By Zephyria At the usual businesslike voice, Yu-jin looked down at the tray he was holding and then back at him. The Butler, who had followed his gaze, immediately took the tray.
“How is Angie?”
At the Butler’s question, Yu-jin answered honestly.
“She’s fine, she’s asleep now.”
“That’s a relief.”
The Butler had his usual expressionless face, but somehow Yu-jin felt like he had glimpsed his emotions. He felt a bit of courage at the feeling that he was genuinely relieved.
“Um.”
Yu-jin called out to him as he bowed briefly and tried to leave. Yu-jin carefully opened his mouth to the Butler, who had turned back to face him.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Angie was missing? Shouldn’t you have woken me up right away?”
He didn’t mean to argue, but he hoped that if this situation happened again, the response would be different. At Yu-jin’s question, the Butler seemed to pause for a moment before opening his mouth.
“I thought I could find her quickly. A lot of time passed while I was looking, but then it seemed too late, so I focused on finding Angie first.”
The Butler’s judgment wasn’t wrong either. After all, even if Yu-jin had been woken up, he would have been at a loss for what to do other than frantically search for Angela.
But Angela’s guardian was Yu-jin. It was unacceptable for him to be excluded and completely unaware of such an important matter.
“From now on, if anything happens to Angie, please tell me first. I’m asking you.”
As he added politely, the Butler simply said, “I understand,” without any particular change in expression. There was no sign of unpleasantness in Yu-jin saying these words to him. There was only the Butler’s appearance of mechanically doing his job.
“Is there anything else you would like to say?”
The Butler asked. As if there was anything else he should be aware of. Yu-jin hesitated and shook his head.
“That’s all. You worked really hard today. Please thank everyone else for me.”
“It’s nothing. It’s our fault for being negligent in our management. I will tell everyone to be more careful from now on.”
Yu-jin felt relieved at the polite reply. He was about to leave after thanking him once more.
“We have prepared another room for you today. Mr. Campbell told me to have you rest in that room.”
Yu-jin paused at the unexpected words from the Butler.
“Winston?”
“Yes.”
He turned around and checked one more time, but the answer that came back was the same. Yu-jin hesitated and opened his mouth.
“Can I know the reason?”
At the cautious question, the Butler replied in a plain voice.
“Mr. Campbell decided so.”
There was no one who could defy that. But it wasn’t the time to just say okay and back down.
“I have something to say to Winston.”
“Do it tomorrow, Mr. Campbell is resting now.”
The Butler’s attitude was firm. For some reason, he felt another person’s will from him.
“Is that also Winston’s order?”
At Yu-jin’s question, the Butler did not answer, but simply stared at his face. That was enough of an answer.
“If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll be on my way…”
“Um.”
The Butler seemed to want to wrap things up here, but Yu-jin added another question while he was at it.
“There’s one more thing I’m curious about… What was the doctor doing until this hour? In Winston’s room.”
The Butler didn’t answer right away this time. He paused for a moment as if to stall for time before slowly opening his mouth.
“Mr. Campbell’s condition worsens when the weather gets this bad.”
“Yes?”
Yu-jin looked at him in confusion at the unexpected words. The Butler continued as if there was no need to hide it.
“He’s gotten a lot better, but he’s not in a condition to ride a horse in this rain. The doctor needed to check on Mr. Campbell’s condition today, especially since he overdid it.”
Yu-jin just blankly listened to the continuing words. He belatedly felt like he understood something.
“Is that perhaps why? Winston is trying not to see me.”Butler answered Yu-jin’s question after a very brief pause.
“Because he needs to rest.”
There was no room to argue with his words. Winston was in bad enough condition that the family doctor had to check on him, and he wanted to rest. So, not disturbing him was the right thing to do. But Yu-jin couldn’t bring himself to leave.
“Just how bad is he… is he in a lot of pain?”
Extreme alphas are constitutionally immune to drugs and alcohol. Because of that, ordinary painkillers probably wouldn’t work for him. Butler answered Yu-jin’s question.
“That’s why the family doctor came to assess the situation. There are separate medications for them.”
“…I see.”
There was nothing more to say. For Yu-jin, following instructions would be the most helpful thing he could do.
“I understand, then where should I sleep tonight?”
“This way.”
Butler guided him as if he had been waiting for the question. The prepared room was on the same floor, but quite a distance away.
“Please, get some rest. If you need anything, at any time…”
“Yes, I know. Thank you.”
Yu-jin hurriedly cut him off.
“Cain, please get some rest too. You worked really hard today.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Butler finished his greeting and turned away. Yu-jin deliberately closed the door loudly and then listened carefully. Butler’s disciplined footsteps seemed to fade away, then quickly disappeared. Yu-jin sighed and headed for the bathroom. The rain was still falling, but it had weakened and wasn’t pounding on the roof as violently as before.
After taking a bath, he changed into the pajamas laid out on the bed and lay down, but he couldn’t fall asleep easily. Yu-jin couldn’t stop thinking about Winston.
Just how bad is he feeling…?
Even though he was in such bad shape, he went out to find Angela. It’s only natural as a human being that his gratitude and worry for him are greater than his resentment and bitterness. Yu-jin closed his eyes and turned to the other side, trying to fall asleep. He tried counting numbers in his head and adjusting his position, but he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
“This isn’t going to work.”
Eventually, Yu-jin blurted out to himself and jumped up. He couldn’t sleep like this. Since the doctor prescribed medicine, Winston must be asleep by now. Just seeing his face and leaving would be okay, right? Yu-jin made up his mind, got out of bed, and opened the door.
A sense of foreboding suddenly struck him, wondering if someone might be standing there like last time, but the hallway was empty. Yu-jin took a deep breath and carefully moved his feet. The sound of rain pattering against the windows grew louder, as if the rain was intensifying again. After stopping by Angela’s room to check that she was sleeping soundly, he now stood in front of Winston’s room.
Hoo.
He let out a shaky breath of nervousness and mustered up the courage to grab the doorknob. Winston would be asleep. It’s okay, Yu-jin reassured himself, putting strength into the hand holding the doorknob and twisting it in one direction.
The moment a sharp noise, squeak, rang out, a loud sound echoed out, fortunately. Startled by the thunder that shook the world following the lightning, Yu-jin froze in place. While the sound of thunder lingered and scattered into the distance, he stood there, holding his breath.
Only after deciding that it was okay now did Yu-jin take a step. As he walked carefully towards the bed, one step at a time, the sound of rain continued. Thanking the noisy rain for the first time, he crossed the room. Finally, standing by the bed, a trembling breath escaped on its own, and he quickly covered his mouth. Just then, lightning struck, and the dark room was instantly illuminated.
Winston was lying straight on the bed with his eyes closed. Yu-jin stared down at him with wide eyes. His usually neatly arranged hair was scattered haphazardly on his forehead, and his stubbornly closed mouth was also loosely relaxed, making him look surprisingly defenseless.
Just like when they used to meet alone in the Separate Residence/Annex when they were young.
But now he seemed very tired. Seeing his ghostly pale cheeks, Yu-jin’s heart ached. If anyone wandered around in this rain for so long, they would get sick. Besides, he was in a state that worried the family doctor.
Out of pure gratitude and pity, Yu-jin almost stroked his cheek. Realizing the hand he had unconsciously raised, he hesitated for a moment, surprised, when suddenly a nonchalant voice came from below.
“You’ll need both hands to strangle me.”