TPCF 46

CHAPTER 46…………..

Edmund, who had kept silent until now, suddenly jumped out from behind Rutger. Rutger almost told him to step aside because he was a nuisance, but stopped himself.

He couldn’t leave Anita alone here, not even for a moment. But the infirmary was still closed, and it wasn’t as if he could take her to the men’s dormitory. So, if he wanted to at least give her first aid, he’d have to make use of this guy.

“We need a first-aid kit. Ice or a splint would be even better.”

“Huh?”

Edmund repeated dumbly.

“The first-aid kit is next to the janitor’s office.”

Rutger added as he carefully examined Anita’s ankle. It was unpleasant having to ask someone like Edmund, who still seemed completely out of it, but he had no other choice. Leaving Anita in Edmund’s care, though, was even more unsettling.

Watching Edmund stagger as he walked and then bump into the entrance of the building, Rutger rubbed his forehead. Alcoholics, honestly.

A little later, Edmund came back with the first-aid kit. He hadn’t found ice but brought a cold wet towel, which was better than nothing.

Rutger took off his coat and draped it over Anita. Her face relaxed a little, looking more at ease now that the chill had faded.

He wrapped the cold towel around her ankle. Anita’s brow, which had just smoothed out, furrowed again.

“Hang in there.”

He muttered even though Anita was already sleeping soundly. After some time, he removed the towel wrapped around her ankle. It looked a little better, though he couldn’t rule out that it was just wishful thinking.

As Rutger busied himself with tending her, he suddenly realized the surroundings were too quiet. Looking up, he let out a bitter laugh. Edmund had collapsed face-first in the grass.

Do I have to take care of that idiot too? Rutger sighed quietly.

He applied ointment to reduce Anita’s swelling and wrapped her ankle in bandages. At last finished, he carefully lifted her into his arms, making sure not to jolt the injured ankle.

Naturally, the matron of the women’s dormitory did not allow Rutger in without protest. She eyed him and the unconscious Anita in his arms with a disapproving look.

But the matron was a white-haired old woman. Judging that it was beyond her strength to carry Anita herself, she reluctantly led Rutger to the infirmary on the first floor. He laid Anita down on the infirmary bed.

Knowing the ankle should be elevated, he tried to stack several pillows beneath it, but before he could finish, the matron’s sharp glare forced him out.

“Ugh…”

A sudden headache struck. Anita clutched her head and groaned. No matter how long she sat there, the pain wouldn’t subside. She tried to get up to at least wash her face.

“Ack!”

Why was nothing going right since morning? Trying to refresh herself with cold water, Anita buckled under the pain shooting from her ankle and collapsed back onto the bed.

Now she realized she hurt in more places than one. Her head throbbed as if stabbed with a knife, one knee stung, and her ankle ached fiercely.

She sat dazed, struggling to recall the memories of last night. Something big must have happened. There was no way she’d end up in such a mess otherwise.

“…Damn.”

Fragments of last night she had forgotten came rushing back. Anita squeezed her eyes shut. She should’ve just left it buried. She should never have tried to remember. Regret washed over her too late.

Tagging along with Edmund and pouring wine down her throat, climbing the statue of the Earl of Aberdeen and causing a scene, even ending up in a chase with the police.

No. That had to be a dream. She must have been so stressed these past few days that her brain malfunctioned and made up something bizarre.

But undeniable proof sat before her, showing last night wasn’t a dream. Her eyes drifted downward.

The bandages wrapped tightly around her ankle asserted their presence.

“No way…”

As Anita tried to convince herself otherwise, something slipped from her shoulder and dropped. It was a black coat she had never seen before.

The plain, patternless coat reminded her of someone familiar. But combing through her memories of last night, she found it highly unlikely.

Examining it briefly, Anita concluded it was a man’s coat. If so, then it most likely belonged to Edmund.

Bracing herself against the wall to avoid straining her ankle, she noticed the room around her felt strangely unfamiliar. This wasn’t her room.

Before she could figure out where she was, the door burst open. A white-haired doctor strode in. Without even introducing herself, she forced Anita back down on the bed and began an examination.

“Thanks to proper first aid, you’ll recover quickly. Nothing’s wrong with your bones or muscles, so don’t worry. Rest is the best medicine. Ah, and absolutely no alcohol, none at all!”

The doctor rattled off her words in a rush, clearly a very busy woman, then packed her bag and left. Anita only came back to her senses after hearing the door slam shut.

After that, Anita was confined to the infirmary for the entire day. It was a blessing in disguise. Her pounding head and queasy stomach were as exhausting as her throbbing ankle, and at least the injury gave her a reason to skip classes.

She could imagine what would’ve happened if she had gone. She would’ve either dozed off mid-lecture or thrown up. The aftereffects were that bad.

It might be rash to judge from only one experience, but Anita resolved never to touch alcohol again. The humiliation of last night aside, the aftermath was far too much.

The “magic potion” Edmund had promised worked only briefly and solved nothing.

The next day, Anita was finally discharged from the infirmary. Her ankle wasn’t fully healed, but the pain had lessened.

As she packed her books for class, her eyes fell on the black coat. After hesitating, she decided to take it along. She planned to return it to Edmund later and thank him.

When she left the infirmary, the dormitory matron scolded her repeatedly, warning her not to give men an excuse to enter the women’s dorm again.

Ah, I should apologize too.

Edmund must have been tired as well, yet he still looked after her.

Unfortunately, her last memory was of collapsing in front of the dorm.

Since she couldn’t remember, she had no idea how to properly apologize. They say you don’t realize the value of something until you lose it. Memory was one of those precious things. With a heavy bag slung over one arm and the coat draped over the other, Anita trudged across campus.

Books that never felt heavy before weighed down on her like iron. The buildings she usually reached in no time now seemed to recede into the distance like mirages with each painful step.

She limped along, unable to pick up speed. Annoyed at her snail’s pace, Anita dared to stomp down hard with her right foot.

“Aah!”

A muffled scream slipped from her lips. She couldn’t believe her ankle was only sprained. It had to be broken. If this wasn’t the pain of a broken bone, then what else could it be?