow this quickly? Are you all giving him as little food as I instructed?”
My father poked the limp Desi on the ground with the club, tilting his head in curiosity. The servants lifted the limp Desi and threw him into the dungeon.
I waited for the servants to leave and then quickly went down to the dungeon.
“Desi, Desi.”
Clink—
Desi opened his eyes wide as if he had never been unconscious upon hearing my voice. Seeing his bright eyes, I smiled.
I was relieved that Desi had listened to my advice. I had repeatedly told him that when my father started beating him, instead of growling and glaring like before, he should pretend to faint after whimpering a bit.
Desi, who used to growl and glare every time, finally pretended to be subdued. Thanks to that, my father’s beating ended early.
My father always said that Desi needed to be tamed. If Desi growled, he would believe Desi wasn’t tamed and continue the beating.
“Well done. See? Just pretend to faint, and it ends early. Since you did well, I’ll give you meat and bread. They were so heavy my undergarments almost fell to my knees.”
Desi perked his ears up and wriggled his body as if he wanted to come closer, but he was chained and couldn’t move freely. When Desi pinned his ears to his head like that, he looked truly gentle. Despite being dirty and smelly, he seemed almost cute.
While feeding Desi bread and meat, I stroked his ears. Desi flinched as if tickled but slowly ate the meat.
“Why are you eating so slowly these days? Are you sick?”
I found it strange that Desi’s eating pace had slowed down. Lately, he was eating bread very slowly too. He used to gulp it down in two bites.
Because of this, I had to spend a long time in the dungeon feeding Desi. It wasn’t easy to feed him for such a long time. My arms and legs grew sore, but I endured the effort.
“There won’t be a friend as good as me in the world. To feed you, I have to starve every day. I barely fill my stomach with snacks.”
Desi lifted his head sharply as if he understood my lament.
“What? Hurry and eat.”
But Desi didn’t eat anymore. Watching him grow was my only joy, so my heart ached.
“Hurry up and eat, Desi. Are you sick?”
I quickly realized how foolish my question was. I could see the scars on Desi’s body and the yellow pus seeping from his neck wounds. How could I ask if he was in pain? Desi was always in pain.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Desi.”
I felt so sorry for Desi. The maids said he wasn’t human and didn’t deserve pity, but they were wrong. There wasn’t a more pitiful creature than Desi.
Even a whipped horse is given a bed of straw to sleep on and treated when injured, not beaten without reason.
That day, I couldn’t suppress my feelings of pity. Perhaps it was because I had watched the entire beating. I cried my heart out, feeling so sorry for Desi, who was beaten, starved, and chained for no reason. I was heartbroken because I couldn’t break Desi’s chains with my own strength.
I couldn’t ask the adults for help either. Father would never listen to me. Neither would Mother. The maids only followed my parents’ orders. My words were always taken lightly.
“Desi, don’t be in pain.”
I hugged the dirty, smelly Desi and cried. In this mansion without my sister, Desi was my only friend. What would I do if I lost Desi too? I wanted to do better for him, but I couldn’t think of a way.
“Don’t diiiie, Desiiii—”
Once the tears started, they wouldn’t stop. As I cried as if in my own pain, a soft sigh escaped. And unbelievably, Desi spoke.
“…I won’t die. Don’t cry.”
“Desi, huh?”
I was so surprised I almost hiccupped.
Desi spoke!
And so fluently, like a real person!
My tears stopped instantly. Desi looked at me and spoke again.
“I won’t die.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So wipe that dirty snot.”
I wiped my face with my sleeve and stared intently at Desi. It was hard to believe he had spoken.
“…But, Desi, you’re dirtier.”
I sniffled as I spoke. No matter how much snot I had, it couldn’t compare to the grime dripping from Desi.
Desi raised an eyebrow but then firmly closed his mouth again. No matter how much I coaxed or apologized for calling him dirty, he wouldn’t speak again. I wanted to confirm once more that he had spoken. I left the food and exited the dungeon.
“You must eat it, Desi. And you must keep your promise not to die.”
Desi didn’t see me off. He could talk, but he chose not to.
I felt hurt. I always thought about being good to Desi, but he was always so aloof. Desi was a really difficult friend.
But I decided to understand his behavior. He had experienced nothing but hardship since arriving here. He had every right to be angry. It wasn’t strange for him to hate everyone in this house.
I thought that perhaps because I tried to be kind, he had shown me his speaking side. I gave him delicious food and even cried for him. So he had revealed a side of himself only I knew.
