Chapter 19
The clouds gather on the horizon. Droplets of rain fall out of the sky, soon inundating the roads.
We arrive at my home and enter the living room. Still holding her in my arms, I find it hard to let her go. But considering how scared and traumatized she is, I don’t want to add to her worries.
As carefully as possible, I lay her on the sofa and deposit the pouch on a table. With a movement of my finger, I separate her money from the Zantrax vials and store the latter in a dry and cold cupboard in the kitchen.
Though she is in a foreign place, she doesn’t even glance around. She stares at me, her lower lip trembling slightly.
Kneeling in front of her, I take her hands in mine. I swallow down uneasily as I ask, “Miss Moe… Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?”
My coat is still draped over her shoulders, but through the slit at the front I can see her tattered dress. The material had been torn all around her chest area, though luckily her lower half seems to be mostly intact. Still, I cannot help but think of the worst even as my stomach twists and turns.
For someone as pure and kind as Miss Moe to be defiled by that male… For her to suffer at the hands of anyone is akin to torture to me. I could have been faster, stronger. I could have gotten there quicker. I could have done more—
“No,” she whispers at last, stopping my mind from conjuring all types of depraved scenarios. “Nothing happened.”
She twists her hands out of my grasp, but instead of pulling away, she shocks me when she presses her palms over my knuckles.
“You arrived in time. You—” She takes a deep breath, the corners of her eyes moist with unshed tears. “You saved me, Nykander. I don’t know how you did it, but you saved me. Thank you.”
I stare at her, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
“Nothing? He didn’t—”
She shakes her head. “He tore some of my dress,” she adds nervously. “But he didn’t touch me.”
As if I were a sailor lost at sea finally finding land, I let out a big sigh as I lean in and rest my forehead on her knees.
“Good. That’s good,” I say. “I’m so happy I got there in time…”
What I don’t say is that if I hadn’t… I don’t know if I could have ever forgiven myself.
Her hand reaches out and touches my head—the first time she’s touched me so intimately in all our acquaintance.
I look up at her, my eyes wide with surprise.
But she manages to throw me off again when I see her lips stretched in the most genuine smile, almost like a beam of light.
Her eyes are two half-moons with little wings at the corners.
My mouth parts, unable to take my gaze off her.
Her hand continues to caress me. First, my hair, then her palm cups my cheek.
“I truly believed that was to be my fate,” she starts, her features softening with sadness.
“What happened? How did you end up there?”
Her lips tighten, and her eyes appear distant as she speaks, “Our restaurant was in financial trouble a few years ago and my parents had to borrow money from moneylenders. They couldn’t make the deadline for the payment and more interest accumulated.
It was to the point that even selling the restaurant wouldn’t make up for the amount owed.
” She pauses to catch her breath. “They… They threatened to not only take our restaurant but also kill my brother if we did not pay.”
Her gaze shifts to the money pouch. “I’ve been working on the side to earn my own money since we never had much in the first place.
My mother discovered it and took it away.
But of course, it was a paltry sum compared to what we owed.
” She shakes her head. “So she decided I was a better payment instead of my brother.”
My hands ball into fists as I hear her defeated voice.
“Do you want them to pay for it?” I ask suddenly.
She blinks. “W-what?”
“Do you want them to pay for what they did to you?”
“N-no. Of course not.”
“But they sold you!”
“They…” She looks away. “I can’t say I understand or forgive them for what they’ve done. I certainly resent them for everything. But they’re still my parents. I don’t wish them to come to any harm…”
“Are you sure? I can help you. I can—”
“No, please. It’s enough that you helped me. I don’t need you to take revenge for me. I believe people’s actions will be repaid in kind by the universe.”
The urge to go out there and wreck havoc for everything she’s been put through is immense. But I don’t act on it. I don’t move. I sit in front of her, listening to her, respecting her choices.
If she says she doesn’t want to see her parents punished, then so be it. But that doesn’t mean they will live a prosperous life—of that I will make sure. Even if the universe doesn’t repay them in kind, I will.
“But there is something I’d like to ask you…” She adds shyly.
“Of course. Anything, please.”
She gets up, walks to the desk and grabs the money pouch. Taking a few coins from it, she leaves most of the money inside.
“Can you give this to my family? I don’t want to go back there and face them but—”
“You still want to give them money?” I interrupt her, shocked she’d even consider such a thing.
“They don’t have any money. This would at least help the restaurant stay afloat for a while.”
