- Ilex...!
Tilia, realizing the situation, quickly tried to pull Ilex towards her.
But he moved first. Before she could even fully say his name, Ilex pushed her behind her and stepped towards the approaching man.
Gregory, swinging his sword, rushed to attack like crazy, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t even come close to Tilia.
- Agh!
Ilex's long leg mercilessly struck Gregory in the chest.
The sword and an unidentified glass bottle slipped from Gregory's hands as he fell. Ilex quickly threw them away, and then stepped on Gregory as he tried to get up.
“If you had allowed yourself to be grabbed quietly, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
- Agh...
With an expression devoid of any emotion, Ilex struck Gregory's head with his boot and said:
“You didn’t think my warning was scary enough, did you?”
As if realizing something, Gregory turned his gaze to Ilex.
- Was that... was that you?
His voice distorted under the pressure of Ilex's boot, but he screamed in rage.
- Since when are you... dating Tilia Ambrose...?!
However, his words remained unfinished as another kick followed.
Ilex, with a bored expression on his face, began to repeatedly kick Gregory's stomach. With his hands casually shoved into his pockets, he concentrated on smashing Gregory's face. His demeanor showed no warmth.
Gregory's body crumpled under his feet like dough.
And Tilia watched this scene with her face as white as a sheet.
To be honest, Tilia still underestimated Ilex somewhat.
He wasn't overly generous, but he smiled often enough in her presence. And although he pretended that this was not so, he always showed a kind attitude towards her.
But now, after seeing him brutally beat someone in front of her, she understood.
He was by no means an opponent to be taken lightly. Stupidly, it was only now that Tilia realized that Ilex was an ordinary person.
An ordinary person, capable of violence, like anyone else.
The thud of blows brought back long-buried memories to her. Like Gregory now, she was once powerless and forced to endure beatings.
“Father, please... Please save mom. Mom... she..."
No matter how much her swollen hands begged, all she received was brutal beatings.
"Shut up! Shut your damn mouth!"
A terrible past that she thought she had forgotten resurfaced in her mind.
Her stomach, which had long ago stopped feeling pain, began to twist in agony. Her hands, now much stronger than then, trembled as if they were about to be stepped on again.
"I need to run."
Her stunted subconscious whispered to her: “You don’t want to get hit. Hurry up and run away."
As if following the voice, Tilia's legs began to retreat back.
He will come for her, she will be next. If he beats her like that, she will definitely remain disabled forever.
Caught in the throes of her injury, Tilia was barely sane.
“I need to get out. Quickly..."
But she barely took three steps from the scene of brutal violence when...
Crunch.
There was a cracking sound under her heel.
Quickly turning her head, she saw that the glass bottle that was originally in Gregory's hand was now completely broken.
And white smoke began to rise from it. In an instant, white smoke enveloped the floor and began to creep up her legs.
"What is this?"
Tilia stared at the smoke, moving like a sentient being, when she heard someone calling her name.
- Tilia!
Looking up, she saw Ilex approaching her with a terrifying expression on his face.
Blood - clearly not his own - was smeared across his face. This terrifying face echoed the memory of his father.
No.
She tried to quickly turn her back on him, but it was too late. She watched, seemingly in slow motion, as a massive hand reached out towards her.
The large, thick-boned hand resembled a monster emerging from the sea. She seemed ready to grab her by the hair or strangle her at any moment.
Oh.
As she feared, a large hand covered Tilia's mouth. Ilex tightly covered her mouth and nose, whispering in her ear.
- Don't breathe.
It wasn't difficult at all. She had not breathed normally for a long time.
- Fuck.
His silent curse caused Tilia's already trembling body to shake even more.
- This is concentrated holy water in the form of steam. No matter how out of breath you feel, don't breathe. And keep your eyes closed, just in case.
Shuddering like an animal being led to slaughter, Tilia perked up her ears when she heard the unusual word.
"Holy water?"
-Are you really afraid?
Ilex, noticing her abnormal state, spoke in a voice filled with concern, gently stroking her back. But Tilia was too focused on deciphering his words to notice his actions.
“Holy water? Holy water, right?”
With eyes full of tears, she looked down. A shard of glass sparkled among the muddy floor.
- Damn bastard... annoying to the very end...
Ilex stared with death at Gregory, who had already been beaten to a pulp, before turning his gaze to Tilia, who was still in his arms.
The once frightening blue-gray eyes were now filled with worry.
- Let's get out of here first.
Continuing to cover Tilia's mouth with one hand and clasping the back of her head with the other, Ilex led her towards the exit.
Essentially held in Ilex's arms, Tilia looked at the ground with confused eyes. Although she managed to shake off her panic, she could not understand the situation.
"Why?"
Only questions filled her mind. Looking up slightly, she saw the desperate face of Ilex, looking for a way out.
“Why on earth?”
Without realizing it, Tilia bit her lip and looked down.
Very close to her ear, behind his chest, she could hear his heart beating wildly.
For some reason, this seemed inexplicably strange to her, and Tilia couldn't stop biting her lips.
***
Bang! With a loud noise, the door to the outside finally opened.
The hand covering her mouth was released.
Cough.
The cold morning air penetrated deep into her lungs.
- Breathe slowly and deeply.
Ilex spoke, gently stroking Tilia's back as she gasped for air.
- You're safe now. Breathe slowly.
Why? This comforting gesture gave her a strange feeling of calm.
Honestly, she could take it. If she had been alone, she would have gritted her teeth and gotten through it. But Tilia finally gave in, sinking to the ground right there.
Ilex, apparently frightened, quickly picked her up.
-Are you all right?
Only after they reached a bench away from the scene of the incident did Ilex lower it to the ground and inspect it carefully.
As the shaking gradually subsided, Tilia noticed Ilex's large hand.
- You can use it as you wish, it's just a handkerchief that you can throw away.
In this well-groomed hand was a white handkerchief embroidered with delicate patterns. Seeing him, the situation finally started to make sense.
The hand that she thought would strangle her actually moved to protect her. The touch she thought would kill her was instead meant to save her.
He spoke the truth. Ilex Davenport really wanted to help her.
As soon as he saw her, he tried to take her away, and as soon as he saw the smoke, he covered her nose and mouth.
Now he even offered her a brand new handkerchief.
Everything was for her.
-……
Words of gratitude were on the tip of her tongue. But the question marks still hanging in my mind stubbornly held onto these words.
Why?
Why are you so kind to me?
As she hesitated, torn between confusion and gratitude, looking at the handkerchief, something fell into her lap.
Tilia looked up and saw Ilex, who had moved away from the bench.
- Wait here. The carriage will arrive soon.
Standing about four steps away from her, Ilex looked gloomily into the distance.
Why did he suddenly react like that? Tilia watched him warily with curiosity in her eyes.
Just when she thought he was alarmed, the events from the basement flashed through her mind.
Gregory brought a vessel with vapors of holy water, which broke.
As steam filled the space, unlike her, Ilex's airways were exposed. His hands were busy covering her nose and mouth.
"Then..."
Belatedly realizing this obvious fact, Tilia opened her eyes wide.
“Did Ilex inhale all that steam?”
This thought made her involuntarily clench her hands, crumpling her handkerchief.
If the substance Gregory brought caused the same symptoms as the one she took earlier...
Then right now, Ilex...
Her emerald eyes darted nervously before looking at Ilex. She saw him take something out of his jacket pocket.