Soon Damian asked, “Why?” His voice was full of pure curiosity. “Why would you... for me...” He didn’t seem to understand why anyone would care about him.

“Because I want to,” I answered simply. And that was all. I really wanted to. He still looked unconvinced, so I had no choice but to make a bold move. “Besides, I lost my bread to Carsen because of you.” That seemed to startle him. Oh? Maybe it was working. I went on, carefully watching his reaction. “So, now I’m really hungry.”

His mouth parted slightly. He looked down, muttering, “Bread...”

He was hesitating. It was time to finish it. I quickly explained, “In other words, we’re both in the same boat. Now, I really can’t leave you here, can I?”

He didn’t say anything.

“So get up.” Time to eat. I offered Damian my hand.

He looked from my face in the dim light of the lantern to the darkness beyond, then took my hand. The touch made me flinch. His hand was colder even than ice. Maybe he had frostbite? It was possible if he’d been here since before dinner.

I had to get him someplace warm, and fast. I pulled hard to make him stand up. Thankfully, he didn’t resist. Before we left the forest behind us, I looked up at the clock tower. At this hour, the director must have left for the gambling house with the other teachers. As for Carsen... Well, he wasn’t my problem.

“Damian, I need you to be really quiet. Hush, okay?” I whispered, putting a finger to my lips. Damian didn’t say anything, just watched as I moved.

As the forest was close to the director’s quarters, we could get inside without being seen. I looked at the locked door to the director’s quarters, and then I removed a thin pin from my collar. It appeared to be an ordinary hairpin, but it was actually wire. I put it in the keyhole and turned it skillfully. Soon the door unlocked with a familiar click.

“Come on.” I dragged Damian inside.

Instead of using the common bathroom, the director had a private bath in her quarters. While we kids always got just enough water for a quick in-and-out wash, she could enjoy a long, hot soak as often as she wanted, and I often came to use her bathroom whenever she was gone.

I put the lantern down on the floor. “Now, strip.”

“What?”

“I said, strip. You can’t take a bath with your clothes on.” Come on, chop chop. I beckoned him, but he was frozen in place. I put my hands on my waist and said authoritatively, “Do you even realize how cold your body is?”

He just stared at me.

“If you don’t warm up immediately, you’ll end up losing a hand or a foot. Or both.”

Alarm crossed his face. He winced noticeably and looked down at his hand. His fingertips were blue, even though I’d held his hand on our way over. He tried clenching and unclenching it, but it was no good. He bit his lip. It seemed my exaggeration was working. He finally seemed like a normal boy his age.

I suppressed a smile and asked, “Is it because you don’t want me to be here? Should I leave?”

“But...”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

His mumbling voice was too soft for me to hear, so I leaned in closer. “My body, it’s gross...”

“Gross?”

He looked down again. He seemed afraid to answer. I realized what was going on a little too late. Damian had been a slave before he came to the orphanage. I could guess why he didn’t want his body to be seen. I was being thoughtless. I scolded myself as I took a step back.

“Sorry...” Damian said suddenly. My stepping back seemed to have given him the wrong idea. “That’s why I didn’t want you to see me, I...”

“You’re not gross.” I paused, searching for the right words. “I’m just...” I couldn’t finish that sentence. Anything I said to him would just be a hollow expression of pity. If the heroine of the story had been standing here instead of me, I was sure she would have known something better to say.

For the first time, I regretted that I was just a minor character. But I couldn’t afford that kind of frustration, not now. I took another step back. “Do you think you can wash up on your own?”

Damian nodded. At least he wasn’t refusing to bathe.

“Then I’ll wait outside. Call me when you’re done. You can use this towel to dry yourself off.”

He stared blankly at me again.

“Okay?”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding.

I closed the bathroom door behind me, but I could still see the boy’s uncertain eyes.

How awful. I shook my head, trying to stop thinking about the scars I’d glimpsed on him.

* * *

“Done?” I asked, looking into the bathroom.

Damian was standing there awkwardly. He nodded. I couldn’t see his expression because his damp hair was covering his eyes, but his cheeks were rosy.

“How was it? The bath was a good idea, right?”

“Yeah...” he replied slowly. He seemed unaccustomed to the orphanage uniform he was wearing. His embarrassed fidgeting was just like any other boy his age.

