Chapter 27
Sitting in the bed, I blinked my tired eyes. Unable to fight back my drowsiness.
“By the way, captain is a little late. It shouldn’t take that long.”
“I agree.” I replied curtly.
But soon, the parlor door opened, revealing the captain’s dispirited figure and reddish eyes.
“Captain, captain!”
Ulysse called the captain who had a bit of a sniffle. Ulysse, followed by the butler behind, walked up to him as he swept his face roughly.
“What’s going on? Did you get scolded by His Highness?”
“Oh, this is quite personal…yes, I got scolded.”
The captain scratched his head. Then the butler asked.
“What did he scold you for?”
“He said, if this is how you do your job, you’d better quit and die. How can a mere captain guard like you have the nerve to let your guard down.”
Oh my god. Ulysse and the butler felt sorry for him. Looking at their sympathetic expressions, the captain lifted the corner of his lips.
“His Highness is right. It’s entirely my fault that my lady was kidnapped. I shouldn’t have let my guard down…”
The captain bowed his head.
“I apologize, my lady.”
“No, it’s alright.”
To be fair, I also did the same.
“Still, considering that both of you are well-acquainted, isn’t he being too harsh?”
“I think so, too. He’s being so inconsiderate.”
Listening to Ulysse and the butler, I directed my gaze on the captain. He somehow looked embarrassed.
“It’s only for a short while.”
Does this person know Signus? How?
“What’s there to scold him for? Navian was found thanks to the captain who disguised as a member of the crew.”
“That’s right. Telling a savior to quit and die is too much.”
The captain responded as if he was relieved to hear Ulysse and the butler’s exaggerated reproach.
“I must say, the fact that my lady was right in the place where I hid is truly-”
“A relief, isn’t it?”
Everyone was struck frozen by the cool voice heard from behind.
“If that child died, everyone’s heads would’ve been rolling by now.”
All of a sudden, Signus came out of the parlor and approached us.
Having felt their hearts drop, Ulysse tidying up the herbs as if nothing happened, and the butler pretended to wipe the dust off the table.
Of course, neither of them could hide their trembling hands.
Amid the suffocating atmosphere, Signus approached me and asked.
“What about your medicine?”
“I ate it.”
“Then get ready. You’re the last one to interview.”
My anxiety went through the roof at his words.
Personal information, educational background, and family status passed through my mind, but I couldn’t squeeze any answer out of my mouth.
Ah, whatever. I shot my gaze up after reassuring myself that everything would work out just fine. Then his red lips opened.
“What is your opinion of the people in this house?”
“…Sorry?”
“What kind of people are they?”
Such an unexpected question. I thought he was teasing me, but his eyes were so serious that I adjusted myself to answer seriously.
“They’re very warm and nice people.”
When they stayed up all night for me, not a single complaint escaped their mouths.
When I insisted on walking around the garden for three weeks, they tirelessly helped me without a hint of irritation.
They sincerely expressed their worries everyday. Whether if I was eating well, felt like collapsing, or feeling sick anywhere.
In the absence of Signus, the touch that woke me up from my nightmares was warm enough for me to shed tears.
“To the point I feel as though their warmness and kindness are more than what I deserve.”
His sharp eyes bent to half a moon.
“That’s all I need to hear.”
I blinked vacantly, and asked.
“Is that all?”
“Do you even know anything? You said you’ve been lying in bed all your life.”
I clamped my hand over my mouth instantly. He was right.
“I got what I wanted to know already. It’ll take some time, but when I arrange…the…”
He slurred the end of his words.
“Damn it. Why now of all times…”
Wobble-! his body stumbled.
“Your Highness!”
I jolted up from my bed. I moved my stiff hands, reaching out to his arm and shouted.
“What’s going on?! What’s wrong with you?!”
His body was stiff. As expected, he overexerted himself.
He took care of me for three days straight without a rest, and for some unknown reason, he came all the way here to interview dozens of people.
“Back off.”
Signus knocked my hand off and blinked slowly. His reddish eyes slightly trembled.
“It’ll be over soon.”
I bit my lips at his words.
He looked in pain, so was the wound in the hand that pushed me away.
He clenched his fist. My heart sank whenever his injured hand trembled. He stayed like that for quite a long time.
“Lie down, Navian.”
I turned my head. Disinfectants, needles and threads were lined on the silver tray that Ulysse brought.
“Let me look after him. I was going to treat him after the interview anyway.”
“…..”
“Calm down for now.”
I nibbled my lips anxiously. I couldn’t control my expression. I was worried about his exhausted face and his body that was skinnier than before.
“Let me take a look, Your Highness.”
Ulysse looked at Signus.
“This energy….”
Ulysse briefly clicked his tongue as he looked at Signus’ hand. His face gradually became serious the more he examined the wound.
“It’s worse than I thought.”
Not only was his hand torn here and there, the spots where the glass pieces stuck turned black.
“Even if it’s a minor wound, your bones are damaged. And your wrist…”
There were countless deep scars engraved on his white wrist.
“Did you get stabbed by a sword?”
“Yeah. I had to break the protective gear made by the temple.”
His low-pitched voice made me frozen.
“Your nerves are cut in half. Didn’t you get proper treatment? You must have paralysis from time to time.”
