Romanoff Dukedom: The Heroine (4)

The two maids merely gave the departing lady a confused glance, wondering about the vague warning she had left them with.

Zarya, on the other hand, was able to return to Herkel's room promptly. She ambled the short distance towards the side of the bed and lightly dropped the sack on the nightstand that was suffused with various ornaments. Subsequently, she faced Herkel and met his eyes.

"Prior to tending to your wounds, can you please tell me what happened to you?" Zarya inquired to the young man who was keenly observing her every action.

It wasn't decorous for a servant to interrogate their master, but the lady surmised that Herkel wasn't the type to stick to formalities. Advantageously for the young lady, she was correct with her judgment.

Still and all, Herkel Avret wasn't one to accommodate a query with the truth.

For a few seconds, Herkel simply hummed as if he was in deep contemplation, shutting his eyes in the middle of it. Once he revealed his semi-golden orbs, the young man playfully grinned before answering.

"I was beaten up by Ius as a result of my disobedience. If you ask me, it's absolutely unreasonable. He just wanted to hurt me." Herkel explained while making a gesture as if he's wiping his fake tears.

Unfortunately, Zarya was not roped in by the little act, considering that her impassive countenance didn't change a tad.

"Ha, I see. Alright, I will be replacing your bandages."

The lady's cold dismissal earned the frowning visage of Herkel. Withal, he just nodded his head and let Zarya do the work.

Zarya went ahead and assisted the man in taking his grey shirt off. She undid all the buttons and pulled the clothing away from his toned body. Even if it's through the bandages covering his torso, the young man's body was akin to a perfectly chiseled Greek God.

Though Ilya could care less about it.

Following that, she relocated the knapsack to the bed and pulled the ties that were sealing it. Next, Zarya rolled up her sleeves so her uniform won't be a hindrance.

Perchance, the lady didn't notice it, but Herkel scrutinized the bandages on her right arm like a hawk watching its prey, an ill-behaved glint showing on his eyes.

"Since you questioned me earlier, you should allow me to ask you a question also."

"Certainly, My Lord," Zarya replied without thinking, still absorbed in organizing her equipment.

There was a pause that lingered in the air, an oddity that emitted suspense. Shortly, Herkel opened his mouth to speak.

"Where were you last night?"

Immediately upon hearing his question, Zarya gave Herkel an inquisitive gaze. Bewildered though she might be, the lady still answered the query.

"My Lord, I was sent to Refecta the night before to provide some helping hand." She said as she continued to arrange the first aid kit on the bed.

Concurrently, Herkel narrowed his stare at the woman and proceeded to grab her bandaged right arm.

"O- Ouch! What are you… doing?!" Zarya winced in pain, shutting her eyes tightly once her wounded arm was in the young man's tenacious grip.

Although Herkel had noticed that she was in agony, he did not loosen his grip even the slightest.

"Refecta? Are you sure?" Herkel asked as he mustered all the doubt that he could in his voice.

The lady gradually opened her eyes as she was still in pain, staring directly at the young man.

At first, she thought that he was getting out of control due to the onset of the heat cycle. However, his pupils were not dilated and his teeth hadn't changed in appearance.

Usually, the shifters and demi-humans would exhibit a myriad of visual indications that their heat had begun.

For the shifters, the most prominent one would be when their teeth grew into fangs even without fully transforming. Along with that, they secrete a large amount of saliva since they're generally unrestrained in nature. They would also emit a smell that was similar to the scent of their blood.

Herkel was in a sane state of mind. Her observation made Zarya wonder why he had abruptly turned aggressive.

"Y-yes, My Lord. If you have qualms regarding the validity of my claim, you could ask the Head Maid about it. She's the one who sent me to Refecta." Zarya stated while doing her best to maintain her composure.

Soon, an exhausted whimper came out of her mouth as her wounds started to ooze blood, staining the newly replaced bandage. She tried to forcefully free her arm, but Herkel didn't budge an inch. His grasp made her feel as if her limb was dislodged in dried-up concrete.

"P-please let go o-of my arm." Zarya decided to beg for the pain had now reached a level that she couldn't tolerate anymore.

Only when the lady gave him an ireful glower did Herkel let go.

Zarya quickly stuck her right arm on her chest, afraid that Herkel might do the same thing again. She did divert her gaze to avoid being labeled impertinent.

As luck would have it, the young man didn't pursue the matter any further and merely gave her another order.

"Change your bandages first before you change mine." He said as he leaned back on his pillow, reposing as if he didn't just do something unwarranted.

Surprisingly, the lady paid no heed to the noble's lack of repentance. She knew how prideful the aristocrats were. Instead of feeling like she was harassed, anger prevailed in her consciousness for the humiliation she had suffered.

Zarya bit the inner flesh of her cheeks to prevent herself from outraging - a routine of the lady whenever the other maids were bullying her. She then performed a breathing exercise to calm herself down, which effectively relieved her mind.

"My Lord, I will be replacing your old bandages foremost. I can do mine after I'm done serving you."

"Are you sure?"

The young lady didn't even bat an eye on how Herkel's tone was able to rapidly return to its cheery mood. She simply moved on to do her duty without giving an ounce of care to the young man.