CHAPTER 12
Mayna had a terrible trauma.
“Princess! W-Winslet Duke-samaâŚ!”
At first, it was Mr. Benson, the Winslet Duke family butler, who informed her of her fatherâs death.
“Sniff⌠Princess Mayna. The Winslet DuchessâŚ.”
Next came the news from her mother that she had passed away at the hospital.
The two cruel notifications came like lightning from a clear sky.
“Please, go quickly, hurry!”
Mayna urged the coachman.
She was trying to hold back her tears, but inside, she was already crying.
“Itâs nothing serious, Assistant.”
“Yes. If it were serious, any guild member would have separately informed the assistant.”
Maggia and Bavrad tried to calm Mayna in turn.
But neither of their words offered the slightest comfort.
The most horrifying images she could imagine flashed before her eyes.
Kalif being attacked by a monster, struggling for life, his body covered in blood, his eyes closedâŚ
The carriage raced along the coast of Idium.
The smell of the sea mixed with the sweet scent of fruit brushed past the window.
At this moment, Mayna could only blame herself for being unable to open a portal.
***
After three full hours of travel, they arrived at the capital of Asirius, Bonsell.
It was quite close to Whedon, the northern city of the East Continent where Lennox Castle was located.
But it was quite a distance from the Idium coast where the three had been shopping.
In front of the âBonsell Knights Hospital,â where Kalif was said to be hospitalized, reporters were already crowded.
“Huh? Assistant.”
Someone recognized Mayna and waved.
It was one of the reporters who had sneaked into the party a few days earlier.
“Reporter! What is Lord Lennoxâs condition?”
Mayna asked urgently.
The surrounding reporters glanced at her.
They seemed just as uninformed.
They had only heard that Kalif was injured and gathered for coverage.
Mayna ran frantically toward the hospital lobby.
Dozens of guards blocked the way.
They belonged to the Ocean Agency.
“Assistant, you are here?”
“Please come in.”
They silently made way for Mayna.
But Maggia and Bavrad, who followed, were stopped by the guards.
“You may not enter except for the assistant.”
Mayna turned around urgently.
“Go home first.”
“Yes, Assistant.”
Maggia replied worriedly.
Bavrad also turned away with a concerned expression.
“Eighth floor.”
Upon hearing the destination, she ran up the central staircase of the hospital.
Who had ordered that no one but the assistant may enter?
Mayna fervently hoped it was Kalif.
If he could give the order, it would mean he wasnât seriously injured.
“Huff⌠HahâŚ.”
She reached the seventh floor, her breath coming in gasps.
Turning the last corner of the spiral staircase, she collided head-on with someone descending.
“Ah!”
“Ugh.”
ThumpâŚ
“AhhâŚ.”
It was quite a strong impact.
Mayna groaned and sat down in the middle of the stairs.
Meanwhile, the person who tried to avoid the rushing Mayna lost balance and fell forward with a pained groan.
Thud-!
A heavy body hit the floor.
Mayna barely held onto the railing and looked back.
The fallen person got up abruptly.
He turned sharply toward Mayna, looking extremely surprised.
He was tall and thin.
His exposed neck and hands were very pale.
He wore a black robe, so his features were hard to see.
Mayna flinched, recalling a recent encounter with a similarly robed figure.
“âŚ.”
She forgot to apologize and stared at him in a daze.
His hair, disheveled from the collision, brushed past her nose to her lips.
Almost silver, platinum hair.
Pale, lifeless lips.
Mayna paused for a moment, sensing an odd atmosphere, and then lowered her head.
“Iâm sorry!”
She was sorry for bumping into him, but there was no time to hesitate.
“UmâŚ!”
A soft, youthful voice came from between his pale lips.
But Mayna ignored it and ran up the stairs.
Finally, the eighth floor.
She didnât know which room was Kalifâs, but she could tell immediately.
There were dozens of people gathered at the end of the long hallway in front of the room.
“Huh?”
Rob, who was speaking seriously with the doctor, spotted Mayna first.
“Assistant!”
She walked straight to Rob, raising her hand in recognition.
She checked his expression.
Fortunately, Rob looked relatively calm.
“Lord Hugentia, what happened? Where is Lord Lennox? Is he badly hurt?”
Mayna fired off questions, and Rob smiled with his long eyes squinting.
“Haha. Assistant, this is the first time Iâve seen you like this.”
“Why are you laughing!”
Maynaâs eyes welled with tears, and Rob opened them wide.
“Huh. Youâre crying?”
Mayna bit her lip.
She hadnât shed tears yet, but she was on the verge of sobbing if anyone so much as touched her.
“Please, go inside.”
Rob gestured toward the closed hospital room door.
The people standing by the door made way.
She pushed the door open.
It was a spacious single room.
The smell of medicine stung her nose.
Steam followed closely behind.
A large bed had curtains half-drawn.
Two long legs protrudedâthey belonged to Kalif.
Seeing the familiar shape of his legs and feet alone eased her worry.
She realized his bones werenât broken, and his flesh wasnât crushed.
“Anyway, itâs true he narrowly avoided a serious accident. He must rest completely for now.”
“I will make sure he can rest, Doctor.”
“It was lucky the treatment was fast.”
Five people were gathered around the bed talking.
One wore a doctorâs gown, three were members of Guild 928.
“Huh? Assistant, youâre here?”
The remaining person who just got up was Sera.
She wore her usual tight black bodysuit.
But this time, she had unzipped the back to expose her left shoulder.
The contours of her chest were subtly visible.
Below her collarbone were bruises and torn wounds.
“âŚHello, Princess.”
Mayna bowed toward Sera, putting aside her emotions.
At the same time, the curtain suddenly opened.
“What?”
It was Kalif.
He leaned against the pillow, looking slightly pale.
But compared to what she feared, he looked fine.
Mayna hesitated and approached.
The guild members greeted her with a nod.
“Why are you here?”
A cold question reached Mayna at the bedside.
Like a sharp stone, it hit her.
“âŚ.”
Mayna was speechless.
“See, you make the assistant feel hurt⌔
Sera lightly rolled her eyes at Kalif.
She tried to zip her back, but her hand stopped in front of a Guild 928 mage.
“Sir Brown? Can you zip this for me?”
She stood coolly, exposing her back.
“Ah, yes.”
B-grade mage Nephew Brown, with light brown hair and brown eyes, looked slightly flustered as he zipped her up.
“Thanks.”
Sera smiled slightly and brushed back her hair.
Mayna watched, dazed.
Kalif repeated his question.
“Why are you here?”
“âŚ.”
Mayna bit her lip.
âI shouldnât have come here without thinking.â
Kalifâs cold attitude only made the thought heavier.
Mayna lowered her head and fiddled with her skirt hem.
