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Chapter 6
Now that he had cleaned himself up, the man looked completely different.
He had only taken a shower, yet there was an unmistakable air of noble elegance about him. He also carried the refined sophistication unique to people from the city—something rarely seen in this quiet countryside.
The slightly open collar of his shirt revealed straight, well-defined collarbones.
His broad shoulders stretched the fabric tight, making the muscles of his chest and arms stand out even more.
His waist was slim, and his long legs looked strong and sturdy.
Overall, he had a perfectly proportioned physique.
He’s perfect, Anette concluded.
Is this what all soldiers look like?
She found herself staring at him absentmindedly before suddenly snapping back to her senses.
What am I thinking?!
Pull yourself together, Anette! What would Sister Regina say if she saw you right now?
The image of the nun closing her eyes, shaking her head, making the sign of the cross, and praying to God for forgiveness of their sins flashed through her mind.
The thought made Anette chuckle to herself.
As Elliots organized his thoughts, he glanced at the woman sitting across from him.
Anette also seemed lost in thought.
Although her eyes were directed toward him, it didn’t seem like she was actually looking at him.
Her face flushed pink.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
A serious expression followed.
Finally, she smiled softly.
She’s expressive, Elliots thought.
Apparently unaware that he was watching her, Anette suddenly put on a solemn expression again.
She really wore her emotions on her face.
“Ahem.”
His deliberate cough brought her back to reality.
“Is there anywhere I can get a newspaper?”
Anette burst into laughter.
“Yes. Thankfully, civilization has reached this place too.”
“Hmm. Then could you get me the latest issue of the Blight newspaper?”
“Sure. But while I’m gone, you’re going to sleep. Promise?”
At Anette’s command, Elliots nodded with surprising seriousness.
Just as she reached for the door, he spoke.
“Elliots.”
“Hm?”
She turned around.
“My name.”
“Oh! Elliots! I guess your name isn’t classified anymore?”
Anette said with a cheerful smile.
A moment later, he watched through the window as she rode away on her bicycle.
The forgotten pain and exhaustion returned, accompanied by a pleasant drowsiness.
She’s a cheerful woman.
As he lay back down on the bed, Elliots suddenly realized something.
Despite everything that had happened…
He was smiling.
What happened to him? How did he end up so badly injured?
As Anette searched through the newspapers at the village newsstand, she couldn’t stop wondering.
Among the foreign newspapers stacked in one corner, she spotted one from the Blight Empire.
On her way home, she skimmed through it.
The Blight Empire…
To Anette, Blight was a country filled with painful memories.
Though those events had happened long ago.
They had become so distant that they were almost forgotten.
Most of the newspaper contained gossip about the Blight Grand Duke’s divorce, articles on diplomacy, and business news.
Nothing seemed unusual.
She flipped through several more pages, but there wasn’t a single article about war or anything that someone like Elliots would probably want to know.
The sound of bicycle wheels gradually drew closer.
Elliots lifted his head slightly and looked out the window.
There was Anette, riding back with a newspaper in the basket attached to her bicycle.
She’s back.
He quickly adjusted his position and closed his eyes.
He heard the front door close.
Soft footsteps crossed the wooden floor before the bedroom door opened just a crack.
She was checking whether he was asleep.
The door quietly closed again.
Soon the house returned to silence.
After waiting quite a while without hearing another sound, Elliots slowly sat up.
The creaking of the bed seemed unusually loud in the stillness.
“Are you all right?”
Anette stood at the doorway, watching him struggle into a sitting position.
Seeing the concern written all over her face, a mischievous impulse suddenly struck him.
Elliots deliberately frowned as though he were in terrible pain.
Startled, Anette rushed over and slipped one arm beneath his shoulder.
She was practically hugging him as she supported his back with one hand while gripping his arm with the other, struggling to help him sit up.
…Ah.
Elliots shut his eyes tightly.
