I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 46: An Unnerving Silence

From Five's memories, I had expected Henry to react negatively to my action, especially since an illegitimate child acting out of line. The fact that I was drawing more attention than his cherished daughter did not sit well with him. Henry had always prioritized his family's status, and seeing someone not even officially recognized by him or the family take the spotlight that should have belonged to his beloved daughter disguested him. I could already imagine the frustration he must have felt as he watched the situation unfold.

What I didn't expect was his violent nature to show up. The slap on my face jolted horrific memories that Five had buried deep in her soul. Next, his kick hurt me so much, that it was hard to move. I don't think he broke any of my ribs. Just getting up from the floor was difficult. No wonder those servants from the Spheral House didn't hesitate to harm Five when I came into this world. If her father was willing to abuse her and turn the other cheek, why wouldn't they do the same?

As soon as he left the room, Hunter came into the room. I hadn't expected him to come looking for me. After learning that I was a Spheral, Hunter hadn't said much to me and instead kept his distance, observing me from afar. If he hadn't come of his own accord, then it was likely Zwei who had instructed him to keep an eye on me, especially after I left the ballroom with Henry. The last thing I wanted was for Hunter to see the injuries on my face, let alone notice the pain I was struggling to hide.

"...What happened in here?" he asked.

"Nothing..." I tried to steady my voice as I replied to him.

I desperately hoped Henry hadn't crossed paths with Hunter on his way here. Everything had to appear normal for my plan to succeed. If Henry caught wind of anything, all my efforts would be ruined. Just as I was about to steady myself to leave the room, Hunter suddenly grabbed my hand and turned me toward him. His eyes widened when they landed on my swollen left cheek.

"...What happened to your face?" he exclaimed.

I quickly jerked my hand free from his grip and instinctively covered my cheek.

"Did that man do this to you?" His voice trembled with shock.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go back to the ballroom," I said, trying to brush it off.

"How can I not worry about it?" Hunter's voice rose, now edged with anger.

He was probably projecting Lucia on me in the heat of the moment. Although Hunter disliked me because I was a Spheral, he hated violence against women even more.

"I don't recall us being particularly close," I replied firmly.

Perhaps my sudden, stern tone caught him off guard, as he paused, momentarily stunned by my words.

"I'm not Lucia, and this isn't a big deal," I continued, my voice steady as I started to move toward the door, "So stop making such a fuss."

But then Hunter spoke again, his words stopping me in my tracks.

"On the day you left, you told Lucia it only happened when you were a child... Were you talking about this?"

I didn't answer. Both in my memories and in Five's, I had been abused at a young age. I could no longer tell which of the children in those memories was me and which was Five. But I also didn't feel obligated to answer Hunter's questions. It wasn't out of spite, but rather because, for his safety, the less he knew about me, the better. As I left the room, I didn't look back at Hunter to see his reaction, but he called out to me again, his voice now filled with concern.

"At least get treated before returning to the ballroom."

I realized I couldn't just walk into the ballroom with my face like this. My body was still shaking from the pain in my stomach as well. My appearance would draw unwanted attention and prompt questions I didn't want to answer. As much as I would like to get my injuries treated, the royal doctors here won't treat just anyone without the King or Queen's permission.