(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 76

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 76

Thwack, a dull impact sound like being struck with an iron mace rang out.

But I wasn’t hurt. Only the back of my head that had fallen to the floor felt slightly numb.

Axel threw himself over me protectively. Thwack, thud, each time the monster attacked, Axel’s face contorted in pain.

“Urgh….”

“….”

My confused eyes shook like a ship caught in a storm.

Not Felix or Baron.

Why Axel.

Why did he jump in to save me?

Why is he protecting me while taking the monster’s attacks?

Wasn’t Axel trying to kidnap me?

His arms supporting himself on the ground trembled violently. The eyes glimpsed between his deeply furrowed brows, the gaze looking at me was strangely tender.

“Hazel, are you okay?”

Even his hoarse whispered tone was unlike him.

A voice filled with sincere worry, showing neither the chivalrous arrogance of having saved a desired woman nor the shameless greed of trying to win my heart by seizing the opportunity.

Axel shouldn’t be like this to me.

‘I love you, Hazel.’

Suddenly, Axel’s voice confessing his love to me echoed like a hallucination. A face smiling innocently like a young man in love overlapped with his contorted features.

A few months ago, the dream of crying in Axel’s arms flashed before my eyes.

That voice, that face, that dream felt vivid like a memory.

I was bewildered and speechless. I stared up at him blankly, forgetting even to breathe.

His wavering eyes grew moist.

Then, plop-.

From those wicked eyes that had despised, deceived, and looked down on me, a thick teardrop fell and wet my cheek.

Patter, thud.

It poured down like a waterfall with no chance to avoid it.

“Sorry…, sob, Hazel.”

“….”

“It’s all my fault, urgh, I’m sorry.”

What exactly?

I wanted to ask but couldn’t open my mouth. If I parted my lips even slightly, his tears would flow into my mouth.

He continued his incoherent apology while enduring the monster’s endless attacks.

“Foolish me…, I ruined everything. Damn, I’m really crazy….”

“….”

“I’m sorry. I swear I never meant to hurt you…, urgh!”

His reddish-brown hair was grabbed and his head snapped back.

His massive body was lifted up and slammed to the ground. Thinking it was the monster’s doing, I tried to get up to run away-.

“Hazel, Felix was too late.”

Felix appeared as if by magic and lifted me into his arms.

Behind him, I could see the corpse of the ashen monster sprawled out.

“Felix….”

Tears blocked my throat and I couldn’t finish speaking. Felix held me tightly and stroked the back of my head.

“Felix is here. Ah, you can feel safe now.”

“I was scared…, sob, sniff, waaaaah.”

“I’m sorry, I should have come faster….”

Felix’s body trembled like a bird caught in rain. Even though I was the one who experienced something frightening, he seemed more terrified.

He stroked my back as if confirming my presence in his arms, and pressed his cheek against mine to check my body temperature.

“Protected…, protected, thank goodness…, thank goodness.”

“….”

“Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

***

I opened my eyes again the next morning.

Felix was watching over me with bloodshot, swollen eyes. He definitely hadn’t slept properly.

Before I could even ask what had happened, I was forced to take medicine. Various treatments and nutritional supplements flowed into my mouth.

It was useless to refuse, saying I wasn’t hurt anywhere and didn’t want to take any more. Seeing Felix’s teary eyes, I eventually swallowed all those medicines.

“Ugh, bitter.”

“It’s bitter because it’s good for you. Now let’s eat soup.”

“I’m full though….”

“I made sweet butternut squash soup.”

“Then I’ll eat it.”

“I’ll warm it up right away.”

Felix fed me the slightly heated butternut squash soup, blowing on it. His careful movements as he emptied the bowl were full of love and tenderness.

As the butternut squash soup warmed my stomach, I finally came to my senses and my vision brightened. I was glad I listened to Felix.

“It’s delicious. Now I’m really full.”

“If it’s delicious, lick up what’s around your mouth too.”

“You should have fed me better then.”

“My mistake.”

Felix let out a sigh-like laugh and wiped my mouth with a clean part of his sleeve.

His hand touched my soft cheek, then tucked the hair stuck to my cheek behind my ear. Felix’s brow furrowed as if holding back tears.

I pulled both of Felix’s cheeks sideways to prevent him from crying more.

Since his cheeks weren’t as soft and squishy as mine, the skin stretched partway then snapped back, flicking my fingers. Felix chuckled softly. I laughed along.

“Felix.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m not hurt anywhere, and nothing hurts.”

“….”

“You saved me, Felix.”

“If I had been just a little later….”

Felix bowed his head, his face contorted with guilt. I could feel his sobbing as he barely held back tears.

I grasped Felix’s trembling hands and buried my face in his neck. His fear was palpably conveyed through his wildly beating pulse.

Felix couldn’t sleep all night imagining losing me. He used to do this often in childhood too.

Ten years ago, he would even wake up in the middle of the night to check my breathing.

“It’s okay because you weren’t late.”

“…No, no.”

He breathed heavily and rambled incoherently.

“I, I was careless. I thought it would still be safe…, since nothing had happened…, I was so arrogantly thinking it would be okay…, but the future can change at any time…, sob.”

“….”

I didn’t understand even half of what Felix said, but I didn’t ask anything. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.

Hot tears dripped onto the back of my hand. I didn’t cry. It was enough that Felix was crying for me.

And if I cried, Felix would cry more. I wanted Felix to quickly wipe his tears and smile at me.

When his tears subsided, Felix haltingly explained the situation.

To conclude, the culprit was neither Axel nor his fiancée.

Lord Cromwell’s mistress. She was the one who caused this.

And the person who told us this fact was Axel.

“…From ordering large quantities of Purification Water and luring me to Cromwell Castle, it was all a trap. I didn’t even realize it and happily went out, putting you in danger. It’s all my fault.”

“How is that Felix’s fault? I didn’t know either. Even Monica or Uncle Franz wouldn’t have known.”

When I mentioned the names of the two most suspicious and perceptive people in the village, Felix’s face finally relaxed a little.

“When I went to the meeting place to sell the goods, bandits appeared as if they had been waiting. That’s when I realized something was wrong.”

“Are you okay, Felix? You weren’t hurt, were you?”

He chuckled and answered boldly.

“Even if a hundred of those ragtag bunch came at me, they couldn’t leave a single scratch on me.”

“That’s a bit too much bravado.”

“It’s not bravado, it’s fact.”

When I played along with a tone that showed I didn’t believe him at all, Felix slightly raised his head and glared at me. It was the mischievous Mr. Felix expression that I loved.

“Anyway, they weren’t real bandits but people connected to that mistress’s relatives. From what I heard, they said they weren’t from Cromwell Castle.”

I nodded and listened, then muttered casually.

“That grandmother said the same thing…”

“Grandmother?”

“Ah. The person who lured me from the village and dragged me into the forest.”

Recalling the face of the grandmother who had grabbed my sleeve asking for help made my chest churn unpleasantly.

To think she would use good intentions and kindness to try to put me in danger.

I never dreamed she would use such a despicable method.

“That grandmother had transformed into an Ashen Monster… You saw it too, Felix. What on earth was that monster?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————