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Chapter 46
The sound of a door opening was followed by the curtain being drawn aside, revealing a familiar face.
“Are you awake?”
“Sir Ethan, what happened?”
“This is the academy’s infirmary. You suddenly collapsed… I was so shocked!”
Since recovering her health, it had been a long time since anything like this had happened, so she too was bewildered.
“Ah, that’s cold.”
Ethan placed a wet towel on her forehead and immediately began fussing.
“You must still be suffering aftereffects from your fever. Good heavens, what a mess this is! Really, you should have seen the lord’s face when you fainted!”
Her heart sank at Ethan’s endless chatter.
It brought to mind Kylian’s voice when he had scolded her back at the Grand Duke’s estate.
“If you do something reckless like that even once more, I’ll send word to the Marquis right away—so be prepared.”
Could it be that Kylian really meant to send her back to the Este estate? This time, it had indeed been more reckless than climbing trees.
Rune pushed the towel that was covering her eyes aside and spoke awkwardly.
“Please calm down, Sir Ethan.”
“How can I possibly be calm? What were you thinking, doing something so reckless with your frail body?”
Frail? After taking first place in the promotion exam, to still hear something like that…
It felt unfair, but it didn’t seem likely that the misunderstanding about her being sickly would be easily cleared up.
“Being treated like an invalid by my father alone is more than enough.”
“I’m sorry to have worried you. But I really am fine now—!”
“Where do you think you’re going! Lie down a while longer!”
“Ugh—”
The moment she tried to get up, Ethan pressed her shoulder down and pushed her back onto the bed. The mattress was so thin that her shoulder blades stung from the impact against the hard frame.
“At this rate, I’ll develop an illness I didn’t even have.”
Glancing around, she asked Ethan,
“Where is Lord Kylian?”
“Don’t even mention it. He’s taken Alfonso straight to see Dean Gregory. That brat will likely be detained until his disciplinary hearing.”
At his words, she remembered Kylian’s face, shouting in anger. She had never seen him lose his temper like that before.
Rune clutched the edge of the blanket and murmured uncomfortably,
“I’ve caused him trouble for no reason.”
“Not at all. If anything, it’s good. He had already been thinking of putting that Marquis Liechtenstein’s indulgence in check.”
Ethan swallowed a groan, looking somewhat troubled, before continuing.
“More importantly… with the Esquire incident and now this, you’ll draw even more attention.”
“It’s fine. The title of ‘Lord’s Esquire’ will follow me like a label anyway. If I can’t endure even that, then I don’t deserve to be Kylian Herace’s Esquire.”
Rune laughed it off as if it were nothing.
Ethan, who was suddenly hearing his own words thrown back at him, couldn’t help but laugh as well. Soon after, he excused himself to fetch something to eat.
Outside the window, the sky was already painted red with sunset.
She had said it so lightly, but her heart wasn’t at ease. Ever since she had become Kylian’s Esquire, she had felt the cadets growing more distant and cautious around her.
“I thought I was getting closer to them thanks to Vernon… but now they’ll just shrink away and put up walls again.”
Scratching her neck awkwardly, Rune suddenly froze as an emptiness struck her.
“…Ah, my necklace!”
She quickly sat up and rummaged through her jacket on the nightstand. Fortunately, the necklace she had tucked into the inner pocket was still there.
The moonstone pendant shimmered with shifting colors as it caught the evening light.
Though an opaque white moonstone was a fairly common mineral, its beauty lay in how it refracted light into countless hues—it was truly unique.
She let out a sigh of relief at the thought that she had almost lost her mother’s necklace.
“Moonstone, huh.”
She looked up in surprise. Kylian was leaning casually against the open doorway.
With his sleeves rolled up past his elbows, he looked slightly disheveled. Uncrossing his arms, he slowly approached her.
“Since you can move around, I suppose you’re feeling better. But take my advice—you should lie down longer.”
He reached out with long fingers, taking the necklace from her. Placing his hands on either side of her, he trapped her in between as he fastened it around her neck.
“Unless you want to end up like your friends who got dragged off by Lankersk.”
As he whispered, the necklace settled against her throat.
Huh?
The feverish pounding in her head subsided in an instant. The cool touch of the moonstone against her hot skin sent a shiver down her spine.
She touched the pendant, looking up at him. Kylian frowned slightly.