It had started as a harmless prank.
Yet now he was the one suffering because Anette’s sweet fragrance had suddenly enveloped him.
This woman was practically wrapped around him, filling the air with her scent.
For one ridiculous moment, he wondered if he ought to pull her onto the bed just to make it stop.
Taking a deep breath, Elliots forced himself upright with all his strength, desperate to escape the intoxicating scent.
“I bought the newspapers. I even got the ones from the past few days, so you can read them at your leisure.”
Completely unaware of the turmoil she had caused, Anette spoke kindly.
She even remembered to place another cushion behind his back.
Leaving only confusion behind, she quietly returned to the living room as lightly as she had entered.
Just as he had expected, there wasn’t a single article mentioning Elliots.
The Empire wasn’t searching for its missing Border Commander?
The Border Commander ranked third in authority within the military.
Officially he was third in command, but even the two officers above him treated him with great respect.
He belonged to House Erminus.
Even the Emperor himself couldn’t casually disregard that family.
If the disappearance of the Duke of Erminus had become public knowledge, the entire Empire would already be in an uproar, and every newspaper would be filled with reports about it.
Three days had passed since his disappearance, yet there was still no news whatsoever.
That alone proved his attack hadn’t been the result of one person’s personal grudge.
Elliots spent the entire day thinking.
It couldn’t have been the Emperor.
The Emperor had been his father’s closest friend.
The Crown Prince, the Grand Duke, and Elliots himself had grown up like brothers.
Could it be… Trevina? That woman?
Yes.
If it were her, it was entirely possible.
Aside from that possibility…
Knock. Knock.
As if interrupting his dark thoughts, someone knocked on the door.
He looked up.
Anette was peeking in through the doorway.
Annoyed at having his train of thought interrupted, Elliots spoke curtly.
“What is it?”
Caught off guard by his tone, Anette shrank back slightly.
“You’ve been so quiet. I haven’t heard a single sound from your room all afternoon…”
At her words, Elliots looked toward the window.
Sure enough, the sun was already setting.
How many hours have I been thinking?
Seeing Anette give him an awkward smile, he let out a bitter laugh.
While one woman is trying to kill me… another is trying to save me.
Elliots and Karl glared at each other.
Why is this country bumpkin so openly hostile toward me? Elliots wondered.
“How are your injuries?”
Karl asked through gritted teeth.
“Karl, don’t be so rude to someone who’s hurt.”
Karen quickly scolded him.
The redheaded freckled one is a little better.
The two standing before him were two of the four people Anette had mentioned.
So that fool is Karl, and the freckled girl must be Karen.
Despite grumbling the entire time, Karl carefully wrapped fresh bandages around Elliots’ body.
For a fool, he was surprisingly good at it.
Karl had even brought several changes of clothes.
“We’re about the same size, so they should fit you perfectly.”
Elliots looked down at him.
The fool was at least a foot shorter than he was, yet he was speaking with ridiculous confidence.
Elliots silently made himself a promise.
Once I get back to my unit… I’ll find some way to recruit this guy into my army and put him through proper training.
“Anette, that man is dangerous.”
Lying on the bed, Elliots heard the fool’s irritating voice.
The three of them were whispering right outside his bedroom door.
I can hear every word, you idiot!
“No, Karl. He’s not dangerous. But Anette, it’s dangerous for you to stay here alone! At least let me stay with you.”
What in the world…?
Elliots nearly sat upright in outrage.
What exactly were these siblings talking about?
In the end, both of them were trying to say the same thing.
“That man lying in the bed is dangerous.”
Elliots shook his head.
He decided then and there that he wouldn’t let either of those annoying redheads off the hook someday.
“No, you two. He’s not dangerous at all. Stop worrying so much.”
He heard Anette’s cheerful voice as she saw her friends off.
A moment later, the front door closed behind the two troublemakers.
Once again, peace and quiet returned to the little house.
