Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 44
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 44
At the moment when fear was making her vision grow distant, something gently fell over Mellis’s head.
‘This is…’
It was the jacket the man had been wearing just moments before. The fierce sound of a heartbeat pounded in her ears, and his voice rumbled as he seemed to be having a conversation beyond the black jacket.
‘Is he helping me…?’
Mellis blinked her eyes blankly as she realized this fact. Her heart gradually found peace in the warm musky scent emanating from the jacket.
“Are you alright?”
Soon, he crouched down in front of Mellis and spoke quietly. As she slowly raised her head, she saw the man looking at her with worried eyes.
“The knights have returned, so don’t worry. Can you stand up?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you…”
However, contrary to her words, Mellis staggered and sat back down as she tried to get up. It was because the strength had suddenly left her legs. Seeing Mellis like this, he raised one corner of his mouth and then plopped down on the floor completely, propping his chin with one hand.
“Would this be better?”
It seemed the man had no intention of leaving easily. Mellis inwardly felt relieved by his attitude. Whatever the reason, it was true that he had protected her while she was hiding her true appearance in the Imperial Court.
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. But can I ask you just one thing?”
“No.”
His eyebrows twitched at her firm answer. But for Mellis, who knew what question would come from his mouth, it was an unavoidable response.
“I’m sorry…”
While Mellis felt grateful for his kindness, she couldn’t completely trust him. He was even someone who worked at the Imperial Court. If she made a mistake, the story could spread to the Ducal Residence in an instant.
However, fortunately, the man nodded without pressing further.
“If it’s difficult to talk about, I won’t ask. Don’t worry, I have no intention of spreading rumors either. Besides, you know my weakness too, don’t you?”
“Weakness?”
At her question, he gently curved his eyes and showed her his palm. Understanding the meaning, Mellis tilted her head.
“You mean the Healing Arts? Why is that a weakness?”
“Have you ever seen another half-blood besides me who can use Healing Arts? Or heard such stories?”
“No.”
“Of course. Half-bloods born with healing ability are all either killed or abandoned by their parents.”
It was a story that was hard to understand. To be killed despite being born with such a noble ability as healing power. Weren’t healers treated more preciously than mages anywhere on the continent?
Healing Arts was a technique at a level higher than medical arts. No matter how skilled a doctor was, they couldn’t perfectly reattach a severed arm. With current medical technology, the best they could do was reconstruct the remaining parts or suture to prevent skin necrosis.
However, Healing Arts could return a severed arm to its original place as if nothing had happened. This was why Healing Arts was called divine power, and why healers received the same treatment as saints.
“Why…?”
“If lowly and barbaric half-bloods used healing power, which is a force given only to sacred humans, wouldn’t its value naturally decrease?”
Too shocked, Mellis swallowed the groan that escaped without being able to open her mouth. It was a shocking story she had never heard despite studying Healing Arts for years. So humans had silenced countless half-bloods with death for thousands of years just to monopolize the authority of Healing Arts?
When Mellis hesitated without being able to say anything, he shrugged his shoulders slightly as if it was nothing.
“So, let’s consider that we each hold one weakness of the other. Wouldn’t that make Mellis feel more comfortable too?”
“A weakness…”
She trailed off, feeling uncomfortable with his blatant choice of words. It wasn’t just a weakness, but rather they held each other’s lifelines in their hands. Though she couldn’t hide her unpleasant feeling, there weren’t really any other options.
“Hmm, alright.”
“But how long do you have to stay in that form? Don’t tell me you’re waiting for a fairy to cast magic again like Cinderella.”
“Of course not. I need to return to my quarters first…”
Fortunately, the path to her quarters wasn’t far, but the problem was that she had already returned to her original appearance. Since there were few humans in the Imperial Court, an unfamiliar face would surely stand out.
Moreover, the knights were currently on patrol, and who knows who else she might encounter near her quarters. Mellis agonized as she imagined herself covering her face with both arms and running frantically.
“Then I’ll escort you there.”
“What? You don’t need to go that far. I can’t trouble you any further.”
“Come on, we help each other when we’re in trouble. Don’t we?”
“…Then I won’t refuse.”
Mellis, who had politely declined once, let out a sigh of relief in her heart. It was embarrassing to receive help repeatedly, but given the situation, she had no choice.
“I’ll definitely repay this favor!”
“Good. I’ll let you know next time I need Mellis’s help.”
When Mellis clenched both fists and expressed her gratitude, he let out a small laugh. Standing up from his seat, he wrapped his jacket around her and said.
“Let’s leave quickly before it gets any later?”
“Yes!”
As Mellis jumped up from her seat to follow him, a puzzling thought crossed her mind.
‘…But did I ever tell him my name?’
* * *
“…”
The next day, having started dance practice with Kermanomon early in the morning, she was recalling the conversation she had with Garulus earlier with a blank expression.
‘What? He found out you’re human?’
‘Yes. But fortunately, he said he’d keep it a secret. He even helped me.’
‘But what if that bastard tells Kerman!’
‘That’s…’
‘Or he might blackmail Mellis later and demand money! This won’t do. I’ll take Noel and go kick his ass!’
Upon hearing that her identity had been discovered by a stranger, Garulus was even more restless and anxious than she was. Moreover, Garulus’s sharp question hit the mark.
‘So, what’s that man’s name?’
‘Come to think of it, I didn’t get to ask his name.’
‘Oh, how frustrating! So that man knows Mellis’s identity and name, but you don’t know anything about him?’
‘I-I was too flustered…!’
Mellis, who suddenly found herself being scolded by the Young Master, hung her head low and reflected on her careless behavior. Garulus’s words were absolutely right.
‘But that’s not what’s important.’
Though she couldn’t bring herself to say it, knowing that man’s secret made her less anxious than Garulus thought. However, after thinking about it all night, there were more than a few puzzling points.
When she met him, it hadn’t even been a full day since she had set foot in the Imperial Court. Her activities yesterday consisted only of organizing Garulus’s luggage all day and greeting His Imperial Majesty, so where could he have seen her?
‘Then does that mean he knew me from before?’
As Mellis fell into deep thought, wondering if she had ever met him before, she suddenly recalled something Vivian had said previously.
‘It seems like he’s following you as the nanny of the Ducal Residence, not because you’re human.’
‘Could it be that the person my senior mentioned back then wasn’t…?’
Mellis’s body stiffened with anxiety, but she soon dismissed the thought. If he was the person who had been secretly following her, he wouldn’t have made such a clumsy mistake as calling her name so openly.
‘Come to think of it, it’s strange that he used Healing Arts in that situation.’
It wasn’t an urgent situation where a finger was cut off, just a slight cut from paper with a drop of blood, yet he brazenly used Healing Arts that was connected to his very life.
‘Maybe he deliberately showed his ability.’
But if so, then why? The more she retraced her memories, the more suspicious everything seemed.
“Haah…”
“Did you just sigh in front of me?”
Mellis hurriedly raised her head in panic at Kermanomon’s sharp low voice. However, he was already frowning deeply, apparently offended.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————