I huffed out a laugh at the sight. “Here, take this.” Smiling with satisfaction, I handed him what I’d brought. While Damian was bathing, I’d stolen some cheese and ham from the teachers’ pantry. As for the bread, the teachers found it too lowly for them and never ate it, so it was okay to steal some. With these, I was able to make two crude but decent sandwiches.

“But why are you giving me these?” he asked with bewilderment.

“Because you skipped dinner earlier!”

He stared at the food without a word.

“Here, you have to eat, or you’ll have a tough day tomorrow. And if tomorrow is tough, every day after will be, too.”

He still didn’t reply.

“Eat up so I can eat, too.” I waved a sandwich at him again, but he didn’t take it and looked down. No way, it couldn’t be… “Have you never had a sandwich before?”

He nodded. His ears flushed red with shame.

It couldn’t be helped. I showed him the one I’d made for myself. “Look. This is called a sandwich, and you eat it like this.” I took a large bite of my sandwich to show him. The salty and savory taste of ham and cheese immediately filled my mouth. “See?”

My demonstration was met with more silence. I looked at him, urging him to try. He took a bite after some hesitation. He chewed a few times, then suddenly stopped. The next moment, he was devouring his sandwich. I was glad to see him get his appetite back.

After the late meal, it was time to dry his hair. His shoulder-length hair was dripping with water. In this weather, he’d catch a cold for sure unless it was dried properly. “Do you mind?” I asked, lifting the towel in my hand for him to see.

He looked a bit puzzled, but soon he looked down with an “Ah.” Although he wasn’t used to getting taken care of, he was quick to catch on.

I gently dried his hair. It was nice hair, if stiff from lack of care. But then I spotted a bite mark on the nape of his neck. Like he was bitten by an animal...

Damian looked up, sensing my hands weren’t moving anymore. “Why…?”

“This...” I was going to ask but snapped my mouth shut. I didn’t want to pry about his old wounds.

But he already knew. “They told me I already had that when they found me.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“That’s why my master wanted me to...” He didn’t finish the sentence.

So that’s why he grew his hair out. The story had mentioned that he had long hair as a child, but nothing more.

I was small for my age, but he was shorter by a handspan even than I was. I’d brought him the smallest shirt for his age, but it still hung loosely over his shoulders. I touched his half-dried hair and asked cautiously, “May I?”

His hesitation was apparent.

“We have to dry your hair, or you’ll catch a cold.”

He just nodded.

Drying his hair again, I gently brushed aside a bit covering his forehead in case he’d been sweating. It was only then I got to properly see his face. With his long eyelashes and clear skin, he looked as pretty as a porcelain doll. Plus there was that rosy hue on his cheeks thanks to the bath he’d just had.

My jaw dropped a little. He’s way... prettier than I thought! I forgot what I was doing and stared at him.

Our eyes met. His clear blue eyes were like two delicate glass beads. “Um...” But then he started to blush.

I snapped back to my senses and put a hand on his forehead, making him flinch. “I think you have a mild fever.” I couldn’t let him catch a cold. I wondered if I should make him take medicine, just in case.

He quickly looked down. “I-I’m fine.”

“But you’re still hot. Can’t you feel it?”

“It’s just that, it’s hot in here, so...” he mumbled, lowering his face even more. Now his ears were turning red as well. Maybe I’m being too pushy?

“Okay. But if you start feeling sick, you have to tell me right away. Got it?”

He nodded without saying anything.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

“Where?”

“Where? It’s getting late. It’s time to go to sleep,” I said matter-of-factly, picking up the lantern.

“There’s a separate place for sleeping?

“What do you...” I almost asked what he was talking about but caught myself in time. I smiled at him. “Yeah, we have a separate room for sleeping in. And that’s where you’re going to sleep from now on.”

He didn’t seem to understand. Instead of explaining, I took his hand and led the way, and he followed obediently.

* * *

After brushing our teeth and washing our faces, we went into the dormitory. The kids were quiet, already asleep.

“Mm… Ellie? Who’s that behind you?”

“Shh.”

Tommy whined, woken up by the light of my lantern. I put a finger on my lips to silence him, and he soon went back to sleep.

I blew out the lantern. Carsen’s crowd was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t concern me at all. “Come on,” I whispered as I pulled Damian closer.

He had his own assigned bed at the end of the room, but I couldn’t risk Carsen coming back and finding him there. I got into my bed first and patted the spot next to me. “You’re sleeping here with me tonight.”

“With you?”

“Yes.” I nodded. Damian seemed lost for words.