CH. 27 SNOW WHITE III

My heart was a million things that ran through my mind. Who is it? Are they gonna have their way with me? Is this it!? I couldn't even begin to think about the atrocities of what this person silencing me would do. As if they could read my thoughts, they lean to my ear and whisper.

"It's me." The familiar voice of the blacksmith relieves me in someone. He slowly removes his hand from my mouth. However, another question pops into my mind.

"HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!" I whisper-yelled at him, trying not to get the attention of the ones on the other side of the rock.

"No. I just got here 30 minutes ago. I wanted to make sure you were okay and nobody came here while you took a bath." He explains.

"So you're telling me you watched me bath for 30 minutes without my consent." I glare up to him.

"N-no! There wasn't much to see!" He let's go of me.

"What did you just say to me?!?!" I scooped up some hot spring water and threw it at his face.

"Wuah!" Drench, he gives me a flat look, "I didn't mean it like that."

The voices on the other side of the rock were getting louder. I sink lower into the spring in case they get any closer.

"Don't worry. I'll have them leave before they can even think of stepping foot here." The blacksmith says. I almost swooned.

I blow bubbles in response, and then he left. I quickly jumped out, dried myself a bit, and threw the tunic on. The pants were too big, but since the shirt came below my knees, I used the pants to cover my backside and as a belt. If I had a mirror, I probably looked stupid.

There were angry voices that turned into shouts and grunts. The sound of metals unsheathing and clashing made me speed up. By the time I rounded around the rock, the blacksmith had a man lifted off the ground with his hand, while a dozen or so men had already been subdued ... regular men size.

"Looks like you didn't need help." I kicked one that was starting to wake up back to sleep.

"It's still dangerous, you shouldn't come out yet -" He turns to face me. His once serious scowling face had changed into a shock. His ears turned red.

"Why aren't you wearing the pants!" He practically growls. I didn't like the way he had just growl at me.

"Maybe if you had given me triple SX size, maybe I would have worn them!" I lean forward and gave him a scowl of my own. I noticed his furrowed eyes look down from my face to somewhere else. I quickly covered my chest.

"Perv." I huffed at him. The blacksmith rolls his eyes.

" . . . " He tosses the unconscious man to the ground and grumpily walks past me to the hot springs. As fast as he disappeared, he came back with my dress in hand.

"Let's go." He grumbles.

We walk in silence. When we walk inside his place, he stops. I did not react quickly enough and ended up hitting my face on his back. His big arms wrap around my waist and stop me from falling back.

"S-sorry." He pulls away once I regained my stance. I think I'm making him feel awkward.

"It's okay. I'm sorry about earlier. I'm not mad at you. You were just trying to make sure I'm okay. Thanks for keeping others out while I bathed." I rub my arms to keep warm. The night was beginning to get chilly. He sees this and walks to me.

"Wahh!" The blacksmith picks me up bridal style and takes me to the bed.

"W-what are you - oof!" He pulls the bed cover, puts me on the bed, and covers me up.

He even pats the cover as if coaxing a child to sleep.

"Sleep here. It's warmer." He frowns whe stepping back and heads to the large couch by the fireplace.

"Wait a minute, this is your bed!" I start to say, but he shoots me a look warning me. So, I stayed I bed. We stayed silent once again. I think this is our little routine now. Talk and then don't talk for a while. I was about to call him when I realized one thing.

"Hey..." I begin. He was hesitant and embarrassed that I was just now bringing thus up, "I've been meaning to ask, but... what's your name?"

You did it, Marianne. You asked the most important question when you meet new people.

The blacksmith who was silent with his eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed on the couch as he slowly opened an eye to look at me.

"Mad." He grumbles, closing his eye. I giggle at his name. It suits him so well, always furrowed his eyebrows, frowning, grunting, and grumbling.

"Well, my name is Marianne. Even though we have gotten to the wrong foot, I hope we can get along." I knew he wasn't looking at me, but I smiled anyway.

"Hmph." He grunts, "We leave as soon as dusk arrives."

Mad turns over. It takes me a while to relax. I need to think about what I was gonna do when I find Jung-woo. We're always losing each other. It's like some kind of bad joke the damn Heavens or even Hell has put on us just to make things interesting.

I wanted to ask him a silly question so I could shoot my shot, hoping he might still be awake.

"Is there perhaps someone by the name Snow White?"

I watch for any signs of movement or a reaction to my question. Fortunately, he did answer back,

"Yes." He says grumpily.

"W-what is she like?!" Slightly awake and excited to get information about a princess who I have only read in a fairytale book.

"She hates apples." Was all he could give me. It wasn't long till I heard soft snoring next to me.

There were so many things I was curious about, but sleep was finally catching up to me. The last thing I remember before I drifted was Mad getting out of bed and covering me with another blanket.

Mmm... so warm, I thought.

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