I don’t object again. Instead, I stare at her in awe. Her parents sold her to that male to endure who knows what depravities, and yet she doesn’t even hesitate to help them. I’d known she was soft and kind before, but this type of magnanimity… I’ve never heard of such a thing before.
“All right. I will do as you say.”
“And may I trouble you to get some of my clothes. My room is the one with the red door,” she continues describing the layout of her house and the location of her personal items.
“I will be off then. Wait for me.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs. Before she can add anything else, I grab the money and activate my speed.
In a matter of seconds, I’m at the restaurant. I enter the house, drop the money on the main table and gather all her personal items from her room.
Though I don’t want to linger more than I need to, I can’t help but note the difference in her room—small, bare—and that of her brother.
Even her prized possessions that she asked me to retrieve are few in number.
That only reinforces the idea that compared to her brother, her parents had no regard for her.
It’s not easy to leave her house without causing any harm. My mind is filled with all types of scenarios in which I make them pay. But I promised I would not.
By the time I’m back at my house, it’s been less than five minutes.
Moe’s eyes widen when she sees me enter with a bag full of her items.
She practically flies toward me, and I prepare for a hug as I place the bag on the floor. But just as she reaches my side she stops, her cheeks tinged with red. “Thank you so much, Nykander. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to repay you, but I promise you I’ll find a way.”
She musters a smile. “I’ll find a job and save up.” Then, a frown appears on her forehead as she bites her lip. “I need to find a place to sleep first,” she mutters under her breath.
She lets out a weary sigh as she grabs the bag I’d packed for her.
Then it dawns on me. She asked me to grab her clothes.
She doesn’t plan to return home—which, to be honest, I wasn’t about to let her anyway.
But I can’t not take advantage of this opportunity.
If she stays with me, then the proximity might make her look at me in a different light—to see me as I see her.
“Why don’t you stay here?” I quickly say.
She blinks. “What?”
“I live alone and I have a spare room. You can live here.”
“That…” she stammers. “I appreciate the offer. Truly. You’ve been so good to me. But that wouldn’t be appropriate…”
“I don’t care about such things. Do you?”
“Well, yes.” She looks away. “That is to say, I’m not worried about my reputation since I don’t plan to wed. But it would look bad on you. Especially if people found out that you…” she gulps. “That you live with a mortal.”
“Miss Moe.” I take her hands in mine. Her bag falls to the ground in surprise. “I don’t care about such things. I don’t care about being judged, and frankly, there’s no one to judge me. As you know, I’m all alone in the world.”
“But still… To live with you…” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t just live here for free and…” Her cheeks redden as she pulls her hands away. “I may not plan to wed but I…” Her face becomes increasingly red. “I—”
“I would never ask anything of the sort of you,” I immediately say.
The way her face flushed, it’s not that hard to guess what she has in mind and I would never take advantage of her in that way.
If she ever comes to me, I want it to be of her own accord.
I want the opportunity to get to know each other better—though even saying that would be too much.
So I settle for something more palatable.
“If it would make you more comfortable, you could cook for me. You’re a great cook,” I say with a smile. Maybe she’s not the best at baking but her food is amazing.
She blinks at me. Biting her lips, she appears to be deep in thought. I grab her hands again. “We are friends, are we not, Miss Moe?”
“Y-Yes, we are.”
“Then think of this as a kindness from a friend. You can work here and in exchange for you cooking, you can have a place to sleep and eat. I would also pay you a weekly allowance of three slova.”
“Three slova?” She repeats, shocked. “That’s too much! No! You’d already be providing me with shelter and food. Three slova is far too much!”
“Then—”
“One slova a week in addition to accommodation and food. I will accept nothing more.”
My brows go up in surprise. But I don’t argue. As long as she accepts to live here with me, I would have paid her my entire weekly wage.
“One gold coin it is.” I smile.
“Then…” A subtle smile blossoms on her face. “Since we are friends, you should stop calling me Miss Moe. Just call me Moe.”
“Mi—. Moe,” I eventually say. “I’m glad you accepted. I would have felt awful to know you had nowhere to go.”
I don’t say how proud I am that she’s not even thinking of going back home.
It would remind her of the home she no longer has and that is not my intention.
At the same time, her resolute decision gives me more insight into her personality.
She might be soft and kind, but she is staunch in her beliefs.
As if my admiration for her could grow any more.
“Thank you so much, Nykander!” This time, it is her who grabs my hands. Her smile widens. “I will work hard so you don’t regret your decision.”
“As if that could be possible,” I mutter under my breath.