Chapter 31

The voice is the same.

I looked up at him. My sight, which had darkened, trembled violently as the light returned at his words.

He’s real. It’s not an illusion, but Valery really came here.

But how? There’s no way to contact him from here?

Leaving my questioning eyes behind, he took off his coat and covered me.  As my shoulders were covered with the heavy coat, I felt like my body, which was moving back and forth between heat and cold due to tension, was loosened up. My legs that were barely holding up were trembling.

“Ah.”

“Are you okay?”

He quickly picked me up when I sat down after being unable to stand up for a while. His body scent felt much stronger. He’s someone I barely know, but how could I feel so comfortable? I felt like my consciousness was gradually fading, but a small smile leaked out.

He quickly picked me up when I sat down without holding on for a long time. His body scent felt much stronger. I only know her, but she feels so cozy. The mind was gradually becoming limp, but a small smile leaked out.

“Why are you here?”

I looked up at him and asked.

“Because you’re here.”

“Haha… that’s interesting. How did you know? How did you know I’m here?”

I ended up bursting into laughter. My head was pounding because of the headache. I’m sure that I’m not out of my mind.

“I was going to send you a present… More than that, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, but…”

Sir Shubart is late.

I forced my eyes to open. My eyes feel so hot. I thought I would feel refreshed if I vomited, but that didn’t work either. Now that I really hit my limit, I leaned my head against his shoulder. I don’t know why, but he came to save me first.  

Because he’s right in front of me, please hold on to me for a moment.

Valery words, “Why are you here?”, “Are you really okay?” and “Don’t lose your consciousness” came into one ear and went out the other.

It’s annoying, so who cares?

I couldn’t hold out any longer and let go of my consciousness in his arms.

* * *

Valery held her in his arms, which had collapsed helplessly. Her soft hair was all sweaty as if the rain had hit her.

His reunion with Blake Ariandel was a complete mess. There were countless questions about why her clothes became like that, why the hell she looked so sick, what had happened to her and what caused her to go through this, but they disappeared as she collapsed in his arms.

The hand that ran through her hair that covered her cheek was so careful. Shortly after, Joanne and other subordinates approached, who had followed him behind the scenes.

“Did you find her?”

“Yes, we’re going back.”

“We will take care of the surroundings and follow back immediately.”

Valery nodded.

Joanne guided him to the carriage, and Conrad, another subordinate who came with him, disappeared towards the other hallway. Valery came out of there with a swift movement so she wouldn’t feel any discomfort. In front of the carriage, he paused before getting into it.

“Send a doctor over there.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The carriages split in two directions. One to the Imperial Palace and the other to where he will go. He couldn’t take her to the Imperial Palace, so he was about to go to the villa where he had taken her.

“…”

Throughout the journey in the carriage, she didn’t wake up. Valery couldn’t let go of her in his arms, fearing losing her. He was too afraid to imagine what would have happened to her if he hadn’t found her or if he had arrived a little later.

His gaze later moved to her hand, which was holding his clothes tightly. Even when she lost consciousness, her blood-stained hand still held his clothes.

Valery wrapped her small hand in his own hand, and it was later that his fists were relaxed. There was a bloody stain on her hand. It was unknown whether she had been hurt on the way out or if someone was trying to harm her. What matters is that she got injured. Valery held her in his arms, pulled a handkerchief from inside his clothes, and tied the wound on her hand.  

It didn’t take long to arrive at the villa. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with a coat, which he held and didn’t let go. Looking at her breathing hard from time to time, Valery brought a wet towel and wiped her forehead and cheeks. As time went on, her breath, which had been irregular, changed evenly, and her fever was lower than the first time. His shoulders, which had been stiff with tension, slowly relaxed.

The carriage went full speed, and the doctor came in less than an hour after Valery arrived at the villa. He was the imperial doctor who treated Blake once at the Imperial Palace.

After the doctor’s examination was over, her blood-stained hand was also given first aid. However, the doctor’s expression was not so bright. Blake was still unconscious.

“How is her condition?”

“First of all, it’s important for her to wake up first. Her breathings were too weak, and it seems she has been in this state for too long.”

“Has she been neglected for a long time?”

“Perhaps it’s right. It’s a miracle that she has endured until now. Her heart and body were weak, and she didn’t seem to be in good condition, but why is she in this state…”

“…I don’t know about that.”

The doctor looked at Valery’s complicated expression and refrained from speaking.

The doctor, who said it would be helpful to hear her approximate condition before leaving for the Imperial Palace, cautioned that she should eat as soon as possible. Then, he rose up and said he would hurry back to the Imperial Palace first to get the medicine.

The cup the doctor gave Valery was half full of black and dark green pills. He stared at the cup.

Valery remembered the first day of the winter when she saved his life.

‘Why do you have so many secrets?’

Valery, who was guarding her like a guardian deity, got his body up. It was better for her to wake up and listen to her cursing rather than see her weak unconscious figure. Even if she threw something or got angry, it was better than seeing her like this.

“…I will take the punishment when you wake up.”

Valery put the pills in his mouth and slowly lowered his lips over hers.

* * *

Shubart stared at the path of the imperial carriage that had taken Carbella with a wounded face in the dark carriage. If he goes further from here, the security is tight, so he has no choice but to stay there.

He was late by a short delay and confirmed that Carbella was with the second prince. He was late because he had visited Iskar’s home base.

“…”

But it was a relief. One of the princes saved Bella. It would have been better if it was the first prince, but the second prince is not too bad. After all, one of them will get rid of anyway, but now is time to see which one they need more.

A long time later, someone knocked on the carriage door. Soon the door opened, and the person appeared.

“Did you check everything?”

“Yes, none of the dead had the mark of Iskar.”

“Really?”

“Yes, those who escaped are being tracked.”

When Shubart shook his head, the man disappeared again to pursue the rest. After making sure that Carbella was safe, it was inevitable that his head would go numb.

“It would be best to hear it directly from Bella’s mouth.”

Shubart didn’t move for a long time in the dark. It wasn’t until the sun rose that he went back to Bei.

* * *

I woke up with a severe headache when I felt the light. The sun shone brightly through the half-closed curtains in the middle of the day. I woke up with a feeling my headache was getting worse.

“…Ouch, my head hurts.”

My body had no energy, and my ears were deaf as if I had fallen into the water. I think I’ve been to this place at least once, but no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t tell where it was.

Where the hell is this place? What was happening when I lost my consciousness?

I sat for a while, but no people came in, and it was so quiet.

“…”

I lay down in the bed helplessly, unable to bear the headache and drowsiness again. What the hell is that? The candle in front of me didn’t flicker even in the wind. Eventually, I closed my eyes again.

“…”

It hadn’t been long since I fell asleep again, but someone kept waking me up.

“Blake.”

“Yes…”

I didn’t want to get up, so I grabbed the blanket and held on until I heard low laughter. I don’t think it’s Ian. Well, Ian couldn’t have called me like that.

“You must get up now. You should fill your empty stomach a little bit and rest again.”

The moment the voice was so polite that I almost mistook it for Ian again, his voice became clearer. At that moment, goosebumps sprang up from my spine. I got up quickly.

“Ah.”