Arde – Present

Arde screamed even louder when she saw that Chizuru’s shoulder was stained with blood. Her black dress?was?torn from the collar,?and a white cloth?was?wrapped around her top.?Regardless,?most of her left shoulder was stained red.

The man holding her, Lukrov, had an inhuman look in his eyes.

His eyes looked as if they were the eyes of a beast in the face of an enemy.?They were?eyes of a wild animal that would bite to death anyone who approached it mercilessly.

Lukrov entered the castle without a second glance and ran straight upstairs to Chizuru’s room on the second floor.

Arde desperately followed him up the stairs.

Lukrov lowered Chizuru slowly and carefully onto the bed and whispered something softly into his lover’s ear in a voice Arde could not hear.

When Arde reached Chizuru’s room, panting heavily, Lukrov didn’t bat an eye but ordered in a low, hoarse voice.

“Get the doctor... Here... Immediately.”

Arde shook her head as she tried to respond, but just then,?Nadal came rushing into the room, accompanied by the doctor.

“Lukrov-sama! I’ve got the doctor with me now!”

Nadal’s voice was hoarse and muffled as he pushed a thin, old woman in a grayish coat forward.

The?old woman’s name was Estabelle, and she was an eerie presence in a dusty, suspicious room in the corner of the castle, silently preparing different kinds of herbs every day. However, the medicines she made worked well, and whenever knights got injured in training and went to Estabelle for help, they were always cured in no time.

Nevertheless, aside from the rumors of her excellent healing skills, Estabelle was like a shadow of a castle. Arde had never even seen her eating in the grand dining room before.

The petite old woman’s hair was white and messy, but her sunken eyes shone unexpectedly bright.

“Kid, why don’t you go get some hot water?”

Estabelle urged Nadal in a hushed emotionless voice. Nadal rushed out of the room, as agitated as when he had?entered.

As Arde looked on in confusion, Estabelle walked quickly to the bed with?nimble steps?that didn’t suit her age, and when she was next to Lukrov, she turned around to Arde.

“Give me the cloth in your hand. Yes, all of them.”

It took Arde a few seconds to realize that the instruction was directed at her, and in panic, she approached Estabelle and handed her the cloth.

As she approached the bed, Arde?ended up?right behind Lukrov, who?kneeled?beside Chizuru, his?broad?back bent over.

Lukrov’s hair was a mess, and he wore no armor, no chainmail, just a dirty jacket.

He smelled like dried blood.

The broad-shouldered, well-trained warrior’s back was now trembling.

“Chizuru-sama... Why?“

And Chizuru,?lying down with no energy like a puppet whose strings were cut off. Her face was pale as if the blood was sucked out of her, and her long black hair was scattered around her.

Arde gasped involuntarily.

Her knees were trembling as Estabelle carefully exposed Chizuru’s left shoulder.

The smell of rusty iron stung her nostrils as the dried black blood now mixed with the fresh?red?blood from Chizuru’s open wound.

Unable to look away, Arde burst into tears.

On Chizuru’s left shoulder, there was a distinct circular wound. It was?as if she had been shot with a sharp arrow. Estabelle removed the blood-soaked cloth cautiously and started cleaning the bloodstain off Chizuru’s skin.

“Looks like that was a pretty thick arrow.”

Estabelle asked, turning to Lukrov for confirmation, but her gaze never left Chizuru’s wound.

Arde was standing behind Lukrov, so she could not see his expression.

However, it was probably for the best.

If she were to see Lukrov’s face now, Arde would probably be unable to stand.

Lukrov gave a short reply in a low, muffled voice. It was probably an attempt to answer Estabelle’s question in the affirmative.

“I don’t think it’s poisoned.. This is a blessing among misfortunes..”

As Estabelle continued to clean Chizuru’s wound, she mumbled to herself about the symptoms.

When the cloth touched the wound, Chizuru’s whole body trembled, and her face became distorted.

Arde breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the signs that Chizuru was still alive, even in this pitiful gesture of enduring pain. That was how pale Chizuru was.

Lukrov’s large, strong hand touched Chizuru’s forehead, tracing the soft lines of her hair.

“I’m sorry .. Chizuru. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

His voice was incredibly gentle, mixed with anxiety that made him feel like he was about to fall apart, and a great affection that overcame even that.

Arde’s heart tightened, and she struggled to think of something she could do for the two of them.

Just then, Nadal appeared at the entrance of the room carrying a bucket of hot water, and Arde rushed over to help the boy.