Chapter 20
Alice instinctively frowned. The memory of being hit on the bridge of her nose was still vivid.
“What brings you here, Fiore? I don’t think there was a rule against taking walks.”
“Haha, you’ve become timid after committing a crime. I came to see if you were planning to go into the sea.”
“Not at all. You said it’s not recommended to go to the beach.”
“Hmm. Then I’ll just—”
Fiore laughed playfully. Damn, he definitely looked like he was about to start trouble.
Alice tried to swat his hand away, but Fiore’s mouth was quicker.
“Did you want to show off that awful smell?”
Instead of discomfort, an overwhelming sense of embarrassment flushed across Alice’s face.
“That is…”
“The madam even brings you water every day. Can’t you manage to wash up while enjoying that luxury?”
“I didn’t have enough time. I’m going in now.”
Alice tried to turn her body sharply. But Fiore’s hand seemed stuck to her shoulder and wouldn’t let go.
“Fiore!”
“Wash up. That disgusting smell will spread all the way to the end of the village.”
“Do you think I don’t know how dirty I am? Let go, or I’ll jump into the sea!”
Finally, Fiore’s hand fell away. But the moment Alice took a step toward the sea, Fiore naturally grabbed her wrist and spun her around 180 degrees.
“Ah!”
“Did you forget the rule about not going into the sea while injured?”
“…What?”
A foolish question arose in her mind: Was I injured? Fiore silently tapped Alice’s left cheek. She recalled how Arno had thrown forceps that had grazed her cheek earlier.
“Didn’t you surprise Madam by memorizing all the village rules in a day? I guess one day is enough to memorize them, and one day is enough to forget them too.”
“No! I remember everything!”
“Sure, I’ll believe you this once—if you’re actually going to wash up.”
“But there’s no water! What can I do?”
“Should I put it in my mouth and roll it around?”
“You pretended to hate the smell but seem to actually like it. Yes, everyone has their secret desires.”
“…You can throw a punch too.”
Fiore chuckled and pointed toward the forest.
“There’s an unused well over there. It has brackish water mixed in, so it’s not drinkable, but you should be able to wash up easily.”
His guidance didn’t stop at words. Letting go of Alice’s wrist, Fiore strode ahead confidently in the direction he indicated.
Was he telling her to follow? Unsure at first, Alice quickened her pace when she saw him pause and beckon her with his finger like calling a dog. Though she felt irritated, she knew that people like him would get more excited the more she reacted to their jokes.
The distance to the well was quite far.
Fiore walked three steps ahead of Alice, carefully considering her pace but determined not to let her walk beside him even by mistake. Thanks to that, Alice could aim for his broad back like a target.
‘I could spread a tarp on that back and perform surgery there.’
Compared to his wide back, his waist looked taut as if squeezed by a clamp; small gray spots became visible every time his shirt fluttered.
They didn’t look like blemishes; perhaps those spots were why he was nicknamed “Flower.” Such stray thoughts crossed Alice’s mind as they climbed a stony hill before Fiore stopped again.
“Here we are, doctor.”
The well site looked large and surprisingly clean, likely built during his time in the holding cell. The half-collapsed roof indicated that this well could no longer be used as a source of drinking water.
Fiore turned the pulley; both the rope and bucket attached were intact.
“So there are residents who use this well?”
“Madam Adelaide occasionally maintains it for fire prevention purposes. Residents don’t use it much.”
The water felt slightly warm from summer heat as Alice tilted the bucket carefully into her hands. There were no visible debris or parasites; it looked clean enough for washing.
“Thank you, Fiore.”
“Don’t thank me so readily; I was thinking about pouring this water over your head and running away.”
“Just wait one minute.”
Alice pulled out the box of caramel from her pocket. Fiore recognized it immediately.
“Oh! Cherry must have delivered it to you already.”
“Yes, it went around in just one day. And…”
With slightly trembling hands, Alice took out one of the illustrated cards from inside the box.
“This is… Did you give this to me on purpose or accidentally?”
“…”
Was it because of the strong sunset? Fiore squinted and tilted his head slightly, which made Alice feel even more embarrassed.
After a moment, he realized what was drawn on the card—
“Hahaha!”
He burst into laughter as if seeing something through a kaleidoscope; he snatched the card and spun it around while giggling.
“I had no idea something like this was inside.”
“Ha… I’m glad you’re not that shameless.”
