VDBO 09

Chapter 09

Putting him on a horse and taking him straight to the village was impossible. Thankfully, there was no immediate danger.

However, he had lost a great deal of blood and was already feeling dizzy. There was no telling when danger might return, so after checking Marlon’s wounds, he had to leave immediately.

But Marlon’s condition was far worse than expected.

“Your Highness… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. Cough! Please, run away… I need to rest here for a bit—”

Marlon struggled to speak before coughing up blood. His voice trailed off as his eyes slowly closed. His breathing grew weaker and weaker—until it stopped altogether.

Valerie, shaken to the core, pulled Marlon into his arms.

“Marlon, wake up! Stay with me!”

“….”

Marlon’s body was steadily growing cold.

Valerie forced himself to come to his senses. His own body was also losing warmth.

“I’ll come back and take you with me. I promise.”

The blizzard began raging fiercely once more.

After propping Marlon beneath the largest tree nearby, Valerie draped his own coat over him.

He walked on, dazed.

Just as his consciousness began to fade, he spotted a small house standing alone on the outskirts of a village.

It was a tiny house without even a garden. Sitting by the roadside, it looked abandoned at first glance—but patches of condensation clung to the windows. Someone lived there.

Dragging his blood-soaked, exhausted body, Valerie made his way to the front door. Leaning against it, he struggled to catch his breath.

Then everything went black.

“…Wake up. If you don’t want to die.”

That thin voice snapped him back to awareness. Had he not heard it, who knew what would have happened.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the silhouette of a woman. He felt her small frame supporting him.

Clinging desperately to consciousness, Valerie followed her as she guided him somewhere, doing his best not to collapse.

She led him to an old food storage shed. A strong fire had been lit inside, and warmth reached him even from afar.

After helping him lean against the wall, she disappeared.

From somewhere inside, he heard the clatter of tools—but he was so disoriented that he couldn’t tell whether it was real.

Feeling blood still pouring from his wounds, Valerie pressed a hand against them.

“If you do that, the wound will open even more.”

Her voice suddenly came from above. He saw her set a water container down beside him.

“I’ll crush some medicinal herbs. After I leave, wipe off the blood and apply it to the wound. It’ll help stop the bleeding and disinfect it. It’ll also dull the pain. But you can’t stay here long—this isn’t a hospital.”

Her tone was as cold as ice water, forcing his mind to clear.

“I’ll repay this… I swear.”

“No need. If you need more, I’ll leave what you need inside that door. The blizzard is getting worse, and wild animals may appear. Leave at first light tomorrow morning.”

Her words were blunt and cynical—but there was no doubt she had saved him. He didn’t even know her name.

“Go on. Apply it.”

Valerie accepted the pestle she handed him and bowed his head.

A strong herbal scent filled the air. He nodded. After she disappeared again, he roughly grabbed the crushed herbs and smeared them over his wounds.

His clothes were soaked with blood, and the cold had stiffened his body, making it hard to move. Half of the medicine spilled, the rest staining his clothes.

As the herbs seeped in, the pain slowly dulled. Feeling somewhat more at ease, Valerie drifted off again.

But sensing movement nearby, he instinctively reached out and grabbed something.

What he caught was the slender arm of the woman who had saved him.

“…I thought you were dead.”

The moment Valerie saw her face, he was struck speechless.

The vivid red he glimpsed for an instant—he had thought it was his own blood.

But it was her eyes.

Eyes the deep, dark shade of pigeon-blood ruby stared straight at him. Her pale lashes slowly lowered, then lifted again, each movement etched vividly into his sight.

Just her eyes alone were enough to make Valerie’s heart stop.

Her high nose bridge softened at the rounded tip, lending her face a gentler impression.

Valerie snapped back to his senses.

“I’m sorry to have startled you. The medicine eased the pain, and I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“I figured. I’ll leave more water. Use it if you need to. I’ll leave once the tea finishes brewing.”

A sharp pain flared in his side again. Valerie pressed down hard, feeling something unpleasant seep out.