“I already knew my Esquire was reckless, but I didn’t expect this much.”
What should she say first? Thank you for saving me? Sorry for troubling you?
As she hesitated at the closeness between them,
“Ouch!”
Kylian flicked her forehead, sharp and stinging.
“To think that someone who gets nervous over this would have the nerve to ask me for a hug… you’re bolder than I thought.”
Rune had to rub her aching forehead while also trying to cool the flush in her cheeks.
Kylian ruffled her hair lightly, clicking his tongue.
“I can’t scold you while you’re sick… though Ethan probably would. Lie down before he comes back.”
“Are you leaving, my lord?”
“Seeing you’s enough.”
With a casual wave of his hand, he turned to leave.
Rune touched her hair and blinked back the heat in her eyes.
“I thought he’d really lash out, maybe even threaten to send me back to the Marquisate… Guess being sick has its uses after all.”
Sure enough, Ethan returned a while later and scolded her thoroughly. After eating the porridge and fever medicine he’d brought, she dragged her weary body back to the dormitory.
Her desire to get away from the hard infirmary bed and wash up properly had never been stronger.
“I wonder if Daniel and Ellen are back yet.”
If they had been dragged off by Lankersk, they’d have run laps around the training field dozens of times at least. She worried for them.
Climbing the stairs with her heavy body, Rune was surprised to see cadets lingering in front of her room.
“Why are you all gathered here?”
Even before she reached the door, members of the 3rd Platoon awkwardly greeted her, asking if she was all right. To her surprise, Whitaker was among them.
“What’s he doing here?”
Catching her puzzled look, Whitaker stammered loudly, flustered.
“W-What are you staring at! Can’t I be here too? Acting all tough and then collapsing like that!”
The other 3rd Platoon cadets glanced at him strangely.
“Whitaker… You’re the one who was the most worried, so why act like that?”
At Vernon’s calm words, Whitaker’s face reddened.
“Fine! I was worried, okay! Now I’ve seen you’re alive, that’s enough!”
He smacked her shoulder lightly and stormed off down the hall.
“He worries, then gets angry about it… what a strange guy.”
By now, everyone knew she had received Lord Kylian’s recommendation, but the cadets didn’t seem to hold it against her.
The 3rd Platoon boys scratched their heads awkwardly, offered their apologies and thanks, and dispersed.
Left behind, Vernon lowered his head, his face heavy with guilt.
“I’m ashamed I couldn’t go with you. Even if Whitaker talks like that, I know he feels the same way I do.”
“Don’t say that. If you hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to evacuate everyone safely.”
In truth, Whitaker had the responsibility of looking after the 2nd Platoon, and in a real army, Rune’s reckless solo action would have placed Vernon in a difficult spot.
“I’ll work hard to become a comrade you can trust to watch your back.”
At his determined words, Rune smiled warmly.
“That’s what I wanted to say to you.”
“Oh—ah! And here!”
Blushing, Vernon handed her a small bundle. “Those two just got back. They probably haven’t eaten properly yet. Rest well.” Then he hurried off.
“Those two?”
Unwrapping the bundle, she found sandwiches and fruit inside. He must have meant Daniel and Ellen.
“But if they only just got back… what kind of ordeal did they go through until now?”
Feeling guilty, she carefully knocked on their door. When no answer came, she stepped inside and saw two figures sprawled out flat on their beds.
“Ellen? Daniel?”
At her voice, they stirred, peeking out from under their blankets.
“Damn it… those noisy guys finally left?”
“…Rune, come rub my legs. Feels like hundreds of cramps are tearing me apart…”
They groaned pitifully, utterly exhausted.
Rune clicked her tongue and lit the lamp at the entrance. They must have been so drained they hadn’t even managed that much.
“Ugh, I swear… I’ve seen hell worse than those ghouls.”
Daniel, his face about to collapse, kept grumbling about Lankersk’s merciless cruelty.
“Stop whining. I’m going to wash up. You two should eat this in the meantime.”
By the time she returned from bathing in hot water, the two had regained enough strength to sit up weakly on their beds, chewing on sandwiches.
Drying her damp hair, Rune leaned against the desk by the window. Normally the two would have been bickering non-stop, but seeing them lying so still left her uneasy.
“Sorry… it’s because of me.”
At her awkward apology, their faces twisted as they chewed quietly.
Daniel stuffed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth, his lips tightening.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
