Something Beautiful
Chapter - 9

Lisa's brain screamed in fear, she rolled to the side, then pressed the handle of her rifle and took aim. When the robber raised his gun, Lisa shot. The powerful thrust of the rifle caused it to slam backwards, pushing air out of its chest. As he turned his head above the ground and opened his eyes, the robber was already lying on the ground under the moonlight, he had shot the side of the robber's head.

Not only did he injure the man as he had originally intended, but he had also killed him. A groan of anger and fear came out of his throat and exploded in his chest, and the world began to spin, at first slowly, gradually getting faster. He saw the tall man kicking the robber he killed, then started walking towards him, his long footsteps somehow threatening. The world spun even faster, pulling Lisa into a vortex. For the first time in her life, Lisa fainted.

Mingyu crouched down next to the fainted knight, his hand violently pulling off the helmet so as to assess how badly the armoured knight had sustained. "Hurry Will!" he shouted to the coachman who was staggering to his feet, had just regained consciousness from fainting due to the robbery earlier. "Help me take off this fucking armor."

"Has she been hurt, Your Grace?"  will asked, rushing to his master's side and kneeling down.

"It seems so," Mingyu replied quickly, frowning at the wound on the side of the tiny face.

"He wasn't shot, was he?"

"I don't think so, hold his head,"

"Slow down,"

"Suck!"

"Hold her head, while I take this terrible suit off her body." Mingyu threw the helmet to the side and pulled off the chest protector. "Geez this costume is so ugly" he murmured, but his voice sounded anxious when he noticed the frail body before him, looking for gunshot wounds or traces of blood with moonlight illumination. "It's too dark to see where he's injured. Turn the train around, we'll take it to the inn we passed a few kilometers ago. There must be someone there who knows who the parents of this child are, as well as where the nearest doctor lives." Mingyu grabbed his savior's body then gently placed his hand under the child's armpit and lifted it, to his surprise he realized how light the body behind the armor was. "He was just a boy, he was at most thirteen or fourteen years old," Mingyu said, his voice raucous at the guilt of the injury inflicted on the brave boy who had saved his life. Without difficulty he lifted the boy in his cradle, and then carried him to the carriage.

***

Mingyu's arrival at the inn while carrying the unconscious Lisa invited various slanted and indecent comments from the visitors in the sitting room, who had started getting drunk as it was already very late at night.

Showing a noble's authoritative attitude towards the commoners, Mingyu ignored the negative comments and walked with a firm step towards the barmaid. "Show me your best room and have the innkeeper meet me as soon as possible."

The waiter glanced at Lisa's back with her brownish wavy hair then at the tall, well-dressed man and hurried to execute his orders in order, showing the best room in the inn.

"Where," Lisa soaked her dry lips, her voice was very raucous. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again, this time he managed to make a louder sound than just a raucous whisper. "Where am I?"

"You're at the inn near where you got hurt."

Lisa recalled the terrible incident and felt hot tears burning her eyes. "I killed. I killed the man" he said in a choked voice.

"And thanks to that you saved my life and the life of my coachman."

In a state of confusion, Lisa believed the man's words and grasped the comfort he caused. Unable to focus his vision, he could only see as if from a distance when the man was groping his feet. No one but her mother has touched her body, and that was years ago. Lisa felt that the sensation was pleasant at the same time very disturbing, but when the man's hand gently began to feel his lower ribs, his breath clenched and he clutched the man's hand. "Sir!" he screamed and was desperate. "What are you doing?"

The gaze of mingyu turned to the slender fingers gripping her hand firmly, a strength that seemed to arise from fear. "I'm looking in case there's a broken bone, son. I've had people call doctors and innkeepers. Nonetheless, since you are now conscious, can you tell me for yourself what is your name? And where can we find the nearest doctor."

Alert and upset at the high cost of doctors' services, Lisa desperately said, "Do you know how expensive doctors are now?"

Mingyu looked at the pale-faced yet extraordinarily beautiful boy and immediately felt a sense of affection mixed with admiration, a combination of feelings that were completely foreign to him. "You're hurt because of me. It's only natural that I bear all the costs."

The man smiled, and Lisa felt her dizziness suddenly disappear. This man who was smiling at him was undeniably the greatest and most handsome man he had ever seen or ever imagined. The man's eyes were a hard gray as steel but soft as satin, his shoulders were very fielded, his baritone voice was deep and dazzling. His brownish face contrasted with his teeth which turned out to be very white, and although his jawline and chin looked strong and masculine, his touch felt soft, gentle, and the corners of his eyes were fine lines indicating the man had a good sense of humor.

Lisa looked up at the big man who was towering over her, and she felt very small and fragile. Surprisingly, he also felt safe. Safer than he has felt in the last three years. He loosened his grip on the man's hand, then girded his hand to touch the wound on the man's chin. "You're hurt too" he said, smiling in embarrassment.

Mingyu gasped for not expecting to see such a beautiful smile from a boy and was immediately stunned when she felt a strange rumble arising from the touch of the boy's hand. The touch of a boy. He hurriedly brushed off the tiny hand while asking inwardly whether his saturation towards normal entertainment had turned him into a deviant man. "You haven't told me your name yet" said Mingyu, his tone made as friendly as possible as he began to feel the boy's lower ribs, while watching his facial expression, looking for a sign of whether he was in pain.

Lisa opens her mouth to tell her name, but instead of doing so she screams furiously when the man suddenly slips his hand into ***********.