The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

73 – Dancing at the Ball (06)

074.

“Uh…”

A thoroughly flustered voice.

After Kallen’s clothes were removed.

Selina and the two apprentice maids, Orti and Putre, froze in place.

They couldn’t help it.

The body of the boy, who was at most two years younger than Selina.

It was so miserable that it was hard to look at with open eyes.

“Is it unsightly?”

“Ah, no… I’m sorry… truly sorry, young master.”

Kallen’s body was quite impressive for a boy his age.

His muscles were well-defined, and their texture looked firm.

Not so rugged as to be unsightly, but muscles that seemed to cling tightly to his body.

If that was all, they would have expressed admiration instead of apologizing, but they couldn’t.

The countless scars covering his body.

Countless scars, so many that it was hard to look at with both eyes, were ruining that body.

Torn, cut, ripped, gouged.

It was unimaginable that there could be so many scars in the world.

The boy’s body was covered in scars.

Especially the right side of his body and his right hand.

As if it was on the verge of rotting away.

It looked like a miracle, forcibly stitched together.

There were parts on his abdomen that were not flesh-colored, as if they had been torn by a monster’s hand.

Above all, there was a scar that stood out, overwhelming everything else.

The heart area.

And a dark line spreading out as if it was branching throughout his body.

Even if the other things existed within the limits of ‘scars’.

That was something entirely different.

As if it would shatter if touched carelessly.

The blackened heart and the dark line that spread like cracks on his body,

It was an unfathomable wound.

“I didn’t mean to show you.”

Selina couldn’t move, not knowing what to do with the clothes she had tightly gripped.

She was filled with the thought that she had made a huge mistake to the master she was going to serve.

Who would want to show such a body to anyone?

The bad looks that would follow would surely be a reason to hide the scars somehow.

Selina had forcibly exposed a boy’s shame with her hasty judgment.

The fact came to her frighteningly, making the praise she always received for being cautious meaningless.

What embarrassed Selina the most was Kalen’s attitude.

As if it was nothing.

The way he shyly covered his body was typical of a boy his age.

The act of undressing him to serve him seemed even more significant.

“I forgot too. Since it’s my body. I don’t even try to be conscious of it.”

Of course, that might be true.

It was Selina herself who had mentioned serving him for a bath.

It was Kallen who said it was okay to undress at the end.

But even that was something Selina induced.

She said she would serve him, mentioning bathing, and led Kallen to accept being served.

Even such consideration.

It made her painfully aware of what kind of boy Kallen was.

“Ah… that…”

“Since I’m already undressed, shall I take a bath? Is that alright?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry, young master.”

“Please don’t take it to heart.”

When Selina raised her head, wondering what he meant by that,

Kallen awkwardly smiled and gently touched her heart.

“The one who made this has fallen asleep, oblivious to the world. They probably don’t even remember now.”

“…”

If they had fallen asleep, was it Sinat?

What on earth had happened between the two of them?

Selina felt that she might have understood a bit about the relationship between the boy and the girl.

Suddenly, she felt a terrifying distance growing between them.

“I’ll go wash up.”

“…Yes…”

With that, Kallen went to wash.

Selina quietly hung up the clothes.

“Miss Selina…”

Among the two apprentice maids,

the girl with short orange hair and a few freckles that suited her well cautiously spoke up.

Putre had also seen it.

The boy’s terrible, scarred body revealed by Selina.

With such an appearance, it wouldn’t be strange to blush, but

the emotion Putre felt was pity.

“Putre… what should I do? I’ve never done anything wrong until now… but as soon as I decided to serve the young master, this happened…”

“Miss Selina… I don’t know if I should say this, but it seems the young master doesn’t mind much. If you apologize sincerely, won’t he accept it?”

“Sigh…”

The girl with the dark green bobbed hair collapsed upon hearing those words.

Orti was a bit shocked.

The scars engraved on the body.

What kind of experiences must one go through to end up like that?

She couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Her legs gave out.

In fact, there were others who had seen Kallen’s body besides Selina, Orti, and Putre.

First, Sinat.

It was natural since they had shared the experience of the heart turning black.

