Chapter 100

"You're hurt," Lia said, running a finger delicately over his face.

"It's nothing," he replied, wiping off the blood carelessly with the back of his hand. True to his word, he wasn't seriously injured. Nevertheless, his body sported bruises everywhere, including a cut on his face. Lia bit her tongue, refusing to get angry at a patient. Instead, she rubbed the ointment Owen had brought her over his injuries.

Owen had been banned from the second floor for three days as punishment for acting out of place. Those who touched their master's possessions without permission usually received a far harsher punishment, but Claude granted him mercy.

"All done," she announced, handing him his shirt. He smelled of peppermint. Claude sat on the sofa for a bit, ears flaming red, before slipping his arms into the shirt. She watched him fumble with the buttons, far too tiny for his huge, calloused hands. She wiped her own hands clean on a towel and approached him, waving his arms away.