“I was out of my mind.”
A small smirk spread over Signus’ face.
“Somebody sacrificed her life as she pleased.”
It’s my fault. It’s all because of me.
I closed my eyes tightly and chewed my lips as the agony soared in my heart.
“I get it.”
I raised my head at his soothing voice. Before I knew it, Signus was looking at me.
“I get it. So stop making that face.”
What’s wrong with my face?
“You look like you’re about to cry.”
Signus turned his back on me and held out his wounded hand to Ulysse.
“Just do it fast.”
Ulysse and the butler exchanged glances. Then they smirked as if they had waited for this moment.
“Then I’ll start disinfecting it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a jug of disinfectants poured out into his beautiful hand.
Drip, drip-! As the liquid dripped onto the floor, the foam was bubbling on his hand.
“Excuse me.”
I couldn’t watch anymore, so I opened my mouth.
“At this rate, you’re going to melt his hand.”
“People’s hands don’t melt so easily.”
“Please don’t say nonsense so calmly.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Had he received treatment on time, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Is that so? I was convinced by his words, but I still couldn’t shake off my uneasiness.
“Some places need to be stitched. Will you be okay? Of course you will. Then I’ll start right away.”
Ulysse, who didn’t give Signus a chance to answer, already wore his gloves before I knew it. Looking at the needle and thread in his hands, I instinctively chimed in.
“Hold on.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You need to anesthetize it first.”
“Ah, I forgot.”
Wow, if I didn’t tell him, he would’ve just stitched it up.
As expected, there’s no way Ulysse wasn’t a quack.
I thought I should report him to the Imperial Palace for malpractice and get his medical license removed. But Ulysse, who didn’t know what I was thinking, smirked.
“But what can I do? There’s no anaesthetic.”
“What?”
“While I was away in the North, my colleagues who came here to help me used it all.”
Ulysse turned his head to Signus.
“So I will have to stitch your hand without anaesthesia. Will that be okay?”
As if it’ll be okay!
“I’d prefer that.”
I turned my head to someone’s voice that was mixed with laughter.
What do you mean you prefer that? Are you a pervert or what?
“Ahh. I see.”
Ulysse, who sounded a little angry, pricked the needle into his hand without any warning.
“If it hurts a lot, you can scream.”
A chain of gasping resounded in the room every time the needle got into his flesh.
Ulysse stitched his hand slowly and skillfully. As if he deliberately wanted to make Signus cry out in pain.
However, Signus didn’t even change his expression, and it was me who was restless.
“Is there any herb that reduces pain? How can you stitch up his flesh just like that?”
“But he’s holding it in pretty well.”
When Ulysse answered curtly, I quickly turned to the butler.
“Butler, go to the herb field-”
“Don’t look away.”
He cut me off. His golden eyes that were tinged with red energy tied me up.
“That’s right. Just look at me like that.”
Everyone held their breath. Silence lingered in the medical room, and even time seemed to have stopped.
The red energy still lingered around his golden eyes.
The red color, which moved as if to devour his sun-like golden eyes, shook violently as if fighting to conquer space.
“Blood.” Signus mumbled, closing his eyes slowly.
“Your Highness, if you move….!”
He grabbed the needle even before Ulysse could react.
Snap-! The needle broke.
Blood flowed from the wound that had been pierced by the needle.
“See.”
“…..”
“Didn’t I say it’ll be over soon?”
As he said, the red energy inside his golden eyes had disappeared.
“….By any chance.”
His gaze was telling me to continue speaking, so I moved my mouth stiffly.
“Are you feeling bored? Or are you feeling unmotivated in life….”
“Are you asking if I’m depressed?”
I gave him a positive look.
Otherwise, why would he hurt himself all of a sudden?
“I lived because I couldn’t die.”
His golden eyes sank. There were emotions that could not be expressed by words.
“All the good people…”
As I was wondering what he meant by that, he lifted his gaze.
“I’ve taken care of all the expenses. Your territory and mansion are already under construction.”
Huh? You mean Yeronimo’s mansion in the southeast?
“People from the imperial palace will be coming here too. I’ll give you everything you’ve asked for, so take it. Ask for more if it’s not enough.”
“But, we’ve already repaired all the broken parts….”
The marquis asked why it was a construction instead, and Signus replied.
“The problem is the mansion itself.”
“No, what’s wrong with our mansion….”
Signus asked sternly.
“Have you gone senile already?”
“….”
“Otherwise there’s no way you don’t know that the state of your mansion is worrying.”
The marquis’ face was horribly crumpled.
“You know that there are people who threaten and keep your family in check. Looking at their deranged mental state, it is possible that they would storm your mansion and wreak havoc. Then what do you expect me to do? Of course I have to be more prepared than ever.”
Signus raised his finger.
“First of all, get rid of that wretched, broken-down mansion at once. That one must be a priority, but there’s something that bothers me the most.”
What Signus pointed at was the window.
“It’s unnecessarily big.”
“Navian is a homebody, it was set up like that so the sunlight could-”
“Then you should’ve put bars on it. One can easily climb up if they set their mind to it.”
The marquis was a little embarrassed as if he hadn’t thought of such a thing.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Who would come up here?”
“There is.”
“Who?”
The golden eyes were bent into half-moon.
“Me.”
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