And Eliana and Selacia had also seen Kallen’s body.

But they didn’t react as dramatically as the three maids did, and the reason was simple.

Kallen’s marks were born from the memories they had built together.

When you cross the line of life and death, there’s no time to think properly.

You just feel sorry that the scars appeared.

So, it was bound to be different.

Selina, Orti, and Putre hadn’t crossed that line.

They faced the scars properly in front of their eyes.

Moreover, since they were not involved in life-and-death battles, the gap felt even larger.

How painful must it be?

The pain of flesh being torn apart, literally.

Kallen’s body, which bore that agony, evoked so many emotions.

“…Orti, Putre.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Miss Selina.”

Selina, who was sitting and regretting her hasty actions, steadied herself and stood up.

No matter how much you regret, you can’t turn back time.

All you can do is offer a sincere apology.

Selina’s eyes, having made up her mind, were resolute.

It was the curtain that had elevated her to the position of head maid.

“We need to increase the number of maids dedicated to the young master. Will you help me correct the mistake I made?”

Paradoxically.

Selina could be certain at that moment.

Kallen was the kind of man who deserved to be her new master, whom she could serve for the rest of her life.

No, not a new master.

Strictly speaking, her grandmother’s master was Blamia.

She had been learning her trade in Dranus, waiting for a master to serve.

And Kallen’s attitude towards her mistake gave her confidence.

He neither scolded nor punished her.

He dismissed it as if she were just a guest, but a man with such a body could not be incapable of such judgment.

He knew exactly how much influence he had in Dranus.

To have survived multiple brushes with death.

It meant that he made the best decisions at every moment.

And yet, he knew how to overlook the mistakes of others.

How difficult that was.

Selina, the head maid of Dranus, knew better than anyone.

“I will serve the young master.”

“I will do my best.”

Orti and Putre were the apprentice maids closest to Selina.

They knew well that when she made a decision, she shone brighter than anyone.

“Thank you. Then, please gather the apprentice maids who don’t have regular duties.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Miss Selina.”

Selina had found her master.

Soon, Kallen’s room began to fill with maids.

*

“…What is this…”

Kallen, freshly washed, froze in place.

Just as Selina had frozen when she saw Kallen’s body.

This time, Kallen was shocked in a different way.

In front of him, more maids than before the bath were all bowing their heads.

At the very front, Selina was bowing politely with her eyes closed.

“May I help you with your bath arrangements, Master?”

“Master…?”

“First, I will wipe your body. After that, I will apply medicine for scar care and dress you. When you sleep…”

“Wait a moment.”

Honestly, half of it is for Selina.

Although I actually forgot, the expressions of Selina, Orti, and Putre when they saw the scars looked too painful.

But this is not the result I expected.

I haven’t seen Selina for long, but considering what she’s done so far, wouldn’t she apologize politely?

Kallen thought about it while taking a bath.

However, when he came out after the bath, not only did he receive a polite apology, but the number of maids also increased.

And the title…

“Could it be that these maids…”

“Yes. That’s right. They are the ones who will serve you, Master.”

“…”

“Is it not enough?”

“It’s more than enough. Is it okay for so many maids to attend to just one person like me?”

“Don’t worry. Every day, a hundred maids knock on the door of Dranus. If it’s not the royal family, the greatest honor as a maid is to secure a place in Dranus.”

“…”

With things coming to this, there’s nothing more to say.

Seeing that they even changed the title, it seems they are determined.

Having spent a long time with Sinat, he knows how important it is to address people properly.

“Yes, well. I understand.”

“Thank you for accepting, Master. Then, may I wipe your body?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Kallen finished speaking, the maids, centered around Selina, moved skillfully.

Some brought medicine, and others soaked towels in water.

Orti and Putre held his body.

Selina wipes her body with a wet towel.

“But I just took a bath, do I need to wipe my body again?”

“The disinfectant is mixed in as well, Master.”

“…Okay.”

The maid would know better about these things.

And it doesn’t feel bad to be surrounded and served by so many beautiful women.

Kallen, uncharacteristically, let out a hollow laugh.

He slowly surrendered himself to the unfamiliar sensation.