Despite my overwhelming urge to simply vanish into cosmic dust, today was still a weekday. Possessing a Korean soul raised in a country where people would drag themselves to work even if natural disasters struck or plagues swept through the streets, I forced myself out the door with tears in my eyes.
“Briel, you don’t look well. Did something happen?”
“No, I’m fine. I think I’m just a bit tired from going out yesterday.”
“But you really don’t look fine…”
I saw no need to corrupt Marianne’s innocent gaze by telling her I was physically and emotionally wrecked by the nightmarish combination of a hangover and a humiliating memory. So instead, I mustered the last of my strength and gave her a bright, reassuring smile.
“Honestly, I’m okay. Ah! That reminds me—I bought you a present from the village yesterday. Will you accept it?”
I pulled out the hairpin I had tucked away in my pocket. It was a tiny, adorable ribbon-shaped pin clearly made for children. Thankfully, it easily clipped onto Marianne’s short fur.
“It’s been so long since I’ve worn something like this… How does it look?”
“It suits you perfectly. Absolutely adorable!”
Marianne shyly touched the ribbon placed just above her ear. She was truly too cute for words. Just seeing her reaction melted away some of the gloom that had plagued me all morning. Sorry, Marianne, but isn’t this what real animal therapy feels like?
“Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”
“Not at all. I’m glad you liked it.”
“Well, then… I’ll get going—I have to clean the corridor over there.”
I watched warmly as Marianne hopped away, clearly more cheerful than usual. Despite the lighter mood, I remained vigilant, carefully scanning my surroundings.
According to the usual pattern, Kalz should appear around now, ready to criticize something. Unfortunately, today was different—I was too mortified to face him. If I so much as caught a glimpse of his shadow, I’d immediately run away.
But oddly enough, Kalz didn’t appear at all that day—not even a tuft of his lion fur. Butler Squawk came by later to inform me, with an apologetic expression, that the master was feeling unwell and would dine alone. Consequently, I ate dinner by myself, and the solitude allowed me to sort through my thoughts later that night.
After some serious reflection, I finally concluded, “I need to apologize.” Though my intentions weren’t malicious, I’d clearly made a mistake. The next time we met, I’d apologize immediately, sincerely, no matter how he reacted.
But my resolve was in vain; the next day came and went without any sight of Kalz. At first, I thought it was simply luck, but when this continued, it became clear it wasn’t mere coincidence. Suspicion turned to certainty when I saw Kalz spot me from afar and quickly turn to disappear in another direction.
He was deliberately avoiding me.
Even more shocking was how deeply this realization hurt me.
Rationally speaking, his reaction was completely understandable. If I were him, I’d avoid the drunk lunatic who’d suddenly tried to kiss me—or, at the very least, confront him with curses and punches. Given that Kalz chose to avoid me rather than hit me, perhaps I should even be thankful. And yet… even still…
Regardless, I needed to apologize. From then on, I began actively looking for Kalz, determined to speak to him. However, despite his considerable size, he managed to evade me with uncanny skill. Finally, fate intervened, and we met face-to-face at the central staircase—him on the first floor and me upstairs.
“…!”
“Wait a moment!”
Seeing the Beast hastily preparing to retreat, I shouted and rushed down the stairs at full speed. Desperate to reach him before he escaped, I pushed my legs harder than they could handle. Inevitably, they betrayed me.
“Ahhh!”
My left ankle twisted sharply, sending me hurtling forward. Unable to regain balance, I instinctively shut my eyes and covered my head, preparing for impact—only to be caught firmly by a familiar grip.
The sturdy warmth and comforting scent of Kalz’s chest momentarily steadied my panic, but before I could even gather my wits, he abruptly let go, dropping me to the floor.
“Ow!”
Kalz stared at me, eyes wide with shock, glancing between his hand and my sprawled figure. Then, as if fleeing from a terrifying sight, he quickly turned and disappeared up the stairs.
Did he seriously just catch me and then drop me again? Even back when we treated each other like mortal enemies, he’d never done something like that. Beyond shock, a profound sadness settled deep in my chest.
