Chapter 12
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“I’m not a doctor.”
Ruelli bowed her head deeply.
It was clear that this dour, evil man was going to bully her. It would have been perfect if he sent her home calmly, but she couldn’t even hope for that.
Wasn’t he the one who sent Gauner to the labor camp just because he was annoying?
In the meantime, Xenon Clark, who had been standing behind Ethan, carefully put down his sword and looked at the little girl.
“Who the hell is this?”
The girl had golden hair that would have been shining beautifully if it was brushed and cared for properly. The clothes she was wearing were badly faded and old fashioned that he couldn’t even remember when they had gone out of style.
There was an old sash wrapped around her waist as if she was dressed up in such a fashion, but the girl’s posture and demeanor had a strange elegance to it.
It was Ethan’s question that satisfied Xenon’s curiosity.
“So if you’re not a doctor, why make ointments?
Xenon was aware of the incident that Gauner was taken to the labor camp the other day. He had heard faintly about the Fadenos girl in connection with it, but today was the first time he had actually seen her.
‘Why did she come here?’
Xenon, who couldn’t possibly know the circumstances before and after, was puzzled.
Moreover, what made Xenon more surprised was the fact that she was younger than he expected and more beautiful than he thought.
Her precious red eyes, which didn’t match her clothes, were also filled with fear, but at the same time they were determined.
“What is Young Duke going to do?”
Xenon glanced at Ethan and his eyes were brighter than ever.
Xenon was convinced that even the indifferent Young Duke was curious.
“Answer it, Liote Lacinth.”
Ruelli faced head-on what she had always feared. She closed her eyes tightly to calm her trembling eyelids.
The evil Young Duke already knew her name, but still called her Liote. Ruelli bit her lip.
As she did so, she let out a long breath as if she had made up her mind and opened her small, plump lips.
Even if she was going to be punished for her deception here, she had no choice now.
If she deceived Ethan even more today, she may not have a chance to beg for forgiveness.
“I have something to tell you, Youg Duke. I’m actually…..I’m not Liote Lacinth. My name is Ruelli Bedivier.
The first person to react to Ruelli’s confession was Xenon Clark.
He thought Ruelli’s red eyes that seemed to swallow everything were unusual. Did she do that the other day when she saw a man being taken to the labor camp right in front of her?
Ruelli seemed to know exactly what she had done. She stared at the ground with the face of a condemned prisoner waiting for execution.
She had no idea what kind of punishment the Young Duke would give her.
It was a moment when even Xenon was afraid of what Ethan would say.
“It doesn’t matter if you are Liote Lacinth or Bedivier.”
Ruelli’s head snapped up at the unexpected words.
It seemed insidious, but that was when both cheeks were burning with the feeling that the Young Duke might actually be generous.
“The name means nothing when you’re punished for trespassing or sentenced to die.”
The words, crueler than a bloody sword, passed by, grazing Ruelli’s cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
It was then that Ruelli realized that even if she begged with a pitiful face, she would never get out of here. There was a hope that only if she does what Ethan wants and does it perfectly.
‘What should I do? I’m sure father is awake by now.’
The face of her father, who was breathing hard with fever, made Ruelli anxious even more. But the man who stood before her would never let her go easily.
The only thing she could do now was not to go against Ethan’s feelings.
“Young Duke, the grass from the mountain is not enough to make the ointment. I need a few more ingredients.”
Ruelli, who managed to gather the courage that had sunk to the tip of her toes, opened her mouth.
It was a small but clear voice.
“Alright, I’ll give you everything you need. Bedivier.”
Ethan added dryly, sweeping up his messy bangs.
“If you want to keep living under that name, you’d better do your best.”
Ruelli was afraid, but nodded with a grim expression.
Ethan walked into the castle, hiding his injured arm with Xenon’s jacket. If Ethan exposed his bloody arm, not only would the whole castle be in an uproar, but Xenon would also be punished.
It didn’t matter if Xenon was punished, but it was difficult to lose the other.
He wasn’t worried about the pain that was intensified, but it was worrisome that blood might fall.
