Night Monarch's Cannon Fodder Bride-Chapter 43: What A Mess You Are

Samuel’s body lost all sensations. As if an intense darkness had swallowed him whole, leaving only his eyes behind.

All he could do was stare at the tall young man—no, a monster. His brown pupils quivered, his lips parting in shock.

Don’t, he wanted to scream. Don’t kill me. Please...

Killian averted his gaze, and the assistant finally dragged in a breath.

The suffocating coercion vanished instantly, as if he’d been released from an invisible noose.

Fuck!

It had only been a couple of seconds of eye contact, yet his mind had nearly shattered.

"Leave. I’ll stay."

The words rang like a command inside his ears, rattling his spine.

Primal fear crushed his urge to stay into meek obedience.

His body moved on its own, bowing in submission before his mind could catch up.

Only when he stood outside the closed door did his thoughts begin to move again.

His legs finally gave out, and he slid down onto the cold floor, gasping for another breath—one that had never felt so precious.

"What the hell is he?" he mumbled. Then, remembering Killian was still inside, he clamped a hand over his mouth.

His mind was torn between immediately fleeing and knocking on the door again.

His boss was still inside.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

"Mr. Sam? You’ll catch a cold if you stay there."

Samuel looked up blankly at the housemaid Naira, who stared back at him with worry-filled eyes.

"I am debating between dying now or dying later."

If anything happened to Severine, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

When he was on the verge of collapse—having lost everything to his gambler father—Severine had saved him.

The scene from ten years ago was still fresh in his mind.

The gang members had dragged him away, planning to sell him to pay off the debt. All the while, his father bashed his abdomen with a rod when he tried to run away.

Suddenly, police alarms blared, startling the gangsters. They rushed to hide, leaving him bleeding in the alley.

Ten-year-old Severine had approached him then, asking him if he wanted to follow her.

Follow her, a child? For what?

If he were in a normal situation, he would have laughed. But the pain of his broken ribs forced him to make an immediate decision.

"Yes."

After that day, he never saw his father again.

He entered a prestigious university under Severine’s sponsorship, graduating with honors, and, step by step, became her assistant.

"Say, if I fight with your master, how long will it take me to drop dead?"

That earlier suppression had rattled his very core. He was aware that he couldn’t possibly survive such a fight.

And it would take some time before the police could arrive.

Naira glanced once at the closed door, then chuckled at his pale, strained expression. "Don’t worry. Master wouldn’t harm your boss."

Samuel frantically prayed for it to be true. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Here," she offered her hand, helping the poor assistant up. "I’ll ask the kitchen to bring calming soup for you."

The mature lady was attentive to even the minor details.

Samuel indeed needed something to soothe his fraying nerves. So, he agreed with a wry smile that looked uglier than crying.

He, a grown-up man, was scared shitless by someone one year younger than him.

"Master is very caring towards Miss Vale. He wouldn’t let anyone harm her. Haven’t you witnessed his care for the past four days?"

In short, Naira was telling him that if Killian wanted to hurt Severine, he could have done so long ago. There was no need to wait this long.

However, that brought him to a different answer, which he found even more terrifying.

Killian was interested in his boss.

And this interest wasn’t a mere fleeting pull born from chance or kindness.

Ah, what should I do?

His mind spun at a frantic speed as he followed Naira back to the dining area.

The monster in his worries was currently sitting on the carpeted floor.

He rested his face on his folded arms, staring intently at Severine.

"You..." Killian felt his tongue twist uselessly in his mouth. He wanted to say something to her, something that would alleviate her pain.

But words weren’t enough, and he knew nothing else to do except stay and guard her.

Hoot. Hoot.

The hooting of owls echoed through the dense trees surrounding Luminar Manor, almost like a signal.

All the beasts stirred in the darkness, ready for the hunt.

With his hyper senses, Killian could hear the whimpers of small animals as predators tore their soft skin apart.

He had commanded them not to act during the day. And as a reward, the night was there to rule.

Then he would guess who would die next.

To him, it was a delightful game, one that passed the time when he couldn’t sleep.

Though this game had painted rather bloody reports on various forums. They have even labelled his precious home as the home of a Monster.

That was another reason why no one dared to enter those woods, except someone as desperate as Severine.

"Were you also like those small animals?" his low, gravely voice had a tinge of something—pity perhaps—as he continued, "Running for your life?"

His long fingers idly brushed the strands of her dark hair.

Severine might’ve found the touch soothing. In the next moment, her head tilted toward him.

His movements stilled before he resumed.

It was ironic, really. He was never the one to meddle in others’ business. Yet he found himself unable to let go of the unconscious girl in his arms that night.

His friends were startled, rushing to call the doctor while others had gathered around him.

He carried her inside as his jacket stayed over her head, hiding her identity.

All he needed to do was call Edmund and have Severine taken to the hospital. Anything that happened afterward shouldn’t concern him. It shouldn’t.

Regardless, he had let a person stay in his home.

"Ah, what a mess you are."

Though if those words were meant for Severine or himself, only he knew.