PVMC 33

Chapter 33

Aria’s condition was more serious than expected.
Though it had been only a brief moment, the blade had gone in so deeply that even stopping the bleeding had been difficult.

Her pulse was steadily weakening, and her lips were slowly turning blue.

If this went on, she could die right there in the middle of the road.

That was why, on the way to Renesti, the knights made it their sole objective to stop the bleeding and keep her breathing.

It was the kind of situation where only by clinging on desperately could she barely be kept alive.

Honestly, it would not have been strange for her to have already died from massive blood loss.

So even as they crossed the threshold into Renesti, the knights could not let down their guard.

“Ah—Miss! Oh my goodness!”

The moment the carriage arrived, a maid whose face had gone pale rushed out like an arrow. Because another knight had ridden ahead in advance, the family physician was already waiting there, having been informed of the situation.

Enoch, who had come running after being summoned, swallowed hard the instant he saw the young lady brought back covered in blood.

Just what in the world had happened outside for a person to return in such a state?!

But since the situation was urgent, Enoch could not bring himself to ask for the details.

After hurriedly moving her into the bedroom, Sophia followed Enoch’s orders and gathered every medicinal agent in the house.

They had somehow managed to stop the bleeding, but it was far from safe.

They had to examine the wound precisely and disinfect it to prevent any further infection.

While everyone was moving about in frantic chaos—

The monster who had been waiting only for his mistress to return slowly revealed himself.

“…Huh!”

Sophia, running hurriedly down the hallway, flinched the instant she saw him coming from the opposite direction.

In the blink of an eye, Matthias had closed the distance to her and narrowed his eyes.

“The smell of blood.”

A foul scent brushed against his nose.
It was something he smelled every day, so it was not difficult to recognize what it was.

But he needed to know who had bled so much that the smell was this strong—where it was coming from.

“M-Matthias, sir. Th-that is, right now—”

Sophia looked up at him with a face still frozen in fear. In her frantic effort to save Aria, she had forgotten that he was even there.

“……”

Matthias looked down the hallway where the smell of blood was especially thick.

What could make a maid this frantic was, in truth, obvious.

Scanning the closed doors with sharp eyes, Matthias soon fixed his gaze on one of them.

Just then, another maid burst out of that room holding a blood-stained towel.

The moment he saw it, his legs moved as if possessed.

Sophia hurried after him, but she had no hope of catching a beast that had already started running.

In the blink of an eye, Matthias burst into his mistress’s bedroom—and froze.

Forcing his legs, which felt like they might give out, to hold him upright, he took in the scene before him.

The physician and maids moving in desperate haste.
The red-stained towels scattered on the floor.
…and on the bed, a woman lying as if dead.

“…Aria?”

A reality he could not bear to believe was right before his eyes.

* * *

It felt as though I had slept very deeply.

An uninterrupted, long, sound sleep. It had been so long since I had slept this well that the very first thought that came to me when I opened my eyes was how refreshed I felt.

Only my stomach hurt a little. My mind was clearer and sharper than ever.

But the moment I realized I had returned to reality, my memories came flooding back.

‘…Right.’

I’d been stabbed.

Even thinking about it again was absurd.

‘That bastard is crazy.’

No matter how angry he was, actually stabbing someone?

I forced my stiff arm to move and touched the wounded area.

Just under my left rib.

The spot where Xavier’s blade had passed burned strangely, as if it had been scorched.

As I slowly traced the throbbing wound—beating like a heart—my brow gradually furrowed.

When I turned my head, I saw bright sunlight pouring in from beyond the curtains.

I could have sworn it had been night. It was so bright now that I couldn’t even tell how much time had passed.

Just as I had regained some clarity and turned my head—

Clatter!

Sophia, who had apparently been standing there blankly, dropped her tray.

“A-Aria, Miss!”

She screamed my name, not even thinking about picking up what she had dropped.

But just as she was about to rush toward me, she must have barely regained her composure, because she abruptly turned and ran out.

“I-I’ll go get someone right away!”

* * *

“When you move, do you feel dizzy anywhere, or nauseous?”

“I’m fine. I don’t feel particularly uncomfortable…”

If anything, I felt too energetic. My body, having slept deeply, felt light enough that I could have run around the garden right then.

Only the injured area throbbed a little. Once I regained a bit more strength, it seemed I would recover before long.

Enoch, who was examining my condition, had initially looked very worried, but his expression gradually eased.

Still warning me not to be careless, he removed the stethoscope hanging around his neck.

“Even so, you must be careful for a while. No vital organs were struck, but you lost far too much blood. And since you’ve been lying down for several days, it would be best to eat light, thin soups for now.”

Sophia hurriedly wrote down everything he said. I agreed as well.

It hadn’t been just a day or two.

I had stood on the brink between life and death for a full week, so it was only common sense to be careful to that degree.

After finishing the examination, Enoch stepped back, and Sophia gave a brief report of what had happened.

“The marchioness came again yesterday.”

“The marchioness?”

“Yes. She’s been visiting almost every day since that incident. She brought lots of medicines and disinfectants that are good for the body. Even the Odilon family’s personal physician came.”

“…She really went out of her way.”

Not only sending her physician but coming in person as well.

I should prepare a thank-you gift later.

“Oh! And the marchioness said that if you want to know anything related to the incident, she’ll tell you the progress right away. Apparently, all the criminals caught in the act were arrested—along with the nobles who were there at the transaction site!”

“That’s a relief.”

Yes. After all that suffering, they couldn’t be allowed to get away.

Hearing that every single one of them had been locked up made me feel at ease.

‘I should contact her as soon as I’ve rested a bit.’

She must have handled almost all of the aftermath alone while I was injured. The thought that I’d burdened her weighed on me.

After checking off what I needed to know for now, I looked around.

“By the way, where is Matthias?”