🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 133~
Rumble.
The sound of a group of soldiers’ boots passed nearby.
Once the footsteps faded, I poked my head out cautiously and scanned the surroundings.
“Are they gone?”
“Yeah. Looks like it.”
With a deep sigh, I quietly shut the door.
It was the morning of the third day since we had secretly entered the capital.
“What’s all this about?”
“No idea.”
“They’re calling people agitators. Are they trying to catch rebels or something?”
“If they want rebels, one’s right here.”
“You’re not a rebel… wait. No, you are. The Emperor’s summons date already passed.”
I muttered as I glanced out the fogged-up window.
The main patrol had passed, but smaller search squads were still scouring the area.
If I wasn’t familiar with the city’s layout, and if I didn’t know where to hide properly, I would’ve been caught long ago.
Like this abandoned house we were hiding in, left empty during city planning.
…Could it be that Captain Ista got caught?
Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for security to suddenly get this strict.
Maybe he had walked in proudly with his name and been arrested on the spot.
While I was caught up in suspicion, Karl was—
Rustle.
“…Excuse me?”
“Yes, my lady?”
He was calmly unbuttoning his shirt in the corner.
In front of him sat a bath tub filled with rainwater from last night.
Click, click. Buttons came undone one by one.
I narrowed my eyes.
“A patient shouldn’t be washing in cold water.”
“Because I’m a patient, I need to stay clean.”
“You’ll catch a cold.”
“It’s not even that cold.”
“I don’t like it.”
“We can’t light a fire, can we?”
He wasn’t wrong.
If we used the fireplace, the smoke would give away our hiding place.
At least, the soldiers didn’t seem interested in checking inside abandoned houses.
Still, I wasn’t happy watching him undress like nothing was wrong.
Then Karl glanced at me and gave one of his sly smiles.
“Then… shall we wash together?”
“What?!”
“Body heat will keep us warm.”
“…You’re unbelievable.”
I was about to snap back when my eyes betrayed me—his bare chest gleamed with water streaming down it.
When did he even get wet?
Fox!
I shook my head furiously. Karl only laughed and said, like when he asks for hugs and kisses:
“Wash me.”
“Ugh.”
No way. I waved my hand to refuse.
“Just kidding.”
He chuckled, turned his body away—
“Wait.”
…Just kidding? Turn away?
I jumped up and grabbed his shoulder.
“Elaine?”
“Don’t hide. Let me see.”
“You really want to wash me? Suddenly, I feel shy…”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
I forced him to turn, and that’s when I saw it.
“….”
“…Since when?”
“Elaine.”
“When did this happen?”
Fresh claw marks, left by monsters.
So that’s why he wanted to wash—he needed to disinfect it.
“You found out.”
I frowned hard.
“You? Giving up after I refused once? That’s impossible.”
Normally he would’ve whined until I gave in. For him to stop instantly—he had something to hide.
Leaning closer, I inspected the wounds.
“….”
Not just cuts. Dark bruises spread across his body.
Signs of monster poison.
“…That’s why you insisted on sleeping under separate blankets.”
He didn’t answer.
Normally, he would cling to me at night. But these past few days, he had been keeping his distance.
Exactly because—
“Now you understand?”
—he had used his condition to scare me off.
Thinking of it made my head throb.
So my own husband tricked me…?
He knew I was shy about that kind of intimacy, so he used it to keep me from noticing his wounds.
I glared. He tried to explain:
“It’s not serious. I got it when I left Saint Portu in a hurry.”
“Did you meet monsters at the border?”
Karl only shrugged.
“Let’s just say my mind was elsewhere.”
He chased after me and let himself get hurt instead…
The poison had seeped deep. Even when I tried holy power, it didn’t work.
“You endured this all this time?”
Karl gently wrapped my shoulders.
“It’s nothing, Elaine.”
“It’s absolutely something.”
“Monster poison doesn’t affect me much. It’ll fade soon.”
“Holy power doesn’t work on you. And you’re still saying that?”
“If I were truly unwell, could I have rushed to your side the moment I woke up?”
“Smooth talker.”
Still, I wasn’t convinced.
“…I told you to take care of your body, didn’t I?”
“Don’t throw me away, then.”
“I’ll fix you up, so be quiet.”
I ran my hand along his scarred torso.
Karl’s muscles tensed under my touch, his skin shivering at the contact.
“Elaine… this feels dangerous.”
“I told you, hush.”
He said it was hard to lose me. But losing him was just as terrifying.
That’s why I came all the way to the capital—to protect him.
I looked around. Mold on the walls, dust everywhere, no fire for warmth.
This place isn’t fit for a patient.
If Karl was going to stay by my side, I needed to guarantee his safety too.
After some thought, I changed my plan.
“…Let’s go, Karl.”
He glanced down at me, sly again, droplets sliding down his chest.
“Where? Heaven?”
I smacked his lips.
“Don’t say ominous things.”
“Then what?”
“Not heaven. Somewhere safe.”
The only place in this city where Karl could heal and rest properly, without fear of being hunted.
I steadied myself and asked:
“Karl… are you ready to meet my father?”