Some of the servants stopped working and glanced at the wretched girl and Xenon Clark, who were following the Young Duke, but they couldn’t carelessly open their mouths.
It was because they might never set foot in the castle again if they wanted to know if the girl was the new servant that Xenon Clark had brought with him or the plaything of the two men.
After they entered the quiet room, Xenon closed the door. Then Ethan looked at Ruelli and opened his mouth.
“Come on, do it.”
What was to come was finally here.
The dark red blood was dried up on his shirt because it had been a while since he was cut.
Even though Ruelli had read about blood in medical books countless times, it was actually terrifying to see that much blood in front of her eyes.
Fortunately, Ruelli calmed her complicated mind as Ethan walked over. First, his shirt needed to come off so she could wash the affected area.
“First, the shirt…..”
Ruelli hesitated, slurring her words, but Ethan took off his shirt without hesitation. The wound that was revealed was more serious than expected, and Xenon, who had been watching, was horrified.
“Fortunately, I have grass and white ferns. The ferns will make the pain go away. But ……”
Ruelli decided that since she was going to do this anyway, she might as well use some materials that he had never used before because it was costly.
“I’ll need a spoonful of oil and a goldbeater’s skin. I don’t have those in my basket.”
Goldbeater’s was the prepared outer membrane of the large intestine of cattle that was used to cover wounds before bandaging them. It was extremely expensive and difficult to purchase, and its efficacy had never been confirmed.
Perhaps it was a good opportunity for Ruelli.
“We also need a small millstone and a lancet that will act as an antiseptic.”
“Xenon, go to O’Connell and tell him to bring me what this girl said.”
“Yes, Young Duke.”
While Xenon Clark went out, Ruelli carefully wiped the dried blood with cold water.
After a few moments, a long cut of the affected area was revealed. The wound, cut by a sharp sword, was deeper than expected and was so severe that his entire arm swelled up.
“It must hurt a lot…”
Ruelli murmured involuntarily, then quickly fell silent.
Ethan stared at the girl’s bright yellow lashes as her eyes fluttered. Her large eyes looked as anxious as ever, but her fingers were diligent.
“You seem surprised by a wound like this, I doubt you can do it right.”
Ruelli bit her lip at Ethan’s words, then turned and began making the ointment. After a while, she combined the medicinal herbs with the oil that Xenon had brought with him to create the ointment.
In fact, the white fern’s effect would have been even better if it was dried in the sun, but Ruelli didn’t have the time to do that now, so she grinded all of it except the amount that she would use for her father.
“Why is it taking so long?”
Ethan murmured, looking at Ruelli, who was making medicine in a corner of the room.
In retrospect, it was a very reckless thing to do.
Even though it was rumored in town that her ointment was good, the girl was still a child who made medicine without permission. She was just a kid, how could he entrust his precious arms to a child?
Ethan thought long and hard about whether or not he had ever done anything as reckless as he did today in his life.
Ethan enjoyed adventure, one way or the other, and he had never jumped into something he wasn’t prepared for.
But it was in fact Ruelli who was more reckless than him.
Perhaps this clever boy might see Ruelli’s ability. Ever since Fadenos found out that Ruelli had the ability to purify, he was very afraid that it would become known to the world.
Ruelli also understood that keeping secrets was of the utmost importance.
“Ruelli, God’s grace is not given to just anyone. If this fact comes out, people will try to take advantage of you.”
“But father, if you don’t do it right here, it could be more dangerous.”
Ruelli carefully raised her hand over the ointment and gently covered it with her other hand. As she closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, a familiar heat began to build in her chest.
At the same time, the tiny lights on her fingertips sprinkled the ointment like gold dust.
The ointment that Ruelli had made had a cool, refreshing scent. Ethan realized that it was the strange scent he felt when he first met the girl.
“It was this scent, wasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
It was an unpleasant, reflexive impression that indicated a single thought in his mind.
“I’m almost done.”
Although she could have panicked, Ruelli replied with a calm face and began to apply the ointment to Ethan’s arm. It was the moment when a rather cold energy reached the affected area.
The ointment gradually soaked into the wound and took away the pain as if it was a dream.