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Chapter 32
“Ah… you… Nilo…?”
The young lady, struggling as she held the reins, finally spoke.
A voice she had heard somewhere before… a face she seemed to have seen somewhere…?
“Uh… could it be, Miss Lutern?!”
Nilo was shocked.
The young lady, who had always been so elegant and refined, now had a face that looked like it could collapse at any moment, dressed in rags, gripping the reins, and struggling to walk.
And on top of the horse, lying as if dead, was…
“Sir Azen?!”
He leapt forward and quickly grabbed the reins.
“Quickly, come inside! My goodness, my goodness! I’m so relieved you’re safe, but what… what happened…”
Arlen, who had been suddenly deprived of the reins, opened her lips to speak, but then followed Nilo as he hurriedly led Azen inside.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you trouble…”
“Don’t say that! I’ve been so worried ever since I heard the news… I’m just glad you made it here safely. Well, not completely unscathed… anyway, don’t worry about causing trouble! I’m just sorry I couldn’t come after you to help sooner…”
Nilo flusteredly helped move Azen onto the bed.
“Oh my, injuries… and you, Miss, you need to sit down too. You don’t look well at all…”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you need to sit, sit! No, lie down! The bed…”
“No, I’ll sit.”
Seeing Nilo so flustered, Arlen sat on a nearby chair.
After quickly laying Azen down, Nilo immediately checked on Arlen’s condition.
“I’m fine, so let’s focus on Azen first…”
“I’ll just get you some medicine first. Goodness… Miss, what happened to you?”
While Nilo quickly checked Arlen’s temperature, color, and eyes to assess her condition, Arlen remained silent.
On the way here, she had worried—what if he refused, what if he accepted grudgingly, what if he reported it…? But all those worries vanished in the warmth of Nilo’s welcome, and the thought that Azen could be safely treated brought a relief that seemed to melt all the ice in her body.
Like water melting and flowing, tears began streaming down her face again.
“Oh, Miss, don’t cry. I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
“No, Nilo, it’s… I’m just… so grateful.”
“Grateful? I haven’t even done anything yet…”
Nilo quickly laid out various medicines before Arlen and began to check on Azen’s condition.
“It must have been really rough getting here. But somehow, you survived and made it… oh my, oh my. And Sir Azen played his part well too. When he first came to Shuel and said he’d protect you, you were just a child. And yet he really did protect you.”
Arlen silently listened as she took the medicine in front of her.
As Nilo began removing Azen’s clothes and inspecting each wound, tears welled up in Arlen’s eyes again.
Each of these wounds, every untreated and festering injury, was all because of her.
“Oh my goodness, your body is completely battered. It’s miraculous you survived to get here… well, anyway, I’m glad you arrived in time. Especially this abdominal wound—if it wasn’t stitched quickly, it could have been fatal… but don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks.”
Nilo worked busily.
“The poison in the wounds has spread throughout the body… but his body is like steel, so with medicine and treatment, he might recover. Oh, you wrapped these bandages yourself, didn’t you? Very meticulous. Even better than when I saw you at Shuel before.”
Nilo skillfully disinfected and stitched the wounds. Though he now lived secluded in the mountains, he had once worked at Shuel’s busiest hospital, and his hands moved expertly.
“Can… he be saved?”
“We’ll have to wait and see. The next 2–3 days are critical… I mean, after 2–3 days, he should wake up. Luckily, his organs aren’t seriously damaged, so the stitching was fine, but the challenge is overcoming the poison that has seeped into his blood.”
“…”
“But these aren’t ordinary bodies. Ordinary people might not survive, but knights are different. I’ve seen several cases in the hospital where knights recovered. Once we expel the poison and he wakes up, then we can start proper rest and recovery…”
“When can he move?”
“Move? Just surviving is a blessing… but at least a week. Before that, he can’t move.”
A week… Arlen clenched her fists. If they stayed here for a week, it wouldn’t just be her and Azen in danger, but Nilo too.
As Nilo treated each of Azen’s wounds and applied medicine, he kept talking to Arlen behind him.
“Still, I’m so glad you’re alive, Miss. Hearing about the chaos in the capital… what a disaster. The duke’s entire family, except you, executed for treason… even the servants… ruthless. When I heard, I couldn’t focus all day, and the whole duchy must have been in upheaval. Where could you find such a good lord as Duke Lutern…”
He continued speaking, oblivious to the expression on Arlen’s face.
“Those wicked people… how could they take everyone? I was relieved to hear you escaped. And now, seeing you safe… my goodness, this wound is completely festering, yet you managed to move…”
He continued talking, unaware that behind him, it was silent.
“I’m thankful that Sir Azen rescued you. If not for you, I would have died long ago. Sir Azen saved my life, I saved his, and that’s how the world works…”
After disinfecting all wounds, stitching them, applying medicine, wrapping clean bandages, and ensuring Azen swallowed the medicine, Nilo finally turned to look behind him.
“Miss?”
Arlen’s face was pale, her tears streaming down to soak her chest.
“Miss, I’m sorry. I… I should’ve been more careful with my… words…”
Seeing Nilo flustered, Arlen finally realized she was crying and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“…So it’s true… everything…”
“Oh, Miss, you didn’t know. My… my words…”
Nilo began slapping his own mouth, but Arlen shook her head.
“Thank you for telling me. I wanted to know… I see… everyone…”
“Miss…”
Arlen tried to force a smile, as usual, but it didn’t come. She tried to stop crying, but couldn’t.
She bowed her head deeply. She knew tears couldn’t be hidden. Yet, unable to face what was ahead, she lowered her head further, letting the tears pour straight from her eyes to her knees, onto her tightly clenched fists.
Nilo didn’t dare touch the young lady, yet couldn’t leave her alone either. Remembering his teacher, who would give grieving families time alone at a patient’s deathbed, Nilo decided to step out.
Alone, Arlen wept endlessly.
The tears she had held back for so long poured out.
In front of her, Azen lay unconscious with severe injuries.
Behind her, there was no one.
No one.
For perhaps the first time since growing up, Arlen cried without restraint.
She had always held back tears, knowing her family would grieve; no matter the pain or fear, she smiled through it.
But now, there were no family members left. No reason to hold back.
She had thought she must survive—
For those who had sacrificed themselves to keep her alive, for the family who would have wished her alive.
But now, there were no family, and more people were dying trying to save her…
What meaning was there in extending her brief life a few more years at the cost of others? Must Azen continue to be sacrificed?
A life that could not survive alone, feeding off others…
After crying for a long while, Arlen slowly lifted her head and looked at Azen.
“One week…”
He would need a week to rest.
How could she buy a week… to save him?
