Tangled By Fate

"How about something else other than being naked?" Sebastian did not want to lose his face.

When the whole tower would find out, he knew he was going to suffer greatly. Moreover, he wasn't even assigned to be her bodyguard. It would be so unfair if get punished when he did nothing wrong.

"No, you have to be naked," Catherine insisted.

Sebastian realized that he had no way of escaping it. Catherine was determined to embarrass him. He tried to use his last resort.

He told her, "Fine, I will do it, however, you must know after dancing in the street, I will never be able to show my face to others. Master may try to transfer me to another place. You will have no one to protect you later."

Catherine delayed her reply. She pondered about the situation and frowned. "Why won't I get another bodyguard if you aren't there?"

'So, to you, the bodyguard is more important, not my existence,' Sebastian thought. Deep inside his heart, he felt someone piercing a dagger. It was burning.

'Although I didn't expect anything from her, I still thought that we were able to become good friends over the past few months. I guess it's all my wishful thinking.'

'I'm the one who wanted to bind myself with you. If that's how it's going to be, I want to do it to appease her. At least, when she remembers me, she will remember that I never hurt her and meant no harm to her. I was true to her.'

Before he knew it, he let go of her hands. "That's because I volunteered to become your bodyguard and no one else," he replied to her question.

Catherine's hands suddenly felt empty and cold. She looked down and stared at her hands. "Why did you volunteer?" she asked.

"That's because I wanted to. There's nothing wrong with sharpening one's skill." Sebastian paused and then continued, "As you wish, I'm going to dance in the street."

"Wait," Catherine pulled his hands, "you have to wear a mask so that no one recognizes you."

"…I will do that. Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since morning, have you?"

Sebastian stood up, placed a bed table on the bed, and served the soup pot with a bowl and a spoon.

He added, "You need to eat this soup to gain energy. You lost too much blood."

"No wonder I feel so weak. I'm starving." Catherine began to eat. "What time is it?"

Sebastian answered, "It's midnight. You only slept three hours."

"Did Ver heal me?"

"Yes, she did. She wanted to stay here, but she looked so tired after using her power. So, I decided to stay here in case something happens."

Catherine quietly chewed the piece of chicken in her mouth and then inquired, "…Did I snore?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No, you did not."

"Really?" Catherine was surprised. "I thought I did. Ver always told me that I have a bad sleeping habit."

Sebastian chuckled. "She lied."

"How could she do that?!" Catherine felt betrayed. "Because of her, I was always afraid of sleeping with other girls. Just you wait, Ver, I'm going to take revenge for what you did."

After she emptied the pot, Sebastian cleared her bed and took the pot away. Before leaving, he said, "Since you are fine, I will guard you outside. If you need anything, call me."

"All right." Catherine was sleepy after filling her stomach. She didn't waste time anymore and went to sleep.

The next day, she woke up with a refreshed body and mind. She hummed music and got ready for her work. On the breakfast table, she heard some magicians gossiping.

"Did you hear? In the street, there was a guy dancing. He was totally butt naked!"

"Oh yes, I heard that. A huge crowd was gathered in the street. Everyone had fun watching his performance. They laughed until the guy disappeared."

"Who was that guy?"

"I don't know. He was wearing a mask, they say. No one recognized him."

"It must be a drunk."

"Probably. Well, no one had the chance to get to know who he was because the guards saw the crowd and chased that guy. In the end, the guy escaped. He seemed skilled. Even the guards couldn't catch him."

"I heard he got himself a name."

"Yeah! He was named smooth-butt-dancer. Haha!"

They were excited and were speaking so loudly that Catherine was forced to listen to their gossip. She was a bit annoyed.

'What is with these people? Talking about a naked man in broad daylight so shamelessly. Who will dance butt naked…?' Catherine's hand paused in the midair. She recalled last night's conversation with Sebastian.

Flashback –

"Yes, you can do whatever you want."

"Even if I tell you to perform street dance butt naked?"

"Isn't there any better punishment?"

"What could be a better punishment than this? You need to be taught some lessons. Thus, you are going to the street, take off your pants, and dance in front of the public."

Flashback ends –

Catherine dropped her spoon and covered her mouth. She remembered how persistently she pressured him to dance in the street with his butt naked.

'What was I thinking? I never thought I was a vengeful spirit! Why did I tell him to do something so shameless? It wasn't that he was wrong. He did come to protect me. I didn't say 'thank you' and punished him instead. I wasn't even drunk. I thought I was dreaming. But it was all real!'

She also remembered what he said about her performance.

"Fine, I will do it, however, you must know after dancing in the street, I will never be able to show my face to others. Master may try to transfer me to another place. You will have no one to protect you later."

"That's because I volunteered to become your bodyguard and no one else"

'He offered to protect me voluntarily and I made such a mess!' Catherine stood up. She had no appetite.. 'I need to find him.'