“You should direct that accusation at whoever started spinning this piece of paper; only 15-year-olds can charm with something like this! If it were an actual plump person—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Fiore abruptly shut his mouth and turned his eyes toward her with a mix of embarrassment and intention.
“Oh dear! This topic is too vulgar for an elegant doctor like yourself.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t be hearing things you’re not meant to know anymore…”
But this time, genuine bewilderment appeared in Fiore’s eyes.
Alice lifted the bucket above her head and poured water over herself.
Splash…
Water cascaded down through her messy hair, along the collar of her blouse, and through every pleat of her skirt. The fabric clung wetly but felt refreshing rather than suffocating.
“…Alice? Doctor?”
Alice swept aside her dripping hair.
“Look if you want; I’m used to being an object of curiosity.”
“Ha…”
If it were Fiore, he would probably throw out some nonsense at this point. But Alice didn’t want to pay attention to that.
She gripped the pulley and turned it again. The sound of the bucket splashing grew closer like waves. Just as drinking seawater increased her thirst, hearing that sound made Alice’s heart race even more.
And Fiore didn’t make a joke.
“…You.”
Alice answered while pouring the second bucket of water over her head.
“What?”
“About being a spectacle… No.”
Fiore’s mouth snapped shut again.
It was strange. The expression on his face as he looked at Alice somehow didn’t fit him; it seemed more suited for Madam Adelaide. It was the kind of expression someone would have when looking at a troublesome problem.
“If you’re curious, just ask… Ah, the water is really a bit salty.”
It was slightly briny, just enough to sharpen her senses a bit.
As Alice was about to pour the third bucket, she lost grip of the bucket. Perhaps it was because she had hurriedly wound the pulley too tightly; her right hand trembled slightly.
Then, a large hand from above overlapped with hers—rough and not warm at all. Yet that hand was clearly doing what Alice’s hand should have been doing.
“What’s this? Are you trying to help?”
“Of course not! I’m going to drink it.”
“Yes, go ahead and drink it all at once. With your build, you won’t get water intoxication from one go.”
The bucket came up, and Fiore took it and poured it over his own head with a grin.
Ah, you bastard. Alice burst into laughter in disbelief. Just then, Fiore suddenly poured the remaining water over Alice’s head.
“Ah!”
“Not ‘ah,’ but thank you!”
“Yes, whatever it is, I’ll gladly accept your thanks!”
“…”
Even while getting soaked, Alice laughed. She couldn’t see what expression Fiore had because the water obscured her view.
After sweeping away the visible stains and hearing from Fiore that the smell had lessened significantly, Alice leaned against the well and caught her breath.
The mental suffocation had disappeared. Now all that remained was figuring out how to get back to the clinic with her wet body.
Fiore asked, “Do you want to wear my clothes? But you’ll have to watch me take them off.”
“…Can you take just one bucket of water back to the clinic?”
“Is there anything I can’t do?”
Fiore detached the bucket from the well and lifted it up. With that much water, she could wash herself with soap one more time.
As they walked down from the well hill, Alice’s mind gradually became clearer again.
Despite the sky growing quite dark, the red stains spread across the yellowish-gray soil around the well were clearly visible. If her eyes weren’t obstructed or her nose blocked, she would have realized long ago that what had stuck to her clothes and hair was bloodstains.
“Mr. Fiore.”
“Yes?”
“Are you helping me or planning to take me somewhere to kill me?”
“Right now, I’d say I’m helping you.”
“Aren’t you curious why I smelled like this?”
“You’re going to die anyway; I’m not interested.”
His answer was firm and quick, as if telling someone they should close their windows tonight because it might rain tomorrow.
“Alice, do you care about guests who are about to leave and never return?”
“I do sometimes dig through the footprints of departed guests.”
Although this situation arose because she couldn’t find a regular hospital job, she did her best in a way: washing and laying down corpses that no one visited in a charity hospital, treating their wounds and performing autopsies to determine and report how they died.
It wasn’t just about work…
“And sometimes, the people who die become those you can never forget.”
Auber Bouchet. Her beloved younger brother.
Because he suffered and died for his sister, he became someone she could never forget.
A damp emotion surged from deep inside her throat; Alice bit her lips to calm herself down.
“…What a pointless thing to say. Forget it. I don’t care about the words of a woman who’s going to die anyway.”
