Chapter 12
“Chris! Are you okay?”
Vendia rushed over to Chris and quickly grabbed his wrist, stopping him from hiding his hand.
“A-Ah, I’m fine!”
“What do you mean you’re fine? You’re bleeding all over!”
She was horrified.
Bright red blood was flowing from a clean tear along his index finger.
It seemed that while working again, he had tried to remove an old fence and had been deeply scratched by the thorns tangled in the worn wood.
“I’ll go get the first aid kit!”
Sasha, who had been blankly watching the situation, snapped out of it and quickly ran into the mansion.
Even though they bickered a lot, she still worried when he got hurt.
“I-I’m sorry… I only ended up getting hurt instead of being helpful…”
Chris couldn’t bring himself to look at Vendia and just fidgeted his captured fingers, clearly ashamed.
“What are you talking about? You got hurt trying to help.”
“I wanted to do well… I really wanted to be helpful to you, M-Miss…”
Chris bit down on his lip, unable to finish his sentence. He looked like he hated himself for being too nervous to even speak properly.
“I-I must be really frustrating for you… I keep making mistakes, can’t do anything right, and I stutter…”
“You must be more bothered by the stuttering than I am.”
Chris looked up at Vendia.
Her expression was truly calm, as if it didn’t bother her at all.
“And mistakes? Everyone makes them. We live making mistakes, being forgiven, and forgiving others.”
“But still, I—I’ve made too many…”
“It’s not like you’re doing it on purpose.”
“I’m sorry…”
Vendia glanced at Chris. No matter what she said, it didn’t seem to comfort him. His expression remained sullen.
“If you feel that guilty, then someday, when someone else makes a mistake, try to understand them like I did with you. You’re passing on the kindness you received.”
“…Pass it on?”
“If we all show each other that kind of compassion, then one day, someone will return it to me too. That’s how everyone lives.”
“……”
“So stop blaming yourself. It’s really okay.”
With those words, Vendia inspected his wound again, checking carefully if any thorns remained despite the torn and difficult-to-see injury. Her gaze was delicate and focused.
It was at that moment.
After confirming there were no thorns, she pressed her fingers firmly around his to stop the bleeding.
“M-Miss! Your hand will get bloody!”
“It’s fine.”
Chris tried to pull his hand away in surprise, but Vendia only tightened her grip and raised his hand above his head.
Blood from the wound trickled down through the gap between her fingers.
It was summer, and she wore a thin dress that left her arms exposed. The blood slid down her pale arm.
Chris didn’t miss a single detail of that sight.
His blood ran smoothly down the curve of her slender white arm, leaving a stark red trail.
It soaked into the sleeve of her dress, and a few drops even slipped inside.
The blood that disappeared into her sleeve must have stained the part of her skin he couldn’t see like paint.
Chris’s throat bobbed. His fingers twitched. But to avoid being caught, he clenched his jaw tightly.
It was only first aid—so why did it make his chest feel tight?
Maybe it was because she didn’t look like her usual playful self.
Though unintentional, the kindness she showed touched him deeply.
“The wound looks deep. If needed, let’s go to the hospital. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll cover everything.”
“Ah, no! It was my carelessness, so I-I should pay…”
“This counts as a workplace injury.”
“W-Workplace… injury?”
“Yeah. An industrial accident. Wait—don’t tell me you’re pretending not to need compensation so you can later report me as some evil employer?”
“There’s no way! I—I’d never report you!”
“Pfft! I’m joking.”
Seeing Chris flustered and panicking, Dia burst into laughter.
The heavy atmosphere lightened considerably.
Her laughter was so contagious that Chris unknowingly found himself smiling along.
“Miss Dia! Here’s the first aid kit!”
Just then, Sasha came running over with the first aid kit. Chris’s smile vanished as if it had never been there.
“Gasp! Your hand’s covered in blood!”
“It’s fine. Let’s disinfect the wound first.”
Seeing Vendia’s bloodied hand, Sasha gasped in shock. But Vendia remained calm and led Chris to the outdoor faucet.
She lowered his hand, which she’d been holding above his head, and turned on the water to rinse the wound clean.
“……”
Chris bit his lip hard.
She seemed too focused on his injury to notice, but the two of them were now standing extremely close.
Because she was in front of him, it looked almost like he was hugging her from behind.
If he just glanced down, he could see her white nape and peach-tinged ears peeking through her long hair.
And as she sprayed disinfectant and applied pressure, she kept holding his hand, brushing it and fussing over it.
The toes inside his shoes curled in response.
He had no choice but to lean away as much as he could and look up at the sky—but no matter what, he couldn’t block out her scent.
The soft scent of soap she used wrapped around him and tickled his nose.
His brow furrowed. He just wanted to escape this tingling feeling coursing through his whole body.
“Wait. Is it like this? No, maybe like this?”
Vendia, having finished disinfecting and applying pressure, began wrapping a bandage around his finger.
Because they were so close, they nearly bumped into each other, and Chris quickly took a step back.
“Hmm…”
“This looks a bit…”
Vendia and Sasha murmured as they examined Chris’s finger.
Anyone could tell the bandage had been clumsily and awkwardly wrapped.
“Hold on. Let me redo it with a fresh one. I think I have another roll of bandages in my bag. Wait right here, I’ll be back!”
Apparently dissatisfied, she dashed back into the mansion.
“Oh, and don’t even think about working for a while. Total rest. Got it?”
Just in case, she turned back and looked at him, clearly expecting an answer.
She tried to look fierce, but it was more like a feisty kitten glaring at him, which made Chris stifle a laugh and nod his head.
Only after getting a reply did Vendia resume her hurried steps.
Chris stared after her retreating figure.
He wore a faint, unreadable expression on his face—one even he didn’t fully understand.
“You’ll do anything to get her attention, huh?”
Just then—
As he stood there, basking in the quiet sunlight, eyes filled with Vendia—an interruption came.
He turned to see Sasha smiling at him knowingly, her eyes saying she’d figured out everything.
Chris smoothly hid his smile with practiced ease and feigned confusion.
“W-What? I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Huh? What do you mean? Anyway, you heard Miss Dia, right? Don’t even dream about touching the trees again. Take a good rest for now.”
But Sasha pretended not to notice even more smoothly—and smiled.