Despite regretting my actions deeply, I couldn’t help but wonder—did he really hate the kiss that much?
Of course, after sobering up, I’d severely regretted what I’d done, but that regret was mostly about my own stupidity for adding yet another embarrassing moment to my history. If someone asked if I’d enjoyed kissing Kalz, I’d answer firmly with a “no,” but if they asked if I’d hated it enough to be disgusted… well, that was harder to answer.
Stop. Thinking about this further would only make me miserable. Regardless of my complicated feelings, I owed Kalz an apology. Eventually, I decided the only solution was to confront him when he couldn’t escape.
Late that night, I carefully opened my door and stepped into the hallway. Ever since encountering “that thing,” I’d sworn never to venture out after dark again, but tonight I had no choice. If I went directly to Kalz’s room, he couldn’t possibly avoid me. Thankfully, the moon wasn’t full tonight, which made gathering courage a bit easier.
Knock, knock.
“Almond? What’s wrong?”
Kalz’s voice responded immediately, indicating he was still awake. Instead of answering verbally, I quietly opened the door and stepped inside.
“It’s me.”
“You—why are you here?!”
The look of shock on Kalz’s face briefly made me wonder if coming here was a mistake, but there was no turning back now. Putting on my most pitiable expression, I spoke up cautiously.
“I came because there’s something important I need to say.”
“Did it really have to be now?”
“You’ve been avoiding me during the day.”
“…”
Shouldn’t he at least invite me inside? Leaving someone standing in a chilly hallway—how rude! No, calm down, Briel. Hold it together.
“Anyway, what I wanted to say is… Kalz?”
Was he even listening? Kalz had his hand firmly covering his eyes, sighing deeply in obvious irritation.
“What kind of appearance is that…?”
Appearance? Confused, I glanced down at myself. I wore a simple, modest white nightgown. Sure, it was thin, but not see-through. And wasn’t he in pajamas himself? What else was I supposed to wear in the middle of the night—a suit?
“So, what do you want?” he snapped impatiently.
“Oh, right…”
He lowered his hand but still refused to meet my eyes. His cold attitude dampened my spirits again, but I gathered my resolve.
“I came to apologize. About that night—when I was drunk. It was a huge mistake, and I’m sincerely sorry.”
“A mistake,” Kalz repeated bitterly, furrowing his brow.
“You seriously disturbed me at this hour for something so trivial?”
“Huh?”
“Haven’t you heard the rule? No wandering the halls after midnight!”
“I did, but I thought apologizing quickly was more important—”
“If you can’t even follow a simple rule, then get out of this castle immediately!”
He roared so loudly it felt like my ears might burst. I froze, utterly stunned, unable to process what he’d said right away.
Had he seriously just shouted at me?
His voice had been powerful enough to make my hair flutter. Midnight or whatever—clearly, that was just an excuse. Kalz was still furious about the kiss.
Seeing his intense glare as if he intended to devour me whole, anger rose sharply within me. He was a literal beast with actual fangs—did he have any right to look at me like I’m a dangerous predator?
I felt humiliated, wronged, and incredibly hurt. Yes, I’d made a mistake, but that made the pain sting even more.
“I…”
I opened my mouth, but words failed me. If I spoke now, I might burst into tears, and that was the last thing I wanted. I clenched my jaw tightly, refusing to shed even a single tear in front of him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered finally.
With nothing more to say, I spun on my heels and hurried away. The tears I’d desperately held back overflowed the instant I entered my room, pouring uncontrollably like water through a broken dam.
“Ughhh! What an arrogant, heartless jerk!”
It was unbearably humiliating. A stupid drunken kiss, and now he treated me like trash! Of course, kissing someone without permission was completely wrong—I knew that better than anyone! But did he seriously think I’d done it for fun? I’d only tried to help him out of compassion, yet he’d labeled me some disgusting predator!
The memory of Kalz staring down at me in the dark corridor, eyes full of contempt, burned vividly in my mind.
I couldn’t accept this. I couldn’t stand it. Not anymore.
