5.
1221 Words
Dante removed the clothes around the bullet wound, revealing a narrow pit formed on her thigh by the bullet. He held back the urge to cringe at the gruesome sight. He had worked on bullet wounds before but that didn't mean he liked it.
While these two were tending to bullet wounds, the king had called Magnolia for a formal report on the mission. In his judgment, the trio had failed woefully and nothing gladdened his heart as much as the news of their failure.
"So where are Dante and Denyefa right now?" He asked Magnolia. She told him about Denyefas's wound and he dismissed her.
Back in the infirmary, the nurse hadn't still returned. Dante had removed the bullet and arrested the bleeding. He did a fine job of dressing the wound, although Denyefa wasn't very comfortable with him touching her thigh.
She could still feel the awkwardness between them, likewise him.
"All done."
Denyefa sighed in relief as Dante walked away. He stood, backing her at the opposite end of the room. The only sound in the room was that of water rushing as Dante washed his hands. He left the tools for the nurse to sterilize as she would know how to do it better.
Denyefa watched him from behind. His dark silk hair matched his black shirt which clung to his body, outlining his well-toned muscles. A gun was strapped to his thigh with a dagger beside the gun. Should she say sorry for what she did earlier? Although Dante did not bring it up, his actions showed he was offended.
"Dante?" She called as he wiped his hands dry. He turned to look at her. "Thank you for helping me. I know it's not your job as my chief to do this. I'm sorry for causing you stress."
He waved off her gratitude. "I'm doing this as a friend, or do you only see me as your chief?"
If only he knew what space he occupied in her heart. He was much more than a friend to her. Dante had been the only one who truly cared for her. Ever since she arrived, his feelings towards her had always manifested without any form of selfish intentions unlike the other men and she loves him for that. He's much more than a friend to her. She doesn't know what to tag it as, so she would just use the term, friend.
"Of course," she replied, "We are friends. And that's why I want to apologize about what happened earlier."
Dantes's eyes remained fixed and steady on her but in his mind, it was like a thousand fireworks had just gone off. He had been avoiding this topic with her ever since that afternoon. He kept rules when dealing with women, rules he honoured and would not break for any reason. But Denyefa, only seven years younger than him, threatened his ability to restrain himself. He completely shut out any idea of being intimate with her. His respect for her and the rules he had just made the ensuing conversation a very hard one to engage in.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, after what happened with the king, I just found it hard to control myself. I promise it won't happen again."
Dante remained silent, not knowing what to say.
"What happened with the king?"
It was when Dante asked this question that Denyefa realized her slip. She had never told Dante about the king's advances towards her. Dante moved closer to her. His expression showed a lot of interest in the issue.
"I'm sorry I did not tell you about it earlier. I was scared that you'd hate me for it."
Dante sighed impatiently. "Den, what did he do to you?"
Denyefa could sense the anger in his voice. Dante hated the way the king treated Cassidy and if he heard that the king wanted Denyefa in Cassidy's position he would be very angry. Denyefa knew that. And when Dante was angry he didn't usually hold in his anger. He was surely going to do something about it. But the king was very influential. Dante didn't stand a chance.
"He kissed me." Denyefa did not want to go into the details, it would surely infuriate Dante further. "But it's not like I'm angry at him, it's fine. It just affected my mood that afternoon."
Dante still held a concerned expression. Denyefa did not want to push further on the topic but something bothered her deeply.
"Dante?" She called and swallowed uncomfortably. "What does it mean to feel like a woman?"
"What?" Dante did not expect that question from her.
"I know you're not a woman but I hoped you could give me some insight."
Dante smiled at her. Denyefa was still a bit naive even at the age of nineteen. She did not have a normal teenagehood as that's the time when girls usually learnt stuff like this. The nurse was the only mother figure available for Denyefa but the woman could be cold and unapproachable sometimes.
"He said fighting has made me lose my essence as a woman, so I cannot feel what it is to be a woman. I don't even understand what he means."
Denyefa kept quiet as she waited for an answer. Dante scratched the back of his head as he turned around, walking a few steps from her. He turned back to her still trying to figure out how to put his words.
"You're turning nineteen in two days. So I guess I shouldn't be too censored about this. You see, there's a way a woman should respond to a man's touch. Especially a man she likes."
Denyefa held a blank look.
"Sometimes as a woman, you feel something in you that makes you want a man... In your bed... Or in between your legs." Dante swallowed at that last statement. "It's something women usually feel. Men feel the same too. It's a normal feeling."
Denyefa adjusted herself on the bed. "So do you mean that if I don't have this feeling, I'm not normal? Was the king right about fighting damaging my body system?"
Dante did not know how to answer this question. "It's not something you should worry yourself about. You're perfectly fine."
"But how do I know for sure?"
Dante was taken aback by her question. How does one confirm such things?
"Dante?" Denyefa called, sitting up straight. "You said this feeling arises in a woman in response to a man's touch right?"
Dante did not like how the discussion turned out. "Yes..." He answered sceptically.
"Then I want to confirm this now. The king wants to promote me to be his mistress because he feels I lack this special ability of a woman. He says he's just looking out for me, but I want to know I'm fine. I want to prove it to him so he doesn't go on with this sick promotion. Please, Dante."
She sounded so sincere and innocent about what she was asking him to do. Did she know what she was asking for?
Dante turned to face her fully. "I don't quite understand you. How do I help you confirm this?"
Denyefa's eyes lit up in expectation. "Touch me in a way that will elicit this feeling of womanhood."
- Writer
