AOL 43

Chapter 43

Lahan, who had been casually pretending to be in pain, suddenly turned his gaze toward the physician.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you had urgent business?”

“Huh…?”

The physician tilted his head, looking blankly at Lahan.

Urgent business…?

Lahan raised one eyebrow at him.

Only then did the physician realize it meant he should leave. He nodded hastily.

“Ah…! Y-yes! That’s right!”

He hurriedly gathered his staff and hat, then bowed deeply.

“I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I will take my leave now. Your Grace, Young Lady.”

Before Isel could even respond, he dashed out of the room as if being chased.

Isel stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the wooden door.

“Was there an emergency patient…?”

“Seems like it.”

Just as Isel was about to say something, Lahan smoothly changed the subject.

“Thank you for coming, Isel.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Of course I had to come. If I’d known your condition was this bad, I would have waited until you recovered more before visiting…”

Isel’s face darkened with guilt.

Lahan firmly held the small hand wrapped around his and gently contradicted her.

“No. Thanks to you coming, I feel much better. And…”

He dragged out the end of his sentence.

His steady gaze lingered on Isel’s eyes.

There was a tender, affectionate look as he carefully examined her face. After a brief pause, he spoke slowly again.

“We finally get some time alone to talk, don’t we?”

Isel blinked, unable to respond.

Lahan smiled softly and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

Even that light touch made the back of her neck feel like it was burning.

She was sure she had been the one holding his hand just moments ago, but now he was the one gently enclosing hers.

A strange sensation swelled in her chest, making her body stiff with tension. Isel lowered her gaze.

If she kept looking at Lahan’s eyes, something inside her felt like it would go wrong.

She couldn’t pull her hand away, so she simply stared at her lap.

“…Were you very worried?”

The sentence lacked subject and object, but Isel understood and nodded slowly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you worry…”

But that wasn’t the truth.

In fact, Lahan had been pretending to be injured because he wanted her to worry about him.

It was a blatant lie, but he was too busy savoring his happiness to feel guilty.

Isel had come to visit him just a day after hearing about his injury—something he had thought only existed in dreams.

If she worried about him like this, he felt like he wouldn’t mind losing an arm.

Unaware of Lahan’s thoughts, Isel frowned and made a request that wasn’t really a request.

“Then please… don’t get hurt anymore. And don’t fight duels like that again.”

“Duel like that?”

“Well…”

The main reason that duel had happened was, in fact, Isel herself.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it and closed her mouth, her face turning red.

She shook her head.

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Lahan studied her expression briefly before changing the topic.

“Did you come alone?”

“No. I came with Sir Harris.”

Lahan recalled the expressionless knight in his mind.

According to Sir Damon, he was someone who had even fought in the Terbe War.

Though he never showed it in front of Lahan, he occasionally looked at him with faint disapproval.

Still, he was skilled enough to survive the battlefield. Having such a man as Isel’s escort was reassuring.

Isel suddenly added, “Oh, right. My brother and father couldn’t come because of urgent work, but they sent their regards and wished you a swift recovery.”

How strange.

Her father and brother, who always reacted strongly whenever it involved the Duke of Kahnox, were unusually calm.

Rather than opposing it as she expected, they had readily allowed her to visit him.

Their smiling send-off had felt strangely suspicious, but she decided to deal with it after the visit.

“I see. Please thank them.”

“Since you injured your shoulder, everything must be inconvenient for you.”

At Isel’s worried words, Lahan shook his head.

“Now that I think about it, I should change the bandage…”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

Lahan widened his eyes slightly, then smiled.

“If you would help, I’d appreciate it. Just hold one end of the bandage.”

Isel nodded eagerly, glad she could be useful.

Watching her warmly, Lahan began undoing the buttons of his shirt. Since his shoulder was injured, he could only use one hand.

His fingertips slipped off the buttons a couple of times.

With a troubled smile, he muttered,

“It’s difficult doing it with one hand.”

“Oh, I’ll do it for you.”

Isel snapped back to attention and quickly moved to sit on a small chair beside the bed.

She carefully reached out.

Her small hands began unbuttoning the white linen shirt. Each soft rustle echoed gently in the room.

As the shirt slowly opened, Lahan’s chest was revealed.

His body was composed of firm muscles that looked as though they would not budge even if pressed.

But what drew Isel’s attention even more were the scars scattered across his chest and abdomen.

Her hands stopped.

Her expression naturally tightened at the sight of marks that looked like cuts and tears from sharp weapons.

So many injuries…

“Were these from your time on the battlefield?”

Lahan, hearing her whisper, nodded quietly.

Isel looked as though she were seeing his wounds on herself.

She knew he was a war hero who had led the empire to victory, but she hadn’t imagined he had carried such injuries on his body.

After studying Isel’s pained expression, Lahan spoke slowly.

“I still sometimes have nightmares about those days.”

“….”

“I didn’t want to be on the battlefield at all, but I couldn’t refuse the Emperor’s orders.”

Isel’s eyes widened.

Lahan lowered his gaze with a bitter smile.

But as memories of the battlefield seemed to pass through him, his brows tightened.

Isel didn’t know what to say.

She had never imagined the Duke had suffered so much.

How cruel, she thought. The Emperor sending someone like him to such a place…

Of course, she didn’t know that Lahan had repeatedly refused orders to return to the capital.

Seeing Isel flustered, Lahan smiled faintly.

“I am fine. It was all for the empire and His Majesty.”

At that, Isel looked even more distressed.

“No… you should take better care of yourself…”

Her worried gaze fell on his bandaged shoulder.

Lahan’s pupils slightly widened, then returned to normal.

He had heard complaints about the Emperor before, but never someone telling him to take care of himself.

Touched by her sincerity, he smiled softly.

“Understood, Isel.”

With that, he began undoing the bandage.

“Could you pass me the bandage?”

“No! I’ll do it. Please stay still.”

Isel quickly grabbed a roll of clean bandage and approached him.

But she froze.

To properly wrap it, she had to get closer.

“Um… Your Grace, just a little closer…”

Lahan immediately understood and shifted his body closer to the edge of the bed.

Isel placed the bandage carefully over his shoulder.

But when her fingers brushed near the wound, Lahan stiffened.

Startled, Isel apologized quickly.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“It’s alright.”

Lahan shook his head repeatedly, insisting it was fine.

In truth, it wasn’t pain.

Even during battle, he had not flinched when medicine was applied. This reaction was entirely because of Isel.

Her careful, meticulous touch as she wrapped the bandage made every movement feel vividly real.

And being so close, her scent reached him clearly.

A faint floral fragrance—like the Elsaldoor roses she liked—soft and sweet.

Lahan took a quiet breath to steady himself, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms.

If only he could turn back time to when they were children… he would have embraced her without hesitation.

His patience was reaching its limit.

Isel tied the bandage neatly.

“Your Grace, it’s done.”

She looked up—

And froze.

Their faces were far too close.