“You didn’t treat this wound?”

Valerie glanced down at his side and let out an awkward smile.

“In the chaos, I forgot about it.”

She crouched in front of him.

“Lift it. Let me see.”

Valerie hesitated, startled.

“…You might be shocked.”

“Lift it. I need to see.”

“It’ll be unpleasant.”

After hesitating for a long while, Valerie finally revealed the wound.

“You actually walked all the way here like this.”

“There was no one around… except here.”

“This isn’t a place people should live. Take that off and wait.”

If only Marlon had held on a little longer—he could’ve received treatment like this. His chest suddenly felt tight.

“Lift your shirt a little more.”

“Ugh…!”

Just as she’d warned, the medicine brought excruciating pain.

It felt like the blade-cut wound was being torn open all over again.

Valerie groaned, his brows knitting together.

“It’s… not that painful. I can endure it.”

Out of wounded pride, he added that—and she let out a small laugh.

“You know how to wrap a bandage?”

“…Yes.”

But his hands wouldn’t move properly. He felt utterly useless.

“…Give it to me.”

“I’m sorry. I keep—”

“Take off the rest of your shirt. I need to wrap it.”

Valerie hesitated. He’d never undressed in front of a woman before. Even injured, it felt improper.

But urged on, he reluctantly removed his shirt.

“Can you lift your arms?”

“…Yes.”

Valerie complied quietly. As she moved closer, her faint body scent washed over him.

Holding his breath, he endured it through sheer will.

“It’ll be over soon.”

She helped him with the bandaging and even gave him a meal. The body that had been on the brink of death steadily recovered.

“May I ask your name? I’d like to know the name of the person who saved me. You may call me Valerie. I swear I’ll repay you.”

“You don’t need to know my name. I just helped. Leave this place tomorrow morning. Once you do, forget it completely. And don’t die.”

Her reply was cold and detached.

He had planned to leave quickly at dawn to retrieve Marlon—but an inexplicable bitterness welled up inside him.

Was he still not in his right mind?

“Don’t come looking for me to repay me. Forget this place as if you were never here. But if you insist on remembering something, remember just one thing—that I saved your life. Forget everything else. Understood?”

“……”

“I’ll leave another pouch of herbs here. Take it with the blanket if you need it. It should work well enough as a temporary coat.”

That was the last time he saw her.

After resting a little longer, Valerie gathered the herbs and blanket and stepped outside.

Then he hurried straight toward the place where Marlon lay sleeping.

Chapter 2. Blake

The new house was deeply satisfying.

There was no need to burn firewood, and with a garden and a surrounding wall, there was no need to keep the windows hidden behind curtains.

The garden scenery was beautiful, though it no longer offered an endless view. Even so, there wasn’t the slightest desire to return to that place.

It had been a long time since I’d said goodbye to windows rattling in the wind.

After the move, Mother went out several times. Mr. Schvalt began visiting more frequently as well, so naturally, they went out together.

Whenever that happened, I spent my days figuring out ways to hide signs of my abilities manifesting—or prevent them from manifesting altogether.

The problem was that there were far more eyes watching now, making it difficult to pretend I was “doing nothing.”

Still, since the servants here had all been personally brought in by Mr. Schvalt, none of them were rude, which made things easier. Dealing with them one by one would’ve been exhausting.

The youngest-looking child, however, didn’t sit well with me. I decided I’d watch them twice more—and cut them off if they made a mistake.

Everyone else seemed busy, changing, moving forward—while I remained in place. Perhaps because I didn’t want to change, it felt even more so.

The flowers I’d received before the move wilted in less than two days.

I couldn’t tell if it was because it was winter or if they simply withered quickly. I had thought Mr. Schvalt sent them, but he said he hadn’t. He only smiled kindly—yet his eyes were strangely cold, so I gave up asking further.

Perhaps they were sent by someone who once admired Mother.

In any case, the flowers were beautiful.

Ah—of course, I left them behind when we moved.